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Basketball courts and bike counters: Here's a look at what's on Cambridge's participatory budget ballot this year
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.
Much of the United States and Canada switched over to daylight saving time over the weekend. But in British Columbia, there will be no going back to standard time. The Canadian province has decided to make daylight saving time permanent.
Now, to local news:
The million-dollar question: Cambridge residents have until this Sunday to vote on how the city should spend $1 million. This year's annual participatory budgeting cycle features 20 community-focused proposals submitted by residents last fall. Voting opened last Thursday and runs through March 15. Here's a look at what's on the ballot:
- The projects: The most costly ideas include revitalizing the community garden at Riverside Press Park ($275,000), upgrading the city's basketball courts ($250,000) and deploying bike counters ($209,000). But there are smaller projects as well — such as $60,000 to create cold/wet weather kits for locals experiencing homelessness or $5,000 to give out "vote totes” tote bags to new voters. Residents can vote for up to five of their favorite projects. Click here for the full list.
- Who can vote: Cambridge residents aged 12 and older, including all current sixth graders. College students and non-U.S. citizens in Cambridge are eligible to vote. Melissa Liu, who heads up the city's participatory budgeting office, said it means a lot to young people to be included in the vote. "They're just as much an important part of our community as anybody else," Liu told WBUR's Kevin Vu.
- Across the river: The eight winning proposals from Boston's second-ever participatory budgeting cycle were announced last month — including an immigrant legal defense fund and a trade-focused workforce training program. Mayor Michelle Wu's office says those projects will get underway this spring.
Ripple effect: Global oil prices surpassed $100 per barrel for the first time in four years last night, due to the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. The spike — which neared $120 before settling back around $100 — sent global stock markets into a tumble early Monday. And here in Massachusetts, the disruption is increasingly showing up on residents' home heating oil bills and gas station receipts.
- Gasoline: The average price of a gallon of gas is now $3.13, according to AAA. That's 40 cents higher than last Monday. AAA Northeast Mark Schieldrop attributed the spike to standstill boat traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of the world's petroleum is shipped. "It's not really a question of dwindling supplies or lack of oil. We have plenty of oil around the world," Schieldrop told WBUR's Fausto Menard. "It's just that the distribution of it has been crimped severely."
- Heating oil: The Boston Globe reported Friday that home heating oil prices have gone up more than 30% since the war broke out, rising from around $4 per gallon to $5.50 per gallon for customers who have gotten recent deliveries. Michael Ferrante, president of the Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association, told WBUR's Paul Connearney that the last time we saw a price spike like this was when Russia first invaded Ukraine. Ferrante said how high prices go depends on "how long [the war] goes and how severe it gets" in the Middle East. "I'm concerned really about the long-term impact," he said, adding that the " only bright side" is that home heating oil season is winding down in New England.
- The latest: Israel attacked Iran's oil facilities for the first time Sunday, and Iran launched fresh counterattacks Monday hours after the country named a new supreme leader. Click here for more on the conflict's latest developments.
ICYMI: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is applauding a federal appeals court ruling Friday to uphold Temporary Protected Status for Haitians living in the U.S., as the Trump administration tries to terminate the program. The decision upholds a lower court ruling last month. However, The New York Times reports that the Trump administration is expected to take the legal battle to the Supreme Court.
Back on track: After a weeklong partial closure, Orange Line service between Back Bay and Forest Hills has resumed. In fact, the MBTA said it was able to finish its work early and reopened the stretch Saturday — two days sooner than expected.
P.S.— Need a little extra coffee today after losing that hour of sleep over the weekend? WBUR's Dianna Bell is hosting a CitySpace panel about Boston's coffee scene tonight with four pioneering local brewers. (Yes, it's not just Dunkin'.) The event also includes a brewing demo and coffee tasting. Click here to grab your ticket.
