Jumping the gun

Also: Fact-checking last night's vice presidential debate; Green Line Extension derailment [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser](   October 2, 2024  🌤️ Partly sunny, with a high near 65. Good Morning Boston, Today is the final day of our fall fundraiser, and we still need $244,000 to reach our goal. At a time when many news outlets are being hit hard financially, it's especially tough for a newsroom like us because we have no paywall - no subscription price we can raise - in order to keep our journalism accessible to all. WBUR, and this newsletter, will always be free. But to fund this journalism, we're relying on readers like you chipping in more than ever. Please [consider starting (or raising) your monthly gift today](. Now, to the news: - Chess moves: Gov. Maura Healey is taking executive action to put [the wide-ranging gun control law she signed]( this past summer into effect immediately today. As WBUR's Walter Wuthmann reports, the move comes as gun rights groups gather signatures to put [a measure on the 2026 ballot]( to repeal the law. Healey's action also preempts the possibility of the law being temporarily suspended by the referendum effort next week. - Remind me how the repeal effort works: Opponents of the law must file at least 37,287 signatures by next Wednesday to move forward with the 2026 referendum effort. However, if they are able to reach a higher threshold - 49,716 signatures - the state Constitution would allow them to pause the law from taking effect until voters get the chance to weigh in. - What is Healey doing? Most laws begin to take effect 90 days after they're signed, which would be Oct. 23 in this case. However, Healey is signing an "emergency preamble" to implement it today. That means the law will remain in effect for at least the next two years, even as the 2026 repeal effort continues. - How are the law's opponents reacting? They're not happy about their plan to scuttle the law getting scuttled itself. Cape Gun Works owner Toby Leary, who's leading the repeal coalition, told Walt that Healey's action "to circumvent the constitutional process, and the will of the people, is the move of a tyrant." - What does the law do again? The highlights include an update to the state's assault weapons ban, a crackdown on untraceable ghost guns, and a ban on firearms in schools and government buildings. You can [dig deeper into the details of the law here](. - Heads up: More hotel strikes could be looming on Boston's horizon - and not just for a few days. The hotel workers' union, Unite Here Local 26, is pledging to go on strike indefinitely if contracts with three-dozen hotels in Boston are not met by 12:01 a.m. Friday. The ultimatum comes after the union held three rounds of three-day strikes this summer, as they fight for higher wages and more shifts. "We've taken strike votes at 36 hotels," Local 26 president Carlos Aramayo told WBUR's Dan Guzman. "Any hotel that doesn't have an agreement with Local 26, we're prepared to begin an open-ended strike. That may happen Friday. It may happen Saturday. It may happen a week from now, but the deadline is a real deadline." - Meanwhile: Boston's dockworkers plan to be on the picket line 24/7 during the larger longshoremen's worker strike. WBUR's Zeninjor Enwemeka has [more on the scenes in South Boston here](. - The [good MBTA news]( could only last so long: Shuttle buses are replacing all Green Line service north of North Station today, due to [a derailment yesterday near Lechmere]( that injured at least six people. - T officials are still investigating the cause of the derailment. [Photos]( from the [scene]( showed half of the leading trolley off the tracks near where the two Green Line Extension branches split. - Eek: Yesterday marked the start of dog-friendly season at many Massachusetts beaches, but you may want to paws if you're headed to Ipswich. Crane Beach visitors are being [urged to keep their dogs out of the water]( due to continued shark sightings. The beach will also remain closed to human swimming through at least Halloween. P.S.- While the moderators of last night's vice presidential debate largely refrained from live fact-checking, that's not stopping us. [Click here for NPR's fact-check of JD Vance and Tim Walz]( plus [five takeaways]( from the refreshingly substantive and cordial affair. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters The Rundown [Cape Cod research group gets $3 million to expand wastewater innovation hub]( The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) in Sandwich has received nearly $3.3 million in state and federal funds to expand its wastewater research facility. Pollution from septic systems leads to overgrowth of harmful cyanobactria, algae and invasive plants on Cape Cod and in other coastal communities. [Read more.]( [Cape Cod research group gets $3 million to expand wastewater innovation hub]( The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) in Sandwich has received nearly $3.3 million in state and federal funds to expand its wastewater research facility. Pollution from septic systems leads to overgrowth of harmful cyanobactria, algae and invasive plants on Cape Cod and in other coastal communities. [Read more.]