Mass. psychedelics ballot effort hits a snag

Also: The T's plan to fix the Green Line Extension; reflecting on gay marriage win 20 years later [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  November 17, 2023 ☀️ Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Good Morning Boston, It's Friday! While you see how long it takes to [count to $25 billion]( here what to know today: - Mark your calendar: The MBTA has announced its plan to fix the Green Line Extension, adding to a bevy of post-Thanksgiving closures on the line. From Nov. 27 to Dec. 10, trains will stop running on both branches of the GLX each night at 8:45 p.m. so crews can fix the [defectively built tracks](. While free shuttle buses will provide night service on the GLX's longer Medford branch, the T says riders who use Union Square station in Somerville will have to rely on local MBTA buses instead. (The T's website [has the specifics here]( - The nighttime GLX diversion also overlaps with the sweeping 24-hour shutdown of the Green Line's downtown trunk, E branch and part of the B branch, which runs from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3. (Yes, it's going to be a little messy.) But there is some good news: As part of [yesterday's announcement]( the T also unveiled the commuter rail will be free to ride between South Station, Back Bay and Lansdowne stations during the downtown shutdown. The Route 39 bus, which runs along the E branch, will also be free. And there'll be shuttle buses between Copley and Babcock Street. - The big picture: [As the T previewed last week]( there's a lot more work — and shutdowns — ahead to make up for decades of disinvestment. The projected cost of all the repairs has also exploded to [$25 billion as of yesterday](. The situation has led the state's new transportation secretary to [suggest this week]( it's time for a "hard, hard discussion" about how the T is funded. - One more thing: Remember, there will be no Red Line trains this weekend between Park Street and JFK/UMass due to track work. Your alternative options: [Shuttles buses or the commuter rail.]( - Bad trip: The [push to put the legalization of psychedelics]( on the Massachusetts ballot next year may be in jeopardy due to a mistake by signature gatherers. The campaign leaders had said they collected the 74,574 signatures they're required to submit to move forward. However, WBUR's Walter Wuthmann reports some activists found that a labor union logo was printed on some signature sheets — a "disqualifying mark" that would invalidate the entire sheet. - What's next: It's unclear exactly how many signatures have been invalidated, but a spokesperson for the PAC behind the ballot question told Walt they have returned to the field to do more signature-gathering. They also said they remain "confident" they'll meet next Wednesday's deadline. - Go deeper: The mistake has also put a spotlight on a rift within the pro-psychedelics community. [Read Walt's full story]( for the details. - National Grid is asking Massachusetts officials for permission to give low-income customers a bigger discount on their electric bill. Currently, local National Grid customers who make up to 60% of the state's median income (in other words, $45,392 for an individual or $87,294 for a family of four) can get roughly a third off their total monthly electric bill. However, the company is asking to create a tiered discount rate that gives the lowest-income customers an even bigger discount — up to 55% off of their bills. - Why? Even with the current discounts, National Grid officials told WBUR's Miriam Wasser that upwards of one-fifth of their lowest-income customers still qualify as “energy burdened,” meaning they spend over 6% of their income on energy bills. - Movie night! Two recently closed Boston movie theaters are being resurrected from the dead this week, with new names and ownership: - In the Seaport: New England's first Alamo Drafthouse theater [opens today]( on Seaport Boulevard, with 10 screens, an expansive food menu and — [according to Boston Magazine]( — heated seats. It's located in [the old ShowPlace Icon Theatre space](. - In the West End: AMC opened [a 13-screen movie theater on Causeway Street]( yesterday next to TD Garden and North Station. It's the same site that was occupied by another theater, ArcLight Cinemas, that [opened in December 2019]( never reopened after the pandemic. - In other theater news: Harvard's American Repertory Theater is officially moving to Allston. Last night, the Boston Planning and Development Agency approved [the plan to move the theater]( as part of the university's Enterprise Research Campus in the neighborhood. - Sneak peek: Check out [the rendering of the new theater]( which is expected to open in 2026. P.S.— What did a Massachusetts man use to journey through the Connecticut River? [Take our Boston News Quiz]( and see how closely you've been following our coverage this week. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Newcomer students to U.S. are among the fastest-growing population in Mass. high schools]( The authors of a new report from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University focused particularly on new arrivals to the Massachusetts' high schools. Many of these students arrive in the Bay State after disrupted formal schooling — and sometimes bearing the weight of trauma. [Read more.]