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Boston's Morning Newsletter
What to know about Boston's busy weekend, from Back Bay to TD Garden
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
The starting line has been repainted; the finish line is in place. And the festivities begin this afternoon. It’s about to be a busy few days in the city — and not only because of the Boston Marathon.
The weekend will begin on a solemn note, as organizers and elected officials commemorate 10 years to the day since the 2013 bombings tomorrow, April 15. The plans include the dedication of a new commemorative finish line and the unveiling of a One Boston Day marker on Boylston Street. Read this guide from WBUR’s Vanessa Ochavillo on the slate of remembrances and service opportunities.
- Also: Beware of the parking restrictions and street closures that will begin to take hold in Back Bay this weekend, due to marathon preparations, as well as the BAA’s annual 5K and one-mile races Saturday morning. Here’s a handy map for reference.
- Looking ahead: Enjoy the warm, sunny weather while it lasts. Meteorologist Danielle Noyes forecasts that the weekend will feature cooler weather, clouds and some raindrops. And while the temperatures on Marathon Monday might be good for running, there’s an increasing chance of rain as the day goes on.
- Get ready: From who to watch to where to watch, here’s what you need to know about the Boston Marathon this year.
Speaking of sports and street restrictions: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced yesterday that Canal Street will be a car-free zone for fans to gather before and during home playoff games at TD Garden. Beginning tomorrow, the street will become “Boston Playoff Hub.”
- The announcement comes ahead of the Celtics’ first playoff game tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. And after capping off their record-setting season last night, the Bruins will host the Florida Panthers for Game 1 of their series Monday.
Flying somewhere for April school vacation? Officials recommend getting to Logan airport an hour earlier than you usually would due to the crowds. WBUR’s Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez reports that the airport will see “upwards of 800,000 people” over the coming week.
- Airport garages are expected to be at capacity all week, according to Massport CEO Lisa Wieland. So, consider the MBTA or the Logan Express bus service to get to and from the airport. (Sumner Tunnel is also staying open for the busy Patriots’ Day weekend.)
- If you’re headed to Florida, keep a close eye on your flight status. The Fort Lauderdale airport is only just reopening this morning, after it was flooded by an unbelievable 26 inches (!) of rain this week. Wieland says the closure will definitely have impacts on flights to Fort Lauderdale or other Florida airports.
Lexington has become the first town in Massachusetts to approve zoning rules that comply with a new state law requiring communities served by the MBTA to allow denser housing developments near stations. Under the law, Lexington is required to zone for an additional 1,231 units of multifamily housing.
- In fact, The Boston Globe reports that the town’s new rules go further than needed, rezoning 227 acres of land, nearly three times as much as the roughly 80 acres the state required.
- Meanwhile on Beacon Hill: Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal to create a cabinet-level position to focus on housing is a step closer to reality. The state Senate approved the creation yesterday of a new “Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities” to lead a new executive agency focused on affordable housing and increased home production. The bill now heads to the House.
There’s good news on the COVID front as we head into the weekend. Coronavirus levels found in Boston-area wastewater are now at their lowest level in a year. And as WBUR’s Gabrielle Emanuel reports, a new study finds the virus has become less severe in Massachusetts. According to the study, COVID became less likely to cause death or hospitalization from July 2021 to last November, based on patient records from the Mass General Brigham hospital system.
- Break it down: Even when adjusting for differences in demographics, vaccination status and prior infection, Harvard researcher Hossein Estiri and his team still found that COVID has become less dangerous. “The virus is truly — or intrinsically — less severe at the moment,” Estiri told Emanuel.
P.S.— True or false? Massachusetts employers are now feeling less optimistic about the economy than they were a year ago. Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of the stories we covered this week.
