McGrath makeover

Also: BPS free museum program leaves some out; Riley to resign [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  February 16, 2024 ☀️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Good Morning Boston, It's the last day before February school vacation week in Massachusetts (or, [as it will be known in Newton]( hooky week). Before you head off to the slopes or sun, let's get to the news: - Grounded: Former Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone [once said]( he would "rip down" McGrath Highway with his "bare hands" if he could. But it increasingly looks like it won't have to come to that. During a meeting this week, MassDOT unveiled a new plan for the so-called "grounding" of McGrath and officially penciled it into their long-term project budget. The plan includes tearing down the unsightly Route 28 viaduct through East Somerville and East Cambridge, and replacing it with a ground-level boulevard with fewer car lanes, and more trees and bike lanes. "It's really one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my time as a state rep," Cambridge state Rep. Mike Connolly said of the new slate of renderings (which you can [scroll through here](. - Zoom out: McGrath Highway dates back to the early 1950s, before the area's [anti-highway movement]( gained steam. Since then, Connolly said the elevated highway has cut off East Somerville from the rest of the community and left a swath of two of the otherwise densest cities in New England as a relatively undeveloped "no man's land." - Zoom in: The new vision would demolish the overpass and reduce the number of car lanes to two in each direction from Somerville's Broadway to Lechmere in Cambridge. (MassDOT says car volume on McGrath has dropped by a third since 2011.) It also would add sidewalks, medians with green space and two-way, separated bike lanes — on both sides of the street in some areas. - At what cost? Connolly says the total price tag comes in around $150 million — a combo of state and federal funding that has been programmed into MassDOT's fiscal year 2027 capital budget. - What's next: Construction isn't slated to start until 2028. But there are some changes happening in the interim, like the [recent reduction of lanes]( along some stretches of McGrath and plans to install protected bike lanes in the near future. "We are now proving this concept in real time," Connolly said. - Riley resigns: Massachusetts' state K-12 education commissioner Jeff Riley [announced yesterday that he will resign next month]( after more than six years in the role. The longtime educator cited the need to spend more time with his aging parents, which is "not compatible with the demands of the Commissioner’s job" — especially as the state [launches big, new education initiatives](. - The South Shore's empty seat: There'll be no special election this year to fill the House seat [vacated last week by state Rep. Josh Cutler]( a Duxbury Democrat. House Speaker Ron Mariano (the person in charge of scheduling House special elections) announced yesterday that he plans to let the seat sit vacant through the end of the year. - Why? Mariano said the costs of holding a special election would unduly burden communities, given that the seat will already be on the November ballot, [per State House News Service](. - Local Republicans are criticizing the move, suggesting Mariano is worried about a Republican winning the special election. MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale said it will leave the 6th Plymouth House district "without representation" during budget deliberations and the busy end of the legislative session. - Off track: The good news is the MBTA has the lights back on after [yesterday morning's debacle](. However, Orange Line riders will face a (planned) service disruption this weekend. Free shuttle buses will replace train service [between Forest Hills and Ruggles stations]( on both Saturday and Sunday night so crews can do signal work. - Your JP-t0-South Station shortcut: The T is also making [the commuter rail]( free to board between Forest Hills, Ruggles, Back Bay and South Station during the weekend diversion. - Heads up: Jennifer Lopez's new summer concert tour will come to the TD Garden on Aug. 7, and [tickets go on sale a week from today]( Friday, Feb 23. (TBD whether [the Dun Kings]( will open.) - Go deeper: J-Lo [spoke to NPR's Morning Edition today]( about the new "This Is Me…Now" album and tour. P.S.— The New England Aquarium is taking part in a 50-facility effort to protect ___ from extinction. Do you know the animal? Then 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 ['BPS Sundays' free museum program launches with a bang — but leaves some out]( On the first two “BPS Sundays,” six city museums saw nearly 1,900 BPS students and their families visit for free. But Boston families and advocates outside the school district hope the program still has room to grow. [Read more.]( ['BPS Sundays' free museum program launches with a bang — but leaves some out]( On the first two “BPS Sundays,” six city museums saw nearly 1,900 BPS students and their families visit for free. But Boston families and advocates outside the school district hope the program still has room to grow. [Read more.]