Good news, leaf peepers

Also: It's primary day in Mass.; hotel strike leads to a Labor Day first [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser](   September 3, 2024  ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 74. Good Morning Boston, It's primary election day in Massachusetts. Hope you're rested from the holiday weekend and ready to vote! There's a Republican primary to take on Sen. Elizabeth Warren, [a Democratic proxy battle over a Boston-area clerkship]( and [over 30 State House races at stake today](. You can [look up your polling place here]( and find everything else you need to know today in [our primary election breakdown](. Remember, polls are open until 8 p.m. Now, to the news: - Season's a-changing: This Labor Day weekend marked the unofficial end to summer and the start of meteorological fall. (The [cool, dry air]( that [wooshed down]( yesterday feels like Exhibit A.) But according to local foliage experts, it'll be a few more weeks before the trees change into their autumn wardrobe. That's thanks to the rainy summer we've had here in New England, photographer and [leaf fanatic]( Jeff Folger told WBUR's Amy Sokolow. - The elements at play: Moisture from the rain has led to fewer dry patches across the state. That means trees are well hydrated and there's a good chance we'll get lots of color. "Happy trees tend to hold their leaves longer," Folger said. - When to go leaf-peeping: It won't be until autumn proper (i.e., after Sept. 22) that the leaves begin to turn. "I've never really found a whole lot of color mid-September," says Folger. "So a lot of times I tell people that the earliest you should probably go out is maybe the 25th of September." Leaf-peepers in Boston can expect the most vibrant colors around mid-to-late October, he added. - After that: If you're the type that likes to skip straight to Christmas, the Old Farmer's Almanac says you can expect a mild winter that doesn't really ramp up until after Thanksgiving. "The forecast calls for a long fall season this year," Carol Connare, the almanac's editor in chief, told Amy. "Our models tell us that we'll have a few chilly Arctic blasts more like mid-December." (But take the forecast with a grain of road salt. Last year, the Almanac's seasonal calls [for a snowy New England winter did not age well]( and their prediction record overall [hasn't been the best.]( - North of the border: Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting New Hampshire tomorrow to hold a campaign event in the Portsmouth area. It'll be her first appearance in the Granite State since becoming the Democratic nominee for president. - Zoom in: Republicans had gotten [hopeful]( winning New Hampshire for the first time 20 years after the debate between President Biden and Donald Trump. However, [a poll last month]( by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center showed Harris leading the former president by 7%. The Boston Globe also [reported Monday]( some inside the Trump campaign are warning New Hampshire is "no longer a battleground state." - Zoom out: Here are [five things to keep in mind during the post-Labor Day campaign sprint to November](. - Can you stand the rain: Climate change has led to [more frequent, heavy rainstorms]( in Massachusetts - and stormwater drainage pipes known as culverts haven't been able to handle the consistent barrage. To solve the problem, the state is giving cities and towns more than $2 million this year to upgrade the pipes through 2025. - For the last four years, the state has [awarded annual grants to municipalities looking to replace their culverts](. The pipes, which run underground, are too small to handle the heavy rain that's come with climate change, WBUR's Barb Moran reports. Massachusetts Fish and Game Commissioner Tom O'Shea says that can lead to flooding, pollution and other adverse impacts. "Culverts can cause complete road failure in certain storms," O'Shea told Barb. "They're also blocking fish and other aquatic species from moving up and down the landscape." - Where the cash is going: Fourteen towns will receive funds from the program this year, including Billerica, Warren and Westborough. [Read the full list of communities here](. - Court proceedings begin in Boston today for Kevin Kangethe, the man accused of killing his girlfriend and [leaving her body in a car at Logan Airport](. Prosecutors say Kangethe stabbed 31-year-old Margaret Mbitu to death before fleeing to Kenya last October. - Kangethe was [extradited this weekend from Kenya]( where he had been [arrested]( in January - and then [escaped]( police custody - before being arrested again. He faces murder charges at Suffolk Superior Court. P.S.- Speaking of the changing of the seasons, CitySpace is out with an [eclectic fall events lineup](. It features celebrities, NPR journalists, food, concerts, Kai Ryssdal(!) and even some sports. [Check out the full schedule here]( to lock down your seat ahead of time. Hanna Ali Associate Producer, Newsletters Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters The Rundown [Democrats move Labor Day breakfast outdoors 'in solidarity' with hotel workers' strike]( On Monday, Massachusetts Democrats moved an annual Labor Day breakfast out of its usual setting inside the Hilton Park Plaza Hotel and to the outdoors in a show of solidarity with hundreds of striking hotel workers in Boston. [Read more.]( [Democrats move Labor Day breakfast outdoors 'in solidarity' with hotel workers' strike]( On Monday, Massachusetts Democrats moved an annual Labor Day breakfast out of its usual setting inside the Hilton Park Plaza Hotel and to the outdoors in a show of solidarity with hundreds of striking hotel workers in Boston. [Read more.]