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| ☁️ Mostly cloudy, with patchy fog, a chance of rain and a high near 63. |
It's a daffodil-filled Friday. The Boston Marathon Expo and City Hall Plaza Fan Fest open today, kicking off race weekend. The BAA 5K will also loop through Back Bay on Saturday, while 26.True marathon and half marathon runners take to the streets of Roxbury, Dorchester and Back Bay. Planet Fitness is also offering free entrance today through Sunday at local gyms in honor of the marathon. But before you pick up your bib or put on your "super shoes," let's get to the news: H to the O-V: There's a new way to get to Boston's Logan Airport — just in time for April school vacation week in Massachusetts. Uber and Lyft are now running regular shuttles between the airport and neighboring communities, as part of the two companies' compromise deal with Massport last year to avert a big hike in fees on ride-hailing trips to the airport. The new shuttle service, which launched yesterday, will run three fixed routes through Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. Massport CEO Rich Davey said the shuttles are an "affordable" option for riders that also helps "increase HOV travel, ease congestion, and improve efficiency across the airport." - How affordable? The Uber-run shuttles through Cambridge and Boston will be just $3 one way per person for the first week (through Thursday, April 23), before going up to $10 for "at least the first month," according to a spokesperson. After that, they may go up to $15. Meanwhile, the initial pricing for Lyft's route from Porter Square through Somerville will be $13 to $16 a person, according to a spokesperson. (For comparison, Logan Express bus tickets are $3 roundtrip from Back Bay and $9 roundtrip from its suburban pickup points.) The shuttles also include a tipping option like normal Uber and Lyft rides.
- An extra perk: Similar to the Logan Express' Back Bay bus, riders of the new shuttle will get a "Ticket to Skip" pass that allows them to go directly to the front of the normal TSA security line at Logan.
- How much room is there? Massport says the companies are using 10-15 seat passenger vans and will drop off at Logan terminals. Riders can reserve spots ahead of time via the Uber and Lyft platforms.
Here's a look at the routes and schedule. Click here for specific stops and map: Lyft Shuttle: Porter-Somerville-Lechmere - Stops: Porter Square, Cambria Hotel-Somerville, Lechmere, Logan Airport
- Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week
- Frequency: Every 60 minutes
Uber Shuttle: Boston - Stops: Allston, Boston University, Kenmore Square, North Station, Logan Airport
- Hours: 2 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week
- Frequency: Every 30 minutes
Uber Shuttle: Cambridge - Stops: Porter Square, Harvard Square, Central Square, MIT, Kendall Square, Logan Airport
- Hours: 2 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week
- Frequency: Every 30 minutes
In other news: Breaking overnight: Todd Lyons is stepping down as the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The South Boston native has served as acting director of ICE since early in President Trump's second term, after previously overseeing the agency's New England field office. Officials said Lyons plans to join the private sector and his last day with ICE will be May 31. - Lyons has been at the center of the Trump administration's controversial deportation push, which swept up thousands of people across New England. While officials have said they're targeting "the worst of the worst," the numbers show that nearly half arrested in Massachusetts had no pending criminal charges or convictions; they were marked only for being in the country without legal status.
- In related news: A new NPR analysis shows that worsening wait times on immigration applications is leaving more people vulnerable to deportation.
A BFD for the BFD: For the first time in its nearly 350-year history, the Boston Fire Department will be led by a Black commissioner. Mayor Michelle Wu appointed Rodney Marshall as the city’s new fire commissioner yesterday. A 35-year veteran of the department, Marshall has served as deputy chief since 2022. He's earned recognition for saving several lives during a six-alarm fire in 1998 and rescuing people trapped in a bus in 2013. He also has a pretty cool nickname: "The Ice Man." As he explained to reporters, “I'm usually cool under pressure.” WBUR's Eve Zuckoff has more on his appointment here. - Marshall replaces retiring BFD commissioner Paul Burke, who said he plans to sleep, travel and spend time with his grandchildren.
P.S.— Boston just enacted a new ordinance that requires food delivery companies to do what? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week's stories. |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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Ware was dying of cancer when he he was granted medical parole and was supposed to be released. But two months later, the lack of an adequate medical plan and bureaucratic hurdles meant he died as an inmate in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Read more. |
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One of the fired judges is Nina Froes, an appointee of President Biden who served alongside 19 judges at the court in Chelmsford. That court now has just five permanent and two temporary judges. Read more. |
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Anne Brensley, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, and her husband owed tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes to the federal government as of March, according to public records. She says she's now paid them off. Read more. |
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New data shows a significant increase in summer bacteria spikes in Newburyport Harbor from the previous year — up to ten times higher in some cases. The cause is unclear. Swimming is not common in Newburyport Harbor. But the high summer bacteria levels can make the water unsafe for dogs, boating and other recreational uses Read more. |
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Ten Republicans voted alongside Democrats, in a rebuke to the Trump administration's immigration policies. Should it pass the Senate, the White House said President Trump would veto the measure. Read more. |
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- In the early 1900s, painter Eleanor Norcross dreamed of creating a museum for her hometown of Fitchburg. And shortly after her death, her two best friends used money from her estate to make that dream a reality. Now, the Fitchburg Art Museum is shining a light on Norcross' legacy for its 100th anniversary — and to celebrate, they're offering free admission through 2029.
- Berklee College of Music, one of the world's top music schools, has begun integrating generative artifical intelligence into its courses about subjects like composition and songwriting. Many students on the Back Bay campus are now pushing back, amid concerns about what the technology will mean for the long-term careers.
- Stephen Soderbergh's new film “The Christophers” stars Ian McKellen as a reclusive, disgraced artist, whose greedy adult children hire a former classmate (Michaela Coel) to steal his unfinished paintings. "Underneath the character comedy lie serious concerns about authorship and legacy," reviews critic Sean Burns.
- The federal Commission of Fine Arts voted to move ahead with President Trump's proposal to build a to 250-foot "victory arch" at the National Mall. But the seven-member body, comprised of Trump appointees, did suggest some tweaks. (ICYMI: You can see the original renderings of the arch here.)
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- Emails Reveal Space Force’s Hardest Mission Is Writing a Song (404 Media)
- SantaCon Leader Ran His Own $1 Million Con, U.S. Says (The New York Times)
- I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread in America (The Atlantic)
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Before reggae became a global phenomenon, record store owner Leroy Webb helped foster a home for the genre in Boston. Read more. |
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Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going?
Before you go: If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes drive a few miles inland. |
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