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| ☁️ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64 and a chance of light rain. |
The highways are expected to start getting busy with Memorial Day weekend travelers after lunch today. According to AAA, today and tomorrow afternoon will likely be the worst times to drive. But this year, traffic might not be your biggest concern. Gassed up: The average price of a gallon of gas in Massachusetts hit $4.50 yesterday for this first time since 2022 due to the effects of the war in Iran. That's a full $1.50 higher than this time last year, meaning drivers face an extra $20 to $30 dollars for a tank of gas over what's typically a roadtrip holiday. But according to AAA , just as many people — if not a little more than last year — are expected to travel, including a projected 2 million in New England. WBUR's Stevee Chapman spoke to our go-to holiday travel expert, AAA Northeast spokesperson Mark Schieldrop, about the impacts of higher gas prices and how drivers can try to save a little at the pump. - Travel impacts: Schieldrop said the spiking gas prices since early March have yet to lead to any "massive shift" in driving behavior. People are just paying more. "Your typical trip is booked three to six months out, so that means a lot of folks are just going to travel no matter what the gas prices are," he said.
- The bigger impact on road traffic this weekend might actually be the relatively cool (and slightly rainy) forecast. That kind of weather means fewer people jumping in the car for spontaneous beach days, which could free up the road a little for people with planned trips, Schieldrop said.
- How to save: Schieldrop said there's "no secret gas station undercutting everybody by a dollar a gallon." (Darn.) But there are other ways to strategize to save a little. Schieldrop's first tip is to use a gas price-tracking app to shop around — and avoid gas stations right off the highway. "Service plazas and rest areas are places where you're going to see gas prices 20 or even 30 cents higher than gas stations that are in town," he said.
- Schieldrop also said wholesale club memberships (i.e. BJ's, Costco), as well as fuel brand apps and rewards programs, offer decent discounts. "Many of them have promotional offers right now where you can save 50 cents or even $1 a gallon on your first purchase," he said. "If you do plan on filling up completely, it may be a good opportunity to cash in on one of those promotional deals."
- Looking ahead: Schieldrop said there are early signs that prices could affect people's behavior as the summer driving season wears on. For example, he said gas station data in May so far shows a less than 1% drop in the number of gallons people are buying. Schieldrop said the "very slight" dip was noteworthy because "normally we expect to see pretty strong growth in May."
Addressing a different kind of inflation: Harvard's faculty voted yesterday to approve a new policy that caps the number of "A" grades handed out in a class to 20% of students, plus four additional students. (The "plus four" part is designed to give some flexibility to smaller classes.) The new policy starts with the 2027-28 school year. - The backstory: As WBUR's Suevon Lee recently reported, the proposal came out of rising concern about grade inflation. For example, “A” grades represented two-thirds of all Harvard letter grades last academic year, which some argued had diluted the meaning of the top mark.
Down on Capital Hill: Republicans and Democrats in the House voted 396 to 13 yesterday to pass the big "meatball" of a housing affordability bill championed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. But there's still one small, crucial sticking point. The House removed controversial language from the Senate version of the bill that would require big corporate landlords to sell any "build-to-rent " homes they build after seven years. (The provision is part of a larger proposal both chambers agree on to otherwise ban landlords with more than 350 single-family homes from buying any more.) - What's next: In a statement with the bill's Republican cosponsor, Sen. Tim Scott, Warren said there's "still work to be done." She later suggested to reporters it could take a while to resolve the differences.
Parole (board) denied: Despite a rare in-person plea from Gov. Maura Healey herself, the Governor's Council rejected her Parole Board nominee Vincent DeMore yesterday by a vote of 4-3. Healey called the vote "very disappointing" and said she still believes the board needs someone with DeMore's mix of experiences as both a prosecutor and defense lawyer. P.S.— "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" comes to an end tonight, after being canceled by CBS. Ahead of the final episode, read this Cognoscenti commentary from former Boston radio host and reporter Bill Lichtenstein, who argues something "older and more important" than a talk show is being lost. |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick joined WBUR’s All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins to talk about Frank’s legacy. Read more. |
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In a battle over Boston's next budget, the city council is trying to flex its power to mitigate cuts made by Mayor Michelle Wu. But councilors are limited in how much they can change the $4.9 billion budget proposal. Read more.
MUST READ TOADY TODD BLANCHE! |
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The 94-year-old former leader of Cuba faces several charges, including four counts of murder for an attack on a humanitarian group more than 30 years ago. Read more. excerpt: In a translated social media post, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called the indictment essentially a political move by the U.S. with no grounding in the law. He also said that the U.S. "lies and distorts the events surrounding the downing of the planes." He called the Brothers to the Rescue a "narco-terrorist" group.
The Cuban government defended their actions at the time of the incident, saying the planes were working to undermine the Cuban government and that the Brothers to the Rescue organization was made up of anti-Cuba terrorists. Cuba also argued that the planes were shot down in its airspace, while the International Civil Aviation Organization concluded that the planes were shot down in international airspace. In his social media post on Wednesday, Díaz-Canel wrote that Cuba acted in "legitimate self-defense" and called Castro a "hero" loved by his people.
Leading up to the attack, the Brothers to the Rescue organization flew planes repeatedly over Cuban airspace, much to the leaders' disdain, and dropped leaflets containing excerpts from the United Nation's Universal Declarations of Human Rights that landed on the mainland. It helped galvanize Cuban-based anti-Castro groups. |
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Among the plaintiffs are nine Black and Latino students who argue they attend school in segregated districts across the state, according to the lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court. The students claim the state is violating their right to an adequate education to equal protection under the law by denying them equal education across school districts. Read more. |
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Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, was knocked unconscious during a boxing match that was part of training and later died. Noble said the Academy has taken steps, such as permanently ending boxing and "head-strike" activities. Read more. |
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- What's that big, mulchy island that has suddenly appeared in Boston’s Fort Point Channel? WBUR's Bianca Garcia reports it's a floating wetland. The projects aims to bring back the natural “edge habitat” that disappeared when developers reshaped Boston’s coastline with landfill and seawalls.
- After a year-long rebuild in Maine, the historic War of 1812 tall ship USS Niagara is set to sail the Great Lakes back to Erie, Pennsylvania — the site of one of its most famous victories.
- Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi’s new buddy movie "Silent Friend" is told from the POV of a centuries-old tree. It's "about how it’s probably impossible for us to truly understand these strange other beings we share the planet with, and why it’s worth making an effort all the same," film critic Sean Burns writes in his review.
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- Wu, Healey administrations battle over state’s ‘inappropriate’ plan to shut down Boston street for World Cup matches (Boston Herald)
- Sports Illustrated Just Deleted Every Article by One of Its Writers After Accusation of AI Plagiarism (Futurism)
- Pasta Worthy of a Pilgrimage (The New York Times)
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A West End resident saw a trio of ghost signs and wondered how to bring them to back to life. He tracked down a local business that one of the old signs belonged to and convinced them and the West End Museum to partner and pay sign painters to restore them. Read more. |
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Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going?
Before you go: "Boston mistletoe." |
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