City Hall Plaza's new look ✨

Also: The hole in the state's climate efforts; who will replace Nancy Pelosi? [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  November 18, 2022 🌤️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Good Morning Boston, TGIF! We're in for our first actual chilly weekend of the season. (But, hey, at least we aren't getting up to four feet of snow, [like Buffalo]( And no matter [what happens to Twitter]( you'll still be able to find us back in your inbox on Monday morning with the news, as always. Let's get to it: - The “barren wasteland” that is Boston City Hall Plaza is getting a long-awaited (and some may say overdue) reintroduction today. After [a three-year renovation project]( city officials are celebrating the plaza's reopening with [a series of events]( — promoting the brick, windswept expanse's makeover as something a little more warm and friendly. - What's new: The city spent tens of millions of dollars to make the plaza around City Hall more accessible and attractive as a gathering space. The features include: - A "gently sloped" walkway, which replaces the brick steps around the northeast side of City Hall. - A playground with a surprisingly large slide, which [some city councilors seem to already be enjoying]( (I think). - Lots of new trees, shrubs, flowers, LED lighting, public art, water features, seating and "plug and play" event spaces. - The reopening of the north entrance to City Hall for the first time in over two decades. - What's next: Today marks the end of Phase 1 of the project. According to a spokeswoman for Mayor Michelle Wu, the next phase — "pending funding" — is renovating City Hall's fourth floor outdoor courtyard. (The Boston Herald [reports]( they're looking to run an elevator to the currently non-handicap-accessible space.) - Save the date: The MBTA is [officially opening the Green Line Extension's longer Medford branch]( on Monday, Dec. 12. It's a little later than the T's most recent "late November" target — not to mention a full year behind the project's original timeline. But the long-awaited opening is still welcome news for denizens of Medford and Somerville. Officials estimate the branch will carry over 50,000 riders a day. - Check it out: You can view a map of the five-stop branch through the middle of Somerville to Tufts University in Medford [here](. - The details: The Medford branch will be an extension of the Green Line's E branch, while the D branch will take you to Union Square (as it has for the last two months). The new extension will also be one part of the system not [beleaguered by slow zones]( MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo says trolleys will "operate at their intended speeds" on both GLX branches when service begins. - We will, however, have to wait a little longer for [the Somerville bike/pedestrian path]( that will run along the Medford GLX branch. Pesaturo said Thursday that it will not open Dec. 12; its opening date is still TBA. - In other MBTA news, the agency's board of directors approved the T's [recently revised plans]( to overhaul its bus route network. If they can hire more drivers, the plan aims to increase overall service by 25%. - The plan will take until 2028 to fully implement, but the first changes will take effect next spring. MBTA project manager Doug Johnson said they plan to start with communities like Chelsea, Everett, Malden and Medford, where there's high bus ridership, but barely any high-frequency service. - You can [explore this interactive map of the full bus network redesign](. - President Biden's student loan relief plan [may still be in limbo]( but Massachusetts is launching its own loan relief program, specifically for health care workers. Gov. Charlie Baker's administration announced Thursday that it will offer $130 million in grants to help social workers, primary care doctors, nurses and many others in the behavioral health and primary care space repay their college loans. - The program is part of the state's efforts to provide "tangible support" to a sector that has been [stretched to the brink by staffing shortages](. - The loans will range from $12,500 to $300,000 per individual, with priority given to applicants who are multilingual or work in historically underserved communities. More info will be made available next month by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which is implementing the program. - PSA: If you plan of traveling on I-93 southbound north of Boston this morning, maybe... don't? A garbage truck crash from earlier this morning is causing [big delays](. P.S.— Public schools across Massachusetts will be handing out one thing ahead of the holidays. Do you know what it is? Then [take our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the stories we covered this week. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [There's a hole in the state's climate efforts: elementary education]( In Massachusetts public schools, elementary students are expected to learn about topics like the weather and energy — but not necessarily how to connect that information to the climate crisis that will inevitably shape their future. [Read more.]( [There's a hole in the state's climate efforts: elementary education]( In Massachusetts public schools, elementary students are expected to learn about topics like the weather and energy — but not necessarily how to connect that information to the climate crisis that will inevitably shape their future. [Read more.]( [Republicans lost every federal race in New England, dashing hopes of flipping several seats]( Republicans failed to win a single U.S. House seat in New England this year, despite flipping several congressional seats across the country to retake the House. [Read more.]( [Republicans lost every federal race in New England, dashing hopes of flipping several seats]( Republicans failed to win a single U.S. House seat in New England this year, despite flipping several congressional seats across the country to retake the House. [Read more.]( [Nancy Pelosi is stepping down as a party leader. Who will replace her?]( Nancy Pelosi, the first and only woman to serve as speaker, says she will step down as a leader of the House Democrats next year. Now, a new batch of lawmakers is in the leadership spotlight. [Read more.]( [Nancy Pelosi is stepping down as a party leader. Who will replace her?]( Nancy Pelosi, the first and only woman to serve as speaker, says she will step down as a leader of the House Democrats next year. Now, a new batch of lawmakers is in the leadership spotlight. [Read more.]( [Twitter employees quit in droves after Elon Musk's ultimatum passes]( The billionaire gave employees of his newly-purchased company until Thursday evening to commit to "being extremely hardcore" and staying or take a severance package. [Read more.]( [Twitter employees quit in droves after Elon Musk's ultimatum passes]( The billionaire gave employees of his newly-purchased company until Thursday evening to commit to "being extremely hardcore" and staying or take a severance package. [Read more.]( [It's judgment day for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes]( The fallen Silicon Valley star faces up to 15 years in prison for defrauding investors in her blood-testing company. A U.S. senator is among those who have written letters asking for mercy. [Read more.]( [It's judgment day for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes]( The fallen Silicon Valley star faces up to 15 years in prison for defrauding investors in her blood-testing company. A U.S. senator is among those who have written letters asking for mercy. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - The 2022 World Cup kicks off this weekend... in Qatar of all places. Even the former head of FIFA has called the country's selection a mistake. Here are [all the reasons it remains a controversial host](. - Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran will perform the world premiere of "Family Ball" tonight and tomorrow at the ICA. WBUR's Lauren Williams [writes that it's a unique look at the musical couple's trials](. - After Ticketmaster nixed several presales this week for Taylor Swift's new tour citing unprecedented demand, the issue-plagued ticket retailer is [facing renewed scrutiny of its market dominance](. - The James Webb telescope keeps churning out thrilling new images. This time, it's [snapshots of light that have been traveling since the 13.8 billion-year-old universe was just a few hundred million years old]( — giving scientists a look of what early galaxies looked like.  What We're Reading 📚 - Somerville Tenants Offered Lower Rent … in Exchange for Not Talking About Their Rent ([Boston Magazine]( - One year in, the jury is still out on Boston Mayor Wu’s ability to make sweeping changes ([GBH News]( - Sam Bankman-Fried tries to explain himself ([Vox](  Tell Me Something Good [Move over, cat cafés: A dog bar is coming to Everett (The Boston Globe)]( Park 9, a combination pub-indoor/outdoor dog park, would be the first of its kind in New England. [Read more.]( [Move over, cat cafés: A dog bar is coming to Everett (The Boston Globe)]( Park 9, a combination pub-indoor/outdoor dog park, would be the first of its kind in New England. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [goes on an adventure with local Tiktok creator Jed](. Before you go: ["Witchcraft!"]( 😎 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.