A new way around North Shore traffic

Also: What factory-made housing could bring to Mass.; a weird, new Boston-based novel [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 5, 2023 ☁️ Cloudy, with a high near 61 and some showers in the morning. Good Morning Boston, It's another week in [Greater Dunkin'land](. Let's dive into it like we're standing on an [88-foot-high platform in the cold outside the ICA](. - North Shore residents may soon be able to take to the sea as an alternative to the grueling land-based commute to Boston. Lynn's Economic Development and Industrial Corporation voted to approve a deal last week that would allow the MBTA to run a passenger ferry from the city's marina to downtown Boston. And with [the two-month Summer Tunnel closure]( now just a month away, Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson tells WBUR's Dave Faneuf the "timing is ideal." - Lynn briefly piloted commuter ferries in the past, [most recently in 2017](. However, the new deal will lease the city's pier, terminal and marina to the T for two years — with an option to extend for another three, [according to the Daily Item](. - The MBTA has yet to announce specifics about the schedules and fares, but Lynn officials said last week the plan is to have multiple 30-minute trips during both the morning and evening commutes. The T also plans to use a 149-passenger boat — about the same size as the agency's [permanent South Shore ferry](. - Why now? North Shore officials have been [lobbying for decades]( for a permanent commuter ferry service of their own. Nicholson told Faneuf that with the Sumner Tunnel closure happening soon, this offers "a real way to mitigate some of the havoc that's going to wreak on our roads." According to Google Maps, a weekday morning drive from downtown Lynn to Boston already averages around 45 minutes, but can be nearly twice as long if traffic is bad. Lynn's commuter rail station is also [currently closed for upgrades]( making public transit to Boston a multi-switch, 45-minute affair. - What's next: MBTA officials say ferry service could start in July, right in time for the Sumner closure. But before we get more details, they need to finish additional "procedural and operational steps." - In other MBTA news: T leaders will submit a new worker safety plan to the Federal Transit Administration today, after the first version of their plan was rejected last month. MBTA General Manager Phil Eng [told WCVB yesterday]( the new plan includes more details, particularly "more clarity on the short term measures." Eng said he's confident the new plan will get a "positive" response. - Why you should care: If the FTA rejects the safety plan again, the T would have to stop all ongoing work on the tracks. That could have a huge impact on the efforts to improve service. - Why it's necessary: The FTA found several glaring issues with the MBTA's policies after five "near misses" between trains and workers on the tracks earlier this year. - The Winter Hill Community Innovation School building in Somerville will [stay closed for the rest of the school year]( after a piece of concrete fell inside a stairwell last week. [As WBUR's Max Larkin reports]( the incident comes after parents and educators raised concerns about a variety of issues at the 400-student school, which has a focus on serving students with autism and newly arrived immigrants. - What's next: Somerville officials plan to resume classes for Winter Hill students this Thursday at three different off-site, temporary classrooms. You can [read more details and updates here](. - Journalists at Gannett, the country's largest chain of local newspapers, are [walking off the job today]( in protest of working conditions and deep cuts in recent years. However, only one of the dozens of Gannett-owned Massachusetts outlets is taking part, [according to the Boston Business Journal]( Cambridge-based [Reviewed.USAToday.com](. - Go deeper: [How America's largest newspaper company is leaving behind news deserts]( - What part of the MBTA is shutting down this week? It's the Red Line (again). For the fifth straight week, the Red Line's Braintree branch will be replaced by shuttle buses each night through Thursday starting at 8:45 p.m. - Commuter rail service on the Greenbush, Kingston and Middleborough/Lakeville lines between South Station and Braintree will also close early at 7:30 p.m. Express shuttles will run between the two stations. P.S.— Come get a taste of another flavorful CitySpace event tonight. [Australian-born author and chef Hetty Lui McKinnon will discuss her plant-based recipe cookbook]( which was recently named one of Bon Appetit's best of the year. [Tickets]( include a sampling of food from the cookbook — including spicy noodles and sweet potato black sesame bundt cake. