The worst time to drive this weekend

Also: Trump's long shadow over New Hampshire; Boston's redistricting redo [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 25, 2023 🌤️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Good Morning Boston, Memorial Day weekend is almost here. Volunteers will begin planting over 37,000 flags on Boston Common today, representing every one of the Massachusetts service members who have lost their life since the Revolutionary War. Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund co-founder Tom Crohan tells WBUR's Dan Guzman it's "impossible to walk by the sea of flags without stopping, pausing and reflecting." "Every single one of these flags was a person," Crohan said. It's a reminder that Memorial Day [isn't all about cookouts and Cape traffic](. However, we do need to talk about that traffic. - The onset of the holiday weekend marks the unofficial beginning of what's expected to be a busy summer travel season. So brace yourself for a lot of red lights on the roads over the next couple days. - Zoom in: AAA expects Massachusetts to crack over 1 million Memorial Day weekend travelers, a 7% increase from last year. And roughly 917,000 of them are projected to be in cars. As a result, AAA says the Boston area could see travel times double. - Zoom out: Nationwide, AAA projects 42.3 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home — rebounding to just shy of pre-pandemic levels (42.8 million in 2019). - The worst time to drive: Perhaps unsurprisingly, tomorrow — particularly the afternoon — will see the most congestion, according to the transportation analytics company INRIX. - The best time to drive: Try to schedule your departure tomorrow morning or after 6 p.m. Or if you're not in a rush, INRIX suggests driving on Saturday or Sunday, when traffic will be lightest. - The good news: Gas prices are way lower now than they were last Memorial Day. The average price in Massachusetts is $3.47 a gallon, compared to $4.73 a gallon in 2022. - Heads up: Traffic is already pretty rough on I-93 south this morning, thanks to [a truck crash on the Zakim Bridge](. (INRIX) - Up in the air: Logan airport is also preparing for a busy weekend. AAA expects 81,000 people in Massachusetts to fly, a 10% jump from last year, despite more expensive airline prices. After widespread flight delays and cancellations last year, consumer advocates worry air travelers could face similar disruptions this summer. - PSA: Airlines say they're better prepared this year. But if you're headed to the airport this weekend (or any time this summer) [read these tips about what to expect and how to avoid disruptions](. - FYI: The Sumner Tunnel is [taking a break from its usual weekend construction closure schedule for the holiday](. So at least that's one travel snafu you don't have to worry about. - I'm the map, I'm the map: The Boston City Council [passed a new redistricting map yesterday]( after a judge [blocked their first attempt earlier this month](. WBUR's Walter Wuthmann reports that the new map was approved on a 10-2 vote, despite a brutal political process marked by personal insults and animosity. - See it: [Click here]( for a photo of the new map, plus details on the key changes to district boundaries. - What's next: The map needs approval from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who [told Radio Boston earlier this week]( that she thought the Council was "headed in the right direction." - What it means: Since the Council met Wu's deadline, Boston should be able to avoid any major impacts to the Sept. 12 preliminary elections. - Boston school officials are moving forward with controversial plans to merge some of its elementary schools. School committee members voted last night to merge Dorchester's Shaw and Mattapan's Taylor schools in September 2024, as well as the Sumner and Philbrick schools in Roslindale in September 2025. - Why? Superintendent Mary Skipper says the mergers will address falling enrollment and free up more money to be spent on education, [according to The Boston Globe](. - What's next: The Globe reports that BPS officials have hinted these four schools are the first of many other closures. A long-term plan is due out by the end of this year. - Start spreading the news: Amtrak is adding two daily trains from Springfield to New York, beginning June 5. Rep. Richard Neal says it's a "major development" for the western Massachusetts economy. - The $23 trains — both of which leave early in the morning — take roughly three and a half hours to get to the city. There are also return trips in the evening. MassLive has [more details here](. P.S.— Memorial Day weekend also means the return of Boston Calling, now a decade old. Take [a look back on 10 years of photos of the music festival]( and how it has evolved since that rainy, chilly first weekend in 2013 at Boston City Hall Plaza. