Also: Inside the dentistry labor shortage; crowds return to Mass. and Cass; [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  August 24, 2022 🌤️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Good Morning Boston, Massachusetts residents could soon be in store for some financial relief from both the state and federal government â though the details are still coming into view. Here's what we know so far (plus news on the Orange Line shutdown, police reform and more): - Thousands in the state could see a sizable chunk â if not all â of their student loan bill wiped away in the near future. The Associated Press [reports]( that President Joe Biden will announce a plan today to cancel up to $10,000 in student loans for Americans making up to $125,000 a year. Biden is also reportedly planning to again extend the federal pause on student loan payments â which was scheduled to expire at the end of this month â through the end of the year.
- We don't yet have many other details on the plan, but one thing to note is Biden is using his executive authority to fulfill the campaign pledge. So it's is not a bill that needs to pass Congress. That said, it could very likely face legal challenges. [Outside estimates]( peg the cost of the one-time action at $300 billion.
- Across the country, more than 43 million people have federal student debt, with almost a third owing less than $10,000. In Massachusetts, an [estimated 902,000 student borrowers]( owe an average of $34,146 in student debt. - Speaking of getting money back, a much bigger swath of Bay Staters should know by the end of the summer if they'll receive tax rebates later this year â and how much they'll get. State Auditor Suzanne Bump tells WBUR's Rob Lane that she "fully" expects to issue a report on whether [an arcane 1986 revenue cap law]( will trigger the refunds to taxpayers â as expected â by the required Sept. 20 deadline.
- Bump's annual report will also provide some clarity around the size of the potential refunds. Gov. Charlie Baker's administration has estimated that residents would get about 7% of what they paid in state income tax back â or around $250 for a resident with a $70,000 salary last year â though other estimates have varied. - The late emergence of the law's possible activation last month [derailed]( a sweeping tax cut bill that itself [would have delivered $250 rebates]( to lower and middle income residents. ([According to The Boston Globe]( it also derailed the relationship between Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano.)
- As CommonWealth Magazine [has reported]( the Baker administration also intends to change the rules so that the rebates are issued as direct payments "sometime between the end of November and the beginning of December," rather than as a tax credit in 2023. They're just waiting for Bump's report first.
- Bump's comments Tuesday come as some watchdog groups â suspicious that lawmakers could change the revenue law â [warned]( that they will sue if her report doesn't arrive by Sept. 20. Bump told Lane that she has received no pressure from "anyone in the [Baker] administration or the Legislature." - Boston Public Schools expects the Orange Line shutdown to put an "additional strain" on the district's school bus system. However, they're working on a plan to hire outside bus companies to run [transport vans]( for students who go to school outside the city to free up yellow bus drivers within Boston.
- BPS is also asking the T to run direct shuttles from Orange Line stops to specific schools, though the T has not yet committed.
- The new plan out Tuesday comes after BPS said last week it had secured 5,000 free seven-day MBTA passes for schools to give out so students and families could practice the diversion routes. BPS also said late students will not be penalized during the closure. - By the numbers: BPS says there are 28 schools impacted by the shutdown and that almost 4,700 students rely on the Orange Line. - The past couple days of rain have helped, but [most of Massachusetts remains in a "critical drought]( the second-most severe level. Officials are urging residents to be "extremely mindful" of their water use and say the conditions have contributed to deep-burning wildfires.
- Just this month, the state has received reports of 97 wildfires, including extensive fires that have closed several North Shore reservations. The National Guard is even [using a helicopter to drop water]( on a fire in Saugus's Breakheart Reservation
- Officials also [announced]( an indefinite ban Tuesday on all open flame and charcoal fires in state parks, in an effort to prevent more accidental fires. While the drought makes them more likely, officials say that 98% of wildfires in Massachusetts are manmade. P.S.â There's only [a few more days left to register to vote in Massachusetts before the Sept. 6 state primary]( and early voting begins this weekend. If you're just catching up, we published a special edition of WBUR Today last week with everything you need to know about the contested statewide races and recaps of all our primary debates. You can [read it online here]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa
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[Crowds return to 'Mass. and Cass' area in Boston, months after city dismantles encampment](
City officials say progress is slow on finding long-term solutions to the humanitarian crisis, but they continue to work on providing housing and services to people living on the streets or with addiction. [Read more.](
[Crowds return to 'Mass. and Cass' area in Boston, months after city dismantles encampment](
City officials say progress is slow on finding long-term solutions to the humanitarian crisis, but they continue to work on providing housing and services to people living on the streets or with addiction. [Read more.](
[Mass. effort to certify police officers delayed. Boston has yet to submit key data](
The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission said every police department in the state has sent in the required paperwork â except for Boston. [Read more.](
[Mass. effort to certify police officers delayed. Boston has yet to submit key data](
The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission said every police department in the state has sent in the required paperwork â except for Boston. [Read more.](
['The worst I've seen': Dental practices struggle with staffing shortages](
Shortages in hygienists, dental assistants and front office personnel are delaying routine dental care for some patients. In some cases, the wait can last months. [Read more.](
['The worst I've seen': Dental practices struggle with staffing shortages](
Shortages in hygienists, dental assistants and front office personnel are delaying routine dental care for some patients. In some cases, the wait can last months. [Read more.](
[Native groups seek to repair lands damaged by colonization](
The Wampanoag Common Lands, as the project is called, seeks to restore a 32-acre former Catholic summer camp on the banks of the Muddy Pond in Kingston to something closer to what it might have looked like before European colonization transformed it. [Read more.](
[Native groups seek to repair lands damaged by colonization](
The Wampanoag Common Lands, as the project is called, seeks to restore a 32-acre former Catholic summer camp on the banks of the Muddy Pond in Kingston to something closer to what it might have looked like before European colonization transformed it. [Read more.](
[Trump has raised millions. He may run in 2024, so where will all that money go?](
Campaign finance rules say the PAC money can't be used for his campaign if Trump decides he'll run, but there are questions on whether any potential violations would be enforced by the FEC. [Read more.](
[Trump has raised millions. He may run in 2024, so where will all that money go?](
Campaign finance rules say the PAC money can't be used for his campaign if Trump decides he'll run, but there are questions on whether any potential violations would be enforced by the FEC. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - A church in New Hampshire has [gained a following thanks to a hallucinogenic (and ambiguously legal) tea](. And while state and federal officials don't seem eager to intervene, a local planning board might force the church's owner to pick up roots. - For many Black people, transitioning to natural hair can feel frustrating. Here are [five steps that experts say will make it easy](. - WBUR film critic Sean Burns got a sneak peak at âThree Thousand Years of Longing," the first movie from George Miller since âMad Max: Fury Road." He calls it a ["deeply weird flight of fancy, alternating heady discussions with the most miraculous images youâll see all year]( By the looks of [the trailer]( I'm beginning to understand why. Â What We're Reading 📚 - Lowell Rep. race showcases growing influence â and growing pains â of Cambodian community ([GBH News]( - Former security chief claims Twitter buried âegregious deficienciesâ ([The Washington Post]( - You Know Holden Caulfield Isnât Real, Right? ([Vulture]( Â PSA
[Maps: Where bears have been seen in Mass. this summer (Boston.com)](
Many of this summerâs bear sightings have occurred far beyond the areas considered established or expanding territory for black bears. [Read more.](
[Maps: Where bears have been seen in Mass. this summer (Boston.com)](
Many of this summerâs bear sightings have occurred far beyond the areas considered established or expanding territory for black bears. [Read more.]( Before you go: This is [not the way to get around the Orange Line shutdown](. 😎 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 Â
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