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Massachusetts hasn't embraced factory-made housing. Some say it's time]( Proponents argue modular buildings could help ease a severe housing shortage. This type of construction has gained traction in Sweden and states like Pennsylvania and California. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts hasn't embraced factory-made housing. Some say it's time]( Proponents argue modular buildings could help ease a severe housing shortage. This type of construction has gained traction in Sweden and states like Pennsylvania and California. [Read more.]( [Study: Stop mandatory child abuse reporting for infants exposed to addiction medicationsÂ]( Massachusetts law says health care providers must contact child protective services any time a newborn has been exposed to opioids, including in-utero exposure to prescription medication used to treat an addiction to opioids. That can punish women in recovery, compelling some to stop treatment, according to a new study. [Read more.]( [Study: Stop mandatory child abuse reporting for infants exposed to addiction medicationsÂ]( Massachusetts law says health care providers must contact child protective services any time a newborn has been exposed to opioids, including in-utero exposure to prescription medication used to treat an addiction to opioids. That can punish women in recovery, compelling some to stop treatment, according to a new study. [Read more.]( [Multi-billion dollar error just the latest for Mass. labor department]( It came to light that the department improperly used federal funds to pay $2.5 billion in jobless benefits, instead of state funds. [Read more.]( [Multi-billion dollar error just the latest for Mass. labor department]( It came to light that the department improperly used federal funds to pay $2.5 billion in jobless benefits, instead of state funds. [Read more.]( [Chuck Todd, host and moderator of NBC's 'Meet the Press', will step down]( Todd announced on Sunday that he will step down from the long-running political show in a few months. [Read more.]( [Chuck Todd, host and moderator of NBC's 'Meet the Press', will step down]( Todd announced on Sunday that he will step down from the long-running political show in a few months. [Read more.]( [A decade on, Edward Snowden remains in Russia, though U.S. laws have changed]( A decade ago, we were still exploring the technological wonders of cellphones and other electronic devices. Few were thinking about how they could be used to monitor us. Then came Edward Snowden. [Read more.]( [A decade on, Edward Snowden remains in Russia, though U.S. laws have changed]( A decade ago, we were still exploring the technological wonders of cellphones and other electronic devices. Few were thinking about how they could be used to monitor us. Then came Edward Snowden. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Dedham-based author Jeremy P. Bushnell understands [weird fiction is right at home in Boston]( — and that something isn't quite right in those MBTA subway tunnels. His latest book, "Relentless Melt," follows a Filene's shopgirl (who moonlights as a detective) through Boston in 1909 as she tries to solve a mystery. - Did you catch [this weekend's rosy-colored strawberry moon]( The Algonquian nickname for the June full moon is because this time of year marks peak ripening of its namesake fruit. (Thanks, moon; I'm headed to the grocery store for some summer strawberries.) - Sabine von Mering [writes in this commentary]( that a green light for Hanscom Field’s proposed expansion would send a dangerous signal to private jet hangar developers all across the country. "Massachusetts must send a climate signal instead," von Mering writes. - Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in a Los Angeles hotel 55 years ago today. NPR's Morning Edition asks [how the liberal icon's complicated — and at-times contradictory — legacy should be remembered](.  What We're Reading 📚 This section is supported by [Beacon Hill Books]( a new independent bookstore. - How to Get Absolutely No Sun This Summer ([The New York Times]( - Inside the Meltdown at CNN ([The Atlantic]( - Jim Brown’s Legacies ([Defector](  Tell Me Something Good [A love story, baked in Vermont (The Boston Globe)]( Gesine Bullock-Prado ran her movie star sister’s production company in Hollywood for a decade. She left the glitz of Tinseltown for the grit of Vermont, became a baker and teacher, and never looked back. [Read more.]( [A love story, baked in Vermont (The Boston Globe)]( Gesine Bullock-Prado ran her movie star sister’s production company in Hollywood for a decade. She left the glitz of Tinseltown for the grit of Vermont, became a baker and teacher, and never looked back. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common talks [not-so-standardized testing](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: How to [blow up the family group chat](. 😎 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.