Climate change atop New England's highest peak

Also: The coming debate over driver's licenses; outdoor dining returns to the North End [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 2, 2022 ☁️ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53 and rain likely after 5 p.m. Good Morning Boston, Look at that — it's May! Whether or not you feel ready for this Monday, we can at least look forward to the weather as it turns toward the["final stage of spring."]( Plus, this time if year means [a lot of playoff sports]( especially this week. But first, the news: - Massachusetts state lawmakers are preparing a push this week to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses — no matter what Gov. Charlie Baker thinks about the idea. The state Senate is planning to vote on a bill this Thursday. And [unlike the effort to legalize sports betting]( Senate President Karen Spilka says their driver's license bill is "very close" to the [version the House passed]( in February, [according to the State House News Service](. - The reason behind the bill? Proponents — which include the [majority of the state's sheriffs and district attorneys]( — say it would help ensure that more drivers in the state are properly trained. It could also lessen the motive for undocumented people to flee the scene of an accident. Sixteen other states already allow people to get a driver's license, regardless of their immigration status, as long as they show a foreign passport or birth certificate. - Baker has opposed the idea — most recently [raising concerns]( that it could result in undocumented immigrants being [automatically registered to vote](. However, both the House and Senate bills include language aimed at preventing that from happening. - That said, Baker's opinion on the subject could be a moot point. The House passed their bill with a veto-proof majority and Senate Democrats (who have a 37-3 majority) said last week that they're confident they have to votes to do the same. - Speaking of driver's licenses, applicants in Massachusetts must once again [bring their own cars for road tests beginning today](. - Since the start of the COVID pandemic, the RMV had deployed a fleet of state-owned cars that where regularly sanitized for road tests. But that policy ended last week. Just make sure your own car is in good condition and has all of its stickers. - Two Massachusetts congressmen — Reps. Bill Keating and Jim McGovern — are heading to Poland today after meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday in Kyiv. - The two Dems are in Europe with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others as part of a special congressional envoy to show support to Ukraine. McGovern says he[specifically asked about]( "what America can do to get food and supplies to refugees fleeing violence." - Outdoor dining season has returned to the North End. And despite [all the rancor]( over Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's new fee for area restaurants to use public spaces for patios, most spots paid up. - WBUR's Walter Wuthmann [reports that dozens of outdoor patios opened up in the North End on Sunday](. The city says 67 restaurants applied for outdoor dining this year (compared to 77 last year when there was no fee), including 23 that got hardship waivers to reduce the $7,500 fee. - Some restaurants are still pledging to fight the fee in court, but most have moved on. As one restauranteur [told The Boston Globe]( “I’ll make it back in one weekend and forget about it.” P.S.— Nominations are [now open for our next installment of the ARTery 25 series]( Is there an artist of color in the Boston area whose work moves you or changes the way you think about the world? Submit [their name here]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Climate change is coming for New England's highest peak]( A recent study finds temperatures at the summit of Mount Washington and at nearby Pinkham Notch are rising due to climate change. This has led to fewer frost days and a decline in snowfall over the past 84 years. [Read more.]( [Climate change is coming for New England's highest peak]( A recent study finds temperatures at the summit of Mount Washington and at nearby Pinkham Notch are rising due to climate change. This has led to fewer frost days and a decline in snowfall over the past 84 years. [Read more.]( [The story behind Asian Pacific American Heritage, and why it's celebrated in May]( May marks the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This year's theme is Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration. [Read more.]( [The story behind Asian Pacific American Heritage, and why it's celebrated in May]( May marks the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This year's theme is Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration. [Read more.]( [Commuter rail gets back on track as workers return to the office]( MBTA data shows weekday ridership continued to rise in April to a little more than half of what it was before the pandemic. [Read more.]( [Commuter rail gets back on track as workers return to the office]( MBTA data shows weekday ridership continued to rise in April to a little more than half of what it was before the pandemic. [Read more.]( [Campaign season kicks off in earnest with primaries in 14 states in May]( This month's primaries and runoffs will serve as a test of the power of former President Trump's endorsements up and down the ballot. [Read more.]( [Campaign season kicks off in earnest with primaries in 14 states in May]( This month's primaries and runoffs will serve as a test of the power of former President Trump's endorsements up and down the ballot. [Read more.]( [Tenant screening software firms fined $100K for discriminating against Section 8 recipients in Massachusetts]( Two companies that make software for landlords have agreed to eliminate a feature that allows property managers to automatically reject prospective tenants with criminal records or who plan to use housing vouchers to pay the rent, the Massachusetts attorney general's office announced Thursday. [Read more.]( [Tenant screening software firms fined $100K for discriminating against Section 8 recipients in Massachusetts]( Two companies that make software for landlords have agreed to eliminate a feature that allows property managers to automatically reject prospective tenants with criminal records or who plan to use housing vouchers to pay the rent, the Massachusetts attorney general's office announced Thursday. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Eid is being commercialized like Christmas — and American Muslim Today editor-in-chief Rifat Malik [writes that it's a welcome development](. - Many countries [across the globe]( celebrated May Day yesterday, but the holiday is not officially recognized in the U.S. [Here's why](. - Boston rapper $ean Wire steps out of his comfort zone in his latest project “Reflections,” [says music writer Noble](. What We're Reading 📚 - Love, loss, and the family who rallied to get an 800-pound Egyptian-style statue out of a Quincy home ([The Boston Globe]( - We can solve the racial wealth gap ([The Emancipator]( - Started Out as a Fish. How Did It End Up Like This? ([The New York Times]( Tell Me Something Good [A Ukrainian dance troupe in the U.S. fights disinformation, one high kick at a time]( The Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, which turns 50 this year, hopes to counter Russian aggression by teaching U.S. audiences about Ukrainian history and culture. [Read more.]( [A Ukrainian dance troupe in the U.S. fights disinformation, one high kick at a time]( The Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, which turns 50 this year, hopes to counter Russian aggression by teaching U.S. audiences about Ukrainian history and culture. [Read more.]( Before you go: What's [bright yellow]( needed for school and is not a bus? 😎 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 © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.