It's Officially A Heat Wave

Also: New England's success against COVID could be a model; a binge-worthy, Netflix-style opera series ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Donate [WBUR]]( [View in Browser](  [WBUR]( June 7, 2021 Good Morning Boston, 🥵 Sunny, with a high near 95. New England weather is taking this whole ["hot vax summer"]( thing literally. Break out the iced coffee and get yourself settled in front of a fan before diving into today's news: - We're in the middle of a heat wave. [Cooling centers will stay open]( in Boston until tomorrow, Tuesday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They'll be located at Boston Centers for Youth & Families community centers. You can also bring the kids to cool down at tot sprays at parks and playgrounds, but city pools remain closed. - Some kids are getting a reverse snow day today. A number of school districts – including Lexington, Lowell and Watertown – are releasing kids early because of the heat. Worcester Public Schools are also letting students out early because they can't use water fountains during the pandemic. - It may be hot outside but if you're going in the water to cool off, it's really important to swim with a buddy. Four people across the state have drowned since Friday. Quincy officials have identified the man who drowned yesterday as 19-year-old Elissandro Silva, of Brockton. On Friday, a Worcester police officer, Manny Familia, died while trying to rescue a teen, who also died, from a pond. Familia's funeral has been set for Thursday. - We also have an update on the status of the officers after Friday's shooting in Braintree. One officer is in recovery and expected to be released from the hospital in the next few days. The other officer was released from the hospital on Saturday. The suspect Andrew Homen, who investigators said shot the officers and killed Braintree police dog Kit, was killed. - [COVID numbers]( are still very promising in Massachusetts. More than 3.8 million people across the state are fully vaccinated and the seven-day positive test average is the lowest it's been since the state started tracking this number at the start of the pandemic! We're down to 0.53%. - Some of the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, are opening back up to the public. This includes The Marble House, and the garden and grounds of The Elm. P.S.– Think about what it takes to bring you WBUR Today every morning. It's not only the news highlights you read from me, but the journalists, producers, editors and researchers behind each link included that makes this newsletter worth reading. During our June fundraiser, we're asking for your contribution as we raise the money that will keep this newsletter coming to you and everyone that subscribes. If you're able, [please give today](. — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown [1.](url)[A Lifeline For The Unemployed Is About To End In Half Of U.S. Here's What's At Stake]( Republican governors are moving to end a $300-a-week pandemic lifeline for the unemployed in a controversial effort to push people back to work, with four states set to end them this week. [Read more.](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    2. [New England's Success Against COVID-19 Could Be A Model]( Public health experts say the rest of the country could take some cues from New England as President Joe Biden pushes to get at least one vaccine dose into 70% of American adults by July 4, dangling the promise of free beer and other goodies. [Read more.]( 3. [Here's What Harris Will Do On Her 1st VP Trip To Guatemala And Mexico]( She is traveling with some good news: the administration laid out last week how it will share its wealth of COVID-19 vaccines with countries that have struggled to get shots in arms, including Guatemala and Mexico. [Read more.]( 4. [A New Type Of COVID-19 Vaccine Could Debut Soon]( It's what's known as a protein subunit vaccine. It works somewhat differently from the current crop of vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. but is based on a well-understood technology and doesn't require special refrigeration. [Read more.]( 5. [Nantucket Voters Reject Proposal To Limit Short-Term Rentals]( It would have required a minimum stay of seven consecutive days for short-term rentals — and limited the total number of days properties could be rented each year to 45. [Read more.]( Support the news Anything Else? - A [binge-worthy, Netflix-style opera series]( The Boston Lyric Opera sure hopes that's how you think of its new show available for streaming on Operabox.tv. - The Greenway has a [vibrant new mural]( featuring your quintessential New England summer picnic table (lobsters included). - India’s COVID crisis has made it clear that people’s communal faith is the miracle holding together India’s health care scaffolding, writes Shipli Suneja [in this commentary](. We all have COVID until none of us have COVID. [WBUR] Your Daily Must Listen [Endless Thread | Long Orders And Secret Menus: The Struggles Of Being A Starbucks Barista]( [Listen]( BOSTON MAYORAL RACE [Here's Who's Running For Mayor Of Boston]( What Do You Want To Know About The Race For Mayor In Boston? [Let us know.]( What The Mayoral Candidates Have To Say About Housing In Boston. [Read more.]( Mayoral Candidates Talk 'Mass And Cass' Solutions. [Read more.]( Get WBUR's complete coverage of the 2021 Boston mayoral race [here](. What We're Reading - A pandemic upside: The flu virus became less diverse, simplifying the task of making flu shots ([STAT]( - America Has a Drinking Problem ([The Atlantic]( - New NASA Missions Will Study Venus, a World Overlooked for Decades ([The New York Times]( Tell Me Something Good [BSO Boosts Concert Capacity For 2021 Tanglewood Concerts (The Boston Globe)]( Tickets have been sold out for concerts at Tanglewood this summer — big names like Yo-Yo Ma and John Williams are expected to play in July and August. However, safety protocols were updated by the Boston Symphony Orchestra last Friday which increased capacity limits to 9,000 people and will make more tickets available. Before you go: Radiation Oncology? Check. [Dunkin' Donuts? Check.]( IV Infusion Therapy? Check. 😎 Forward to a friend. 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