What's new at Fenway Park this year

Also: Fertilizer's PFAS problem; how to see 5 planets tonight in Mass. [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 30, 2023 ⚾ Sunny, with a high near 41. Good Morning Boston, 'Tis the season of [cautious optimism]( — and this time we're not [talking about the MBTA](. No, we're talking about [Opening Day](. - The Red Sox are hoping to turn a new page in their first game of the 2023 season this afternoon at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles. After a last-place finish in their division last year, WBUR's Sharon Brody [reports that some Sox diehards are feeling hopeful entering the new season](. (For now.) - New guys: While the Sox [lost Xander Bogaerts]( Nathan Eovaldi and J.D. Martinez this offseason, they added former Cy Young Award-winning pitcher (and today's starter) [Corey Kluber]( Japanese star [Masataka Yoshida]( and veteran slugger [Justin Turner](. And for the first time in a long time, they have a healthy Chris Sale [knocks on wood] back in the rotation. - Expect a faster game: You'll notice five new pitch clocks around Fenway Park as part of [new MLB rules]( aimed at cutting down the [length of games](. The hope is that your next trip to the ballpark will take closer to two-and-a-half hours — not three. - And maybe a faster entrance: There's [new LED light towers and renovated locker rooms](. But perhaps the most noticeable Fenway upgrade for fans this year will be the security screening process. Thanks to [a partnership with a Waltham-based AI company]( you'll be able to leave your phones and wallets in your pockets as you walk through the park's metal detectors. (Just make sure you're up to speed on Fenway's updated [bag policy]( - On the menu: Last year, Fenway gave us “[fluffernutter fries]( This year, the big new menu innovation is… [avocado fries]( (We won’t knock it until we try it.) There’s also a New England maple bacon burger, souvenir helmet nachos and a crab cake sandwich — apparently to help the Orioles feel at home. - Bring gloves — and not just the baseball kind — if you're heading to the game today. Meteorologist Danielle Noyes writes it will still feel like winter, with highs in the low 40s and winds of 15-25 mph. Check out [the full Opening Day forecast here](. - Gov. Maura Healey has officially signed a $389 million supplemental budget that extends [partially boosted SNAP benefits for another three months]( provides aid to the state's [strapped emergency shelters]( and [allows restaurants to sell to-go cocktails for another year](. - WBUR's Yasmin Amer reports there's another big chunk — $125 million — aimed at [growing the state's semiconductor industry.]( The money will be put toward matching [federal grants to create regional semiconductor manufacturing hubs](. - Heads up: Mayor Michelle Wu is announcing a $4 million expansion of Boston's [tuition-free community college program]( this morning. - What's different: Currently, the program covers up to three years of tuition and fees for low-income Boston students. But beginning this fall, Wu's office says all residents will be eligible for help — regardless of their age, income or immigration status — as long as they enroll at one of six partner colleges. Read [the list of eligible schools here](. - Look up: This evening will be your best chance in Massachusetts to see [the rare five-planet conjunction of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars]( in the night sky. There's only one problem: it might be a little hard to see all of them with the naked eye, according to Tim Brothers, the observatory manager at MIT. So, he provided some tips: - Where to look: Brothers told WBUR's Irina Matchavariani that the planets will become visible just a few fingers off the horizon — slightly below the moon. And you'll have to be quick to catch them all; Brothers says they'll be visible "a few minutes" after the 7 p.m. sunset. (Here's [a graphic of the planets' rough alignment]( - How to see them: Due to light pollution in densely populated parts of the state, Brothers says the best viewing areas will be the outer Cape Cod, Nantucket or western Massachusetts. For those in the Boston area, use binoculars or a telescope. - His top tip: Turn off your lights — and your phone — so your eyes can fully adjust to the night sky (which Brothers says can take up to 30 minutes). P.S.— WBUR's spring fundraiser is in full bloom, and [today is an especially great day to give](. That's because every gift made before 10 a.m. will be matched by 50%. (For example, $100 becomes $150.) [Give now]( to increase your impact. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Our sewage often becomes fertilizer. Problem is, it's tainted with PFAS]( About half the wastewater sludge in the United States is turned into fertilizer. Some want to ban the practice because the sludge contains PFAS and can contaminate food crops. Others say the problem is not so simple. [Read more.]