A CharlieCard change-up

Also: Andover teachers still on strike; a New England tradition lives on [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  November 13, 2023 ☁️ Today is cloudy, with a high near 44. Good Morning Boston, It's a new week, and Orange Line riders can kiss those bright yellow Yankee shuttle buses goodbye ([for the time being.]( Let's get into the news: - The MBTA is putting its current, [decades-old CharlieCard website]( out to pasture this week — and [replacing it with a new "MyCharlie" site](. While the upgraded website offers new benefits, the change will require some users to take action to keep their cards loaded. Here's what to know ahead of the new website's launch this Wednesday: - If you currently pay for a monthly T pass through the MyCharlie site, you'll need to log into the new version to create a new account, sign up for auto-pay and get a new card. (Just use the same email you currently have registered.) According to the T, the change affects 30% of the roughly 4,000 riders who use MyCharlie each month. Those already signed up for auto-pay, like reduced-fare card users, [don't have to taken any action]( right now. - The pros of the new site: According to the T, it will let users register multiple CharlieCards, offer better security and allow people to more quickly request replacements. It's also a more "modern platform with more flexibility for future products." - The cons: The new site won't let you [make one-time purchases to add cash to your CharlieCard](. That means your only option to add a few bucks to your card's balance is to go in-person. MBTA officials maintain this isn't a big deal since the "vast majority" of MyCharlie users don't use that function. Additionally, those who did use it still needed to visit a subway station fare vending machine or fare gate to activate the reloaded values. "Under the ‘add value online’ feature on the legacy site, which was not truly a one-step option, purchased fares were not able to be accessed at a bus or trolley fare box, for example, requiring customers to make a trip to a rapid transit station," T spokesperson Lisa Battiston said in an email. - Pro tip: You can reload value onto existing CharlieCards at the same convenience stores and supermarkets you've always been able to buy them. Search for the nearest retail locations [here](. - Speaking of the T: [Track work is underway]( and Red Line riders should prepare for nighttime delays this week. [Starting tomorrow]( shuttles will replace service between Park Street and JFK/UMass after 8:45 p.m. The service change will go through Thursday. - Boston voters will have to wait to see rent control on the ballot. This weekend, Massachusetts advocates for lifting the ban on rent control [suspended their campaign]( for a ballot question because they were not on pace to receive enough signatures to make the cut. - "There were numerous opinion polls that told us if the voters have the chance, they will vote to lift the ban on rent control," said state Rep. Mike Connolly. Connolly expects those who support rent control to show up "in force" Tuesday, when the legislature will hear testimony on several rent control bills. - Zoom out: The campaign for rent control has been met with little enthusiasm from lawmakers, landlords and real estate developers alike. Despite opposition, [here's why]( Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is still pressing to lift this nearly 30-year-old ban. - After eight hours of negotiation on Friday, the Andover School Committee and the town's public school teachers' union failed to reach an agreement on a new contract, so teachers are back on strike this morning and school is canceled for the day. - The deets: Andover teachers started their strike on Friday. They're asking for better pay and improved family leave. Both sides are set to be back at the bargaining table today. (Yes, it is indeed illegal for teachers to strike in Massachusetts, but over the past two years it's occurred in communities including Woburn, Brookline, Haverhill and Malden.) - "Nobody wants to be out here, we want to be in the classrooms. We're passionate about teaching and delivering services," Matt Bach, a high school history teacher, told NBC10 Boston. - Timber! The time has come to put up chop down your Christmas tree. For those unfamiliar with this old New England tradition, New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest will let you chop down your own tree with the [purchase of a $5 permit](. - There's a suite of [rules and regulations]( you'll have to follow before heading out, including limitations on the height of the tree and the tools you can use (no chainsaws allowed). Forest officials also suggest visitors bring extra food and water, an overnight survival kit, and winter weather clothing. - If this all sounds like your kind of adventure, [listen to this segment]( from NHPR where three staffers set out to chop down a White Mountains tree around Christmas in 2018. P.S. — These next two weeks are busy for so many of us, especially those hosting family and friends in Boston for the holidays. If you're looking for something to keep your guests enticed and entertained, check out our guide to [fall classical musical performances]( around the city. The Boston Symphony Orchestra has a series of shows this week, [Nov. 16-19]( that make for an enchanting night out, too. