How to make a hot block cool

Also: the impact of Boston's new exam school admissions process; what biotech's slump means for Mass. [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 12, 2022 ☁️ Cloudy and foggy this morning, with a high near 71. Good Morning Boston, And happy retirement to [legendary Boston weatherman Harvey Leonard](. Here's what's in our news forecast today, including a new story below on the effort to cool down one of the hottest city blocks in Massachusetts: - Boston school officials are crediting the city's [new admissions process]( for exam schools like Boston Latin for a big increase in the socioeconomic, geographic and racial diversity of the 7th grade students invited to attend those elite schools next year. - A [new analysis]( released last night by the school district found that 45% of admission offers this fall went to low-income applicants, compared to 35% two years ago. It boosted the number of students of color who were offered spots from 60% to 76%. And there were also increases in the number of accepted students who were public housing residents, English learners or disabled. - Unlike the previous process, which was solely based on grades and standardized test scores, the new admissions system [passed last year]( gives weight to students from lower-income neighborhoods. - BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius called it "incredibly gratifying to know that the policy is working as intended" and that "more Boston students have an equitable chance to get an excellent education.” - With the Supreme Court poised to potentially overturn Roe v. Wade later this spring, the U.S. Senate [tried — and failed — to pass a bill Wednesday afternoon]( that would have codified abortion rights at the federal level. - The outcome of the vote was not unexpected, as the 49 votes that Democrats were able to muster was not even close to the 60 needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. - Still, Democrats in Massachusetts — where abortion rights will [remain protected regardless of the Supreme Court's decision]( — aren't happy about what the vote could mean nationally, if Roe is in fact overturned. "Safe, legal abortion care may be pushed out of reach for millions," Rep. Ayanna Pressley said in a statement. - Amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, Northampton became one of the rare places across the country where leaders are re-instituting a school mask mandates. The city joins Boston and Chelsea as one of the few cities in Massachusetts that are requiring students and staff to wear masks (Chelsea had planned to drop its mandate this week, but [reversed course]( after COVID rates pushed Suffolk County back into the CDC's high transmission category). - A number of local districts — including Arlington, Belmont and Cambridge — have begun encouraging individuals to wear masks in school, but haven't taken the step of reimplementing a mandate. And no Massachusetts communities have brought back broader mask mandates for all indoor public places — though Boston officials highly encourage masks inside. - Zoom out: A [similar dynamic is playing out nationwide](. Daily cases are up 50% over the last week, which researchers say is a vast undercount due to the number of at-home tests that aren't reported to health official. But only a few places across the country have brought back school mask mandates, such as in Portland and Bangor, Maine. [According to the Associated Press]( the subdued response reflects the public exhaustion with COVID rules two years into the pandemic, as well as the emphasis on vaccinations as the best long-term protection. - Zoom back in: Massachusetts lawmakers are dealing with a string of COVID exposures, with 21 reported infections among people who were at the State House over the past two-and-a-half weeks. Leaders say they have no plans to change their protocols, though they have begun recommending masks. - Boston's historic Old North Church has its first woman caretaker. WBUR's Stevee Chapman reports that 32-year-old self-described "history nerd" Chelsea Millsap is taking on the job as the church's new sexton. Millsap — who is also [a Mayflower pilgrim descendant]( — told Chapman that it's "exciting to think that I could be climbing the same stairs as [original sexton] Robert Newman that night when the revolutionary war started." P.S.— Gov. Charlie Baker will be on Radio Boston this morning for a live, in-studio interview during the show's new 11 a.m. time slot. Have questions? Send them to us by tweeting at [@RadioBoston]( or through our text club by texting BOSTON to 617-766-0382. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [In Chelsea, cooling an urban heat island one block at a time]( An intensive effort is underway to lower temperatures on one of the hottest blocks in Massachusetts. [Read more.]( [In Chelsea, cooling an urban heat island one block at a time]( An intensive effort is underway to lower temperatures on one of the hottest blocks in Massachusetts. [Read more.]( [A slump in biotech likely means closures, layoffs across Mass.]( Investors are tightening the purse strings when it comes to biotech. That means a lot of companies across Massachusetts are going to run out of cash. [Read more.]( [A slump in biotech likely means closures, layoffs across Mass.]( Investors are tightening the purse strings when it comes to biotech. That means a lot of companies across Massachusetts are going to run out of cash. [Read more.]( [Home inspectors urge state board to clarify law on shortcut inspections they say put consumers at risk]( Several home inspectors on Wednesday urged state overseers to address the rise of shortcut home inspections, asking whether the practice was legal. [Read more.]( [Home inspectors urge state board to clarify law on shortcut inspections they say put consumers at risk]( Several home inspectors on Wednesday urged state overseers to address the rise of shortcut home inspections, asking whether the practice was legal. [Read more.]( [U.S. inmates condemned to die are spending more time on death row]( Research shows the average time between sentencing and execution has increased by two-thirds in the past 20 years. [Read more.]( [U.S. inmates condemned to die are spending more time on death row]( Research shows the average time between sentencing and execution has increased by two-thirds in the past 20 years. [Read more.]( [As cocaine and meth use rise in Mass., state commission outlines action plan]( In the first half of 2021, 52% of overdose deaths in the state involved cocaine. A state commission recommended several efforts, including widespread access to harm reduction supplies, more training for first responders and better access to new treatment options. [Read more.]( [As cocaine and meth use rise in Mass., state commission outlines action plan]( In the first half of 2021, 52% of overdose deaths in the state involved cocaine. A state commission recommended several efforts, including widespread access to harm reduction supplies, more training for first responders and better access to new treatment options. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Here are [five things to do this weekend]( from a contemporary arts festival in Fall River to a five-day dance party on the Greenway. - Rockport Pat Lowery Collins, who took her first salaried job at the age of 72, [writes in this commentary]( that some people hone their creative crafts later in life and many often doing their best work. - Winchester native Johan Lenox is releasing is debut pop album tomorrow, and music critic Charley Ruddell writes that it [fully embraces the "ennui of adolescence."](  What We're Reading 📚 - ‘Please Help’: A Nationwide Baby Formula Shortage Worsens ([The New York Times]( - The “Future Of Work” Still Sucks. Just Ask Working Parents. ([BuzzFeed]( - ‘No telling what we’ll find’: bodies in Lake Mead spark mob speculation ([The Guardian](  Tell Me Something Good [‘We had a vision’: How Boston University men’s lacrosse blossomed into a national contender (Boston.com)]( In just their ninth season, the Terriers are headed to their first NCAA Tournament. [Read more.]( [‘We had a vision’: How Boston University men’s lacrosse blossomed into a national contender (Boston.com)]( In just their ninth season, the Terriers are headed to their first NCAA Tournament. [Read more.]( Before you go: Korea is making Marty Walsh "[feel right at home]( Correction: In yesterday's newsletter, we misspelled the last name of Luke Schuster, the research director for The Boston Foundation. Sorry, Luke! 😎 Forward to a friend. 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