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [As GOP presidential candidates visit New Hampshire, Trump still casts long shadow]( A half dozen Republican hopefuls have traveled to New Hampshire to seek voter support, but polls show Trump with a big lead. [Read more.]( [As GOP presidential candidates visit New Hampshire, Trump still casts long shadow]( A half dozen Republican hopefuls have traveled to New Hampshire to seek voter support, but polls show Trump with a big lead. [Read more.]( [Airplane cleaning service employees allege unsafe working conditions at Logan]( Workers claim Swissport International, an aviation services company, has ignored their concerns and failed supply basic items such as gloves. [Read more.]( [Airplane cleaning service employees allege unsafe working conditions at Logan]( Workers claim Swissport International, an aviation services company, has ignored their concerns and failed supply basic items such as gloves. [Read more.]( [What the 2020 census can — and can't — tell us about LGBTQ people]( The Census Bureau has released the most comprehensive national statistics to date about same-sex couples living together in the U.S. But many other LGBTQ people remain invisible in the census data. [Read more.]( [What the 2020 census can — and can't — tell us about LGBTQ people]( The Census Bureau has released the most comprehensive national statistics to date about same-sex couples living together in the U.S. But many other LGBTQ people remain invisible in the census data. [Read more.]( [Report: Mass. rental assistance program needs more funds, accessibility]( The new report outlines lessons learned from rental assistance programs during the pandemic based on the experiences of tenants, landlords and community organizations. [Read more.]( [Report: Mass. rental assistance program needs more funds, accessibility]( The new report outlines lessons learned from rental assistance programs during the pandemic based on the experiences of tenants, landlords and community organizations. [Read more.]( [5 things people get wrong about the debt ceiling saga]( Did spending by President Biden and the Democrats rack up the country's debt? Is a default the same as a government shutdown? Here are answers to things people often get wrong about the debt ceiling. [Read more.]( [5 things people get wrong about the debt ceiling saga]( Did spending by President Biden and the Democrats rack up the country's debt? Is a default the same as a government shutdown? Here are answers to things people often get wrong about the debt ceiling. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Sticking around Boston for the long weekend? There's more than Boston Calling. Check out[our arts and culture team's events preview]( which includes the return of a weekly summer concert series at Aeronaut Allston and an open house at the Museum of Fine Arts. - In memoriam: Tina Turner, the pioneering vocalist who played a pivotal role in the history of rock and soul music, [died yesterday at the age of 83](. Here's how fellow music stars and celebrities — including three presidents — are [paying tribute to the icon](. - The sprawling, decades-spanning drama "Eight Mountains" opens this weekend at Coolidge Corner Theatre. Film critic Seans Burns [writes that it's rare to see a film explore the subject of male friendship with such reverence and mystery](. - Gina Kaufmann set out to make her family dinner from fresh ingredients that didn't come wrapped in plastic. She [writes in this commentary]( that it was a lot harder than she thought it'd be. - Psst: [Sign up for our Cooked newsletter]( for more sustainable eating tips, including [reducing your use of plastic](.  What We're Reading 📚 - Rachael Rollins is a flawed messenger but her message is not ([The Boston Globe]( - Working From Home and Realizing What Matters ([The New York Times]( - The Meat Paradox ([The Atlantic](  Tell Me Something Good [New 'food forest' in Mattapan a space to harvest food and grow community]( The Edgewater Food Forest in Mattapan is a formerly vacant lot now filled with fruit trees and berry bushes. Anyone in the community can harvest food for free. [Read more.]( [New 'food forest' in Mattapan a space to harvest food and grow community]( The Edgewater Food Forest in Mattapan is a formerly vacant lot now filled with fruit trees and berry bushes. Anyone in the community can harvest food for free. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [breaks down the connection between climate change and allergies]( and what you can do to mitigate your symptoms. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: We're a state [obsessed with ham](. 😎 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 © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.