The rise of Bluebikes

Also: Baker's unlikely pot pardon; why respiratory illness is spiking among children [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  October 11, 2022 ⛅ Mostly cloudy but clearing, with a high near 64. Good Morning Boston, Hope you all enjoyed the long — and in my opinion, quintessentially autumn-like — weekend. If you noticed the moon looming large on the horizon, that's because we had a spooky blood moon. Check out[these photos of it over the Boston skyline from WBUR's own Jesse Costa](. To the news: - Have you recently hopped on a Bluebike? You're note alone. WBUR's Rob Lane reports that the Boston area's bikeshare system is more popular than ever — and there's been an interesting shift in who is riding them. - Bluebikes usage spiked during the Orange Line shutdown, during which officials made the bikes [free to use](. In fact, the system [broke]( its daily ride record nine times during the shutdown. And since the shutdown ended, ridership has remained a little higher than usual. - But: it's not commuters driving this demand. Bluebikes General Manager Dominick Tribone told Lane that ridership is highest on the weekends. It's part of a trend they've been watching since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, when peak ridership days flipped from weekdays to weekends. Tribone says they believe it's a combination of locals using the bikes for leisure, visitors and weekend workers. - Could the fact that it's free be the cause of the spike? Lane reports that Mayor Michelle Wu's administration is exploring options to provide free or discounted bike passes to residents on a permanent basis. They also plan to expand the network. Wu's office recently announced they're aiming to add 100 more Bluebikes stations in the next three years. - It looks like we'll have to wait for the result of this fall's gubernatorial election to see if Massachusetts will heed President Joe Biden's call for the pardoning of low-level marijuana convictions at the state level — because the current governor doesn't plan on it. WBUR's Walter Wuthmann [reports]( that Gov. Charlie Baker thinks the state's existing expungement process for anybody convicted of simple possession of marijuana is sufficient. He recently signed a sweeping marijuana reform law that, in part, aims to [make that expungement process]( easier — though it's not automatic. - What's the difference between a pardon and expungement? [Legal experts]( say it's like forgiving versus forgetting. That's because pardons don't necessarily clear one's criminal record, though they can be issued en masse by an executive official. - What's next? Democratic gubernatorial nominee Maura Healey [says she would follow Biden's call to pardon simple pot possession crimes]( while GOP nominee Geoff Diehl says he wouldn't. - Heads up for anyone out on the roads late tonight: MassDOT is closing all northbound lanes of I-93 through the Tip O'Neill tunnel from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. tomorrow for "multiple maintenance activities." Access will be closed from exit 15B/Mass Ave. exit to the Haymarket area. The closure also means no access to I-93 northbound from the Mass. Turnpike on-ramps. - So, be cautious and slow down if you're driving up I-93 toward that area; there'll likely be a traffic backup. P.S.— Do you know whose land you're standing on? [This interactive map]( shows which Indigenous tribes lived where you are. All you have to do is enter your address. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [There's a spike in respiratory illness among children — and it's not just COVID]( Sick kids are crowding emergency rooms in parts of the country and some pediatric hospitals say they're running out of beds. [Read more.]( [There's a spike in respiratory illness among children — and it's not just COVID]( Sick kids are crowding emergency rooms in parts of the country and some pediatric hospitals say they're running out of beds. [Read more.]( [Pro-Russian hackers claim responsibility for knocking U.S. airport websites offline]( Killnet urged hackers to take down dozens of airport websites across the country early Monday morning. Within hours several sites were down. But officials say the outages did not interrupt operations. [Read more.]( [Pro-Russian hackers claim responsibility for knocking U.S. airport websites offline]( Killnet urged hackers to take down dozens of airport websites across the country early Monday morning. Within hours several sites were down. But officials say the outages did not interrupt operations. [Read more.]( [Want to know what message midterm candidates think will win? Follow the money]( Ad spending by Democrats on abortion-related messaging took off after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, Republican spending on crime ads tripled in September. [Read more.]( [Want to know what message midterm candidates think will win? Follow the money]( Ad spending by Democrats on abortion-related messaging took off after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, Republican spending on crime ads tripled in September. [Read more.]( [At least 28 are dead as Julia drenches Central America with rainfall]( Now a tropical depression, former Hurricane Julia drenched Guatemala and El Salvador with torrential rains Monday after it reemerged in the Pacific following a pounding of Nicaragua. [Read more.]( [At least 28 are dead as Julia drenches Central America with rainfall]( Now a tropical depression, former Hurricane Julia drenched Guatemala and El Salvador with torrential rains Monday after it reemerged in the Pacific following a pounding of Nicaragua. [Read more.]( [Why the U.S. might not win the global economy without Canada and Mexico]( A new book argues that for the U.S. to become more globally competitive and create good jobs, we must embrace and expand trade with Canada and Mexico. [Read more.]( [Why the U.S. might not win the global economy without Canada and Mexico]( A new book argues that for the U.S. to become more globally competitive and create good jobs, we must embrace and expand trade with Canada and Mexico. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - A singer and cultural icon in Belarus is now rebuilding his life in suburban Boston as music teacher, after speaking out against his native country's hardline ruler. This is [the story of Ilya Silchukou](. - Did you know artificial intelligence could soon diagnose illness based on the sound of your voice? [Read how researchers are working on an app for that](. - From slamming a spacecraft into an asteroid to returning humans to the moon, some of NASA's flashier missions have eclipsed a landmark cosmic achievement this month: sending the first Indigenous woman to space. Joelle Renstrom [writes in this commentary]( that it's hard to overstate the significance of the feat for Indigenous communities. - Is "rainbow fentanyl" a threat to your kids this Halloween? [Experts say no](.  What We're Reading 📚 - A Bygone Boston ([The Atlantic]( - Massachusetts has expanded abortion rights. But even in the metro region, clinics can be distant ([The Boston Globe]( - The Long March Toward a National Latino Museum ([The New Yorker](  Tell Me Something Good ["I feel like I'm on an even playing field with everybody else": BDEA 2.0 takes emancipatory approach to educating most vulnerable students (The Boston Globe)]( The new Boston Public Schools program was designed to help more Black and Latino male students graduate — though a handful of female students also are finding success through it. [Read more.]( ["I feel like I'm on an even playing field with everybody else": BDEA 2.0 takes emancipatory approach to educating most vulnerable students (The Boston Globe)]( The new Boston Public Schools program was designed to help more Black and Latino male students graduate — though a handful of female students also are finding success through it. [Read more.]( Before you go: To [infinity and New Bedford!]( Correction: In yesterday's issue, we had a typo with Attorney General Maura Healey's first name. Apologies! 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   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. 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