"Why'd You Pick Me?": Eyewitness Reforms Fall Short

Also: Mass. eases pandemic restrictions starting today, pre-K to third graders back to the classroom in Boston ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Donate [WBUR]]( [View in Browser](  [WBUR]( March 1, 2021 Good Morning Boston, ☔ Rain likely, mainly before 2 p.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 50. We're kicking off March with a lot of changes for Massachusetts. Here's what you need to know: - Most of Massachusetts is easing some pandemic restrictions on businesses starting today. As a reminder, that means: concert halls and performance spaces can reopen at 50% capacity, roller skating and laser tag are back, and restaurants can reopen at full capacity (but must maintain distancing, mask wearing and 90 minute time caps for tables). Of note: Somerville won't ease these restrictions until March 15, and Boston won't reopen performance venues until March 22. - Also starting today, Boston Public Schools has reopened classrooms to all students pre-K through third grade. BPS says about half of district students are registered for in-person classes. This week, Cambridge Public Schools is also starting to transition students back to in-person learning. They're starting with the district's most vulnerable students. - Statewide, we're back to the lowest seven-day positive test rate average since late October: 1.7%. And when it comes to vaccines, 1.2 million residents have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. This is very exciting news! But still, there were 1,400 new cases and 52 more deaths reported yesterday, so the pandemic is anything but over. - PSA: Boston will resume street sweeping today, which means if you leave your car in a designated street sweeping area, you will get ticketed. The city had originally stopped enforcing this because of the pandemic. - ICYMI: A panel of experts that advises the CDC has [given the OK]( to Johnson & Johnson's new one-shot vaccine for COVID-19. This makes it the third COVID-19 vaccine available in the U.S. J & J says it has already started shipping the several million doses it has ready to go. Its goal is to have 20 million doses delivered by the end of March. And in non-COVID news: - On Friday, Baker signed a measure into law that[eliminates the need for a special election]( in Boston if Mayor Marty Walsh steps down to become President Joe Biden’s labor secretary. This means the city can avoid the need to conduct a special election just months before holding the regular municipal election in the fall. So what happens now if Walsh steps down? Current City Council President Kim Janey will assume the role of interim mayor until the fall election. - The famed Newport mansion The Breakers will be closed for the next three months, starting today. It should reopen by May 28. Good news is that the Marble House reopens this week for the first time since last March, so you still have plenty to see if you're taking a day trip. P.S.– Congrats to Cambridge resident Molly Seidel! She [won]( the Atlanta Half Marathon on Sunday and is now training for the Olympics. — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown [1.](url)[COVID-19 Relief Package Heads To Senate As Debate Over Minimum Wage Continues]( The Senate will debate a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill and aim to pass it using a process that avoids a Republican filibuster. A battle over efforts to raise the minimum wage still splits Democrats. [Read more.](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    2. ['Why'd You Pick Me?' Eyewitness Reforms Offer Limited Help To Those Convicted Decades Ago]( In 2011, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court put together a task force of people from all over the criminal justice community. They studied how eyewitness evidence is used in the courtroom and offered science-based recommendations going forward. But it left many people who were convicted before the report still in prison. [Read more.]( 3. ['This Is A Crisis': Mom Whose Son Has Boarded 33 Days For Psych Bed Calls For State Action]( "It's ridiculous. ... And we can't wait six months or a year for some hospitals to build or add rooms. They need to find a solution right now." [Read more.]( 4. [For Some Black Students, Remote Learning Has Offered A Chance To Thrive]( In Texas, students have been assigned history textbooks that downplay slavery and avoid talking about Jim Crow. In Massachusetts, Black girls have been reprimanded for violating dress codes that ban hair extensions. And across the country, according to federal data, Black students are more likely than white classmates to be disciplined at school. Pandemic learning is an escape from all of that. [Read more.]( 5. [At Least 18 Killed By Myanmar Security Forces In Deadliest Day Since Coup]( Sunday was the bloodiest day in Myanmar since a military junta seized power there one month ago. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, at least 18 people were killed and more than 30 wounded after security forces fired live ammunition into crowds of peaceful demonstrators in several cities across the country. [Read more.]( Support the news Anything Else? - ICYMI: Members of the state Legislature held a public hearing to question Baker and his administration on the failures and delays in Massachusetts' vaccine rollout. Here are [three takeaways from the hearing.]( - Listen to this [exclusive song release]( from Boston-based singer Kaiti Jones. "Tossed" is about how songwriting and surfing helped her process her feelings after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. - Could Joe Biden and Mitt Romney be the odd couple that helps engineer a fairer society by joining forces on immigration and the minimum wage? Rich Barlow explains why he thinks so [in this commentary](. [WBUR] Your Daily Must Listen [Obesity Specialist Says BMI Is A 'Good Measure' For Vaccine Priority Group]( [Listen]( VACCINES [Here's Why COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe]( Some Hospitals Resuming New COVID-19 Vaccinations As Supply Increases. [Read more.]( Baker Designates 11 Regional Vaccine Sites, Promises Improvements To Sign-Up Website. [Read more.]( What To Know About Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution In Mass.[Read more.]( 📬 Get the latest on vaccine safety protocols, side effects, local distribution plans & more in your inbox. [Sign up for our coronavirus newsletter and alerts.]( WBUR TOWN HALL: 3/2/21 The third event in WBUR 's free Town Hall series on vaccines is streaming on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Essential workers, prison populations, nursing home residents, the elderly and immunocompromised are first in line for the coronavirus vaccine. Are there other vulnerable populations who should have priority? Should employers mandate vaccinations to protect their workforce? Endless Thread podcast hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson, explore the history of vaccine adoption. Then, senior correspondent and host Deborah Becker engages Akilah Jefferson Shah, allergist-immunologist and bioethicist at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, to discuss coronavirus vaccine ethics and equity and take your questions. [Learn more and register here.]( What We're Reading - Two tales of one city: The Port sits in the shadow of Moderna and Pfizer ([The Boston Globe]( - Mars Is a Hellhole ([The Atlantic]( - Sure, Laugh Away. But Every Big Vehicle Should Look Like This New USPS Truck ([Curbed]( Tell Me Something Good [Zoom Pledges Provide Closed Captioning For All Free Users — A Win For Hearing Health Advocates]( “It just shows the power of grassroots advocacy. It’s just such a powerful feeling for people with hearing loss to have their voice finally be heard.” Before you go: [Sorry GBH]( we had to set the record straight. 😎 Forward to a friend. 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