( [Our sewage often becomes fertilizer. Problem is, it's tainted with PFAS]( About half the wastewater sludge in the United States is turned into fertilizer. Some want to ban the practice because the sludge contains PFAS and can contaminate food crops. Others say the problem is not so simple. [Read more.]( [The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales]( The decision could make the life-saving drug more accessible. Emergent BioSolutions, the drug company that produces Narcan, said it anticipates it will be on store shelves by late summer. [Read more.]( [The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales]( The decision could make the life-saving drug more accessible. Emergent BioSolutions, the drug company that produces Narcan, said it anticipates it will be on store shelves by late summer. [Read more.]( [Travel nurses aiding and disrupting Mass. hospitals, report says]( Registered nurse vacancy rates in Massachusetts hospitals doubled from 2019 to 2022, with especially high vacancy rates in community hospitals,according to a new report by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. [Read more.]( [Travel nurses aiding and disrupting Mass. hospitals, report says]( Registered nurse vacancy rates in Massachusetts hospitals doubled from 2019 to 2022, with especially high vacancy rates in community hospitals,according to a new report by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. [Read more.]( [Pamela Smart’s latest bid for sentence reduction dismissed]( Smart’s latest attempt to seek a reduction in her life sentence has been turned away by New Hampshire’s highest court. Smart is in prison for plotting with her teenage lover to have her husband killed in 1990. [Read more.]( [Pamela Smart’s latest bid for sentence reduction dismissed]( Smart’s latest attempt to seek a reduction in her life sentence has been turned away by New Hampshire’s highest court. Smart is in prison for plotting with her teenage lover to have her husband killed in 1990. [Read more.]( [After fatal school shooting, Bruins matchup 'wasn't just another game' to Nashville team]( The Nashville Predators’ dedicated their efforts at Tuesday’s game against the Bruins to the people of Nashville. Members of both teams wore helmet stickers to show support for The Covenant School, where three 9-year-old students and three adult staffers were killed Monday. [Read more.]( [After fatal school shooting, Bruins matchup 'wasn't just another game' to Nashville team]( The Nashville Predators’ dedicated their efforts at Tuesday’s game against the Bruins to the people of Nashville. Members of both teams wore helmet stickers to show support for The Covenant School, where three 9-year-old students and three adult staffers were killed Monday. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - From the Arlington Jazz Festival to a full-size dinosaur show at Agganis Arena to a funky Berklee brunch concert, here are [five Boston-area events to check out this weekend](. - UMass Boston announced yesterday that Sen. Elizabeth Warren will give graduates an in-person sendoff — and "a few words of advice" — this May as one of the university's 2023 commencement speakers. - Who else is coming our way this spring? Check out [our running list of local 2023 commencement speakers]( from Tom Hanks to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. - Drum roll, please: We have this year's winners of the Institute of Contemporary Art's annual prize for exceptional Boston-area artists. They are Cicely Carew, Venetia Dale and Yu-Wen Wu. Check out [the sculptures and drawings that earned them the prize; you can see them on display at the ICA this summer](. - As someone who grew up in a refugee camp, Bahati Kanyamanza writes that the "the most soul-destroying depredation was our sense of political nonexistence." [In this Cognoscenti commentary]( Kanyamanza makes the case for giving refugees more voice in the United Nations.  What We're Reading 📚 - Marty Walsh Has His Work Cut Out For Him ([Defector]( - ‘This has been devastating’: Wayland is divided over racism allegations after Black superintendent is placed on leave ([The Boston Globe]( - Can AI programs be trusted to report the news? ([The Christian Science Monitor](  Food For Thought [Here Are New England’s 2023 James Beard Award Finalists (Eater)]( The James Beard Foundation has announced the finalists for its prestigious restaurant and chef awards in 2023 — andNew England talent is represented in four award categories. [Read more.]( [Here Are New England’s 2023 James Beard Award Finalists (Eater)]( The James Beard Foundation has announced the finalists for its prestigious restaurant and chef awards in 2023 — andNew England talent is represented in four award categories. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common previews [the task ahead for new MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [The latest chapter in late-night TV's oldest feud.]( 😎 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.