( [Alexei Navalny has died in prison at 47, Moscow says]( The Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness. The politician's team says it has received no confirmation of his death so far. [Read more.]( [Alexei Navalny has died in prison at 47, Moscow says]( The Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness. The politician's team says it has received no confirmation of his death so far. [Read more.]( [MIT suspends student group that protested against Israel's military campaign in Gaza]( The president of MIT has suspended a student group that has held demonstrations against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. In a video statement Tuesday, Sally Kornbluth said the group, Coalition Against Apartheid, held a demonstration Monday night without going through the permission process that all groups are required to do. [Read more.]( [MIT suspends student group that protested against Israel's military campaign in Gaza]( The president of MIT has suspended a student group that has held demonstrations against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. In a video statement Tuesday, Sally Kornbluth said the group, Coalition Against Apartheid, held a demonstration Monday night without going through the permission process that all groups are required to do. [Read more.]( [Endangered right whale floating dead off Georgia is rare species' second fatality since January]( Government scientists say a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale has been found dead off the coast of Georgia, marking the rare species' second fatality in the past month. Another right whale was found dead Jan. 28 off Massachusetts. Scientists estimate the rare whales' population has dwindled to fewer than 360. [Read more.]( [Endangered right whale floating dead off Georgia is rare species' second fatality since January]( Government scientists say a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale has been found dead off the coast of Georgia, marking the rare species' second fatality in the past month. Another right whale was found dead Jan. 28 off Massachusetts. Scientists estimate the rare whales' population has dwindled to fewer than 360. [Read more.]( [Report: Immigrants contribute more than $100 billion annually to Greater Boston economy]( Immigrants in Greater Boston contribute $103 billion every year to the region's economy, a new report released Wednesday by Boston Indicators found. Their economic contributions represent more than their share of the population. [Read more.]( [Report: Immigrants contribute more than $100 billion annually to Greater Boston economy]( Immigrants in Greater Boston contribute $103 billion every year to the region's economy, a new report released Wednesday by Boston Indicators found. Their economic contributions represent more than their share of the population. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - This is the first year the city of Boston is recognizing the Lunar New Year as an official public holiday. And on Sunday, Chinatown's streets will come to life with drums and cymbals as nine lion dance troupes celebrate the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese New Year Parade. The Common has [a preview here of what it will look like](. - Bostonians talk about innovation a lot. And yet, [as Miles Howard writes in this essay]( we still haven’t been able to figure out how to make our winters more engaging and enlivening. Montreal has the answers. - Not only did Iowa's Caitlin Clark break the NCAA women's basketball all-time points record last night, she did it while scoring a career-high 49 points. Here's [a look at the trajectory of her career scoring and its astounding impact on Iowa women's basketball revenue](. - This week on Endless Thread: [The story of the man who presented 29 powerpoint slides about his favorite movie]( — Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" — during a first date. The internet loved it. But did his date?  What We're Reading 📚 - She Was Denied an Abortion After Roe Fell. This Is a Year in Her Family’s Life. ([ProPublica]( - New York Times, Get out of My School ([The Harvard Crimson]( - The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger ([The Cut](  Tell Me Something Good [A mom gave her son two scratch tickets for Valentine’s Day. He won $1 million. (Boston.com)]( Matthew Broadley was given a Valentine’s Day card on Tuesday from his mother, and inside were two instant tickets. [Read more.]( [A mom gave her son two scratch tickets for Valentine’s Day. He won $1 million. (Boston.com)]( Matthew Broadley was given a Valentine’s Day card on Tuesday from his mother, and inside were two instant tickets. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [previews this weekend's Lunar New Year festivities in Chinatown](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [No pressure, Jaylen.]( 😎 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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