🐶 Good news for good boys

Also: Masks becoming optional for Mass. hospital visitors; barriers to the beach [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 5, 2023 🌮 Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Good Morning Boston, Happy Friday — and happy Cinco de Mayo! Watch [this Radio Boston demonstration]( on how to press your own corn tortillas. Then, listen to [this Here & Now segment on what makes a great taco]( for fun filling ideas, from simple beef and cheese to — yes — asparagus. Dining out? Check out Eater Boston's [list of the area's 14 best tacos](. Now, to the news: - Speaking of dining out, here's something to wag your tail about: You'll soon be allowed to bring your dog(s) to certain beer gardens and patios in Boston. Mayor Michelle Wu announced a new policy yesterday permitting restaurants to set up outdoor "dog friendly spaces" as soon as June 1. - Zoom in: The program depends on individual restaurants applying, so it doesn't automatically mean you'll be able to bring your pooch to every patio. It's a good idea to check first. - Zoom out: Massachusetts state law has deferred to FDA rules that prohibit live animals anywhere on restaurants' premises. But last week, the FDA [changed those rules]( saying pet dogs are OK at outdoor dining areas, "where approved." - Behave yourself: Wu's office shared a list of guidelines for dog owners at any of the new pet-friendly spaces. They include: - All dogs must always be leashed or in a pet carrier. - You're not allowed to let dogs eat off plates. - Dogs also aren't allowed to sit on the table or in chairs. (Editor's note: Booo!) - Consider bringing your dog a disposable water bowl. - What they're saying: Wu's office said the change is in response to growing interest from the community. "Residents and small business owners have been eager for four-legged family members to be able to enjoy our outdoor spaces too, so we’re happy to make this regulatory change allowing dogs on outdoor patios and beer gardens," Wu said. - Get ready for the first weekend MBTA service diversion of the month. Beginning tonight through Sunday, the Silver Line will be re-rerouted to street level around Courthouse station due to construction work. And downtown Red Line service will be replaced by shuttle buses between Park Street and JFK/UMass on Saturday and Sunday. - Go deeper: For more details on the coming line closures, check out our [day-by-day guide to this month's MBTA service disruptions](. - Progress? The diversions do appear to be paying some dividends. [TransitMatters' slow zones tracker]( shows the T has lifted about 10-minutes-worth of speed restrictions on the Red and Orange lines in the last week. (There's still a long way to go.) - On a related note: Wondering what's been [holding up the Somerville community path extension along the Green Line]( The MBTA recently said the 2-mile project won't open until mid-June, pushing the limits of the vaguely worded "spring" opening timeline. - But why? A bike path seems pretty simply compared to the rest of the massive Green Line Extension project. As state Rep. Mike Connolly explained in [a detailed Twitter thread yesterday]( safety and accessibility issues have forced crews to redesign — and even redo — parts of the path. (Plus, he has [lots of photos]( - A bigger, boozier Trader Joe's is coming to Boston's Back Bay. The city's Licensing Board voted yesterday to approve a liquor license for a new 16,512-square-foot Trader Joe's at 500 Boylston St. near Copley Square — just a few blocks from Back Bay's existing TJ's. - The Boston Business Journal [reports]( the grocery store chain has "no plans" to close its current Back Bay location, which has been dubbed [the smallest Trader Joe's in the world](. - It may not quite be beach weather this weekend, but that’s not the only thing keeping residents away. WBUR’s Morning Edition reports that, if you don't live on the coast in New England, securing a spot at one of the region's beaches can be tough and expensive. - Listen: UMass Boston professor John Duff has been studying the issue, and [spoke to host Rupa Shenoy about the changing restrictions](. - The silver lining: At least we don’t have to deal with [Florida’s giant seaweed blobs](. P.S.— Do you know what Boston neighborhood was excluded from the city's outdoor dining program this year? Then take our [Boston News Quiz]( to see how you stack up against other WBUR readers. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Masks will become optional for most hospital patients, visitors and staff]( The move represents a broad policy shift to managing COVID less as a crisis and more as a routine health issue, more than three years since the start of the pandemic. [Read more.]( [Masks will become optional for most hospital patients, visitors and staff]( The move represents a broad policy shift to managing COVID less as a crisis and more as a routine health issue, more than three years since the start of the pandemic. [Read more.]