Mass. gas prices hit record high

Also: Great Resignation, meet Great Redirection; more rules loosen as COVID enters Year 3 [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 7, 2022 ☁️ Cloudy, with a high near 54 and a chance of rain in the afternoon. Good Morning Boston, The good news? We're looking at a pretty mild week of weather. The bad news? It's officially [pothole season](. The other news? Let's get to it: - Bay Staters came out en masse once again Sunday in downtown Boston to show solidarity with Ukraine. Hundreds marched from Copley Square to the Boston Common. - The latest: Russia has agreed to a temporary ceasefire to allow Ukrainian civilians to evacuate certain cities as peace talks continue. However, previous ceasefires have been interrupted by shelling, and some of the evacuation routes funnel Ukrainians to Russia or its ally, Belarus. More on the war below. - The conflict is also continuing to hit locals at the pump. Massachusetts gas prices have jumped over 50 cents in the past week to [a record high of $4.16 a gallon](. - Prices in the Boston area are a little bit higher, while the average cost in Nantucket is verging on $5. - Less than two weeks after reopening to the public, the State House is dropping its mask, vaccination and testing requirement for entrance, due to declining local COVID-19 rates. - Another sign of the shifting pandemic approach: Massachusetts will [close three-quarters of its free "Stop the Spread" testing sites]( over the course of the month. - One institution still requiring masks is the state's largest school district: Boston Public Schools. But that could change in the not-so-distant future. The city's Board of Health is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss BPS's school mask mandate. - Also on tap this week: the possible legalization of doctor-assisted suicide in Massachusetts. The state's Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments Wednesday morning in a case challenging the law, which prohibits physicians from helping terminally ill patients end their lives on their own terms. - The practice is only legal in 10 states and the District of Columbia. Attorney General Maura Healey's office is arguing to uphold the ban in Massachusetts, saying the issue would be better decided through the Legislature. - Remember the real estate sales tax proposal mentioned in [Friday's newsletter]( that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is trying to push through the State House? WBUR's Darryl Murphy reports that the multi-faceted bill [would also provide tax relief to low-income seniors](. P.S.— Yes, it's tax season again, and the annual chore can stir up a lot of anguish for many. Have you sought financial therapy to work through emotional issues that come up when discussing money or doing your taxes? Morning Edition is looking to speak with people for an upcoming segment on the subject. If you’re interested in sharing your experience, reply to this newsletter or email the Morning Edition team directly at hafsaq@bu.edu. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Swapping laptops for hammers: ‘Great Resignation’ boosts interest in trades]( Millions of Americans workers have left their jobs and embarked on new careers. And that’s brought a surge of interest in trade schools like the North Bennet Street School in Boston. [Read more.]( [Swapping laptops for hammers: ‘Great Resignation’ boosts interest in trades]( Millions of Americans workers have left their jobs and embarked on new careers. And that’s brought a surge of interest in trade schools like the North Bennet Street School in Boston. [Read more.]( [Russia sets cease-fire for evacuations amid heavy shelling]( A third round of talks is planned for Monday as some of the evacuation routes would funnel civilians toward Russia or its ally Belarus. [Read more.]( [Russia sets cease-fire for evacuations amid heavy shelling]( A third round of talks is planned for Monday as some of the evacuation routes would funnel civilians toward Russia or its ally Belarus. [Read more.]( [Death toll surpasses 6 million for the pandemic now in its 3rd year]( Health care experts say that confirmed deaths represent a fraction of the true number of deaths due to COVID because of limited testing. [Read more.]( [Death toll surpasses 6 million for the pandemic now in its 3rd year]( Health care experts say that confirmed deaths represent a fraction of the true number of deaths due to COVID because of limited testing. [Read more.]( [Boston may not be requiring masks anymore, but many say they'll keep them on for now]( Boston dropped its mask mandate for businesses and schools on Saturday — meaning thousands of businesses in the city no longer are required to mandate customers wear masks in their establishments. [Read more.]( [Boston may not be requiring masks anymore, but many say they'll keep them on for now]( Boston dropped its mask mandate for businesses and schools on Saturday — meaning thousands of businesses in the city no longer are required to mandate customers wear masks in their establishments. [Read more.]( [A common forest pest had a slur in its name. Now it's getting a makeover]( The caterpillar scientifically called Lymantria disparhas caused more than just forest devastation; its common name had dehumanizing effects on the Romani people. [Read more.]( [A common forest pest had a slur in its name. Now it's getting a makeover]( The caterpillar scientifically called Lymantria disparhas caused more than just forest devastation; its common name had dehumanizing effects on the Romani people. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Boston has a new youth poet laureate: Meet [Anjalequa Leynneyah Verona Birkett](. - ICYMI: What a UMass Amherst professor first thought was an odd-looking rock in his backyard turned out to be a dinosaur bone. He [talked to Radio Boston about the wild experience]( where the bone came from and the history of dinosaurs in New England. - COVID restrictions have been dropping left and right, but MGH'S Helen D'Couto [argues in this commentary that]( still one more that needs to go: the "inhumane" and "unnecessary" policy forcing severely ill COVID patients to die in isolation. What We're Reading 📚 - From plague to delicacy — reconsidering the purple sea urchin ([The Los Angeles Times]( - They Came to Help Migrants. Now, Europe Has Turned on Them. ([The New York Times Magazine]( - Inside Somerville’s crusade to zap its rats ([The Boston Globe]( Tell Me Something Good [‘A wonderful view’ of Boston, and how it’s changed. (The Boston Globe)]( See a comparison of Boston in 1848 to the city we know today. [Read more.]( [‘A wonderful view’ of Boston, and how it’s changed. (The Boston Globe)]( See a comparison of Boston in 1848 to the city we know today. [Read more.]( Before you go: [Apartment hunting]( in Boston in a nutshell... 😎 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. 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