🚃😩 This Green Line branch will brb

It’s Thursday, Boston.

🏅 We’ve all watched an Olympic event and thought “I could do that …” But let’s be real, these are the only events your average Bostonian could get a medal in.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Beacon Hill is BUSY

• Dunkin’s new menu

• A Boston-coded “Bachelorette”

Up first…

TRANSPORTATION

The B branch will brb

Green Liners, are your commutes feeling a little too peaceful these days? Well, they won’t be for long. Starting Friday, Aug. 2, a chunk of the B branch will be down for the count for 10 days between Boston College and Babcock Street.

Here’s what to know:

😬 The good news: The shutdown is pretty straightforward by MBTA standards. At least compared with the migraine that was the latest Red Line shutdown. For this go around, the shutdown and shuttle bus situation will be consistent over the 10 days, with buses replacing MBTA service between the two stations. 

😩 The bad news: Not every station gets a shuttle bus. It’s the MBTA, so there’s obviously a catch. In this case: Shuttle buses won’t stop at Allston Street, Griggs Street, and Packard’s Corner stations for “accessibility reasons” during the shutdown, so if those are your usual stops, head to Warren Street or Harvard Avenue for shuttle service. Or if you’re feeling ambitious, trek right to Babcock Street.

🚃 The Green Line could come close to being slow-zone free. Per usual, this shutdown is in service of the MBTA’s giant goal of making the entire T system slow zone free by 2025. And assuming this work goes according to plan, it could seriously hack away at the Green Line’s 10 remaining restrictions, most of which are concentrated on the B branch, bringing the line one step closer to joining the Blue Line in the slow zone-free club.

🚲 Bluebikes may be your saving grace. For this shutdown, shuttle buses are the only MBTA-recommended alternative transit option. But if you (understandably) want to avoid a shuttle bus shlep, the folks over at Blue Cross Blue Shield are giving Bostonians five free Bluebike unlocks during the shutdown with code MBTAGREENAUGUST.

🚌 Orange Liners, don’t think you’re off the hook. The Orange Line is also OOO this weekend between Wellington and Back Bay. Shuttle buses will run between Wellington and North Station, but riders should take the Green Line between North Station and Copley otherwise. Rinse and repeat the weekend of Aug. 17-18. Plus, another shutdown between Forest Hills and Back Bay is coming your way the weekend of Aug. 10.

B-SIDE FOODIE’S CHOICE AWARDS SPONSORED BY TOAST

🥡🍽️ Your secret is safe with us. Where do you order takeout from when you want your guests to think you’ve been in the kitchen for hours? 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🤑 Goodbye, awkward salary convos with HR! Wednesday at midnight marked the end of the state legislature’s formal sessions, and per usual, lawmakers were up into the wee morning hours to cram as much lawmaking in as they could. As of Wednesday evening, they managed to get a long-awaited wage equity bill signed into law, requiring that employers with over 25 workers disclose a salary range on their job postings, and requiring those with over 100 employees to disclose their wage and workforce data with the state. 

🙅 The NRA isn’t loving Mass.’ new gun law. Remember the law Gov. Healey recently signed to crack down on Mass.’ gun laws (think: ghost guns, where you can carry, etc.)? Well, unsurprisingly, the NRA isn’t a big fan, and threatened to challenge the law on the grounds that it “will essentially ban” some common firearms by redefining what constitutes an "assault-style” firearm. However, top legislative officials seem … the opposite of concerned, with House Speaker Ron Mariano calling the threat a "real badge of honor.”

🧊 It’s been a decade since you dumped a bucket of ice on your head. We’re talking about the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary at Fenway Park this morning. The goal of the gathering is to reignite the energy behind the challenge, which, besides flooding our IG feeds for months, raised about $1 billion for ALS through people literally dumping ice on their heads. The challenge helped to massively fuel projects in the disease’s research and treatment, including 80 new drugs and therapies. If you feel like donating to the cause, you can here.

🍩 Step aside, medium iced regular. Dunkin’ and celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni (a Rhode Island native!) officially unveiled a collab menu with four new iced coffee flavors for the summer. The new options, which launched Wednesday, include: Blueberry donut with sweet cream cold foam, caramel coconut cream, mocha vanilla, and caramel with almond milk. While there’s no end date for the menu in sight, it sounds like it won’t be around for long, so get sipping (and if you try that blueberry one, let us know how it is)! 

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

Calling all young Scorseses! 🎬

B-Side is a proud sponsor of the first-ever ‘Emerging Filmmaker Contest’ as part of the 10th annual GlobeDocs Film Festival! Through Aug.15, filmmakers between the ages of 18 and 25 are invited to submit their short film for the chance to be featured in the "Local Shorts" program during the festival and receive a $1,000 prize. On top of all that, the winner’s film will be included in the FULL festival lineup and they will join in conversation with other local filmmakers and a Globe reporter. Enter here today!

ONE LAST THING

“The Bachelorette” 🤝 Boston

“The Bachelorette” just got even more Boston-coded. 

ICYMI: Back when our current Bachelorette, Jenn Tran, was competing on “The Bachelor,” her ex, local wiener dog influencer Matty Rossi, went viral on TikTok for his videos talking about his 2020 relationship with Tran (who he dumped, BTW), effectively asking for another chance.

And while it’s still too soon to say, it certainly looks like he might’ve gotten one after making a surprise appearance on this week’s episode, asking to join the show for a shot at her heart. The episode ended on a cliffhanger, so while we’re not 100% sure whether he’s in or out, we’d bet he’s gonna stick around.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🌹 Thanks for reading! We’re not trying to hate here, but if you ask us … it seems like some world-class clout chasing. 

📲The results are in: 57% of B-Siders are on team tap-to-pay, and ready to ditch their CharlieCards. One very lucky reader said: “I have a monthly pass that I’ve never paid for but it renews every month … never giving up my free T rides. Thank you to whoever has been paying for the past 3 years!”

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