Opening the books

Also: Boston City Council goes above and beyond Wu's raise propoal; Northeastern's mistaken letters [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  October 6, 2022 🌤️ Mostly cloudy, with sun in the afternoon and a high near 69. Good Morning Boston, After a few extremely gray and rainy days, the skies will finally open back up to some sun today. Here's what else is in our forecast: - The future of sports betting in Massachusetts could also get a whole lot clearer today. The state's Gaming Commission is slated to discuss the timeline for the market's much-anticipated rollout, including potential launch dates, during [a 10 a.m. meeting this morning](. - What to expect: Regulators appear to favor — and have seen little pushback to — the [idea of letting the state's casinos and simulcast open in-person sports books first]( followed by the launch of mobile betting at a later date. And they could vote to officially move forward with that type of staggered rollout today. - Will we get specific launch dates? Maybe! But not necessarily. The agenda does list votes on in-person and mobile betting launch dates, but that's more of a legal formality to give commissioners the option; it doesn't mean they'll vote today. Since [cautioning in August that the complex rollout will take longer than some expected]( commissioners have carefully avoided setting public expectations around when the first wagers might be allowed. - Buckle in: If we know one thing for sure, it's that there's a lot [on the agenda]( today (including discussion of many other rules and regulations). So, expect a marathon meeting. Check back here tomorrow for updates. - One other thing on the Gaming Commission's agenda: the potential return of thoroughbred horse racing in Massachusetts. Since Suffolk Downs closed in 2019, only Plainridge Park Casino has hosted any type of live horse racing (a less-popular form known as [harness racing](. But the commission says it's received an application to bring live thoroughbred horse racing back to the state. Today's meeting kicks off the discussion, but a decision isn't due until Nov. 15. - Who's behind the application? MassLive [reported earlier this week]( that it's the owners of Great Meadowbrook Farm in Hardwick. They reportedly have a $20 million plan to build a race track and 5,000-person grandstand on the 360-acre farm. - The Boston City Council is going above and beyond Mayor Michelle Wu's salary increase proposal, unanimously approving a plan Wednesday to give the mayor and themselves a roughly 20% raise next term. It would be their first raise since 2018. [According to The Boston Globe]( councilors said the increases are overdue to keep up with the cost of living and keep Boston on par with its peer cities. - The plan still needs final approval from Wu. She had originally proposed raising annual salaries from $207,000 to $230,000 for the mayor and from $103,500 to $115,000 for city councilors. The council's plan would raise them to $250,000 and $125,000, respectively. - And finally, the news you've all been waiting for: free samples are returning to Trader Joe's for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to company spokeswoman Nakia Rohde, most stores resumed the beloved perk this past weekend — though the exact timing is decided by each individual store. - Rohde says they have a "new approach" focused on new products — "things not necessarily on your shopping list." (That is probably good because it's still early October and I've already eaten too much pumpkin ravioli.) P.S.— Swiss artist Dan Acher is bringing his “[Borealis]( light display to Kendall Square tonight through Sunday for its first-ever showings in the U.S. The thee-hour exhibitions are free and open to the public each night. But first, [come to WBUR CitySpace tonight to hear Radio Boston host Tiziana Dearing talk to Acher]( about why he's trying to share the experience of the Northern Lights across the world. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [We regret to inform you Northeastern Law sent out erroneous acceptance emails to prospective students]( A Massachusetts law school says it's guilty of accidentally sending acceptance emails to thousands of former and current applicants. [Read more.]( [We regret to inform you Northeastern Law sent out erroneous acceptance emails to prospective students]( A Massachusetts law school says it's guilty of accidentally sending acceptance emails to thousands of former and current applicants. [Read more.]( [More than 30, mostly children, dead in a mass shooting at a Thai child care center]( Dozens of people, primarily children, were killed Thursday when a gunman opened fire in a child care center in northeastern Thailand, authorities said. [Read more.]( [More than 30, mostly children, dead in a mass shooting at a Thai child care center]( Dozens of people, primarily children, were killed Thursday when a gunman opened fire in a child care center in northeastern Thailand, authorities said. [Read more.]( [Lynch, Pressley push for a digital U.S. dollar]( The two members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation say an official digital currency would bridge a worrying digital divide in an increasingly cashless society. [Read more.]( [Lynch, Pressley push for a digital U.S. dollar]( The two members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation say an official digital currency would bridge a worrying digital divide in an increasingly cashless society. [Read more.]( [One Florida community built to weather hurricanes endured Ian with barely a scratch]( Hundreds of thousands of people in southwest Florida still don't have electricity or water. But Babcock Ranch, north of Fort Myers, was designed and built to withstand the most powerful storms. [Read more.]( [One Florida community built to weather hurricanes endured Ian with barely a scratch]( Hundreds of thousands of people in southwest Florida still don't have electricity or water. But Babcock Ranch, north of Fort Myers, was designed and built to withstand the most powerful storms. [Read more.]( [Biden has $52 billion for semiconductors. Today, work begins to spend that windfall]( President Biden is touting new semiconductor investments in New York today. Back at the White House, a new team is meeting with cabinet members to work out how to spend $52 billion from Congress. [Read more.]( [Biden has $52 billion for semiconductors. Today, work begins to spend that windfall]( President Biden is touting new semiconductor investments in New York today. Back at the White House, a new team is meeting with cabinet members to work out how to spend $52 billion from Congress. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - We have a busy holiday weekend ahead! Here are the WBUR arts and culture team's [five event recommendations]( from a science festival to a sprawling photography exhibition to a screening of short films. - WBUR film critic Sean Burns writes that David O. Russell's star-studded, Prohibition-era comedy, "Amsterdam," is a ["blundering mess of a movie, but an endearing one."]( - Carolyn Bertozzi, the Lexington native who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, spoke to All Things Considered about the experience and how she emerged in a male-dominated field. [Listen to the interview — or read the highlights — here](. (Fun fact: as a Harvard student, Bertozzi [played in a band with Rage Against the Machine singer Tom Morello]( - H. L. M. Lee [writes in this commentary]( about how an encounter with an elderly woman pulling cans from his recycling bin served as a reminder that we are all just one misstep away from being gleaners.  What We're Reading 📚 - Why Restaurant Workers Are Dining Out Less ([Grub Street]( - Florida Schools Are Asking Student-Athletes to Report Their Menstrual Histories ([Jezebel]( - The Instagram capital of the world is a terrible place to be ([Vox](  Tell Me Something Good [Alma, an orphaned bear cub from Greenfield, is set to enter the wild next spring]( The cub witnessed her mother and siblings getting killed by a car in April. The bear and 46 other orphaned cubs are being raised at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Lyme, New Hampshire. [Read more.]( [Alma, an orphaned bear cub from Greenfield, is set to enter the wild next spring]( The cub witnessed her mother and siblings getting killed by a car in April. The bear and 46 other orphaned cubs are being raised at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Lyme, New Hampshire. [Read more.]( Before you go: Because [he's the hero Boston deserves, but not the one it needs right now](. 😎 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.