No library card required

Also: What a two-mile difference means for your life expectancy in Boston; another teacher strike around the corner? [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 12, 2023 ☀️Partly sunny, with a high near 83 and a possible chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Good Morning Boston, Cue up [the Donald Glover]( it will [feel like summer]( as we cap off this week — perfect for this weekend's [lineup of porch music, night markets and Duckling Day](... and [a Game 7](. But first, the news: - Remember the pre-smartphone days when people read newspapers and books on the MBTA? Well, the phones aren't going anywhere, but Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's office is working to at least open up the Boston Public Library's deep digital archive of books, newspapers and magazines to MBTA bus riders — no library cards required. - How? This week, Wu's office [installed sidewalks decals at 20 bus stops across Boston]( with QR codes that riders can scan with their phones, linking to the BPL's "digital pop-up library website." The new pilot program will run through the end of August. - What's in a "digital pop-up library"? The website includes a BPL-curated selection of ebooks and audiobooks — primarily short reads, best-sellers and books for children and teens. There's also thousands of newspapers and magazines from over 125 countries. It's a great option to be able to read otherwise-paywalled papers like, say, The Boston Globe, if you don't have a subscription. - Where to find them: Wu's office created [a map of all 20 decals]( — eight of which are along the city's [three fare-free bus routes](. - Try it out: You can open the pop-up library right now by using your phone to [scan the QR code off your computer screen]( Or if you’re reading this on an iPhone, [take a screenshot]( of the QR code, save it to your photos and then go to the saved photo and press on the code to open the link. - Wellesley school officials are asking for the state's help to prevent a teacher strike this Monday. In a letter to the state's Department of Labor Relations, the town's school committee said there's "significant evidence" that the Wellesley teachers union is “laying the groundwork” to vote tonight on a strike next week. - Zoom out: Teacher strikes are technically illegal in Massachusetts, but that hasn't stopped educators in Brookline, Malden, Haverhill and Woburn from striking within the last year. Union leaders have [found the work stoppages are "worth it" long term](. - Zoom in: Wellesley's teachers have been without a contract for over 300 days. [According to the union]( the two sides have been at an impasse over minimum pay for paraprofessionals and paid parental leave for union members. - Farther down the Pike: Meanwhile, there'll be no state help needed in Worcester. School officials in the state's second-largest city [announced yesterday]( that they've reached a tentative deal with the teacher's union on a new contract that runs into 2026. - A home for the homeless: After multiple meetings, the Boston Planning and Development Agency signed off on a proposal to convert the Comfort Inn on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester into permanent supportive housing for formerly unhoused people. - [According to The Dorchester Reporter]( the $50 million project will create 99 rooms, plus fund on-site support staff and 24/7 security. - They did it! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced yesterday they finished their work on the Sagamore Bridge — well ahead of the busy Memorial Day weekend. All four lanes are now reopened. - WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez [reports Cape Cod businesses are breathing a sigh of relief]( after seeing backups as long as a mile during the bridge project. However, concerns remain about future projects as the two Cape bridges get older. - Taking the T this weekend? Due to track work, shuttle buses will be [replacing all Red Line service south of Broadway, as well as commuter rail service between South Station and Braintree](. At least they're free! - There'll also be some minor shenanigans with downtown Green Line and Orange Line service because of continuing Government Center garage demolition work. Get all the details in our [day-by-day guide to this month's MBTA service disruptions](. - Good news for the people who need to hop on a plane to see mom: State transportation officials are [keeping the Sumner Tunnel open this weekend]( due to an expected increase in Mother's Day traffic. P.S.— A Newton woman won $37 million in a lawsuit this week. Do you know who (or what) it was against? Then [take our Boston News Quiz]( and see how you stack up against other WBUR readers. