A marathon of a weekend

Also: Mass. health care providers resist new limits on abortion pill; local leak suspect arrested [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  April 14, 2023 ☀️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Good Morning Boston, The starting line [has been repainted]( the [finish line is in place](. And the [festivities begin this afternoon](. It’s about to be a busy few days in the city — and not only because of the Boston Marathon. - The weekend will begin on a solemn note, as organizers and elected officials commemorate 10 years to the day since the 2013 bombings tomorrow, April 15. The plans include the dedication of a new commemorative finish line and the unveiling of a One Boston Day marker on Boylston Street. Read [this guide from WBUR's Vanessa Ochavillo on the slate of remembrances and service opportunities](. - Also: Beware of the parking restrictions and street closures that will begin to take hold in Back Bay this weekend, due to marathon preparations, as well as the BAA's annual 5K and one-mile races Saturday morning. Here's [a handy map for reference](. - Looking ahead: Enjoy the warm, sunny weather while it lasts. Meteorologist Danielle Noyes [forecasts]( that the weekend will feature cooler weather, clouds and some raindrops. And while the temperatures on Marathon Monday might be good for running, there's an increasing chance of rain as the day goes on. - Get ready: From who to watch to where to watch, here’s [what you need to know about the Boston Marathon this year](. - Speaking of sports and street restrictions: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced yesterday that Canal Street will be a car-free zone for fans to gather before and during home playoff games at TD Garden. Beginning tomorrow, the street will become "[Boston Playoff Hub]( - The announcement comes ahead of the Celtics' first playoff game tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. And after [capping off their record-setting season last night]( the Bruins will host the Florida Panthers for Game 1 of their series Monday. - Flying somewhere for April school vacation? Officials recommend getting to Logan airport an hour earlier than you usually would due to the crowds. WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez [reports that the airport will see “upwards of 800,000 people” over the coming week](. - Airport garages are expected to be at capacity all week, according to Massport CEO Lisa Wieland. So, consider the MBTA or the Logan Express bus service to get to and from the airport. (Sumner Tunnel is also [staying open]( for the busy Patriots' Day weekend.) - If you're headed to Florida, keep a close eye on your flight status. The Fort Lauderdale airport is only just reopening this morning, after it was flooded by[an unbelievable 26 inches (!) of rain]( this week. Wieland says the closure will definitely have impacts on flights to Fort Lauderdale or other Florida airports. - Lexington has become the first town in Massachusetts to approve zoning rules that comply with [a new state law]( requiring communities served by the MBTA to allow denser housing developments near stations. Under the law, Lexington is required to zone for an additional 1,231 units of multifamily housing. - In fact, The Boston Globe [reports that the town's new rules go further than needed]( rezoning 227 acres of land, nearly three times as much as the roughly 80 acres the state required. - Meanwhile on Beacon Hill: Gov. Maura Healey's proposal to create a cabinet-level position to focus on housing is a step closer to reality. The state Senate [approved the creation yesterday of a new "Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities"]( to lead a new executive agency focused on affordable housing and increased home production. The bill now heads to the House. - There's good news on the COVID front as we head into the weekend. [Coronavirus levels found in Boston-area wastewater]( are now at their lowest level in a year. And as WBUR’s Gabrielle Emanuel reports, a new study finds the virus has become less severe in Massachusetts. According to the study, COVID became less likely to cause death or hospitalization from July 2021 to last November, based on patient records from the Mass General Brigham hospital system. - Break it down: Even when adjusting for differences in demographics, vaccination status and prior infection, Harvard researcher Hossein Estiri and his team still found that COVID has become less dangerous. “The virus is truly — or intrinsically — less severe at the moment," Estiri told Emanuel. P.S.— True or false? Massachusetts employers are now feeling less optimistic about the economy than they were a year ago. 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 [Clinicians offering abortion in Mass. resist limits on abortion pill]( Hospitals and clinics that perform most of the abortions in Massachusetts say they will disregard new court-ordered restrictions on use of the abortion pill mifepristone. They say they are protected by state abortion laws and the common practice of “off-label” drug use. [Read more.]