False alarm: Nantucket police say flagged flight was actually chartered by Chicago business

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Happy Indigenous Peoples Day — or Columbus Day, depending on where you live or what calendar you follow. It's Indigenous Peoples Day in Boston now, but Columbus Day at the federal and state level.

WBUR's Sam Coetzee reports that there's a push to change that and replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as an official holiday in Massachusetts. (South Dakota became the first state to do so in 1989.) However, such efforts have stalled on Beacon Hill.

To the rest of the news today:

False alarm? After nearly 50 asylum-seeking migrants from Venezuela were lured onto a plane to Martha's Vineyard last month, Nantucket officials say they're preparing for a potentially similar stunt targeting their island. But it doesn't appear we're in for a sequel any time soon — despite an initial media frenzy late Sunday night.

What happened: Local police said Sunday night that they received a tip about a plane scheduled to land in Nantucket on Tuesday that had "many similarities" to the one Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration chartered to Martha's Vineyard. The press release sent off a wave of news reports about a possible copycat of the Martha's Vineyard stunt.

However: There was a misinterpretation. The police release said the plane is being chartered by a business trip for a group out of Chicago. According to the Nantucket Current, it's actually bringing an investment company to Nantucket for "a meeting and a little R&R." The Current reports the person who organized the flight was "dumbfounded" by all the attention.

Annnnnd it's decided: After over 12 hours of meetings last week, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is officially aiming to allow in-person sports betting at the state's three casinos by late January, followed by the launch of online and mobile betting by early March.

That means only in-person betting would be ready for the Super Bowl, while online and mobile betting would be up in time for the March Madness college basketball tournaments.

The timeline does come with the caveat that regulators could push back those launch dates if "unforeseen circumstances" occur. Some commissioners are concerned that they're already moving too fast just to meet the winter sports schedule.

If you are one of the 800,000 people eligible for student loan forgiveness under President Joe Biden's administration, be wary of scammers. WBUR's Carrie Jung reports that Attorney General Maura Healey's office has seen in an uptick in calls from borrowers asking whether a call or email about their debt was legit, and they're working with the Biden administration to crack down on potential scams.

Remember: The Biden administration is planning to launch an application process for most eligible borrowers later this month. In the meantime, Jung has some tips for protecting yourself:

If someone asks you for money to service your loan or access a benefit, don't hand it over. Applying for student loan forgiveness is free.

Be wary of unsolicited texts or calls saying to "act now!" or that "immediate action is required."

The trusted place to get your updates is from the government itself. Sign up for the U.S. Department of Education's federal student loan borrower email updates here.

P.S.— Here's a list of what's open and closed for the holiday today, from government offices to liquor stores to banks (closed!) and ATMs (open!). One particularity: while most cities and towns are delaying trash pickup by a day for the holiday, Boston is not. So Bostonians, put your trash and recycling bins out on your normal day this week.