Garden party

Also: Mass. Dems' mixed reactions to Biden's immigration order; Bill McKibben's "third act" [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 5, 2024 🌤️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Good Morning Boston, It's getting [so hot]( today that the even flamingos are [getting confused](. Let's begin today with some indoor news: - The NBA Finals tip off tomorrow night between the Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. And while the first two games are in Boston, TD Garden plans to keep the party going when the Celtics leave town. For the first time ever, the arena will host watch parties for the Celtics' away games during the finals. Games 3 and 4 next week will be broadcast live on the arena's hanging jumbotron and fans will be able to come watch and buy food and drinks. "The goal is to kind of create the same kind of environment as when they are competing here on the parquet," TD Garden President Glen Thornborough said. - The watch parties are also being billed as a cheaper, family-friendly alternative to attending one of the Finals home games — with tickets for Game 1 tomorrow starting at over $700. Watch party tickets will be priced at $18 (in honor of the Celtics's quest for an 18th banner, North Station parking for the watch parties cost is $18, too). TD Garden will also offer a special $5 value concessions menu in addition to the normal food and drink. - How to attend: Tickets will go on sale to the general public tomorrow at 10 a.m. [right here on the TD Garden website]( (after Celtics and Bruins season-ticket holders get first dibs today). - Outside the Garden: Boston will continue to close off Canal Street for the first four games of the Finals so fans can gather (for free) and restaurants can expand outdoor seating. - In related news: After missing most of the playoffs with a calf injury, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis [told reporters yesterday that he plans to be ready]( for Game 1 against his old team. - The local angle: Gov. Maura Healey is praising President Biden's announcement yesterday that he will place restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. [As NPR reports]( Biden's executive order suspends the processing of most asylum claims at the southern border when they deem it is "overwhelmed" (aka when the seven-day average of unauthorized crossings exceeds 2,500). - Healey's take: "President Biden took important action today by the executive order," she told reporters yesterday. "So I strongly support that." She also repeated [her call for Congress to pass immigration reform]( and [provide more funding for states dealing with an influx of migrants](. "My focus is going to continue to be on getting people who are here work permits," she said. "Four thousand people have been processed. Many of them are working right now and you know, I'm just continuing to send the message that we've really reached capacity here in Massachusetts." - On the other hand: Biden's policy drew mixed reactions from fellow Democrats in Massachusetts' congressional delegation. While Rep. Seth Moulton echoed Healey's comments, Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley called on Biden to reverse course. "Congress's failure to act limits the tools of the executive branch," Pressley said yesterday. "That is clear. But this action falls short of our goal of a just and fair immigration policy." - PSA: It may be beach weather today, but those frigid, spring New England waters aren't the only thing stopping many from jumping in. Eighteen beaches in Massachusetts — including Quincy's Wollaston Beach — are closed for swimming, mostly due to high bacterial levels. - [Bookmark this link]( for daily updates on beach closures around the state. - If you like pickleball: An indoor padel club — said to be one of the first in the Boston area — is set to open this fall in Dedham. Owners say [Padel Boston]( will be located in an industrial area near the Legacy Place shopping center, not far off I-95. - What's padel? The sport, which originated in Mexico, is like [pickleball combined with racquetball](. Glass walls surround the court, the scoring is like tennis and the ball has low air pressure. P.S.— The November election is now exactly five months away — and we need your help. What questions do you want answered from our election coverage over the coming months? What topics deserve more attention? [Fill out this survey]( to let us know what you think. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters  The Rundown [FDA advisors reject MDMA therapy for PTSD, amid concerns over research]( A panel of advisors to the FDA voted against the potential use of MDMA for treating PTSD. [Read more.]( [FDA advisors reject MDMA therapy for PTSD, amid concerns over research]( A panel of advisors to the FDA voted against the potential use of MDMA for treating PTSD. [Read more.]( [Climate champion Bill McKibben recruits people over 60 to join him for an activist 'Third Act']( "If you want to push around Washington or Wall Street or Beacon Hill, then having some people with hairlines like mine is a useful asset," McKibben said, lifting his cap. [Read more.]( [Climate champion Bill McKibben recruits people over 60 to join him for an activist 'Third Act']( "If you want to push around Washington or Wall Street or Beacon Hill, then having some people with hairlines like mine is a useful asset," McKibben said, lifting his cap. [Read more.]( [Poll: Two-thirds of Mass. residents support medical aid in dying]( Massachusetts voters spoke directly to the medical aid in dying in 2012 when they rejected a ballot question. Now, two-thirds of Massachusetts adults support giving certain terminally ill patients the legal option to end their lives with a doctor's prescription. [Read more.]( [Poll: Two-thirds of Mass. residents support medical aid in dying]( Massachusetts voters spoke directly to the medical aid in dying in 2012 when they rejected a ballot question. Now, two-thirds of Massachusetts adults support giving certain terminally ill patients the legal option to end their lives with a doctor's prescription. [Read more.]( [Modi has declared victory in India's election, but not the landslide he expected]( Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won a third term, but voters drastically clipped his wings by handing his alliance a narrower margin than predicted. [Read more.]( [Modi has declared victory in India's election, but not the landslide he expected]( Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won a third term, but voters drastically clipped his wings by handing his alliance a narrower margin than predicted. [Read more.]( [After months of waiting, Haitian migrants in Greenfield start getting work authorizations, UMass jobs]( Many new arrivals to western Massachusetts have anxiously waited months for federal work authorizations. Some Haitians living in Greenfield have finally received their documents and are now finding employment at UMass Amherst. [Read more.]( [After months of waiting, Haitian migrants in Greenfield start getting work authorizations, UMass jobs]( Many new arrivals to western Massachusetts have anxiously waited months for federal work authorizations. Some Haitians living in Greenfield have finally received their documents and are now finding employment at UMass Amherst. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Browntail moth caterpillars have been found in New Hampshire for the first time in 75 years — but [don't touch them]( Officials say the toxic invasive species can cause a poison ivy-like skin rash. - Local content creator Laura Green makes a living mocking something she’s spent most of her life being pretty intense about: running. "Making friends is easier when you have similar hobbies," Green [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary](. "So running is this gateway and I want to make everyone feel like they're in on the joke." - On the surface, the play "The Dybbuk: Between Two Worlds" — now playing at the Vilna Shul on Beacon Hill — is a story about resilience in the face of loss, broken promises and regret. But in the hands of director Igor Golyak's ensemble, theater critic Terry Byrne writes that the immersive production [becomes much more](. What We're Reading 📚 - Who Is Keith Gill? The Meme Lord Is Back ([The Wall Street Journal]( - What’s in a byline? For Hoodline’s AI-generated local news, everything — and nothing ([Nieman Lab]( - Ibram X. Kendi Faces a Reckoning of His Own ([The New York Times Magazine](  Tell Me Something Good [Smiles, tears, and a spitting llama: Untold tales from the Stone Zoo (The Boston Globe)]( Zookeeper Sandra Elliott shares some of her favorite stories from four decades in Stoneham. [Read more.]( [Smiles, tears, and a spitting llama: Untold tales from the Stone Zoo (The Boston Globe)]( Zookeeper Sandra Elliott shares some of her favorite stories from four decades in Stoneham. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common reminds you that [you can check out a lot more than books at the Boston Public Library](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Welcome back, Old Thom](. 😎 Forward to a friend. 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