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow]( Hanna Ali Associate Producer, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Families say they're surprised as Boston reshuffles school grades]( More than 200 Boston students will have to find a new school next year. Families at three schools learned in a letter sent Wednesday that their seventh and eighth grade classrooms will close starting in September. [Read more.]( [Families say they're surprised as Boston reshuffles school grades]( More than 200 Boston students will have to find a new school next year. Families at three schools learned in a letter sent Wednesday that their seventh and eighth grade classrooms will close starting in September. [Read more.]( [Born in '60s San Francisco, all-girl rock band Ace of Cups roars back a half-century later]( In 1967, the all-girl band Ace of Cups burst onto the San Francisco rock and roll scene, attracting a big following and touring with some of the most famous musicians of the era. Then, they disappeared. Now, more than a half-century later, the band members are back together, with an unlikely third act proving rock and roll dreams never die. [Read more.]( [Born in '60s San Francisco, all-girl rock band Ace of Cups roars back a half-century later]( In 1967, the all-girl band Ace of Cups burst onto the San Francisco rock and roll scene, attracting a big following and touring with some of the most famous musicians of the era. Then, they disappeared. Now, more than a half-century later, the band members are back together, with an unlikely third act proving rock and roll dreams never die. [Read more.]( [Gaza's 2 largest hospitals have ceased to function, health officials say]( Health officials say the hospitals are out of electricity. The U.N. and World Health Organization pleaded for "decisive international action" to preserve what's left of the health care system in Gaza. [Read more.]( [Gaza's 2 largest hospitals have ceased to function, health officials say]( Health officials say the hospitals are out of electricity. The U.N. and World Health Organization pleaded for "decisive international action" to preserve what's left of the health care system in Gaza. [Read more.]( [Am I eligible for heating assistance? Mass. LIHEAP service provider ABCD shares must-know info about the program]( CEO and president ofAction for Boston Community Development(ABCD) Sharon Scott-Chandler clears up misconceptions you might have about receiving heating assistance. She also has some advice for keeping your home warm this winter. [Read more.]( [Am I eligible for heating assistance? Mass. LIHEAP service provider ABCD shares must-know info about the program]( CEO and president ofAction for Boston Community Development(ABCD) Sharon Scott-Chandler clears up misconceptions you might have about receiving heating assistance. She also has some advice for keeping your home warm this winter. [Read more.]( [A manufacturer tried the 4-day workweek for 5 days' pay and won't go back]( Of the hundreds of companies that have tried a four-day workweek, very few are manufacturers. Advanced RV in Willoughby, Ohio, is showing how it can be done. [Read more.]( [A manufacturer tried the 4-day workweek for 5 days' pay and won't go back]( Of the hundreds of companies that have tried a four-day workweek, very few are manufacturers. Advanced RV in Willoughby, Ohio, is showing how it can be done. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - This week at CitySpace: Calling all crafters: We'll be hosting our last Field Trip of the fall tonight at 6:30 p.m. Whether you knit, embroider, crochet, scrapbook or sketch, [drop in tonight]( to meet new friends and bond over arts and crafts. If you don't have a project to work on just yet, don't worry. [Gather Here]( a Cambridge-based maker studio, will be there with kits to get you stared. - Congratulations to [NY/NJ Gotham FC]( who won the 2023 National Women's Soccer League Championship [this past Saturday](. The final game was also a jarring career-end for American soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who announced in July [she would retire]( at the end of the season, but [suffered an injury]( during Saturday's game. - Radio Boston marked Veterans Day by speaking with three prominent veterans and reservists: Congressmen Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss, and Massachusetts Secretary of Veteran's Services Dr. Jon Santiago. [Listen to all three discuss]( their service, politics and rebuilding trust in the state's veteran care services.  What We're Reading 📚 - The librarian who couldn't take it anymore ([The Washington Post]( - A first-hand account of being caught up in NH’s ‘border crisis’ ([NHPR]( - Researchers Have Finally Identified the Mystery Man on a Led Zeppelin Album Cover ([Smithsonian Magazine](  Tell Me Something Good [A 5th grader tossed a message in a bottle off Cape Cod in 1997. Someone in France just found it. (NBC10 Boston)]( Nearly three decades after a middle school student tossed a message in a bottle off the shores of Cape Cod, the letter has been returned – with a response. [Read more.]( [A 5th grader tossed a message in a bottle off Cape Cod in 1997. Someone in France just found it. (NBC10 Boston)]( Nearly three decades after a middle school student tossed a message in a bottle off the shores of Cape Cod, the letter has been returned – with a response. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common is taking a page out of our [Field Guide]( today with a [special feature about Massachusetts' odd liquor laws.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Good times never felt so "gud."]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 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.