Why lobster rolls cost more $$

Also: The cause of this week's 911 outage; busing turned a Charlestown school into a Mandarin language magnet [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 20, 2024 ☀️ Partly sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Good Morning Boston, It's the first day of summer, and we're going to feel it. Today will be the hottest of [this week's heat wave]( with temperatures expected to reach 98 in Boston (and feel like 102). Be sure to [stay cool]( by hydrating and staying indoors in air conditioning (if you can). Also keep an extra close eye on your [back seats]( and [pets](. And if you want [heat safety tips from a real expert]( NPR spoke with Jane Gilbert, who's considered the world's first ever chief heat officer. Now, to other important summer discussions and, of course, news: - Shelling out: Massachusetts' lobster roll game is strong. But if you want to indulge, you'll need to pay even more this year for the summer seafood staple. For example, at The Barking Crab in Boston's Seaport, a cold lobster roll will cost you $38, a hot one $39. Alex Morris, the restaurant's director of operations, told WBUR's Amy Sokolow those prices are up $7 from two years ago. - Lobster rolls have never been a cheap eat, but why the higher-than-usual price tag? Local lobstermen [say the lobster haul is lower than usual]( due to climate change and restrictions on where they can catch them. The costs of other ingredients (inflation!) and labor are also up. - Is sticker shock affecting demand at restaurants? Not yet, for the Barking Crab, at least. According to Morris, the restaurant sold more than 6,000 lobster rolls last month. "I think the demand is high because it's not just the lobster rolls that are expensive," Morris said. "Going out to eat is just getting more expensive and I think the consumer understands that." - News you can use: The prices around Boston seem to range from $35-$40, [according to Boston.com]( which also put together a helpful list of how much lobster rolls cost right now, organized by price point. - On Beacon Hill: Gov. Maura Healey is expected to sign a bill into law today that outlaws sharing explicit images and videos without the subject's consent. Massachusetts is currently one of just two states (the other being South Carolina) without a ban on "revenge porn," or what advocacy groups call "image-based sexual assault." - What they're saying: Nithya Badrinath, the policy director at Jane Doe Inc., an advocacy group against sexual assault and domestic violence, told Amy that the ban is a long-time coming, but the group is "really happy" with the "stronger bill" Healey is signing. You can [read more about the details here.]( - Campus layoffs: Emerson College is planning to cut staff and faculty positions due to an enrollment decline leaders say is linked to campus protests over the war in Gaza this spring. In [a letter obtained by The Boston Globe]( Emerson President Jay Bernhardt wrote the one-year enrollment slump was partially caused by "student protests targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and [arrests]( The letter did not mention the specific number of positions being affected. - Bernhardt also said [this year's FAFSA disruptions]( and national trends away from small schools may have added to the decline. - PSA: [Allston Yards]( open today with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new development includes housing, office and lab space, a community green space and retail stores, including a fancy new Stop & Shop. (The grocery store chain owned the site of the now-Allston Yards and has operated a store there for more than 20 years.) The new Stop & Shop will open its doors to shoppers tomorrow. - School's out: Students at four Boston Public Schools are getting a bonus perk from the Celtics' NBA championship. BPS officials say Snowden International High School, Josiah Quincy Upper School, Josiah Quincy Elementary School and The Eliot will all be closed tomorrow due to "logistical headaches" caused by [the Celtics parade](. That means the last day of classes for those schools is today. Happy summer break! P.S.— If you loved WBUR's "Beyond All Repair," you really don't want to miss tonight's CitySpace conversation at 7 p.m. with host Amory Sivertson and Meghna Chakrabarti. They'll chat about how the podcast about a woman trying to shed herself of a 22-year-old murder accusation was made and you'll hear all the inside deets. [Buy your tickets — for in person or livestream — here.]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters Meagan McGinnes Assistant Managing Editor, Newsletters  The Rundown [Busing turned a Charlestown school into a Mandarin language magnet. Now that program's closing]( By 1975, many elementary school students were bused from Chinatown to schools in Charlestown. Today, there's still a significant number of Chinese students attending a Charlestown elementary school. Still, 50 years after court-ordered desegregation, providing bilingual students with a solid education is difficult to achieve. [Read more.]