( [October 7th anniversary weighs heavy as Jews enter the High Holy Days]( Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset tonight, marking the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. In the middle of the period comes the first anniversary of October 7th, the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust. Jewish leaders say the anniversary would have been difficult no matter when it fell, but it's particularly poignant "at a time when we're thinking about repentance, renewal and hope." [Read more.]( [October 7th anniversary weighs heavy as Jews enter the High Holy Days]( Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset tonight, marking the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. In the middle of the period comes the first anniversary of October 7th, the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust. Jewish leaders say the anniversary would have been difficult no matter when it fell, but it's particularly poignant "at a time when we're thinking about repentance, renewal and hope." [Read more.]( [Iran carries out a massive missile attack on Israel, expanding the Middle East conflict]( The Iranian airstrikes come in the wake of stepped-up Israeli military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran for decades. Israel says it shot down most of the Iranian missiles. [Read more.]( [Iran carries out a massive missile attack on Israel, expanding the Middle East conflict]( The Iranian airstrikes come in the wake of stepped-up Israeli military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran for decades. Israel says it shot down most of the Iranian missiles. [Read more.]( [Facing more clergy abuse lawsuits, Vermont's Catholic Church files for bankruptcy]( Vermont's Catholic church has filed for bankruptcy protection as it faces more than 30 lawsuits alleging child sex abuse by clergy decades ago, according to a filing in federal bankruptcy court. [Read more.]( [Facing more clergy abuse lawsuits, Vermont's Catholic Church files for bankruptcy]( Vermont's Catholic church has filed for bankruptcy protection as it faces more than 30 lawsuits alleging child sex abuse by clergy decades ago, according to a filing in federal bankruptcy court. [Read more.]( [5 things to know about Mexico's first female president]( Claudia Sheinbaum is a environmental scientist who left academia on a political trajectory that took her from a local mayor, to running Mexico City, to winning the presidency with nearly 60% of the vote. [Read more.]( [5 things to know about Mexico's first female president]( Claudia Sheinbaum is a environmental scientist who left academia on a political trajectory that took her from a local mayor, to running Mexico City, to winning the presidency with nearly 60% of the vote. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, Oxfam America president Abby Maxman [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that the Biden administration is ignoring Israel's role in obstructing aid to Gaza: "I struggle to answer my own children's questions about why Israel's government would act with such cruelty toward Palestinians and such disregard for Israeli hostages." - A head injury derailed Nikhil Dasgupta's musical career. But now, the 30-year-old has [landed himself on our list of favorite local Tiny Desk Contest entries with his song "Heaven Knows,"]( a snapshot from the time he feared he would never play music professionally again. - The 2024 class of MacArthur Foundation grant recipients features several New Englanders, including Woods Hole oceanographer Benjamin Van Mooy and Rhode Island artist Tony Coke. [Check out the full list of people]( getting that $800,000 check here. - Viewers who tuned in for the start of Fat Bear Week were [shocked on Monday when one large brown bear killed a rival during the live stream]( at Katmai National Park & Preserve in Alaska. The unsettling scene delayed the reveal of this year's Fat Bear Week bracket. What We're Reading 📚 - How Chicken Tenders Conquered America ([The New York Times]( - Norton rodeo creates a home for Brazilian cowboy culture in Massachusetts ([GBH News]( - The Elite College Students Who Can't Read Books ([The Atlantic](   Life Advice [To combat misinformation, start with connection, not correction]( People trust information more when it comes from sources or contexts they're familiar with. Help counter misinformation in your community by having conversations with your friends and family. [Read more.]( [To combat misinformation, start with connection, not correction]( People trust information more when it comes from sources or contexts they're familiar with. Help counter misinformation in your community by having conversations with your friends and family. [Read more.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Rebuilding season? Nope, [sub-building season](. 😎 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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