Expungement day

Also: Remembering the Boston Marathon's best boy; the ripple effects of Russia’s war, one year later [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  February 22, 2023 🌦️ Partly sunny in the morning, with chances of rain in the afternoon and highs in the lower 40s. Good Morning Boston, I didn't know Orange Line trains [could derail even when they're on the highway](. Shout out to my colleagues Meagan McGinnes and Hannah Ali for keeping this newsletter on the tracks yesterday during my extra-long Presidents Day weekend. Let's get to the news: - Last year, Massachusetts [passed a law]( making it easier for residents to expunge marijuana crimes that have since been decriminalized from their records. But the process still [isn't automatic](. So, this weekend, a company with dispensaries in Massachusetts is hoping to give locals a helping hand. WBUR's Amy Sokolow reports that Ayr Wellness is planning to hold an "expungement clinic" Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Connexion United Methodist Church in Somerville. It's part of [a multi-state series of clinics this weekend]( intended to connect attendees with legal services, re-entry programs and even potential financial support. - Khari Edwards, Ayr's head of corporate social responsibility, told Sokolow that the inaugural series expunged records for 200 people last year, including 36 in Massachusetts. But he estimates that there is still "well over a six-figure" number of people in the state who need to go through the process. - If you can't attend Saturday, the state also has [a webpage to help residents find out if they're eligible and request an expungement](. - Zoom out: Massachusetts was the first state in the country to mandate equity and inclusion in the legal weed industry for those most harmed by laws prohibiting marijuana. But it's still a work in progress — particularly on the ownership side. [As of late 2021]( just 6% of the company licenses had been issued to social equity program or economic empowerment priority applicants. The new law passed last year [tries to address those imbalances as well](. - Relatable: Gov. Maura Healey signed on yesterday to work from [her Florida vacation](. The brief return was to announce the new head of the Department of Energy Resources: Elizabeth Mahoney. - Mahoney most recently worked as an assistant attorney general and senior policy advisor for energy in Healey's old office. In the new gig, which starts Monday, she'll help ensure the adequacy and cost-effectiveness of the Massachusetts' energy supply while also helping the state hit its clean energy goals. - On the agenda: The Boston City Council is planning to hold [its first hearing this morning]( on Mayor Michelle Wu's [rent control proposal]( allowing the public to weigh in on the plan. (The proposal ultimately needs the approval of the Council, State House and Healey in order to get around the statewide rent control ban.) - An organized counteroffensive against Wu's proposal has already begun. [According to The Boston Globe]( the real estate industry has launched a $400,000 anti-rent control campaign, which it plans to expand if Wu's proposal makes it to the State House. - PSA for parents and kiddo wranglers: The New England Aquarium is extending its hours for February vacation week. That means the Boston aquarium will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday (one hour later than its usual 5 p.m. weekday closing time). Officials encourage [reserving your ticket online]( at least a day before your visit. - To avoid the crowds, spokesperson Allyn Hunt advised all aquatic fans to also consider visiting earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon. "Between 11 and 3 are our peak times," Hunt told WBUR's Stevee Chapman." The building will be more crowded than it will be earlier in the day or near the end of the day." - If you need more family-fun ideas for this time off from school, be sure to [check out these suggestions]( from WBUR's Hanna Ali. - A sad update: The Boston Marathon will be without one of its most popular spectators this year. Spencer, the golden retriever who greeted runners along the course in Ashland as the "[Official Dog of the Boston Marathon]( has passed away after a long bout with cancer. His owners [announced the news last night]( along with [a farewell video](. (Fair warning: It's a tough one to get through with dry eyes.) P.S.— We're in for a messy mix of wintry weather later tonight, thanks to [a huge storm dropping loads of snow across the country](. For better or worse, it will mostly be rain and sleet in the Boston area. But northern Massachusetts could see a few inches of snow and the ski areas in [Vermont]( [New Hampshire and Maine]( could get nearly a foot. (One quick question for any readers who have ski trips to the [snow-slammed]( [west]( planned soon: Take me with you?) Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [The ripple effects of Russia's war in Ukraine continue to change the world]( A year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, the repercussions continue to reverberate. [Read more.]