More car-less streets are coming to Boston

Also: Dianne Wilkerson's comeback; when kids under 5 can get the COVID vaccine [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 3, 2022 🌧️ Cloudy, with a high near 62 and likely rain. Good Morning Boston, The Celtics took Game 1 of the NBA Finals on the road last night, thanks to some [early defensive adjustments]( and a monster, [record-breaking]( fourth quarter. The pressure is now on the Warriors in Game 2, which tips off at 8 p.m. on Sunday. But before we get to the weekend, here's this morning's news: - Open Newbury, meet Open Dot. Ave., and Open Grove Hall, and Open Jackson Square. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Thursday that the city will expand its car-less days on Newbury Street to streets in other neighborhoods in the coming months. And in Back Bay, the city is exploring permanently closing off a block of Dartmouth Street between Copley Square Park and the Boston Public Library; that extended test run begins next week. - It's all part of an effort to make Boston's streets safer and friendlier for walkers, bikers, children and community building — though Wu noted it's something "Boston is not used to doing." - Here are the details: First, the city will close Dartmouth Street from Boylston Street to St. James Ave. to car for 10 days, beginning this Tuesday, June 7 to Friday, June 17. During that time, officials will study the impacts on traffic and collect feedback to inform their decision on the block's potential future. - Second, they're planning once-a-month, single-day weekend events where long stretches of streets in other neighborhoods will be closed to cars from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., like Open Newbury (though there will be some spots where cars can cut through): - July 10: Centre Street — from Lamartine Street in Jackson Square to the Soldier Monument by South Street. - Aug. 6: Blue Hill Ave. — from Dudley Street to Warren Avenue in the Grove Hall neighborhood of Dorchester - Sept. 24: Dorchester Ave. — a full 2-mile stretch from Freeport Street in Savin Hill to Gallivan Blvd. by Ashmont. - Wait, when is Open Newbury? That's still to be announced. However, Wu did let slip that Open Newbury (which has previously run on three Sundays a year) will have "expanded hours and timeframes" this summer. - Could the long wait for many parents and guardians soon be coming to an end? Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, told reporters Thursday that a vaccine for kids under the age of 5 [should be available in the next few weeks]( — possibly as soon as June 21. - While Jha cautioned it will take some time for the rollout to ramp up, he said everyone who wants an appointment for their children should be able to get one within a matter of weeks. - Green Line service on the MBTA is back to normal after [a collision between two trolleys Wednesday night]( shut down part of the line through Tuesday morning and sent four operators to the hospital. - MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak told reporters that investigators are looking into whether the trolley operators were potentially to blame for the crash, according to State House News Service. So far, Poftak said there is "no evidence" that it was caused by issues with the trains or track infrastructure. - Go deeper: The Green Line is the only MBTA subway line without anti-collision technology, [despite a recommendation to get it 13 years ago](. Poftak says it could have prevented the crash this week and others like it, and they're trying to speed up implementation. - Massachusetts Democrats will gather today and tomorrow in Worcester for the party's annual convention to formally nominate candidates for a slate of statewide races. WBUR's Anthony Brooks reports that, in the race for governor, both Attorney General Maura Healey and Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz are expected get the support needed to secure their place on the September primary ballot. But the outlook for candidates in other contests, like the [crowded lieutenant governor's race]( is a little less clear. - Happy trails: UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy will retire next spring, after over a decade at the university. UMass says it's now beginning the search to find a new leader for the school. P.S.— Do you remember when the Celtics last made it to the NBA Finals? Then take [our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the stories we covered this week. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson went to prison for bribery. Now she wants her old job back]( Wilkerson resigned 14 years ago after she was caught on camera taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. Now, the eight-term legislator is hoping Boston voters are willing to give her a second chance. [Read more.]( [State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson went to prison for bribery. Now she wants her old job back]( Wilkerson resigned 14 years ago after she was caught on camera taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. Now, the eight-term legislator is hoping Boston voters are willing to give her a second chance. [Read more.]( [State and city plans for Boston school reform offer competing visions]( In the two competing draft plans for achieving that improvement, the state itself is cast in very different roles. Riley's draft imagines the state primarily as overseer and enforcer, while Boston Mayor Michelle Wu asks for partnership and support. [Read more.]( [State and city plans for Boston school reform offer competing visions]( In the two competing draft plans for achieving that improvement, the state itself is cast in very different roles. Riley's draft imagines the state primarily as overseer and enforcer, while Boston Mayor Michelle Wu asks for partnership and support. [Read more.]( [President Biden calls for assault weapons ban and other measures to curb gun violence]( The address follows recent mass shootings in New York, Texas, and Oklahoma. Biden said the measures aren't about taking away rights, but about protecting Americans. [Read more.]( [President Biden calls for assault weapons ban and other measures to curb gun violence]( The address follows recent mass shootings in New York, Texas, and Oklahoma. Biden said the measures aren't about taking away rights, but about protecting Americans. [Read more.]( [Manhole explosions send 1 to hospital, force evacuations in downtown Boston]( At least one person was taken to the hospital with injuries. [Read more.]( [Manhole explosions send 1 to hospital, force evacuations in downtown Boston]( At least one person was taken to the hospital with injuries. [Read more.]( [As the baby formula crisis worsens, it's also magnifying disparities in the U.S.]( Empty store shelves. Frustrated parents. The formula shortage has upended life for millions of families across the nation and magnified longtime disparities in how infants receive nutrition. [Read more.]( [As the baby formula crisis worsens, it's also magnifying disparities in the U.S.]( Empty store shelves. Frustrated parents. The formula shortage has upended life for millions of families across the nation and magnified longtime disparities in how infants receive nutrition. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Cirque du Soleil — on ice? That's right. The famous Montreal-based circus group [made their ice-skating debut in Boston this week]( with the first of 15 "spectacular" shows at Agganis Arena. - Can you actually get tics from TikTok? This week's episode of Endless Thread [dives into the medical mystery](. - WBUR film critic Sean Burns writes that “Benediction" — the new, "splendidly scripted biopic" of war poet Siegfried Sassoon — is [a movie "madly in love with words in all their pleasures and poisons."]( - The Scripps National Spelling Bee was [decided by the contest's first-ever tiebreaker last night](. The winning word? "Moorhen."  What We're Reading 📚 - ‘It’s going to be an army’: Tapes reveal GOP plan to contest elections ([Politico]( - On Cuttyhunk Island, dwindling year-rounders look to recruit newcomers ([The Boston Globe]( - Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work ([The Atlantic]( - Trial Diary: A Journalist Sits on a Baltimore Jury ([ProPublica](  Tell Me Something Good [Meet Moose, the "adventurous" N.H. rabbit who climbs 4,000-foot peaks (The Boston Globe)]( The rabbit has climbed all of the White Mountain Four Thousand Footers, alongside her companion, Chelsea Eason, who has been documenting their adventures on TikTok. [Read more.]( [Meet Moose, the "adventurous" N.H. rabbit who climbs 4,000-foot peaks (The Boston Globe)]( The rabbit has climbed all of the White Mountain Four Thousand Footers, alongside her companion, Chelsea Eason, who has been documenting their adventures on TikTok. [Read more.]( Before you go: The ["city" of Cape Cod]( 🤨 😎 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.