Modernizing bottle recycling means big wins for Mass.

Also: A peek inside Roadrunner, Boston's newest music venue; smell in virtual reality [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 15, 2022 🌞 Partly sunny, with a high near 56. Good Morning Boston, If anyone sees [Zendaya in Boston]( today (she's filming a rom-com), please ask her to sign up for this newsletter. You know, for local-area research ... Here's what else you should know this morning: - More than a dozen Greater Boston hospitals are coming together to help aid the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. The hospitals, together with the Cambridge-based group Doctors Collaborating to Help Children, are stockpiling medical supplies to ship to Ukraine. The group is going off a specific list provided by the head of Ukraine's ministry of health so they know exactly what supplies will actually be helpful. - The supplies are expected to arrive in New Jersey later this week, before making its way into Ukraine through Poland. - If you'd like to support Ukraine, here's a [roundup of what to look for]( when choosing a way to donate. - The [gas tax cut is officially off the table]( on Beacon Hill, and now the Legislature is looking for other ways to deliver tax relief to residents feeling the pinch of high gas prices and historic inflation. Gov. Charlie Baker thinks the answer is already here: his own package of tax relief focused on families, low-income individuals and homeowners that he proposed in January. - When asked if he supported the proposed gas tax cut, Baker said: "I'd like to see our package move forward. As I said, it's a $700 million package and is designed to get to a big part of the commonwealth's population. We would love to see the Legislature move quickly on something like that." - Prices at the pump: a gallon of regular grade gas in Massachusetts now costs $4.34, down 2 cents from yesterday. That's also down a bit from last week's record prices, according to AAA. - Boston city councilors are talking today about a measure that would give teens ages 16 and 17 the right to vote in municipal elections. Councilor Julia Mejia, who supports the plan, said many young residents have jobs, pay taxes and learn in public schools, but don't get a say on topics that affect their lives. - In order to approve this youth vote measure, it would still need others to sign off – if it makes it past the city council, that is. State lawmakers and the governor would be next to OK the plan. - The [EPA has designated]( the Lower Neponset River, which runs 3.7 miles through Milton, Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park, as a federal Superfund site for environmental clean-up. It has made the National Priorities List, which is a collection of sites considered the most hazardous and uncontrolled contaminated areas in the country (aka not a list you want to be on). Next steps: a federal investigation into the site. - Zoom out: The White House has ["deep concerns" about China's close ties with Russia]( and Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told China that during a "candid" conversation with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday. - Where has China sided in this war? China and Russia have deepened their strategic partnership in recent years and China is Russia's biggest trade partner, NPR reports. And while Beijing has sent aid to Ukraine while calling for peace, rhetorically it's aligned with Russia through this conflict. And, as of now, White House officials declined to comment on whether the U.S. knows if China is providing or is open to providing Moscow with financial and military assistance. P.S.– [A new episode of Last Seen dropped this morning]( The episode goes into how we renounce items that mean the most to us. That thoughtful card your ex-boyfriend wrote, weeks before the relationship ended? The Patriots jersey you wore when they lost the Super Bowl? Or the Sorel boots your father-in-law gave you, right before he died? All shoved in the back of your closet, hoping to be lost forever. If you have 30 minutes, this listen about the emotional lives of every day objects is wildly interesting. Meagan McGinnes Senior Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Boston City Council considers limits on protests after months of demonstrations outside mayor's home]( A proposal by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to limit demonstrations outside private residences has raised a contentious question: What steps can cities take to limit protests without infringing on people's First Amendment rights to free speech? [Read more.]( [Boston City Council considers limits on protests after months of demonstrations outside mayor's home]( A proposal by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to limit demonstrations outside private residences has raised a contentious question: What steps can cities take to limit protests without infringing on people's First Amendment rights to free speech? [Read more.]( [Modernizing the bottle recycling program in Mass. would have big benefits, report finds]( Updating the recycling system for beverage containers in Mass. could have big environmental and economic benefits, a new report from Reloop North America finds. [Read more.]( [Modernizing the bottle recycling program in Mass. would have big benefits, report finds]( Updating the recycling system for beverage containers in Mass. could have big environmental and economic benefits, a new report from Reloop North America finds. [Read more.]( [Ukraine's capital is under fire amid visit by EU leaders]( Russia’s offensive in Ukraine has edged closer to central Kyiv with a series of strikes hitting a residential neighborhood as the leaders of three European Union member countries planned a visit to Ukraine’s embattled capital. [Read more.]( [Ukraine's capital is under fire amid visit by EU leaders]( Russia’s offensive in Ukraine has edged closer to central Kyiv with a series of strikes hitting a residential neighborhood as the leaders of three European Union member countries planned a visit to Ukraine’s embattled capital. [Read more.]( [Uber and Lyft add fuel surcharges to rides as gas prices surge nationwide]( As of Monday, the average cost of a gallon of regular fuel is now $4.325, according to AAA. Both ride-share companies say they're adding surcharges to deal with the spike in gas prices in the U.S. [Read more.]( [Uber and Lyft add fuel surcharges to rides as gas prices surge nationwide]( As of Monday, the average cost of a gallon of regular fuel is now $4.325, according to AAA. Both ride-share companies say they're adding surcharges to deal with the spike in gas prices in the U.S. [Read more.]( [The war in Ukraine is personal for Needham’s Arlekin Players Theatre]( Arlekin Players Theatre, which was founded by actors from the former Soviet Union, launched a fundraiser for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. [Read more.]( [The war in Ukraine is personal for Needham’s Arlekin Players Theatre]( Arlekin Players Theatre, which was founded by actors from the former Soviet Union, launched a fundraiser for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Get an inside look: WBUR's Andrea Shea got a peek inside [Boston's newest music venue Roadrunner]( which is being billed as the largest indoor general admission venue in New England. - This Burlington, Vermont-based tech startup wants to [help you smell in virtual reality](. - Boston has a running-list of family-owned businesses facing in-family fighting – and Kane's Donuts, owned by the Delios siblings, has just beed added. [Radio Boston yesterday talked through the challenges of owning a family business]( and how common these types of feuds are with Boston Business Journal reporter Grant Welker and Ted Clark, Director of the Northeastern University Center for Family Business. Give it a listen! What We're Reading 📚 - McDonald’s Ice Cream Woes Have Inspired Memes, Mockery and Now, a Federal Lawsuit ([The New York Times]( - If We're Back to 'Normal,' Why Am I Still So Exhausted All the Time? ([Esquire]( - How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic: Responses to common arguments ([Grist]( Life Advice [5 tips to help you reset after the time change]( From the moment you wake up, your body starts to prepare for sleep. We show you how to adjust your daytime habits to get the best possible night of rest. [Read more.]( [5 tips to help you reset after the time change]( From the moment you wake up, your body starts to prepare for sleep. We show you how to adjust your daytime habits to get the best possible night of rest. [Read more.]( Before you go: "[Hey Maatha, you know what to do.]( 😎 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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