5 tips for a long July Fourth weekend
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TODAY'S STARTING POINT
I don't know about you, but I have languished a bit this summer, also known as 'slightly warmer April.' Between a circus of end-of-school-year activities; cold, rainy weather; too much news; and weekends that are already impossibly full, it's been … not that much fun yet.
But, like the British, July Fourth is coming. And it's going to be a
My colleagues Billy Baker and Mark Arsenault waxed poetically in a few recent Starting Points about the highs (
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On the other hand... there are only nine weekends left until Labor Day. The gift of a long July Fourth weekend brings all kinds of activities for a region dead set on cramming all outdoor fun into three months. Below I offer some simple tips, inspiration, and alternatives for celebrating locally.
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Leave now. Kidding … sort of. AAA recommends you travel in the mornings to avoid driving backups. Here are the
Take it to the beach. We New Englanders were made for a spot of sand and salt air. Here is a list of
Want to see fireworks and listen to the BSO, LeAnne Rimes, BBD, and Leslie Odom Jr. from 'Hamilton'? (Yes, that is a real list.)
Planning to stay in and around Boston this weekend? There is Harborfest, shark week watch parties, and something called
Had enough of the American festivities? On Saturday and Sunday, there are finally games that I can
guarantee
will be worth your time at Fenway: the
Write to
and tell us how you plan on spending some of these next nine weekends. We will feature some of our favorites in an upcoming email.
🧩
2 Down:
86°
POINTS OF INTEREST
By Ian Prasad Philbrick
Landlords in Boston typically charge broker fees, adding thousands to renters' upfront costs.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Renters rejoice:
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said she will sign
Priest removed:
The Diocese of Fall River ousted the Rev. Jay Mello as the pastor of two local parishes after reviewing claims that he
Local impact:
Trump's tax-cut bill would chop funding for safety net programs Massachusetts relies on to feed poor residents. The newly passed state budget
Still there:
Daunasia Yancey, the deputy director of Mayor Wu's office of LGBTQ+ advancement, is on unpaid leave but
AI apology:
Police in Westbrook, Maine, apologized for using artificial intelligence to
Kilmar Abrego Garcia:
The Salvadoran man whom the Trump administration wrongly deported before returning him to the US suffered beatings, sleep deprivation, and psychological torture in an El Salvador prison, according to court documents. (
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Immigration:
Trump can't deny entry to people seeking asylum at the US southern border, a judge ruled, but the administration will likely appeal. (
Abortion rights:
The Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority invalidated an 1849 law that had banned nearly all abortions in the state, which Democrats there had sought to overturn. (
Idaho student murders:
A former criminology Ph.D. student confessed to having murdered four University of Idaho students in 2022. He accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty and will face sentencing later this month. (
Uh, what
: The US is going to breed billions of flies and toss them out of airplanes over Texas and Mexico. They hope to kill the flesh-eating larva of the new world screwworm fly. (
BESIDE THE POINT
💙
Feeling blue:
Meredith Goldstein finally saw Blue Man Group after putting it off for decades. With the show closing this weekend, she was
💬
Brave new world:
As Chinese universities crack down on students' use of AI, a new industry of workaround tools is booming. (
🎥
It's a bird, it's a plane:
The director and the cast of the new 'Superman' movie think the world needs the Man of Steel
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💰
Falling behind:
They're in the top 10 percent of US earners. They still don't feel rich. (
😺
You've got to be kitten me:
The race is on to elect Somerville's 'bike path mayor.' The candidates
🪨
That rocks:
Are these streaked gray stones on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in Quebec the oldest rocks on Earth? (
💅 Stylin':
Which Mainer recently made the New York Times' '
Thanks for reading Starting Point.
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