( [The ripple effects of Russia's war in Ukraine continue to change the world]( A year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, the repercussions continue to reverberate. [Read more.]( [Healey joins multi-state alliance on abortion rights]( Healey is among 20 Democratic governors who launched the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, which aims to protect and expand abortion access in wake of the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned a person's constitutional right to end a pregnancy. [Read more.]( [Healey joins multi-state alliance on abortion rights]( Healey is among 20 Democratic governors who launched the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, which aims to protect and expand abortion access in wake of the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned a person's constitutional right to end a pregnancy. [Read more.]( [Rhode Island congressman David Cicilline to step down, lead nonprofit foundation]( Cicilline plans to step down to lead his home state’s largest funder of nonprofits. Cicilline on Tuesday announced he will be president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, effective June 1. The Democrat is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on the Judiciary. [Read more.]( [Rhode Island congressman David Cicilline to step down, lead nonprofit foundation]( Cicilline plans to step down to lead his home state’s largest funder of nonprofits. Cicilline on Tuesday announced he will be president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, effective June 1. The Democrat is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on the Judiciary. [Read more.]( [Poll: Biden's standing improves, while Trump slumps with Republican voters]( President Biden's approval rating has ticked up, and Democrats are growing more confident in him. Trump, meanwhile, is seeing his lowest scores with Republicans in seven years. [Read more.]( [Poll: Biden's standing improves, while Trump slumps with Republican voters]( President Biden's approval rating has ticked up, and Democrats are growing more confident in him. Trump, meanwhile, is seeing his lowest scores with Republicans in seven years. [Read more.]( [Local arts centers get $3.7 million boost from gaming revenue]( In 2011, an expanded gaming law required that 2% of state tax revenue from resort-style casinos be dedicated toward a Mass Cultural Council grant program. The latest payout is helping 43 smaller performing arts organizations compete with "the deep pockets" of those same casinos when booking tourist artists and shows, according to the council. [Read more.]( [Local arts centers get $3.7 million boost from gaming revenue]( In 2011, an expanded gaming law required that 2% of state tax revenue from resort-style casinos be dedicated toward a Mass Cultural Council grant program. The latest payout is helping 43 smaller performing arts organizations compete with "the deep pockets" of those same casinos when booking tourist artists and shows, according to the council. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - [Changes to new editions of Roald Dahl books]( have some readers up in arms. Though his books like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Matilda," "James and the Giant Peach" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox"are revered, edits have been made to remove words that could be deemed offensive to some readers. - Jacquinn Sinclair says the new play “Fairview" at the Calderon Pavilion takes audiences "for a wild ride into America's racial divide," full of "subversive storytelling and affecting direction." Read her full review of the SpeakEasy Stage Company production [here](. - Dozens of companies in the U.K. are opting to keep their employees on a four-day work week, following a pilot program testing out the model. Here are [the takeaways from the experiment](. - Food and travel writer Layla Schlack [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that instead of banning overused and mismanaged words, we should treat them "with nuance and critical thought."  What We're Reading 📚 - Rising Star Superintendent resigns after leaving firearm unattended in bathroom for 3rd grader to find ([KTAB]( - Is the gruesome fun in Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ realistic? What science says about getting eaten by piranhas and poisoned by nightshade ([The Conversation]( - The Man Who Moves Markets ([The Atlantic](  Life Advice [10 pieces of well-worn life advice you may need to hear right now]( We asked experts what life advice they keep on steady rotation. Here are 10 tried-and-true tips from therapists, career coaches and writers. [Read more.]( [10 pieces of well-worn life advice you may need to hear right now]( We asked experts what life advice they keep on steady rotation. Here are 10 tried-and-true tips from therapists, career coaches and writers. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common puts a magnifying glass on [the search for Reina Morales Rojas and why the missing East Boston resident's case was overlooked]( for months. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Mmm, refreshing.]( Hanna Ali and Meagan McGinnes helped produce today's newsletter. 😎 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.