Healey's warning

Also: How Boston-area Jews are celebrating Hanukkah this year; what to know about the Army-Navy game at Gillette [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  December 8, 2023 🌤️ Sunny, with increasing clouds and a high near 42 Good Morning Boston, TGIF! With just over three weeks left in the year, we want to know: What should Boston's New Year's resolution be? Whether you want fewer MBTA slow zones or more [daring Bailey Zappe passes]( [fill out this form]( to share your resolution for the city in 2024. Now, to the news: - Gov. Maura Healey has a 2024 resolution for the cities and towns around Boston: build more housing. During[yesterday's appearance on Radio Boston]( the governor issued a warning to the communities that don't comply with the MBTA Communities Act, as a dozen inner suburbs approach the law's first deadline on Dec. 31. "If you don't comply with the act, then you're going to see us withholding as a state money for any number of programs that you're used to receiving money for," Healey said. "That includes for schools, it includes for roads and bridges, it includes for a whole host of things that are important to communities." - The law broadly requires communities in the MBTA's service area to allow multi-family housing (i.e. apartments, condos, etc.) to be built — with special permits —near public transit stops. Those with rapid transit stops must meet stricter requirements by Dec. 31, while others have more time. The state has [a map and chart showing the specific requirements]( for each city and town. - Heated battles have been playing out this fall in communities [like Newton]( as some pushed back against required zoning changes. Meanwhile, [Milton]( and [Braintree]( are edging up against the end-of-the-year deadline. Healey stressed to Radio Boston host Tiziana Dearing that her administration will take enforcement of the zoning law "very seriously." "We took the existing list of programs that communities weren't going to get money for if they didn't comply and we [more than doubled that list]( she said. - Go deeper: Listen to [this Radio Boston segment]( from last week for a closer look at the debate over the MBTA Communities Act. - The big picture: Healey said "housing is the top priority" for her administration, as they try to increase the supply to bring down costs. WBUR's Amanda Beland has [more here on how Healey's new economic development plan plays into that effort](. - NoWa: After [a year of delay]( MassDOT is planning to open half of the new North Washington Street Bridge between Boston's North End and Charlestown this weekend. [Beginning tomorrow]( both car and foot traffic will shift from the adjacent temporary bridge that was built during the project to the eastern half of the new bridge. - About the project: The new NoWA bridge (yes, I'm calling it that) is replacing the [demolished]( "Charlestown Bridge" that originally opened in 1900 and once carried the elevated Orange Line. The crossing is used by tens of thousands of vehicles a day, not to mention the many tourists who cross it on the Freedom Trail. - What's next: Officials plan to fully open both sides of the new bridge next winter. When complete, it will include two car lanes in both directions, an inbound bus-only lane, separated bike lanes and wide sidewalks on both sides. Here's [what it will look like](. - Massachusetts is closing [the overflow family shelter site it set up three weeks ago in the state transportation building]( in Boston today. WBUR's Gabrielle Emanuel reports that 25 families who were on [the waitlist for the shelter system]( were staying overnight in conference rooms in the building. - What's next: While the Healey administration says an additional overflow site will open soon, it's unclear where the families will go in the short term. Officials plan to move the temporary shelter from the transportation building to a site in Quincy, but state data shows the emergency beds there are already full. - More MBTA fare discounts for low-income riders could be around the corner. During a meeting yesterday, T officials said they could present the proposed changes as soon as next month. While they're still working on the details, the [low-income fare program]( could benefit up to 60,000 riders with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line who aren't eligible for [the T's current reduced fare offerings](. - Just in: Healey announced this morning that she is nominating State Solicitor Elizabeth "Bessie" N. Dewar to fill [one of the two soon-to-open seats on the state's Supreme Judicial Court](. Dewar — who Healey called a "consensus builder" and a "true student of the institution" — is nominated to take [the seat of Justice Elspeth B. Cypher]( who plans to retire on January 12, 2024. P.S.— Who or what did President Biden say will put democracy at risk at his speech in Boston this week? [Take our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of this week's stories. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Boston-area Jews celebrate Hanukkah amid strife abroad and at home]( David Litvak says he has no reservations about displaying the family menorah. "I'd say right now it's the opposite. I desperately want to show that I'm Jewish." [Read more.]