WBUR TODAY: Bittersweet Symphony

                        

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❤️ Donate Friday, May 29, 2026 ⛅ Sunny turning to cloudy, with a high near 69. (Click here for more on the big storm hitting New England tonight through Saturday.) Good Morning Boston, We're less than two weeks out from the World Cup, and the MBTA is working overtime to make its stations cleaner and easier to navigate for visitors. Click here for WBUR transportation reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez's look at the T's dingiest stations. But first, T riders have a few closures to deal with — one lasting three days, one lasting a week and one lasting [check notes] three years: Symphony intermission: Today is the last day of service on the Green Line's E branch before a seven-day closure between Copley and Heath Street begins Saturday. But there's one stop that won't reopen when the diversion is over. The MBTA's Symphony station is closing for three whole years Saturday, as part of a $170 million rebuild of the 85-year-old underground stop outside Symphony Hall. It's the longest temporary MBTA train station closure in recent memory — longer than the two-year Government Center closure a decade ago or Lechmere's pre-Green Line Extension relocation. What's the reason for the rebuild? Symphony station "currently has many shortcomings," project manager Dane Wigfall said in a recent meeting. It has no elevators, meaning it's not accessible to wheelchair users. The platforms aren't accessible, either. There are no restrooms. It's dimly lit. And it doesn't meet modern safety and emergency exit standards. Why will the closure last so long? It's going to take a complete renovation to fix those problems. The project will add four elevators — one on each corner of the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Huntington Avenue — plus restrooms, new stairs, new lighting, raised platforms and bike lane/sidewalk improvements. MBTA officials say the added amenities will require expanding the station underground. And all that work has to be done with strict time windows and phasing to keep trains and traffic flowing through the busy intersection. Crews also had to relocate utilities before digging. "You can't drill a hole for an elevator through a bunch of power lines," said Gwen Dunlevy, the T's senior director for capital transformation. ( Check out the T's renderings of what the new Symphony station will eventually look like here.) How long exactly will all that take? Officially, the T says Symphony will reopen in the summer of 2029. But according to Wigfall, that will only be a partial reopening. The full reopening won't happen until 2030. In the meantime: The Green Line's E branch trains will continue to run through Symphony (with the exception of the coming week); they just won't stop at the station. Riders can get on the line at nearby Prudential and Northeastern University stops, both of which are 0.3 miles (or about a five-minute walk) away. MBTA officials also note that the Orange Line's Massachusetts Avenue station is even closer: 0.1 miles. And the 39 bus runs the same route as the E branch. Elsewhere on the T: There's a big hole in Red Line service. Today through Sunday, free shuttles are subbing in between Broadway and Quincy Center (on the Braintree branch), as well as between JFK/UMass and Ashmont. (The Mattapan trolley is still chugging along.) If you're headed downtown from Braintree or Ashmont, T officials suggest budgeting an extra 40-50 minutes for your trip. During the diversion, you can also take the commuter rail for free between South Station and Braintree, which will be much faster than the shuttles. Shuttles are replacing Red Line service between Broadway and Quincy Center and between JFK/UMass and Ashmont from Friday, May 29 through Sunday, May 31. (MBTA) Grow wild: Beginning today, Massachusetts officials are giving out free starter kits to anyone who wants to start a native plant garden. It's the sixth annual giveaway, as part of what Gov. Maura Healey has officially declared as Growing Wild Day. The kits will be available, while supplies last, at 21 local nurseries and six state parks. Why? Massachusetts has over 1,000 native plants, and they're important for pollinators like bees and butterflies to thrive and support the local ecosystem. FYI: The free kits include two native perennials and a packet of wildflower seeds. And you don't even need a yard to participate. "We like to say every square foot counts," Growing Wild program coordinator Patrick Lindquist told WBUR's Amanda Beland. "So even if you only have a deck or a patio, pollinators will definitely be grateful that you made that decision." They're back: The Lowell Spinners return to LeLacheur Park tonight, after a multi-year hiatus. The Red Sox dropped the Spinners after 24 years as their Class-A affiliate in 2020 due to a larger minor league restructuring. But the team is being brought back as part of an amateur summer league for top college players, thanks to an ownership group that includes former Sox outfielder Johnny Damon. A welcome reprieve from World Cup ticket prices: Tickets for the Spinners' home-opener tonight top out at $15. P.S.— Why did Boston Mayor Michelle Wu cancel a speech at Harvard? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week's stories. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters The Rundown DOJ sues Massachusetts for refusing to issue ICE confidential license plates Gov. Maura Healey said the lawsuit is the latest in a series of ”specious complaints against states like Massachusetts, putting together targeted investigations against political enemies.” She also rolled out guidance Thursday to help schools, houses of worship and healthcare facilities keep ICE out of private areas. Read more. MUST READ! BARBIE BONDI made wild accusations...BOSTON  officials abided with LAW and SJC decision.  (She's an attorney and can't research statutes?) Federal judge dismisses Trump administration's lawsuit over Boston's 'Trust Act' U.S. Judge Leo Sorokin writes in his decision: 'In Massachusetts, there is simply no source of authority empowering Boston police officers to do what the United States would like them to do.' Read more. excerpt:  The Trump administration filed suit last year against Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Police Department, saying the city's policy to cooperate with immigration enforcement officials only in criminal matters violates federal law. At the time, then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took sharp aim at Boston and the mayor, calling the city and Wu "among the worst sanctuary offenders in America." The mayor and Gov. Maura Healey have said that neither the city nor the state are "sanctuary" jurisdictions, and that law enforcement officials here routinely cooperate with federal officials on criminal matters. Sorokin wrote that to override the principles of the Trust Act, the state Legislature could enact a statute authorizing Massachusetts law enforcement officers to arrest people facing civil immigration violations. Or, he said, Congress could enact federal legislation giving local law enforcement that authority. Or, he said, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court could conclude that its 2017 Lunn ruling was wrongly decided. In that decision, the state's highest court found that holding someone for ICE on a civil immigration matter, after they should otherwise be released from local custody, is not permitted in Massachusetts. DA Hayden weighs new policy on release of body cam footage, amid outcry over police shooting District Attorney Kevin Hayden invited about 40 local elected officials, clergy and community leaders to a private meeting he held to seek input as he says his office works to create a new policy for the release of police body camera footage. Read more. Senate plans to provide some audit documents to DiZoglio The Senate voted 33-6 to pass a resolution laying out the history of its dispute with the auditor and making it clear that senators are limiting the records they will provide to those discussed in recent litigation. Read more. IN CASE YOU WERE CURIOUS (this is why there are so few REPUBLICANS):  All five Republicans — Sens. Kelly Dooner, Peter Durant, Ryan Fattman, Patrick O'Connor and Bruce Tarr — voted against the resolution, as did Democrat Sen. Mark Montigny. Parents say teachers may not get final paychecks at Croft School that's closing The for-profit private school announced it would shut its doors earlier this year after the board discovered its founder allegedly concealed $13 million in debt and misled families about its finances. Read more. Anything Else? During his Harvard commencement address, comedian Conan O'Brien mixed jokes aimed at the Trump administration with reflective commentary about empathy and humility. We tallied up your votes and this year's Local Fan Favorite in NPR's Tiny Desk Concert is... riah! Listen to the Hyde Park native's stripped-down R&B performance of her song "Other Side" here. After three days of competition and a rare, rapid-fire "spell-off," 14-year-old Shrey Parikh won this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee. Reflecting on Pope Leo's encyclical on artificial intelligence, Harvard Law School fellow Robert Bordone writes in this Cognoscenti commentary that we discover the deepest learning when we take time to “waste time" with each other on activities that do not contribute to problem-solving or economic production of value. What We're Reading 📚 The 40 Most Rage-Inducing Problems in Tech (The Ringer) A French Soccer Star Faces Off Against a Surging Foe: The Far Right (The New York Times) Online Trolls Harassed Her Six-Year-Old. That Was Only the Beginning (Rolling Stone) Tell Me Something Good Stamp bonanza in Boston: Philatelists flood city for 2026 World Expo The Boston 2026 World Expo began on May 23 and runs through Saturday. The free event comes around every decade, offering over 1,000 displays and tens of millions of dollars worth of stamps and philatelic items for sale. Read more. Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: They can keep it! 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up here. 🔎 Explore WBUR's Field Guide stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. Check out all of our newsletter offerings. 📱 Download the WBUR App for iPhones and iPads or Android devices.               Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? Click here. Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA, 02215, US Copyright © 2026 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.

