Survey: Parents "optimistic" with kids back in class

Also: Pfizer booster authorization expected to come this week; first Harry Potter movie 20 years old [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  November 16, 2021 🌞 Increasing clouds, highs in the lower 50s. Good Morning Boston, Happy national "Take A Hike" day. If you're looking to get outdoors, give [this Radio Boston segment]( with safety tips and local hike recommendations a read or listen first. Now, on to the day's news: - That's right, Michelle Wu's title is officially mayor of Boston. Yesterday, Wu was sworn in, with local leaders like U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren and former Mayor Kim Janey in attendance, and her family by her side. You can read [Wu's full remarks here]( if you missed it. - Now, it's time to hit the ground running. Helping Wu will be [Mike Firestone]( a former Attorney General Maura Healey aide, who will lead the administration as chief of policy and strategic planning. - One of Wu's top priorities in the coming weeks will be laying out a plan to find a new police commissioner. - A [small coronavirus outbreak]( has temporarily shut down one of the state's police academies. Three student officers tested positive at Northern Essex Community College's academy. The class was already in its last week of a 24-week training so the academy is just ending a few days early and told the officers, congrats, "you've made it." - On Beacon Hill: The House passed a bill yesterday that would require public schools to [teach the history of genocides](. The bill also sets up a fund to help support the new curriculum. But it's not through yet. Both the House and the Senate are scheduled to hold formal sessions today, so the legislation could reach Gov. Charlie Baker's desk as soon as then if both groups agree upon a final version. - The catch: There are quite a few things on the docket to discuss today, including how to spend federal pandemic funding and a mental health care bill, so we'll see what they are able to push through before their holiday recess begins. - After some back and forth, [fishing gear restrictions]( intended to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales are back in place. The federal government established the rules last month, but a stay was ordered before the restrictions took effect on behalf of the Maine Lobstering Union. But a federal appeals court in Boston said yesterday that the lower court needs to reel it in after overstepping its authority. - For any campaign trying to get a question on next year's ballot, the deadline to submit signatures to local election officials is today. Some of the questions in the running include whether ride-sharing app drivers should be classified as employees or independent contractors, if the state should lift its happy hour ban and whether Massachusetts should implement stricter voter ID laws. - Union members at the Museum of Fine Arts are preparing to strike this morning. They are demanding improvements in wages, safety and workplace diversity. Even with the strike, the museum is opening its doors today, with a reduced staff. - If you're visiting Sandwich next summer, you'll still be able to buy bottled water and other plastic bottle beverages. Last night, residents voted to repeal the town's plastic water bottle ban, which was approved six months ago. P.S.– Can someone please tell this [stowaway road runner]( who made the trek from Las Vegas to Maine in the back of a moving van, that he's going the wrong way? Winters are cold here; you've made a mistake! Meagan McGinnes Senior Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [With kids back in class, Mass. parents are largely optimistic, survey funds]( Most parents cite the socialization and in-person interactions with teachers as a reason for their optimism. [Read more.]( [With kids back in class, Mass. parents are largely optimistic, survey funds]( Most parents cite the socialization and in-person interactions with teachers as a reason for their optimism. [Read more.]( [After being sworn in as Boston's new mayor, Michelle Wu gets to work]( The swearing-in of the city's first Asian American mayor came two weeks after Wu won the city's mayoral election. Before Wu, Boston had elected only white men as mayor. [Read more.]( [After being sworn in as Boston's new mayor, Michelle Wu gets to work]( The swearing-in of the city's first Asian American mayor came two weeks after Wu won the city's mayoral election. Before Wu, Boston had elected only white men as mayor. [Read more.]( [All vaccinated adults could soon be eligible for a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot]( The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce later this week that it is authorizing boosters for people 18 or older, even if they aren't at risk for severe disease. [Read more.]( [All vaccinated adults could soon be eligible for a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot]( The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce later this week that it is authorizing boosters for people 18 or older, even if they aren't at risk for severe disease. [Read more.]( [State mulls plan for 'cottages' at Shattuck Hospital to address homelessness and addiction]( One proposal under state review would provide temporary housing to people displaced by the tent removal, and another would facilitate creating an addiction treatment center at the Suffolk County jail. [Read more.]( [State mulls plan for 'cottages' at Shattuck Hospital to address homelessness and addiction]( One proposal under state review would provide temporary housing to people displaced by the tent removal, and another would facilitate creating an addiction treatment center at the Suffolk County jail. [Read more.]( [Human trials for nasal Alzheimer's vaccine to begin in Boston]( Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital say they are now screening patients to help them determine of a vaccine aimed at harnessing the power of the immune system to fight Alzheimer's disease. [Read more.]( [Human trials for nasal Alzheimer's vaccine to begin in Boston]( Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital say they are now screening patients to help them determine of a vaccine aimed at harnessing the power of the immune system to fight Alzheimer's disease. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Party on: Times Square will be [open for festivities]( this New Year's Eve — but only to fully vaccinated celebrants. - I feel old. The first Harry Potter movie [premiered]( 20 years ago. "Yer a relic, Harry!" - While you're waiting for Adele's latest album 30 to drop this week, [read this review](. It's making me even more excited to listen. What We're Reading 📚 - ‘You Are Mommy Tracked to the Billionth Degree’ ([Politico]( - The Worst of Both Worlds: Zooming From the Office ([The New York Times]( - Inside Felicia Sonmez’s War Against the Washington Post ([New York Magazine]( Life Advice [This Thanksgiving, here's how you can cook smarter, not harder]( This Thanksgiving, New York Times food writer Eric Kim is on a mission to help you spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying your food and your company. These tips and recipes will help you cook smarter, not harder. And you don't need a lot — just a skillet and a sheet pan. Oh, and a turkey. [Read more.]( [This Thanksgiving, here's how you can cook smarter, not harder]( This Thanksgiving, New York Times food writer Eric Kim is on a mission to help you spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying your food and your company. These tips and recipes will help you cook smarter, not harder. And you don't need a lot — just a skillet and a sheet pan. Oh, and a turkey. [Read more.]( Before you go: Update your follow list [as necessary](. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2021 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.