Don't bet on sports gambling anytime soon

Also: MGH's groundbreaking transplants; Harris calls Mass. an abortion rights "model" [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  August 5, 2022 🌥️ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 95 and possible thunderstorm in the afternoon. Good Morning Boston, This heat [could last awhile](. After yesterday's [record-breaking temps]( the [forecast]( is calling for 90-degree weather through at least Tuesday. And today will [feel close to 100]( again due to the humidity. Water and shade will be your friends this weekend. But first, the news: - With a long-awaited sports betting bill now on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk, some proponents have expressed [hopes]( that Bay Stater could be placing wagers in time for the start of football season. However, the government officials who would be in charge of licensing and regulating sports betting sent a message on Thursday: Don't bet on it. - If signed into law, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission would have to set up more detailed rules for sports betting operators. That's likely to take at least a few months, Gaming Commission officials said during [a meeting Thursday]( — and it's taken even longer in other states that already legalized sports betting - Multiple commissioners emphasized that they've been busy planning for the legalization of sports betting for months (they've even released draft applications so companies can prepare). - Still, setting up a new regulatory scheme — everything from hiring a sports wagering division chief to figuring out precise details — is no simple task. - "I want the public to understand, as we as commissioners are starting to understand, that this isn't something that's going to happen overnight," Commissioner Brad Hill said. "In order or us to do this right, we need to take our time a little bit." - The White House is [officially declaring monkeypox a public health emergency](. So, what does that actually mean? The designation triggers grant funding and frees up additional levers for the government response. For example, it allows the U.S. Health and Human services secretary to unilaterally provide funds to states and enter into contracts for treatments and other supplies. - Proponents of the move also say it's a signal to the public that the federal government is taking the outbreak seriously. - By the numbers: So far, there have been[over 7,000 reported monkeypox cases in the U.S]( though many say it's an undercount. The vast majority of people appear to be catching the virus from sexual contact, primarily in the gay and queer community. No deaths from the disease have yet been reported in the U.S. - News you can use: Here's [NPR's guide to protecting yourself from monkeypox and the symptoms to watch out for](. - Boston is celebrating the second of three planned "open streets" initiatives tomorrow in Roxbury, closing off [over a mile of Blue Hill Avenue]( vehicle traffic from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to make space for pedestrians, [vendors, music and other activities](. - What's it look like? Check out [last month's open streets day in Jamaica Plain](. Just be sure to bring some water if you go. P.S.— It was another week with big news about the MBTA. Did you catch the latest? Then take [our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the local stories we covered this week. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Nation’s first vaginal fluid transplants offer hope for millions]( At any given moment, almost one in three women in the U.S. has bacterial vaginosis. Yet, for many, medicine does not have a good treatment. Now, scientists are trying something new: Take fluid from a happy vagina and put it in an unhappy one. [Read more.]( [Nation’s first vaginal fluid transplants offer hope for millions]( At any given moment, almost one in three women in the U.S. has bacterial vaginosis. Yet, for many, medicine does not have a good treatment. Now, scientists are trying something new: Take fluid from a happy vagina and put it in an unhappy one. [Read more.]( [A jury says InfoWars' Alex Jones must pay 2 Sandy Hook parents more than $4 million]( The InfoWars host will have to pay $4.1 million to two parents whose 6-year-old son was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. Jones spent years claiming the mass shooting as a hoax. [Read more.]( [A jury says InfoWars' Alex Jones must pay 2 Sandy Hook parents more than $4 million]( The InfoWars host will have to pay $4.1 million to two parents whose 6-year-old son was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. Jones spent years claiming the mass shooting as a hoax. [Read more.]( [Vice President Harris praises Massachusetts as a 'model' for other states on reproductive rights]( Vice President Kamala Harris met with Massachusetts lawmakers on Thursday, offering praise both for the Democrats who crafted a substantial reproductive care bill and for Republican Gov. Charlie Baker after he signed it into law. [Read more.]( [Vice President Harris praises Massachusetts as a 'model' for other states on reproductive rights]( Vice President Kamala Harris met with Massachusetts lawmakers on Thursday, offering praise both for the Democrats who crafted a substantial reproductive care bill and for Republican Gov. Charlie Baker after he signed it into law. [Read more.]( [Thousands of Mass. high school graduates are still putting off college]( Roughly 63% of the state's public high school graduates were enrolled in college in spring 2022 — down from 72% two years prior. [Read more.]( [Thousands of Mass. high school graduates are still putting off college]( Roughly 63% of the state's public high school graduates were enrolled in college in spring 2022 — down from 72% two years prior. [Read more.]( [A Russian court sentences WNBA star Brittney Griner to 9 years on drug charges]( The ruling came nearly six months after Griner was detained. Russia has indicated that any potential deal or prisoner swap to secure her release would have to wait until after a verdict in her case. [Read more.]( [A Russian court sentences WNBA star Brittney Griner to 9 years on drug charges]( The ruling came nearly six months after Griner was detained. Russia has indicated that any potential deal or prisoner swap to secure her release would have to wait until after a verdict in her case. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Should cities and towns in Massachusetts be allowed to reinstate happy hour? Radio Boston [talked to two local restauranteurs about the business and safety considerations at stake]( — and what a 21st century happy hour could look like in the Bay State. - Music writer Jim Sullivan [pays tribute to Jim Harold]( the late owner of the Rathskeller in Kenmore Square, and the work he put in to create the longtime epicenter of Boston’s punk rock scene. - Not just books: Starting next month, the Boston Public Library will begin [offering startup advice to aspiring business owners](. - Amid this year's wedding boom, former event planner T.M. Blanchett writes in this commentary that no detail will escape couples on their special day — [except maybe one](.  What We're Reading 📚 - Gun Trafficking Surges Across State Lines: One Pistol’s 1,200-Mile Journey to a Boston Homicide ([The Wall Street Journal]( - Alex Jones Can’t Pretend His Way Out of This Reality ([The Atlantic]( - "Industry" Is the Best Show to Listen To ([Vulture](  Tell Me Something Good [E-ZPass can get you 30-cents-a-gallon discounts at some Massachusetts gas stations through Labor Day (CBS Boston)]( If you use E-ZPass to pay tolls on the highway, you can also use it to buy cheaper gas at 27 Alltown Mobil gas stations. [Read more.]( [E-ZPass can get you 30-cents-a-gallon discounts at some Massachusetts gas stations through Labor Day (CBS Boston)]( If you use E-ZPass to pay tolls on the highway, you can also use it to buy cheaper gas at 27 Alltown Mobil gas stations. [Read more.]( Before you go: One way to [make MBTA riders talk to each other](. 😎 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.