( [Tens of thousands of MBTA riders to qualify for half-price fares]( The MBTA is set to launch a new reduced fare program this week, dramatically widening the pool of people who qualify and potentially cutting transit costs in half for about 60,000 riders. [Read more.]( [Tens of thousands of MBTA riders to qualify for half-price fares]( The MBTA is set to launch a new reduced fare program this week, dramatically widening the pool of people who qualify and potentially cutting transit costs in half for about 60,000 riders. [Read more.]( [Illegal voting by noncitizens is rare, yet Republicans are making it a major issue this election]( GOP officials have undertaken reviews of voter rolls, issued executive orders and placed constitutional amendments on state ballots. Some Democrats contend the measures could create hurdles for legal voters, are unnecessary and lead people to believe the problem of noncitizens voting is bigger than it really is. [Read more.]( [Illegal voting by noncitizens is rare, yet Republicans are making it a major issue this election]( GOP officials have undertaken reviews of voter rolls, issued executive orders and placed constitutional amendments on state ballots. Some Democrats contend the measures could create hurdles for legal voters, are unnecessary and lead people to believe the problem of noncitizens voting is bigger than it really is. [Read more.]( [Runners are used to toughing it out. A warming climate can make that deadly]( Carolyn Baker collapsed with heatstroke at the Falmouth Road Race in last year. She has no memory of the incident, but got good care, came back to running, and finished the race this year. Others aren't so lucky. Heatstroke is a dangerous illness and runners are at increasing risk as climate change creates more hot days. [Read more.]( [Runners are used to toughing it out. A warming climate can make that deadly]( Carolyn Baker collapsed with heatstroke at the Falmouth Road Race in last year. She has no memory of the incident, but got good care, came back to running, and finished the race this year. Others aren't so lucky. Heatstroke is a dangerous illness and runners are at increasing risk as climate change creates more hot days. [Read more.]( [Steward inks deal for St. Elizabeth's and Good Samaritan medical centers]( Steward Health Care has reached an agreement to sell St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton to Boston Medical Center for $140 million. The agreement is a significant step toward settling the future of the bankrupt hospital chain's Massachusetts facilities. [Read more.]( [Steward inks deal for St. Elizabeth's and Good Samaritan medical centers]( Steward Health Care has reached an agreement to sell St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton to Boston Medical Center for $140 million. The agreement is a significant step toward settling the future of the bankrupt hospital chain's Massachusetts facilities. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - The Bill O'Brien era at Boston College got off to a resounding start last night, as the Eagles [upset the nation's 10th-ranked college football team, Florida State, on their home field]( in Tallahassee. - More than a century after the Titanic sank, the wreck is still offering up new discoveries to researchers. This summer, RMS Titanic, Inc. made its first unmanned dive to the site in 14 years - armed with new technology that allowed them to [capture new, high-quality images and create virtual recreations of what the ship looked like in its heyday](. - Oasis tickets are a hot commodity (to say the least). But don't get scammed trying to get a seat at a reunion show. The band is warning buyers that only two websites - Ticketmaster and Twickets - are officially licensed for resale, and that fans should [steer clear of third party sites if they want authentic concert tickets.]( - Saying goodbye is a part of healthcare and hospice. But when working with dementia patients, providers must coach those to say "goodbye over and over, to different parts of who they are," local doctor Michael P.H. Stanley [writes in this essay for Cognoscenti](. What We're Reading 📚 - The 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Reunion Reunion: How It Came Together ([The New York Times]( - Mass. investigators saw a suicide. Feds saw a murder. Sandra Birchmore's friends and family made sure no one looked away. ([The Boston Globe]( - The Bitter Feud at the Heart of the Paleontology World ([Intelligencer](   Tell Me Something Good [Done Deal: Nonprofit buys West Newton Cinema, saving it from demolition (Newton Beacon)]( The West Newton Cinema Foundation officially purchased the West Newton Cinema. "This pivotal acquisition prevents the theater's demolition and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter as a nonprofit, community-run cinema," Elizabeth Heilig, president of the West Newton Cinema Foundation board of directors, wrote in a statement. [Read more.]( [Done Deal: Nonprofit buys West Newton Cinema, saving it from demolition (Newton Beacon)]( The West Newton Cinema Foundation officially purchased the West Newton Cinema. "This pivotal acquisition prevents the theater's demolition and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter as a nonprofit, community-run cinema," Elizabeth Heilig, president of the West Newton Cinema Foundation board of directors, wrote in a statement. [Read more.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [What's that agitating, grating noise?]( 😎 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.](   [Donate](   # # 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](. 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