😭 Another day, another T shutdown

It’s Thursday, Boston.

☀️ It’s also the first official day of summer! And the kickoff of Boston Harbor Islands summer ferry season (with service to Spectacle and Peddocks), and tonight's the start of Fenway’s summer concert series, which are only adding to the vibes.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The reason behind the 911 outage

• Emerson is pointing fingers

• A “game time” name change

Up first…

TRANSPORTATION

Another day, another Orange Line shutdown

Here we go again: Just in time for summer, chunks of the Orange Line are going to be OOO starting Saturday, June 22 through Sunday, June 30. 

Here’s what to know: 

🙄 Shutdown No. 1 might disrupt your weekend plans. Orange Line service will be suspended between North Station and Oak Grove on June 22 and 23, which just means you’ll get to spend a little more time with your favorite free shuttle buses that’ll be running between both stations (make sure to check where the real pick-up spots are here). Luckily, there will be an express shuttle between Oak Grove, Malden Center, and North Station.

😫 Shutdown No. 2 might disrupt your workday commute. Service between North Station and Wellington will be down for the count from June 24 through June 30. Our beloved shuttle buses will make all stops between Wellington and North Station, with an express shuttle also running between Wellington and North Station (again, check all pick-up spots here!). 

🚂 Take it as your excuse to cosplay as a Commuter Rail-riding suburbanite. After all, the Haverhill Line will be fare-free between Oak Grove, Malden Center, and North Station during both diversions (but you gotta pay up for any travel beyond Oak Grove). 

🚇 Bridges are on the brain during these shutdowns. Crews will start chipping away at replacing the deteriorated bridge superstructures on the Maffa Way and Mystic Avenue Bridges near the Sullivan Square T stop, along with improving bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities. 

📉 But we’ll hopefully get rid of some slow zones, too. As of Wednesday, the Orange Line’s slow zone count sat at 26, most of which are concentrated toward both ends of the line. Since service will already be down, the MBTA is also looking to eighty-six some slow zones between Community College and Sullivan Square as part of its larger Track Improvement Program to eliminate all speed restrictions yadda yadda yadda.

🚃 Oh, and just one more thing before you go … Shuttle buses will also be replacing service on the Mattapan Trolley starting Friday, June 21 at 8:30 p.m. through Sunday, June 23. You can’t make this stuff up!

QUICK QUESTION

🚇 It’s been awhile … let’s do a shutdown vibe check. How are you feeling halfway through our year of shuttle buses?

TOGETHER WITH COJE MANAGEMENT GROUP

If you like Lolita and Caveau, you’re going to love this…

🥡🥢 Be the first to try it out. Mr. H — a new restaurant from COJE, the team behind Yvonne’s, Lolita, Mariel, and more — is days away from opening in the Seaport at 225 Northern Avenue. Serving up the kind of high-touch menu you’d expect from COJE of Chinese-inspired dishes and cocktails, Mr. H is open late, so it’s sure to be your new favorite spot for a sophisticated night out, casual evening in (thanks to their pick-up window that makes takeout a breeze), or end of night nosh.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚨 This is why 911 went down on Tuesday. On Wednesday, officials gave an answer about what caused Mass.’ 911 line to go down for about two hours Tuesday afternoon: A malfunctioning firewall system that’s meant to secure the 911 system against cyber attacks did its job a little too well, and instead blocked all incoming calls. Officials say they’ve implemented a solution so that it doesn’t happen again, and thankfully, the department hasn’t received any reports of emergencies during the outage so far. 

🎓 Emerson’s President is pointing fingers at pro-Palestinaian protesters. Facing a lack of enrollment the upcoming school year, the college plans to lay off some of its faculty and leave some vacant positions open, according to an email from President Jay Bernhardt. Why? According to Bernhardt: “negative press and social media” for its handling of Pro-Palestinian encampments on campus played a role, in addition to less enrollment at smaller, private colleges overall, and the botched FAFSA rollout. The college won’t comment on the matter, but at least one faculty member is not too pleased with the move.

🏖️ Planning to get rowdy on the Cape this July 4th? Think again. Dennis Police have announced significant restrictions at Mayflower, Chapin, and Bayview beaches in an attempt to quell the truly wild behavior that’s become something of an annual tradition in the area. Parking won’t be allowed on the beaches without a sticker, a parking ban will be in place in neighborhoods and businesses surrounding the beaches, and police say they’ll have a zero-tolerance policy (and $50 fine) for drinking and overly loud music on the beaches themselves. 

🎬 One of Boston’s coolest film fests kicks off today. The Roxbury International Film Festival is the largest festival in New England celebrating people of color. And the next eight days will be chock-full of film screenings, script readings, hangouts, panels, and, yes, even a handful of freebies. Check the schedule for all of the events and locations here. And if you can’t catch a flick in person, don’t worry, all of the films will be available to screen on Zoom from June 27 to July 2 with an online ticket.

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

Pizza lovers, rejoice! 

B-Side is a proud sponsor of the Boston Pizza Festival being held this weekend on June 22 and June 23. Held at City Hall Plaza, this two-day event features Boston’s top pizzerias serving up their best slices. Enjoy multiple slices of pizza, from classic Neapolitan to creative gourmet, alongside live music and  activities. Get tickets today and secure your spot at this tasty celebration!

ONE LAST THING

A “game time” name change

What would it take for you to name your child after a Celtic? 

On a regular day, naming your child after Celtics star Jrue Holiday might seem like an odd choice, even for a superfan. But when Rashaan and Annabel Powell had their baby boy at exactly 6:17 p.m. … on 617 day … which also happened to be the day the Celtics were poised to win the NBA Finals … the decision seemed almost obvious. 

So, the couple made what they called a “game time” name decision, pivoting from their original choice of “Crew” to “Jrue,” after the C’s newest star, Jrue Holiday. 

And whether by luck, skill, or baby-name forces completely beyond our control, Holiday did his namesake proud in the Finals as the Powells watched from the postpartum room.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🏀 Thanks for reading! Now we just have to hope he really likes basketball.  

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, COJE Management Group, for supporting local journalism and bringing iconic dining experiences to Boston.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].

Correction: A previous version of this newsletter incorrectly stated that there had been two days without answers about the 911 outage’s cause.