What a "Green New Deal" for Boston schools really means

Also: What to know about COVID's upswing in Mass.; state's Soldiers' Home settlement [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 13, 2022 🌤️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Good Morning Boston, TGIF, and best of luck out there on this Friday the 13th (don't worry, there's of course [no actual science backing up the superstitious day](. To the news: - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is putting money and resources behind [a core pledge from her campaign]( last year: a "Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools." So... what does that mean? - Wu's Green New Deal for BPS, unveiled Thursday, is a plan to invest $2 billion to construct, renovate and retrofit BPS's aging facilities. In its entirety, Wu says it will be a "a decades-long project." But it begins with $605 million in additional funds into the city's capital budget for the next five years. - Those near-term investments [include 14 new school construction or major renovation projects]( as well as upgrades to White Stadium in Franklin Park and other improvements to schools across the city. Those smaller improvements include everything from solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades to bathroom renovations, water fountains and school gardens. The money will also fund 25 new staff positions to manage the projects (Wu noted during a press conference Thursday that organizational capacity often proves to be the biggest barrier to actually following through on ambitious plans). - Big picture: BPS facilities account for half of the emissions from all city-owned buildings in Boston — or just under 1% of all citywide emissions, according to Wu's office. However, Wu said the goal of the plan is not only to reduce BPS's carbon footprint, but also to improve the educational experience and health of the city's students, the [vast majority of whom go to school in buildings over 40 years old](. - Next steps: The plan still has to be approved by the (largely Wu-friendly) City Council. If that happens, city officials said they hope to complete some of the first big projects within the next three to five years. - In an interview Thursday on Radio Boston, Gov. Charlie Baker expressed support for making Massachusetts a refuge for people in states where abortion could be restricted, following the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that [would overturn Roe v. Wade](. - While the governor cautioned that he wants to first see the court's final decision, he said state lawmakers' proposals to boost funding for abortion access is "a good place to start." - The exact amount is still being worked out. House lawmakers passed a budget proposal last month with $500,000 in funding for three local abortion providers, while Senate leaders have proposed four times that amount: $2 million. - ICYMI: Listen to Baker's [full Radio Boston interview here](. - It will be yet another few days until the Blue Line tunnel reopens. MBTA officials [announced Thursday]( that complications from a construction cart derailment during work on the tracks will result in the extension of the Blue Line service [suspension]( between Airport and Bowdoin station through this coming Tuesday. The suspension has now ballooned from two weeks to 23 days. - Riders will continue to have to take either [the free replacement ferry or one-way shuttle bus loop]( between East Boston and downtown (or Silver Line to Logan airport). T officials say they subway service should resume Wednesday. - What happened, exactly? MBTA officials say a construction tool cart derailed near Airport station earlier this week due to a "complicated area of track" crews were working on. While there were fortunately no injuries, the work to re-rail the cart and make other repairs means it will take longer to finish the project. - Also remaining closed this weekend: A section of the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire — though not because of any toppled construction carts. Rather, crews are trying to clean up after a brush fire spread across 25 acres of the White Mountain National Forest. Officials say the fire is about 85% contained. P.S.— One acre of farmland equals about 8,000 pints of this. Do you know what it is? Then take this week's special edition [Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of our sustainable eating coverage. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [What to know about COVID's upswing in Massachusetts]( “The reality is that things are really not going well at the moment,” said Jacob Lemieux, an infectious disease doctor, noting the rise in cases. But hospitals do not appear to be overwhelmed. [Read more.]( [What to know about COVID's upswing in Massachusetts]( “The reality is that things are really not going well at the moment,” said Jacob Lemieux, an infectious disease doctor, noting the rise in cases. But hospitals do not appear to be overwhelmed. [Read more.]( [After Roe leak, abortion becomes hot election issue in N.H. and elsewhere]( The abortion debate has suddenly become front and center in congressional races across the country, including Sen. Maggie Hassan’s re-election bid. [Read more.]( [After Roe leak, abortion becomes hot election issue in N.H. and elsewhere]( The abortion debate has suddenly become front and center in congressional races across the country, including Sen. Maggie Hassan’s re-election bid. [Read more.]( [Mass. will pay $56 million to settle lawsuit over COVID outbreak at Holyoke Solders' Home]( The money would cover veterans who got sick or died from COVID between early March and late-June 2020, according to Thursday's announcement from Gov. Charlie Baker's office. [Read more.]( [Mass. will pay $56 million to settle lawsuit over COVID outbreak at Holyoke Solders' Home]( The money would cover veterans who got sick or died from COVID between early March and late-June 2020, according to Thursday's announcement from Gov. Charlie Baker's office. [Read more.]( [This is how many lives could have been saved with COVID vaccinations in each state]( A large share of the nearly 1 million people who died of COVID in the U.S. may have lived if they'd gotten vaccinated. A new analysis shows how many lives could have been saved across the country. [Read more.]( [This is how many lives could have been saved with COVID vaccinations in each state]( A large share of the nearly 1 million people who died of COVID in the U.S. may have lived if they'd gotten vaccinated. A new analysis shows how many lives could have been saved across the country. [Read more.]( [William Allen released from prison after life sentence commuted]( After serving almost 28 years of a life sentence on first-degree murder charges, William Allen walked out of the Old Colony Correctional Center this week. [Read more.]( [William Allen released from prison after life sentence commuted]( After serving almost 28 years of a life sentence on first-degree murder charges, William Allen walked out of the Old Colony Correctional Center this week. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - This week's episode of WBUR's Endless Thread podcast [digs deep into the history of cyberwitches]( who have traded in their cauldrons and broomsticks for floppy disks and smartphones. - NPR's Life Kit [shares tips on how to practice paying attention]( — and appreciate what's right in front of you. - In this commentary, Nicole Sussner Rodgers [challenges the cultural expectation]( that motherhood is contingent on being in a romantic relationship. - Jeff Belanger, the author of "Weird Massachusetts," talks to Radio Boston about [four local oddities to check on this Friday the 13th](.  What We're Reading 📚 - How the Inflation Rate Is Measured: 477 Government Workers at Grocery Stores ([Wall Street Journal]( - It’s Been an Interesting Few Years in Cough-Drop Advertising ([The New York Times]( - How to spend a perfect weekend in Boston ([The Boston Globe](  Tell Me Something Good [This is the first image of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way]( “We finally have the first look at our Milky Way black hole, Sagittarius A*,” an international team of astrophysicists and researchers from the Event Horizon Telescope team announced Thursday. [Read more.]( [This is the first image of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way]( “We finally have the first look at our Milky Way black hole, Sagittarius A*,” an international team of astrophysicists and researchers from the Event Horizon Telescope team announced Thursday. [Read more.]( Before you go: It's [a fixer-upper](. 😎 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.