( [Boston-area Jews celebrate Hanukkah amid strife abroad and at home]( David Litvak says he has no reservations about displaying the family menorah. "I'd say right now it's the opposite. I desperately want to show that I'm Jewish." [Read more.]( [Massachusetts attorney general files complaint against neo-Nazi group NSC-131]( The allegations against the group and two of its leaders include trespassing, conspiracy and civil rights violations for demonstrations the group has held against migrants and the LBGTQ+ community. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts attorney general files complaint against neo-Nazi group NSC-131]( The allegations against the group and two of its leaders include trespassing, conspiracy and civil rights violations for demonstrations the group has held against migrants and the LBGTQ+ community. [Read more.]( [What to know ahead of the Army-Navy game at Gillette on Saturday]( Army and Navy will line up at the home of the New England Patriots for a day full of pageantry, tradition and a deeply rooted respect that comes with one of college football’s fiercest rivalries. It's the first time Gillette Stadium is hosting the historic game. [Read more.]( [What to know ahead of the Army-Navy game at Gillette on Saturday]( Army and Navy will line up at the home of the New England Patriots for a day full of pageantry, tradition and a deeply rooted respect that comes with one of college football’s fiercest rivalries. It's the first time Gillette Stadium is hosting the historic game. [Read more.]( [Report on Harvard's morgue finds lack of oversight and no policy on handling of human bodies]( Outside experts appointed to review Harvard Medical School's morgue operations in the wake of body parts being stolen and soldfound the school lacked formal policies and had little oversight of the morgue's day-to-day workings. [Read more.]( [Report on Harvard's morgue finds lack of oversight and no policy on handling of human bodies]( Outside experts appointed to review Harvard Medical School's morgue operations in the wake of body parts being stolen and soldfound the school lacked formal policies and had little oversight of the morgue's day-to-day workings. [Read more.]( [A postcard from the Lesser-Known Candidate Forum, a New Hampshire primary tradition]( In New Hampshire, it's relatively easy to get your name on the presidential primary ballot — so there's a slew of lesser-known candidates seeking a spotlight for ideas and, well, performance art. [Read more.]( [A postcard from the Lesser-Known Candidate Forum, a New Hampshire primary tradition]( In New Hampshire, it's relatively easy to get your name on the presidential primary ballot — so there's a slew of lesser-known candidates seeking a spotlight for ideas and, well, performance art. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - A large-scale, luminescent art installation [returns this weekend to Mount Auburn Cemetery](. In its debut last year, "Solstice" attracted more than 8,000 visitors. Now, WBUR's Andrea Shea reports that what started as an experiment has been dubbed a holiday tradition. - New England's first Judaica gallery in an art institution opens to the public today at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Timed with the beginning of Hanukkah, the collection features 27 pieces of Jewish ritual art, from rare Torah finials to an 11-foot wood-carved ark. Here's [a sneak peek inside](. - A menu signed by Mao Zedong was sold for more than a quarter of a million dollars this week at a Boston auction — and [it wasn't the only piece of memorabilia that fetched a high price](. Other items at the auction included a Thomas Edison-signed document for a light bulb patent and a RadioShack check signed by Steve Jobs. - Alastair Moock [writes in this commentary for Cognoscenti]( what makes Norman Lear's legacy so extraordinary is the complexity and nuance of what he created in a medium that, until he came along, demonstrated precious little of either  What We're Reading 📚 - Torched: A look back at the failed Boston 2024 Olympic bid and lessons learned since ([The Boston Business Journal]( - The “touch grass” election cycle ([Nieman Lab]( - 20 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2023 ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione wins Hall of Fame’s Frick Award for broadcasting excellence]( Castiglione, who has called the four World Series wins of the Red Sox that followed an 86-year title drought, will be honored during the Hall of Fame’s induction weekend in July in Cooperstown, New York. [Read more.]( [Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione wins Hall of Fame’s Frick Award for broadcasting excellence]( Castiglione, who has called the four World Series wins of the Red Sox that followed an 86-year title drought, will be honored during the Hall of Fame’s induction weekend in July in Cooperstown, New York. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common has [a roundup of all the local holiday markets to help you tackle any last-minute shopping](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [It's Ayuh Fahhs One](. 😎 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. 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