( [Newcomer students to U.S. are among the fastest-growing population in Mass. high schools]( The authors of a new report from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University focused particularly on new arrivals to the Massachusetts' high schools. Many of these students arrive in the Bay State after disrupted formal schooling — and sometimes bearing the weight of trauma. [Read more.]( [20 years later, Hillary Goodridge reflects on Mass. gay marriage win]( Saturday marks 20 years since Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow same sex couples to marry. Hillary Goodridge, a lead plaintiff in the case decided in 2003 by the Supreme Judicial Court, joins WBUR's Morning Edition to talk about the case and its legacy. [Read more.]( [20 years later, Hillary Goodridge reflects on Mass. gay marriage win]( Saturday marks 20 years since Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow same sex couples to marry. Hillary Goodridge, a lead plaintiff in the case decided in 2003 by the Supreme Judicial Court, joins WBUR's Morning Edition to talk about the case and its legacy. [Read more.]( [In late-night scramble, families waitlisted for state shelter told to leave Logan airport]( On Wednesday night, advocates said 31 people — including 17 children — were told they could not sleep at Logan Airport. They are among those left in the lurch since the state-run family shelter system stopped guaranteeing immediate housing for all eligible families. [Read more.]( [In late-night scramble, families waitlisted for state shelter told to leave Logan airport]( On Wednesday night, advocates said 31 people — including 17 children — were told they could not sleep at Logan Airport. They are among those left in the lurch since the state-run family shelter system stopped guaranteeing immediate housing for all eligible families. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts cannabis agency chief set to resign by year end]( News of Shawn Collins' resignation comes two months after the suspension of the commission's chairwoman, Shannon O'Brien. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts cannabis agency chief set to resign by year end]( News of Shawn Collins' resignation comes two months after the suspension of the commission's chairwoman, Shannon O'Brien. [Read more.]( [Ethics report finds Santos used campaign funds to pay for OnlyFans, Botox, Sephora]( The ethics report released Thursday blasted George Santos, a Republican from New York, for committing widespread fraud and theft. He says he won't seek a second term. [Read more.]( [Ethics report finds Santos used campaign funds to pay for OnlyFans, Botox, Sephora]( The ethics report released Thursday blasted George Santos, a Republican from New York, for committing widespread fraud and theft. He says he won't seek a second term. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - One of the Venezuelan migrants flown from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last year is speaking out. "I do not understand why they used us like that,” he [said in a conversation with our Cognoscenti team]( speaking in Spanish. “We are also human beings.” - The New England Aquarium is reporting an ["astounding" level of whale and marine life activity]( in the Gulf of Maine this fall, as warming waters change the species' traditional distribution patterns. - Worcester-based fusion band Zigmont is releasing their second album at a hometown concert on Thanksgiving Eve next week. Listen to a sample of the blend of blues, funk and rock in [this profile of the group by WBUR's Solon Kelleher](. - Twelve years ago, local creative director and author Libby Delana promised herself that she'd get up early every morning and go for a 60-minute walk, no matter what. Since then, she's walked more than the circumference of the Earth — and [seen much of it, too](.  What We're Reading 📚 - No Balconies or Luxury Toilets: How This City Fought Soaring Rents and Lost ([The Wall Street Journal]( - He Thought His Chuck Close Painting Was Worth $10 Million. Not Quite. ([The New York Times]( - 12-year-old Salem girl has cornered the tourist market ([The Boston Globe](  Tell Me Something Good [More pandas will be coming to the U.S., China's president signals]( After meeting with President Biden in California, President Xi Jinping signaled that he will send new pandas to the U.S., calling them "envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples." [Read more.]( [More pandas will be coming to the U.S., China's president signals]( After meeting with President Biden in California, President Xi Jinping signaled that he will send new pandas to the U.S., calling them "envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples." [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [traces the U.S. gun industry's roots]( back to Massachusetts. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Time for a road trip.]( 😎 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.