Your pre-holiday weekend primer

Also: Is the right agency overseeing the T? Making Boston's parks more welcoming [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  September 1, 2022 ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 74. Good Morning Boston, TGIF! We have a PSA-packed newsletter to read before you start your Labor Day weekend. And we'll begin with this piece of novel advice: [read the signs]( if you're driving a moving truck! We [had a Storrowing]( for the second straight day yesterday. Let's try not to make it three! - For everyone else out on the roads, the usual holiday weekend advice applies: Traffic over Labor Day weekend typically isn't as heavy as Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, but AAA spokeswoman Mary McGuire says that those headed to vacation spots like Maine or Cape Cod should try to avoid driving this afternoon. The traffic will still be bad. Ideally, you're already on the road (though hopefully not reading this while driving) or waiting until after dinnertime to head out. - Some good news for drivers: the average price of a gallon of gas in Massachusetts is officially below $4 for the first time since this past winter, [according to AAA](. It's a little more expensive in the Boston area ($4.21), but Maguire says you should be able to find gas well under $4 if you shop around a little — just don't go more than a few miles out of your way. - If you're flying, WBUR's Dave Faneuf reports that Logan airport officials are expecting a busy but "manageable" weekend. Getting there will also be a little easier since officials are [pausing]( the [Sumner Tunnel closures]( this weekend. Still, Maguire suggests downloading your airline's app and having a backup plan for [potential delays and cancellations](. According to [Flight Aware]( there are just five flight cancellations today in and out of Logan. - We've been lucky this summer with some great weather over the holiday weekends (though our [parched lawns]( are [paying for it](. This weekend looks like more of the same. There is a chance of scattered storms Monday, but don't let that cloud your Saturday, which meteorologist Danielle Noyes says will be "a top-10 weather day." Sunday looks pretty good, too. Read Noyes' [full weekend forecast here](. - If you're out and about dodging the potential rain Monday, here's [what's open and closed on Labor Day](. - Amid complaints that the MBTA [wasn't doing enough to serve Chinatown during the Orange Line closure]( the city of Boston is launching a free all-day shuttle through the neighborhood. Beginning today, the 14-seat city-sponsored shuttle will run every 30 minutes from Government Center to Tufts Medical Center and Chinatown stations from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. ([Click here]( for a map of the route.) - Tufts Medical Center and Chinatown were two of the four stations that do not have all-day MBTA shuttle service during the monthlong Orange Line closure. Previously, the only option for users of those two stations was the Green Line or an MBTA shuttle that ran between 5 and 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. - One last PSA: the Massachusetts state primary election is the day after Labor Day, and today is the final day of in-person early voting. (You can [find your local early voting site here]( If you have yet to send back your mail-in ballot, return it in person. There’s not enough time to send it back in the mail, and all mail-in ballots need to be returned by 8 p.m. Tuesday. (Find your [local dropbox and election office here]( - WBUR's Vanessa Ochavillo [reports that Secretary of State Bill Galvin predicts a total of 1.1 million voters]( will cast ballots. That's less than the record turnout in the 2020 state primary, but higher than in 2018, which Galvin says is more comparable. - Still deciding who to vote for? Check out [our guide to all the contested statewide races here.]( P.S.— True, or false: Only 10% of Beacon Hill lawmakers have a primary challenger in Tuesday's election. Do you know the answer? Then take [our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the local stories we covered this week. Programming note: There'll be no newsletter on Labor Day, but we'll be back in your inboxes bright and early Tuesday! Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [The state's public utilities department oversees the MBTA. Some say it's not the right agency for the job]( The DPU is best known for its oversight of electric and gas companies and water utilities. It's run by former utility executives who focus on matters like energy efficiency and electricity rates. [Read more.]( [The state's public utilities department oversees the MBTA. Some say it's not the right agency for the job]( The DPU is best known for its oversight of electric and gas companies and water utilities. It's run by former utility executives who focus on matters like energy efficiency and electricity rates. [Read more.]( [For Olmsted's 200th birthday, a renewed effort to make Boston's parks welcoming to all]( A coalition of groups called Olmsted Now is distributing grants to projects that change the way people perceive who’s welcome in parks. The effort is in honor of the 200th birthday of Frederick Olmsted, who designed Boston’s 7-mile-long Emerald Necklace and thought high quality parks should be open and available to all. [Read more.]( [For Olmsted's 200th birthday, a renewed effort to make Boston's parks welcoming to all]( A coalition of groups called Olmsted Now is distributing grants to projects that change the way people perceive who’s welcome in parks. The effort is in honor of the 200th birthday of Frederick Olmsted, who designed Boston’s 7-mile-long Emerald Necklace and thought high quality parks should be open and available to all. [Read more.]( [CDC recommends new booster shots to fight omicron]( CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has signed off on updated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines that target the original virus and the omicron subvariants. [Read more.]( [CDC recommends new booster shots to fight omicron]( CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has signed off on updated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines that target the original virus and the omicron subvariants. [Read more.]( [As college students return to Massachusetts campuses, they'll find new abortion care options]( Anew state lawensures public college and university students in Massachusetts have access to medication abortion through the school's own health services, like on campus at UMass Amherst. [Read more.]( [As college students return to Massachusetts campuses, they'll find new abortion care options]( Anew state lawensures public college and university students in Massachusetts have access to medication abortion through the school's own health services, like on campus at UMass Amherst. [Read more.]( [With kids back in school, educators brace to help with ongoing mental health troubles]( After the disruption and trauma of the pandemic, teachers are expecting kids to still need added support this year. They're adapting their lesson plans to start with a mental health check-in. [Read more.]( [With kids back in school, educators brace to help with ongoing mental health troubles]( After the disruption and trauma of the pandemic, teachers are expecting kids to still need added support this year. They're adapting their lesson plans to start with a mental health check-in. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - More than 2,500 athletes will compete this weekend at the annual “9-man” volleyball tournament in Providence. WBUR's Aimee Moon [writes that the sport is a street version of volleyball that originated in the back alleys of Boston's Chinatown](. - They're finally doing it. After years of clamoring, Twitter is taking the controversial step of [testing out an edit button]( that allows users to fix typos in their tweets after they're posted. - James Taylor says the the new MGM Music Hall at Fenway is "the best of both worlds.” WBUR music writer Jim Sullivan [explains why here.]( - How do you beat celebrity chef Bobby Flay on his TV cooking competition? Boston chef Lambert Givens[explained on Radio Boston how he used a recipe from this grandma]( to pull off the feat.  What We're Reading 📚 - A New Hampshire Beatles fan bought George Harrison’s childhood home. Now you can hang out in the room where the Fab Four once jammed. ([The Boston Globe]( - Why Is Dr. Oz So Bad at Twitter? ([The Atlantic]( - How Mary Peltola Beat Sarah Palin in Alaska’s Special Election ([The New Yorker](  Food For Thought [This Massachusetts ice cream shop was voted one of the best in the world (MassLive)]( The Financial Times has released a list of the 25 greatest ice cream shops in the world, ranging from the U.S. to Spain to South Africa. And one Massachusetts shop made the cut. [Read more.]( [This Massachusetts ice cream shop was voted one of the best in the world (MassLive)]( The Financial Times has released a list of the 25 greatest ice cream shops in the world, ranging from the U.S. to Spain to South Africa. And one Massachusetts shop made the cut. [Read more.]( Before you go: The Boston Public Library [has the juice](. 😎 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.