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Back Bay to Nubian Square: 2 miles and a 23-year life expectancy gap]( A startling analysis from the Boston Public Health Commission shows the longest average life expectancy in Boston is nearly 92 years, for residents in a section of the Back Bay. Residents in a section of Roxbury have the shortest expected life span, just under 69 years. [Read more.]( [Back Bay to Nubian Square: 2 miles and a 23-year life expectancy gap]( A startling analysis from the Boston Public Health Commission shows the longest average life expectancy in Boston is nearly 92 years, for residents in a section of the Back Bay. Residents in a section of Roxbury have the shortest expected life span, just under 69 years. [Read more.]( [Title 42, a COVID-era halt on asylum applications, has ended. Here's what to expect]( The pandemic restrictions allowed for the quick expulsion of migrants at the border. Now that it's been lifted, some officials are expecting a record influx and an impending humanitarian crisis. [Read more.]( [Title 42, a COVID-era halt on asylum applications, has ended. Here's what to expect]( The pandemic restrictions allowed for the quick expulsion of migrants at the border. Now that it's been lifted, some officials are expecting a record influx and an impending humanitarian crisis. [Read more.]( [Restoring a rare habitat to protect an unlikely ecological hero: moths]( The Nature Conservancy is restoring a 97-acre site called the “Medicine Lots” on Martha’s Vineyard. The site is a biological hotspot, home to 19 rare species, including 16 rare moths. [Read more.]( [Restoring a rare habitat to protect an unlikely ecological hero: moths]( The Nature Conservancy is restoring a 97-acre site called the “Medicine Lots” on Martha’s Vineyard. The site is a biological hotspot, home to 19 rare species, including 16 rare moths. [Read more.]( [An EPA proposal to (almost) eliminate climate pollution from power plants]( Coal and natural gas-fired power plants would have to dramatically reduce the climate-warming greenhouse gasses they emit under proposed federal rules. [Read more.]( [An EPA proposal to (almost) eliminate climate pollution from power plants]( Coal and natural gas-fired power plants would have to dramatically reduce the climate-warming greenhouse gasses they emit under proposed federal rules. [Read more.]( [Companies are shedding office space — and it may be killing small businesses]( With so many people still working from home, companies are cutting back on office space. That spells trouble for small businesses that depend on foot traffic. [Read more.]( [Companies are shedding office space — and it may be killing small businesses]( With so many people still working from home, companies are cutting back on office space. That spells trouble for small businesses that depend on foot traffic. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Peloton is [recalling over 2 million of its exercise bikes]( after several dozen reports of the PL01 model's seat post breaking and detaching from the bike as people used them. (The company is offering customers with the model a free replacement seat post.) - As a Black mother, Ivy Alphonse-Crean [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that Mother's Day makes her stomach lurch, knowing that “mother” holds so much joy, but also, deep worry and pain. - Meanwhile, Henriette Lazaridis [wonders in this essay]( how her relationship with her mother might have been different, if she'd seen a letter that was never sent. - For the child-free crowd: Do you get comments from people wanting to know more about your decision? NPR's Life Kit asked readers for their [go-to responses about choosing not to have children](.  What We're Reading 📚 - Generation Connie ([The New York Times]( - New life for old mills ([GBH News]( - Honoring my moms — all 10 of them — on Mother’s Day ([The Boston Globe Magazine](  Tell Me Something Good [Have You Seen the Barbie House in Somerville? (Boston Magazine)]( If there’s two things the Internet loves, it’s 1) crazy real estate and 2) all things Barbie. So naturally people flipped out when this home in Somerville's Spring Hill neighborhood hit the market. [Read more.]( [Have You Seen the Barbie House in Somerville? (Boston Magazine)]( If there’s two things the Internet loves, it’s 1) crazy real estate and 2) all things Barbie. So naturally people flipped out when this home in Somerville's Spring Hill neighborhood hit the market. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common takes a walk — or more appropriately, a run —in the shoes of Black Men Run Boston founder Jeff Davis to [learn about his experience as a Black runner in Boston and what can be done to make running more inclusive]( in the city. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Keep that thing off Storrow](. 😎 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.