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Al fresco season: Outdoor dining officially returns to Boston on Friday
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It's May! Blue Cross Blue Shield is giving out another $20 in free Bluebikes credits for National Bike Month. Just enter the code "BCBSBIKEMONTH26" in the Bluebikes app's rewards section. (You may want to act fast this morning, though; Blue Cross Blue Shield says the offer is good "while supplies last.")
A patio party: May also means the official start of outdoor dining season in Boston. From now through Oct. 31, restaurants with a permit from the city are allowed to transform sidewalks and streets into an al fresco experience. At least 160 Boston restaurants have already applied for permits this season, city officials told WBUR's Amy Sokolow.
- Good for business: Not only does outdoor dining add seats for a restaurant, it brings new life to city neighborhoods, Stephen Clark, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, told Amy. "We didn't have a ton of outdoor options prior to the pandemic," he said. "And then during the pandemic, we had all outdoor options and some of those have faded off and, and they were temporary. But the ones that have stayed have truly been valuable. And I think it's a new burst of energy to public spaces."
- PSA: Much to some businesses' dismay, most North End restaurants aren't allowed to participate in Boston's outdoor dining program because of the neighborhoods' narrow streets and sidewalks.
- Bookmark this: The city has an interactive map of all the participating restaurants with outdoor dining here.
ICYMI: Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped her bid for the U.S. Senate yesterday. She said she lacked the campaign funds needed to stay in the race to be the Democratic candidate facing off against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
- Who will likely be the Democrat on the ballot? Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and political newbie that's secured endorsements from progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and has outraised Mills by millions.
- Listen: WBUR senior political reporter Anthony Brooks joined WBUR's Morning Edition to explain the stakes of the race.
First day on the job: Rodney Marshall will be sworn in today as Boston's first Black fire commissioner. Marshall joined the department in 1991 and worked his way up through the ranks to be the department's chief of operations. The 58-year-old is replacing retiring Commissioner Paul Burke.
- The new job isn't the only transition facing Marshall. As The Boston Globe reports, the city's residency rules for department heads means Marshall, who currently lives in Canton after growing up in Dorchester, is required to move back to Boston. City officials told the Globe that Marshall intends to comply.
PSA: Applications open today for Somerville's first-ever round of "Racial and Social Justice Public Grants." The city is offering between $250 and $9,999 to residents, advocates and organizations working to make Somerville more inclusive.
- What does that mean? Examples of eligible projects include cultural programming, neighborhood resource guides and tenants rights workshops, according to the city's website. "We really encourage each and every individual to really consider when they look around in the city, what gaps do they see, what do they think is missing, and how can they, with the ideas they have, fill in that gap," Catherine Nakato, the interim director of Somerville's Department of Racial and Social Justice, told WBUR's Dan Guzman. The deadline to apply is May 29.
For sale: Hampshire College says it will sell its roughly 800-acre campus to help pay off nearly $25 million in debt, as the Amherst school winds down operations this year. In an email to the campus community this week, Hampshire President Jennifer Chrisler said the school's lenders are pursuing "swift repayment" and that the campus likely "will not endure in its current form" after it is bought.
Talking about playoffs: The Celtics' first-round playoff series against the Sixers will be settled once and for all Saturday night back in Boston. The series heads to a Game 7 after the Celtics dropped a second straight game last night in Philly.
- Meanwhile, the Bruins are hoping they can push their series against the Buffalo Sabres to a Game 7 when they take the ice tonight at TD Garden. And in Lowell, the Fleet took a 1-0 lead last night in their best-of-five PWHL semifinal series against the Ottawa Charge. Game 2 is Saturday.
P.S.— What's the secret to keeping some of Boston's neighborhoods 10 to 12 degrees cooler in the summer months? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week's stories.