( [Busing turned a Charlestown school into a Mandarin language magnet. Now that program's closing]( By 1975, many elementary school students were bused from Chinatown to schools in Charlestown. Today, there's still a significant number of Chinese students attending a Charlestown elementary school. Still, 50 years after court-ordered desegregation, providing bilingual students with a solid education is difficult to achieve. [Read more.]( [Roxbury marks Juneteenth with a message of unity]( A few hundred people gathered at Roxbury Heritage State Park to raise the Juneteenth flag, which was created by Boston's own Ben Haith and illustrator Lisa Jeanne-Graf. [Read more.]( [Roxbury marks Juneteenth with a message of unity]( A few hundred people gathered at Roxbury Heritage State Park to raise the Juneteenth flag, which was created by Boston's own Ben Haith and illustrator Lisa Jeanne-Graf. [Read more.]( [Firewall issue caused Massachusetts' two-hour 911 outage, officials say]( A preliminary investigation found that a firewall — a cybersecurity software system used to prevent hacking — stopped calls from getting through to 911 dispatch centers on Tuesday. [Read more.]( [Firewall issue caused Massachusetts' two-hour 911 outage, officials say]( A preliminary investigation found that a firewall — a cybersecurity software system used to prevent hacking — stopped calls from getting through to 911 dispatch centers on Tuesday. [Read more.]( [3 things you need to know about student loans this summer]( The Biden administration's student loan relief program, SAVE, is set to reduce payments this summer for many borrowers, but there are legal challenges looming. [Read more.]( [3 things you need to know about student loans this summer]( The Biden administration's student loan relief program, SAVE, is set to reduce payments this summer for many borrowers, but there are legal challenges looming. [Read more.]( [Incarcerated women confront trauma through art on the Cape]( Women at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility are painting the jail's first mural as part of the Women's Therapeutic Treatment Program, created in March. [Read more.]( [Incarcerated women confront trauma through art on the Cape]( Women at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility are painting the jail's first mural as part of the Women's Therapeutic Treatment Program, created in March. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Boston is kicking into celebratory gear for the first weekend of summer, with solstice merriment and Pride events galore. Read all five of our arts and culture team's events recommendations [here](.  - Boston College is looking to rebuild its swimming and diving programs after hazing allegations last fall. To do so, the university is [turning to five-time Olympian Dara Torres as its new coach]( for both the men and women teams.  - Archaeologists [unearthed 35 bottles of cherries]( from the cellar of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The 250-year-old fruits, many still intact, can shed new light on those who lived and worked there.  - As part of our series with The Emancipator on Boston's busing legacy, Dart Adams [writes in this essay]( that local civil rights-era visionaries already showed us how to create a more dynamic and progressive future for all students that would help address the problems facing Boston Public Schools today: freedom schools.  What We're Reading 📚 - Instagram Is Not a Cigarette ([The Atlantic]( - Canty says reporter could face years in prison for not announcing he was recording a public meeting ([Plymouth Independent]( - Worldwide, news publishers face a “platform reset” ([Nieman Lab](  Tell Me Something Good [Enfield church bell, donated by enslaver, now rings to commemorate freedom on Juneteenth]( The Enfield Congregational, United Church of Christ's historic bell, donated by a slave owner, now rings to honor inclusivity and commemorate Juneteenth. [Read more.]( [Enfield church bell, donated by enslaver, now rings to commemorate freedom on Juneteenth]( The Enfield Congregational, United Church of Christ's historic bell, donated by a slave owner, now rings to honor inclusivity and commemorate Juneteenth. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common looks at [the alternative homeownership model]( being used to fight displacement in Chinatown. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Welcome to the world, [baby Jrue]( 😎 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.](    Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.