( [Clinicians offering abortion in Mass. resist limits on abortion pill]( Hospitals and clinics that perform most of the abortions in Massachusetts say they will disregard new court-ordered restrictions on use of the abortion pill mifepristone. They say they are protected by state abortion laws and the common practice of “off-label” drug use. [Read more.]( [Mass. suspect in documents leak taken into custody]( A Massachusetts Air National Guard member who has emerged as a main person of interest in the disclosure of highly classified military documents was taken into custody Thursday by federal agents, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced. [Read more.]( [Mass. suspect in documents leak taken into custody]( A Massachusetts Air National Guard member who has emerged as a main person of interest in the disclosure of highly classified military documents was taken into custody Thursday by federal agents, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced. [Read more.]( [Labor secretary talks about worker shortage, economic opportunities for Mass.]( Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones talks to WBUR about her vision for her new role and where she sees economic opportunities in Massachusetts. [Read more.]( [Labor secretary talks about worker shortage, economic opportunities for Mass.]( Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones talks to WBUR about her vision for her new role and where she sees economic opportunities in Massachusetts. [Read more.]( [Boston Marathon expected to give local economy $100 million boost]( It's estimated that each marathon runner brings about three people with them and, in all, they spend approximately $100 million in the local economy, according to Meet Boston CEO Martha Sheridan. [Read more.]( [Boston Marathon expected to give local economy $100 million boost]( It's estimated that each marathon runner brings about three people with them and, in all, they spend approximately $100 million in the local economy, according to Meet Boston CEO Martha Sheridan. [Read more.]( [What could make a hoax call reporting a school shooting worse? Social media.]( NPR has documented an alarming pattern of hoax school shooting calls across the country. Now another pattern has emerged: bad actors using these moments to spread misinformation online. [Read more.]( [What could make a hoax call reporting a school shooting worse? Social media.]( NPR has documented an alarming pattern of hoax school shooting calls across the country. Now another pattern has emerged: bad actors using these moments to spread misinformation online. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - In the days after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, an online hunt for the perpetrators falsely accused Brown University student Sunil Tripathi. Police discovered his body a week later. Ten years later, Endless Thread [revisits Tripathi's story 10 years later]( with his sister, Sangeeta Tripathi, and documentarian Neal Broffman. - Dr. David King runs the Boston Marathon every year. After the bombs went off in 2013, he went straight from the finish line to the hospital, where he operated on patients through the night. [Here's his story]( as told to WBUR All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins: - Two-time Olympian runner Kara Goucher is known as much for her gritty athletic performances as she is for her advocacy for a clean and safe sport. She [spoke with our Cognoscenti team]( about what it was like to be one of the fastest women in the world, her fondness for Newton Hills and running after the birth of her son. - Cognoscenti also heard from Boston Marathon fans and runners about how they're approaching tomorrow's 10-year mark since the bombings — making space for grief, reflection, hope and joy. Read [all the responses here](.  What We're Reading 📚 - The Exhausting History of Fatigue ([The New Yorker)]( - Dril Is Everyone. More Specifically, He’s a Guy Named Paul. ([The Ringer]( - The Marathon bombing changed Boston. It also changed Twitter. ([The Boston Globe](  Tell Me Something Good [The world's shortest dog is Pearl, a dollar-sized diva who loves dressing up]( The new world record-holder stands shorter than a Popsicle stick at 3.59 inches and follows a long line of low dogs. The chihuahua's owner describes her as "small like a ball" and "a bit of a diva." [Read more.]( [The world's shortest dog is Pearl, a dollar-sized diva who loves dressing up]( The new world record-holder stands shorter than a Popsicle stick at 3.59 inches and follows a long line of low dogs. The chihuahua's owner describes her as "small like a ball" and "a bit of a diva." [Read more.]( Listen: The Common talks to WBUR's Martha Bebinger about [the marathon bombing medical volunteers who are for the first time sharing their stories]( from inside the medical tent and beyond. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: We'll miss you, [Logan airport jungle juice](. 😎 Forward to a friend. 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