NEMASKET WEEK

                       

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NEMASKET WEEK

Message View ICE is one bad flight away from killing over a hundred people.

                      

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REPUBLICANS and MAGA ignore ICE GESTAPO RISKS and ABUSE!

We have written to you before about the little girl who collapsed on a GlobalX deportation flight with oxygen levels at 70%.    We have written to you about the body wraps, the shackles, and the deportees who soiled themselves after being denied the bathroom.    But what most people still do not know is that the cruelty extends beyond the horrific conditions on board.    ICE is causing a genuine aviation safety catastrophe and it is one bad flight away from killing over a hundred people.   Arsenal is partnering with ICE flight organizers across the country, from the Key Lime Air divestment campaign in Colorado to flight watchers in Minneapolis, to produce a professional PSA video that brings this story to people who have never heard it.    The video will feature an Air Force veteran who served as an aviation firefighter and will make the danger impossible to dismiss.   This PSA is the next weapon in the fight we have been building together since March Madness. Chip in to fund the production.   Our PSA will expose:    FAA regulations require a full plane evacuation in under 90 seconds even with half the exits blocked.    A documented ICE flight evacuation took over three minutes because shackled detainees physically cannot move fast enough.    The chains themselves can snag evacuation slides and pop them, making those exits unusable for everyone on board.   Detainees cannot reach oxygen masks or put on life vests because wrist restraints attach to a waist chain that prevents raising arms above the shoulders.    Pilots and crews are working past FAA-mandated shift limits with falsified records to hide it.    And flight crews on GlobalX and other carriers have been explicitly told that in an emergency evacuation they should just leave the detainees.   ICE is operating a record number of flights right now carrying over a hundred people at a time including children.    The question is not whether something catastrophic is going to happen.    It is whether the public will know enough to demand accountability before it does.   Chip in today to make sure this PSA gets made and gets seen before the next flight goes horribly wrong.   We have the watch,   Samantha Boucher Founder Arsenal PAC SUPPORT ARSENAL TODAY           We are democracy's digital arsenal. Arsenal builds and deploys cutting edge technology for activists, journalists, academics, campaigns, and vulnerable communities. Our first tool, ResistMap, has already garnered national media attention and attacks from MAGA leadership. Your donations help us build more digital tools for the defense of democracy, keep our infrastructure secure, and sustain our legal armor. DONATE NOW Paid for by Arsenal PAC ©2026 Arsenal PAC, all rights reserved.   https://arsenaldemocracy.org   Our mailing address is: Arsenal PAC 100 13th Street NW, Suite 800 PMB 2005  Washington, DC 20005, United States of America