⚡ Boston's big bet on yellow buses

Also: Boston Marathon organizers take a stand on Russia; what the new federal COVID bill could mean for Mass. [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  April 7, 2022 ☁️ Cloudy, with chance of rain in the late afternoon and a high of 49. Good Morning Boston, We'll have to [wait one extra day]( to see the Red Sox take the field — and root against the Yankees — this year. While we wait for Friday, here's what's in the news today: - The wheels are beginning to turn on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's big [campaign pledge]( to electrify the city's entire school bus fleet by 2030. Wu announced Wednesday that the city will deploy its first 20 all-electric school buses during the next academic year. - As the city seeks partners to help make the entire fleet electric, Wu says the deployment will help officials decide where to place charging stations. The city will adjust routes to accommodate the more limited range of electric buses on a single charge. - The 20 buses come with a price tag of $7 million, which the city is paying for with the help of some federal COVID relief funds. Wu acknowledged that it's a "significant investment," but said it will be worth it "many times over" in the long run. - Why? Boston's fleet of 739 school buses currently accounts for 11% of the city government's greenhouse gas emissions. But electrification is also about more than reducing the city's carbon footprint. Roughly half of Boston's school buses are diesel buses. And diesel exhaust is [particularly dangerous — and potentially even cancer-causing — for those exposed to it]( from students to residents in the densely-populated city. - Boston has been replacing diesel buses with propane-fueled buses in recent years as an "interim solution," but Wu says full electrification of the fleet is "one of the most immediate ways" the city can reduce pollution and improve public health. - Down in Washington, D.C., the Senate is [expected to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court]( making her the first Black woman to serve as a justice on the top court. - Brown has the support of all 50 Democratic and independent senators, as well as three Republicans. - However, she won't join the court immediately. It will happen only after Justice Stephen Breyer formally retires at the end of the term this summer. - Boston Marathon organizers are cracking down with their own kind of sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The [B.A.A. says]( Russian and Belarusian citizens who are currently living in either country will no longer be allowed to run later this month. - The new policy will result in the collective removal of 63 athletes from the April 18 marathon and 5K, according to a BAA spokeswoman. Organizers say they'll "make reasonable attempts" to issue refunds "within the constraints as imposed by federal and international sanctions." - It's not a blanket ban on all Russians and Belarusians; citizens of either country who live elsewhere can still run. But the BAA says they won't be allowed to do so under their country's flag. - Federal agents [have arrested Chicopee's superintendent of schools]( saying that she lied to investigators who were looking into allegations that she sent threatening text messages to an individual who was applying to be the city's police chief. - WCVB [reports]( that Lynn Clark has been placed on leave by the school district; the school committee has asked her to resign. - If you're looking to see ostriches or peacocks at the Franklin Park Zoo or Stone Zoo, you may want to delay your visit. At both, staff have closed some aviary exhibits and moved the birds indoors to protect them from the largest bird flu outbreak in years. - Zero cases have been detected in people, but the highly contagious strain has [killed 23 million birds](. Zoo officials hope that moving their birds inside will keep them from coming in contact with wild birds that could be contagious. P.S.— April is National Poetry Month, and that means the return of NPR's online poetry contest. This year, we [even have advice from a TikTok star and poet]( on how to spark creativity and get started. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [What the latest federal COVID-19 funding package could mean for Mass.]( Congress is considering a $10 billion package to fund the fight against COVID-19. Here is a look at what another injection of cash could mean for the pandemic response in Massachusetts. [Read more.]( [What the latest federal COVID-19 funding package could mean for Mass.]( Congress is considering a $10 billion package to fund the fight against COVID-19. Here is a look at what another injection of cash could mean for the pandemic response in Massachusetts. [Read more.]( [Poverty affects children's brains, but study finds public policy can reduce impact]( Researchers found that children in states with generous cash and health benefits for low-income families had a larger hippocampus. [Read more.]( [Poverty affects children's brains, but study finds public policy can reduce impact]( Researchers found that children in states with generous cash and health benefits for low-income families had a larger hippocampus. [Read more.]( [Baker administration defends criminal justice work; claims improvements in multiple areas, despite criticism]( Administration officials are firing back at critics of their efforts to improve the criminal justice system. [Read more.]( [Baker administration defends criminal justice work; claims improvements in multiple areas, despite criticism]( Administration officials are firing back at critics of their efforts to improve the criminal justice system. [Read more.]( [MIT graduate students vote to form union]( Organizers said the result was a response to the growing challenges facing students — who teach, conduct research and provide academic support — on the Cambridge campus. [Read more.]( [MIT graduate students vote to form union]( Organizers said the result was a response to the growing challenges facing students — who teach, conduct research and provide academic support — on the Cambridge campus. [Read more.]( [Hundreds line streets of Leominster for funeral of fallen Marine]( Capt. Ross Reynolds, who was killed in a NATO training exercise in Norway, was known for his infectious smile and commitment to serve. [Read more.]( [Hundreds line streets of Leominster for funeral of fallen Marine]( Capt. Ross Reynolds, who was killed in a NATO training exercise in Norway, was known for his infectious smile and commitment to serve. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Here are [five things to do this weekend]( from the weekend-long run of "Rent" at Berklee to a global music showcase at the MFA. - There you have it: Nine Inch Nails is the [replacement headliner for the first night of the Boston Calling music festival]( next month. (ICYMI: Here's the [full lineup of bands]( for the three-day fest.) - In a quirk of post-pandemic movie scheduling, Chris Pine has two new movies screening in local theaters simultaneously. Which one should you see? WBUR's film critic Sean Burns [reviews them both here](. - In [this Cognoscenti commentary]( Rich Barlow writes that — despite the hysterics — Dr. Seuss won't be "canceled" after all. What We're Reading 📚 - The remarkable brain of a carpet cleaner who speaks 24 languages ([Washington Post]( - Broadcast meteorologists are taking up the task of communicating the effects of climate change as crisis accelerates ([Boston.com]( - Is Crypto Re-Creating the 2008 Financial Crisis? ([The Atlantic]( Tell Me Something Good [This family rehabilitates black bear cubs in N.H. (NHPR)]( For this month’s radio field trip, the Morning Edition team spent time with a team of people who take care of bear cubs. [Read more.]( [This family rehabilitates black bear cubs in N.H. (NHPR)]( For this month’s radio field trip, the Morning Edition team spent time with a team of people who take care of bear cubs. [Read more.]( Before you go: That's [one way to exercise your dog](. 😎 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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