Also: An upcoming book shortage this holiday season; take our Boston news quiz [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser]( Â December 2, 2021Â 🌞 Sunny, with a high near 43. Good Morning Boston, I'm ready for all the strong gusts of wind from last night and this morning to [whisk me away]( into the weekend. But before many of us close our laptops and power down for the week, here's a recap of the local news you need to get through your Friday: - Suffolk County DA Rachael Rollins is one step closer to becoming the next U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. Lawmakers [narrowly passed]( a motion yesterday that moves her nomination on to full Senate for a vote. There's no date on the books yet for that vote. - The bill on how the state will spend $4 billion in federal pandemic relief money may finally get to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk by the end of the day. The House unanimously approved the bill yesterday, and state senators are expected to vote today. - An update on the public health crisis around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard: Since the state paused tent removals two weeks ago, there are now about 90 tents with roughly 180 people experiencing homelessness living in the area.
- Six weeks ago, that number was estimated to be well over 150 tents. More than 250 people from the encampment have been placed in treatment and 40 people went into housing, according to Boston officials. - PSA: An indoor mask mandate took effect in Chelsea this morning. This applies to restaurants, bars, businesses, etc. Mask up and plan accordingly. (And be sure to [review our tracker]( of Massachusetts cities and towns with mask mandates.) - The middle and high school curriculums around the state are changing to require teaching about the history of genocides around the world. Baker yesterday [signed legislation to mandate lessons]( on the Holocaust and other mass atrocities. The state will also help schools develop these lessons plans. - ICYMI: This past Wednesday was the deadline for supporters of potential ballot questions to submit enough signatures â 80,239 to be exact â to make next year's ballot. There were [12 initiatives that couldn't meet that threshold]( including the Republican-backed proposal to implement voter identification requirements, the legalized sale of consumer fireworks and the reversal of the state's ban on happy hour.
- Proposals to update alcohol licensing limits, rewrite worker status and benefits for app-based drivers, and impose spending limits on dental insurers are all still in the mix to make the ballot. P.S.â Do you know what animal the New England Aquarium rescues from Cape Cod Bay this time each year? Take [our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the local stories we covered this week. Meagan McGinnes
Senior Editor, Newsletters
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 The Rundown
[Digital vaccine cards are a step in the 'right direction' for some businesses](
"It is amazing how many people just stare at me blankly and say, 'Well, what do you mean, proof of vaccination? How would I even show you that?' " said Sam Treadway, co-owner of Backbar in Somerville. [Read more.](
[Digital vaccine cards are a step in the 'right direction' for some businesses](
"It is amazing how many people just stare at me blankly and say, 'Well, what do you mean, proof of vaccination? How would I even show you that?' " said Sam Treadway, co-owner of Backbar in Somerville. [Read more.](
[Congress approves a short-term funding bill to avoid a government shutdown](
A day before the Friday deadline, lawmakers approved a spending bill that will keep federal agencies running through Feb. 18, 2022. [Read more.](
[Congress approves a short-term funding bill to avoid a government shutdown](
A day before the Friday deadline, lawmakers approved a spending bill that will keep federal agencies running through Feb. 18, 2022. [Read more.](
[Cape Ann pot shop sues city of Gloucester over fees charged in host community agreement](
HVV, Cape Ann's first recreational marijuana dispensary is suing the city of Gloucester over its host community agreement and fees charged in them. This is the second such lawsuit brought by a pot business, and some say more push back on these fees and host community agreements is coming. [Read more.](
[Cape Ann pot shop sues city of Gloucester over fees charged in host community agreement](
HVV, Cape Ann's first recreational marijuana dispensary is suing the city of Gloucester over its host community agreement and fees charged in them. This is the second such lawsuit brought by a pot business, and some say more push back on these fees and host community agreements is coming. [Read more.](
[Biden's new winter COVID plan will reimburse you for at-home tests](
Among his new steps to fight COVID surges this winter: requiring private health insurers to reimburse people for at-home tests. It also calls for more people to get vaccines and boosters. [Read more.](
[Biden's new winter COVID plan will reimburse you for at-home tests](
Among his new steps to fight COVID surges this winter: requiring private health insurers to reimburse people for at-home tests. It also calls for more people to get vaccines and boosters. [Read more.](
[5 states have now reported confirmed cases of the omicron variant](
Officials in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York reported their first cases of the variant on Thursday, one day after the first U.S. case was identified in California. [Read more.](
[5 states have now reported confirmed cases of the omicron variant](
Officials in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York reported their first cases of the variant on Thursday, one day after the first U.S. case was identified in California. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - If you want your holiday package to arrive on time, here are [the deadlines to know.]( - Bookworms: Treat yourself â and your shelf â before an upcoming [book shortage]( hits retailers. Here & Now spoke with Harvard Book Store about the shortage and ways you can still support your local book sellers. - Out of this world! Astronomers have found a new planet that's mostly made of iron and extremely hot. (Surface temperatures are believed to be about 2700 degrees Fahrenheit.) - Jeff Davis founded the Boston chapter of Black Men Run. [In this commentary]( he writes, "I will forever run with Ahmaud Arbery, just as I walk in a world not designed for me." Read it now, and come back to listen to his essay a little later today. What We're Reading 📚 - BuzzFeed Is About to Go Public â and Its Employees Are Walking Out in Protest ([Intelligencer]( - How âShadowâ Foster Care Is Tearing Families Apart ([The New York Times]( - Some experts suggest Omicron variant may have evolved in an animal host ([STAT]( Tell Me Something Good
[Open Hearth Gatherings brings guests together to labor, eat, and experience the land (The Boston Globe)](
The new venture flips the farm-to-table model of dining, instead bringing the diners to the farm. Each event culminates in a meal, but the purpose lies as much in the gathering, harvesting, slaughtering, preparing and cooking, and enjoying food together, all on the same ground. [Read more.](
[Open Hearth Gatherings brings guests together to labor, eat, and experience the land (The Boston Globe)](
The new venture flips the farm-to-table model of dining, instead bringing the diners to the farm. Each event culminates in a meal, but the purpose lies as much in the gathering, harvesting, slaughtering, preparing and cooking, and enjoying food together, all on the same ground. [Read more.]( Before you go: This is quite a [morning routine](. 😎 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 Â
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