A lot of firsts

Also: Good news for Boston skiers; bad news for the Cape Cod bridges replacement plan [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  January 5, 2023  🌧️ Cloudy, with a high near 43. Rain or freezing rain off and on throughout the day. Good Morning Boston, Massachusetts is making history today, folks. In only a few hours, Maura Healey will be sworn in as governor. Let's kick off this morning by talking about why that's such a big deal: - It's a lot of firsts: Healey is the first woman to be elected governor in Massachusetts and she's the first openly lesbian governor elected in any state across the country. Alongside her, Kim Driscoll will be sworn in as lieutenant governor, making the duo the first female pair elected governor and lieutenant governor in any state. - We'll have live coverage of today's ceremonies, beginning with Radio Boston at 11 a.m. — so, be sure to tune in! The musical headliner will be six-time Grammy award-winning Brandi Carlile, if you need another reason to watch. - For Healey's inauguration address, she told WBUR she'll talk about the opportunities and challenges ahead: "It's a spirit of hope, of optimism, of of resolve and resoluteness, something that Massachusetts and the people of Massachusetts have always been proud of. There's a reason we were first on so many fronts, and I think that this is a time when we can step up, come together and really move this state forward." - Work from home: Gov. Charlie Baker is technically still on the job until noon today, but he left his State House office for the last time last night. You can [check out photos]( of Baker's "lone walk" and other ceremonies from his last full day in office here. - Another historic moment: Andrea Campbell today will become the first Black women to serve as the state's attorney general. - Donna Buckley, the new sheriff in Barnstable County, is making good on her campaign promises. She [announced her department is scaling back its relationship with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement](. - Specifically, she's ending an agreement that gave deputies the authority to enforce federal immigration laws, including to arrest people wanted on immigration warrants. The Barnstable department was the last sheriff's office in New England with such an agreement. - Attention Boston skiers: It just got a little easier to hit the slopes. The MBTA began running its "ski train" from North Station to Wachusett Mountain last night for the first time since 202o. "If you want to get here without worrying about parking, without worrying about bad road conditions, you can take the train. It's also a good way to be more healthy for the environment," Chris Stimpson, a spokesperson for the mountain, told WBUR's newscast team. - More deets, please: it's a [90-minute ride]( that runs Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays through early March. It will cost you about $12.25 each way. - After the federal government recently rejected funding the replacement of the Cape Cod bridges, the state is looking for other ways to find some cash. - Massachusetts had submitted the application for nearly $2 billion in federal grants to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges. This is the second time the feds have said no; another application for federal project funds was denied last September. State officials aren't pleased, saying they think it's the federal government's responsibility to replace them. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns and operates the bridges, recommended in 2020 that the bridges be replaced with two new wider ones rather than trying to rehab the current bridges (the latter would cost more money, too). The current ones over the Cape Cod Canal are more than 85 years old. P.S.— Massachusetts launched 25 community behavioral health centers around the state earlier this week (noted in [Tuesday's newsletter](. But there's also a new behavioral health helpline that's officially live, meaning people can call or text 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is 833-773-2445 (BHHL). Meagan McGinnes Assistant Managing Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Healey may face 'higher bar' of scrutiny as governor, but she's eager to get to work]( Healey will start her term as governor with a lot of advantages. She's inheriting a state government flush with federal funds and is set to work with a state Legislature controlled by fellow Democrats. Still, political analysts note that several opportunities could also present bring significant challenges. [Read more.]( [Healey may face 'higher bar' of scrutiny as governor, but she's eager to get to work]( Healey will start her term as governor with a lot of advantages. She's inheriting a state government flush with federal funds and is set to work with a state Legislature controlled by fellow Democrats. Still, political analysts note that several opportunities could also present bring significant challenges. [Read more.]( [AP source: Red Sox, Devers agree to 11-year, $331M extension]( Rafael Devers has agreed to an 11-year extension worth $331 million with the Boston Red Sox, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday. [Read more.]( [AP source: Red Sox, Devers agree to 11-year, $331M extension]( Rafael Devers has agreed to an 11-year extension worth $331 million with the Boston Red Sox, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday. [Read more.]( [Rick Singer, head of the college admissions bribery scandal, gets 42 months in prison]( Prosecutors had sought six years for his role in the scheme to get the children of wealthy parents into universities. He was also ordered to pay more than $19 million in restitution and forfeitures. [Read more.]( [Rick Singer, head of the college admissions bribery scandal, gets 42 months in prison]( Prosecutors had sought six years for his role in the scheme to get the children of wealthy parents into universities. He was also ordered to pay more than $19 million in restitution and forfeitures. [Read more.]( [These 21 House members didn't vote for Kevin McCarthy. Here's what they want]( McCarthy is still short of the votes he needs to be speaker, and it's because of a staunch, anti-establishment, intransigent far-right group that wants government to do a lot less. [Read more.]( [These 21 House members didn't vote for Kevin McCarthy. Here's what they want]( McCarthy is still short of the votes he needs to be speaker, and it's because of a staunch, anti-establishment, intransigent far-right group that wants government to do a lot less. [Read more.]( [Amazon CEO says company will layoff more than 18,000 workers]( The layoffs represent the single largest number of jobs cut at a technology company since the industry began aggressively downsizing last year. [Read more.]( [Amazon CEO says company will layoff more than 18,000 workers]( The layoffs represent the single largest number of jobs cut at a technology company since the industry began aggressively downsizing last year. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Healey's inauguration is monumental. But the ranks of the state's elected officials are replete with powerful women, writes Tom Putnam, the former director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, [in this commentary.]( - Buffalo Bills player Damlar Hamlin is [showing "signs of improvement"]( as he works to recover from an apparent cardiac arrest following a tackle on Monday, according to the team. He remains on a ventilator, and is lying prone on his bed due to damage in his lungs. - From The Brattle's New Year film series to a photography exhibition at PEM, here are [five things to do this weekend.]( - Be sure to listen to [this special hour of Radio Boston]( where the team takes a look at the question: what does history teach us to expect from this year? They reflect back on 2022, think about where it fits in our collective history, and look ahead to what it all could mean for 2023.  What We're Reading 📚 - You Can’t Simply Decide to Be a Different Person ([The Atlantic]( - A family finds swastikas in the lawn as antisemitism surges ([The Washington Post]( - Why Saving Kids Is Bad Business in America ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [This Lowell native has spent 15 years on a quest to become a McDonald's 'super collector' (The Boston Globe)]( Bobby Beauchesne drives about 60,000 miles per year, interspersing his visits to fellow collectors with stops for his job in medical sales. Every single vacation day he's had in the last 15 years has been spent on the road, visiting collectors who have a stash of McDonald's-themed items. [Read more.]( [This Lowell native has spent 15 years on a quest to become a McDonald's 'super collector' (The Boston Globe)]( Bobby Beauchesne drives about 60,000 miles per year, interspersing his visits to fellow collectors with stops for his job in medical sales. Every single vacation day he's had in the last 15 years has been spent on the road, visiting collectors who have a stash of McDonald's-themed items. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common talks about [changes to Massachusetts' waste disposal rules.]( Before you go: [Spencer]( eternalized! 😎 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. 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