( [Body found after explosion rips roof off Newburyport pharmaceutical plant]( The explosion happened around 1 a.m. Thursday at the Seqens/PCI Synthesis plant. For most of the day, damage to the building prevented fire rescue crews from entering to search for a worker who was unaccounted for, officials said. [Read more.]( [Body found after explosion rips roof off Newburyport pharmaceutical plant]( The explosion happened around 1 a.m. Thursday at the Seqens/PCI Synthesis plant. For most of the day, damage to the building prevented fire rescue crews from entering to search for a worker who was unaccounted for, officials said. [Read more.]( [10 sights you'll see at King Charles' coronation — and 2 you won't]( This weekend's British coronation will be about pomp, history and attempts to reflect diversity. [Read more.]( [10 sights you'll see at King Charles' coronation — and 2 you won't]( This weekend's British coronation will be about pomp, history and attempts to reflect diversity. [Read more.]( [A telehealth startup is helping Massachusetts schools bridge youth mental health care]( This school year, 15 districts have partnered with Cambridge-based mental health care startup Cartwheel Care to offer short-term virtual therapy. The partnership aims to engage school leaders and counselors in referrals and minimize wait times for students seeking care during a time of high demand. [Read more.]( [A telehealth startup is helping Massachusetts schools bridge youth mental health care]( This school year, 15 districts have partnered with Cambridge-based mental health care startup Cartwheel Care to offer short-term virtual therapy. The partnership aims to engage school leaders and counselors in referrals and minimize wait times for students seeking care during a time of high demand. [Read more.]( [A Black 9-year-old was handcuffed in his classroom, Walpole family says]( Attorneys for the family says the school went against their own policy and the boy's individualized education plan when they called the school resource officer instead of trying to help the child, who has special needs. [Read more.]( [A Black 9-year-old was handcuffed in his classroom, Walpole family says]( Attorneys for the family says the school went against their own policy and the boy's individualized education plan when they called the school resource officer instead of trying to help the child, who has special needs. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - In [this week's etymology-themed episode of Endless Thread]( the team goes on a mission to solve an enduring mystery about the word orange (what came about first, the fruit or the color?) and explores the history of the term “bucket list," which was only formally coined 16 years ago. - Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" [returns to the Coolidge Corner Theatre this weekend in a new 4K digital restoration](. Film critic Sean Burns says it's a “searingly personal exploration of jealousy and self-loathing” from inside the mind of prizefighter Jake LaMotta. - Longtime journalist Linda Matchan is organizing [a concert this weekend in Newton honoring Jewish composers in an effort to combat antisemitism](. Matchan tells WBUR's Cristela Guerra that she was moved to act after people she interviewed asked her not to mention they were Jewish. "That was horrifying," Matchan said. - After losing her mother at age 58, aging became an uncharted roadmap for Deborah Norkin. Now, at 58 herself, Norkin [writes in this commentary]( that she's learned to be less focused on the destination.  What We're Reading 📚 - In the Seaport, a glut of liquor licenses reflects the rise of chains and continued inequities ([The Boston Globe]( - Andrea Estes has left the Globe following an error-riddled story about the MBTA ([Media Nation]( - Are We Ready for AI to Raise the Dead? ([Esquire](  Tell Me Something Good [This spruce tree at the Arboretum has produced a rare batch of half male, half female cones]( A Lijiang spruce at the Arnold Arboretum has produced a rare batch of cones that are half male, half female. Typically the tree would have separate pollen-producing male cones and other seed-making female cones. [Read more.]( [This spruce tree at the Arboretum has produced a rare batch of half male, half female cones]( A Lijiang spruce at the Arnold Arboretum has produced a rare batch of cones that are half male, half female. Typically the tree would have separate pollen-producing male cones and other seed-making female cones. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [previews the top local musicals for the month of May]( from "Beetlejuice" to "The Prom." Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [A different kind of elevator music](. 😎 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.