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What to know about Boston's new 'Harbor Loop' ferry route
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.
A heat advisory remains in effect following yesterday's record temperatures. And another daily record is within our reach today, before temps drop in a big way heading into Memorial Day weekend. (The good news is the latest models suggest the holiday weekend won't be as wet as previously feared.)
But first, the news:
Boat launch: A new year-round commuter ferry route is coming to Boston Harbor. Starting June 29, the MBTA is launching a "Harbor Loop” ferry that will circle between four stops: Lovejoy Wharf by North Station, Central Wharf by the downtown waterfront, the Seaport's Commonwealth Pier and Logan Airport. And it will operate a little differently than the T's current back-and-forth harbor ferries.
- How it works: The new ferry will loop between stops every 30 minutes — but only on weekdays and during rush hour. (The T says it's specifically designed for commuters.) It will also switch directions between the morning and afternoon. Between 6:10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., it will go counterclockwise: Lovejoy Wharf to Central Wharf to the Seaport to Logan and then back to Lovejoy. Then it takes a big break until resuming in the clockwise direction 3:55 p.m. to 7:50 p.m.
- How to ride: Like an MBTA subway fare, a one-way trip will cost $2.40, or $1.10 for reduced fare riders. You can pay with a credit card, contactless mobile payment apps like Apple Pay, cash or the commuter rail's mTicket app. (Sorry, no CharlieCards — just like all the other ferry routes.)
- Why it matters: The Massachusetts Convention Center already runs a weekday ferry between Lovejoy Wharf and the Seaport. But it's twice as expensive and runs on slightly more limited hours. Plus, the T says the new Harbor Loop ferry allows riders to link up to other ferry routes and the Blue Line at Aquarium station by Central Wharf. "This new Harbor Loop ferry service will make it easier for commuters, residents and visitors to travel between some of Boston’s busiest destinations,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
On Beacon Hill: It's one of those rare days in which all eyes some eyes are on the Governor's Council. A possible vote to confirm Vincent DeMore, who Healey recently nominated to the state Parole Board, is on the council's agenda today. But unlike Healey's previous five Parole Board nominations, DeMore's path ahead doesn't look so smooth. According to The Boston Globe, at least three of the Governor's Council's eight members oppose the former prosecutor-turned-defense lawyer's nomination. And critics think there's a good chance they have the votes to block him.
- Why? More than 400 people and groups signed a letter opposing his nomination, arguing that DeMore lacks experience working with clients who would be coming before the board. "What the parole board needs is somebody who has experience helping people navigate re-entry," social worker Olivia Dubois told WBUR's Amy Sokolow. "My opinion on what that means is that somebody should have experience working with people who have mental illness, helping people navigate treatment through substance use disorder, understanding complex trauma."
- What Healey's saying: The governor doubled down on the nomination in a letter to the Governor's Council late Monday night. She argued that DeMore's career has given him an understanding of both the weight of criminal charges and the perspective of victims. "I understand there are strong opinions about this role, and that we are all working toward a stronger, safer Massachusetts," she wrote. "But I do not believe recent criticisms of Attorney DeMore's nomination take into consideration his varied experience or the current makeup of the Board."
Meanwhile: Healey didn't need anyone else's sign-off to appoint an entirely new Cannabis Control Commission yesterday. Thanks to the marijuana reform law enacted last month, Healey got total power to replace the previous five-member commission with a three-person board — and she chose three new faces.
- Christopher Harding, a former state revenue commissioner and member of the state's CCC advisory board, will be the commission's new chair. The two other new commissioners are Xiomara DeLobato and Anthony Wilson. State House News Service has more on all three's backgrounds here.
P.S.— Mark your calendars for Thursday, Aug. 20. We're hosting a debate between the two major Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts: incumbent Sen. Ed Markey and his challenger, Rep. Seth Moulton. The hourlong debate — co-sponsored by WCVB and The Boston Globe — will be the final faceoff between the two Democrats before the Sept. 1 state primary.
