Weather, traffic & fireworks: Your July 4th guide

Also: MBTA fare changes; a whale of a sound [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  July 1, 2022 🏖️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Good Morning Boston, Welcome to July. Hopefully, you're starting — or have already started — the holiday weekend early because today looks like it will be an ideal beach day. If not, no worries; while Saturday might not be the day for it, Sunday and Monday are looking like solid beach days as well. Check out the [full Fourth of July weekend forecast here](. - What else should you know about the holiday weekend? For one, avoid the major highways if you can this afternoon. According to AAA, it will be among the most congested time to hit the road as vacationers mix with afternoon commuters. If you must drive today, try to leave before 10 a.m. or after 9 p.m. Saturday afternoon is also expected to see relatively heavy traffic. Despite the [high gas prices]( AAA [expects car travel to set a new record this weekend.]( - If you're headed to the Cape, be cognizant that July also [means the return of great white shark season](. Experts say they're mostly concentrated on the Atlantic Ocean-side of the Cape due to seals. - Planning ahead for Monday, WBUR's Berto Scalese has [an entertaining primer]( on what's open and closed, as well as how the MBTA is spending the federal holiday. - Last but certainly not least, we're capping off Monday with a bang. For the first time since 2019, the Boston Pops Fourth of July concert and fireworks are back on the banks of the Charles River. Check out [our comprehensive guide to the extravaganza here](. - A Supreme Court decision yesterday may have [undercut the federal government's ability regulate carbon emissions]( but that isn't stopping officials in Massachusetts from moving forward with their own state-level plans to combat climate change. Gov. Charlie Baker's administration [released a new plan setting emission reduction targets for 2025 and 2030]( on the road to achieving net-zero by 2050 (as [required by a landmark bill passed last year](. - How does the state plan to reach those goals? WBUR's Miriam Wasser reports that there are three big themes: - Electrify everything — cars, home heating, industry. That means more electric cars, charging stations and heat pumps. - Get that electricity from clean sources like solar, wind and hydropower. In other words, more renewable energy projects. - Keep as much carbon in the ground — or in trees — as possible. That means doubling down on efforts to preserve forests and wetlands. - Another benefit? State officials say the plan could create 22,000 new jobs by 2030. However, some environmental activists remain concerned that parts of the plan are too vague. - Today marks the beginning of [some fare changes on the MBTA](. But don't worry, there aren't any broad hikes. The T is effectively reducing fares for certain types of passes and trips. The changes are mostly at the margins, but they could be meaningful for some riders. - The 1-Day LinkPass for unlimited bus and subway trips over a 24-hour period is now reduced to $11, from $12.75. - The T's transfer policy will be expanded to include additional free transfers on a single payment, such as bus-bus-subway, subway-bus-bus and express bus-express bus. (Bus-subway-bus on a single tap was already allowed for CharlieCard users.) - For riders [eligible for reduced fares]( the T is introducing a 7-Day LinkPass for $10 and half-off monthly passes for the express bus, commuter rail and ferry. They're also making reduced fare passes available on a printed CharlieTickets, instead of just CharlieCards. - Not [just Boston]( The states's second largest school district, Worcester Public Schools, is also welcoming a new leader. Rachel Monarrez, the former school superintendent in San Bernardino, California, begins her new gig in Worcester today. P.S.— A recent study of the Greater Boston area found that 21 toxic air pollutants are found in a common household presence. Do you know what it is? [Take our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the stories we covered this past week. Also, a programming note: This newsletter will be off Monday for the holiday. 😎 We'll be back in your inboxes Tuesday! Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Mass. Senate votes to reform civil forfeiture law, adding greater protections in property seizures]( The Massachusetts State Senate passed a bill Thursday to change the civil forfeiture system, raising the legal bar law enforcement must meet to seize and keep people’s money and property in suspected drug crimes. [Read more.]( [Mass. Senate votes to reform civil forfeiture law, adding greater protections in property seizures]( The Massachusetts State Senate passed a bill Thursday to change the civil forfeiture system, raising the legal bar law enforcement must meet to seize and keep people’s money and property in suspected drug crimes. [Read more.]( [This biologist eavesdropped on humpback whales for decades. What he heard helped save the species]( Biologist Roger Payne, creator of the iconic album “Songs of the Humpback Whale,” explains how the record came to be. [Read more.]( [This biologist eavesdropped on humpback whales for decades. What he heard helped save the species]( Biologist Roger Payne, creator of the iconic album “Songs of the Humpback Whale,” explains how the record came to be. [Read more.]( [Planned Parenthood of Northern New England reports recent uptick in out-of-state abortion patients]( Since Roe fell on Friday, a handful of patients from states like South Dakota and Louisiana, where the procedure is now illegal, have scheduled abortions in northern New England. [Read more.]( [Planned Parenthood of Northern New England reports recent uptick in out-of-state abortion patients]( Since Roe fell on Friday, a handful of patients from states like South Dakota and Louisiana, where the procedure is now illegal, have scheduled abortions in northern New England. [Read more.]( [Election deniers have taken their fraud theories on tour — to nearly every state]( Even as the Jan. 6 hearings play out, election misinformation keeps spreading. NPR tracked four leaders preaching false information about election fraud at hundreds of grassroots events nationwide. [Read more.]( [Election deniers have taken their fraud theories on tour — to nearly every state]( Even as the Jan. 6 hearings play out, election misinformation keeps spreading. NPR tracked four leaders preaching false information about election fraud at hundreds of grassroots events nationwide. [Read more.]( [Mass. preps for '988' mental health hotline launch: 'Young people will grow up knowing this number']( People experiencing a mental health crisis will soon have a faster way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. [Read more.]( [Mass. preps for '988' mental health hotline launch: 'Young people will grow up knowing this number']( People experiencing a mental health crisis will soon have a faster way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Scientists say they've solved a 700-year-old mystery: [Where and when the deadliest pandemic in the world history — aka the Black Death or the plague — actually began](. - Dr. Erika Werner has a unique skill: performing abortions. And while doesn't not enjoy it, the high-risk obstetrician [says in this commentary that it is absolutely the thing she does that has saved the most lives](. - This week's episode of Endless Thread [looks into how abortion rights advocates — both online and offline — can work together in a post-Roe America](. - News you can use: A recent survey found that over 40% of American adults have some form of health care debt. Here's [how to get rid of it — or avoid it in the first place](.  What We're Reading 📚 - Orlando Museum Director Loses Job After Disputed Basquiat Show ([The New York Times]( - As Democrats exit governor’s race, some point to barriers for outsider candidates ([The Boston Globe]( - The Black Oysterman Taking Half Shells From the Bar to the Block ([The New York Times](  PSA [Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation]( Testing to get out of isolation is tempting because it promises a straightforward answer. However, the science is not entirely settled. [Read more.]( [Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation]( Testing to get out of isolation is tempting because it promises a straightforward answer. However, the science is not entirely settled. [Read more.]( Before you go: Happy trails to [a WBUR legend](. 😎 Forward to a friend. 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