☎️ Mass. has a new Abortion Legal Hotline

It's Tuesday, Boston.

🌮 Food alert: Lolita Back Bay is finally bringing back weekend brunch. So if you haven’t checked out their newly renovated space and are craving blue corn pancakes, you can do both this weekend. Book your res here.

Not an ad, just want you to get that cotton candy.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Place your bets today!

• Arctic air on the way

• Wickedpedia

Up first…

HEALTHCARE

Mass.’ new hotline

Massachusetts officially launched an Abortion Legal Hotline. Here’s what you need to know:

☎️ What is it? The hotline, which went live Monday morning, provides free and confidential legal advice to patients and providers seeking abortion care in the commonwealth.

☎️ Who’s behind it? The hotline was created in a collaboration between the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, the Attorney General’s Office, the Women’s Bar Foundation, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and five law firms that will offer pro bono services.

☎️ Why create it? The overturning of Roe v. Wade obliterated abortion access in states across the country. But Mass. lawmakers have been working to increase abortion access for women both in- and out-of-state, especially as some have tried to make crossing state lines for an abortion illegal.

Last summer, Mass. passed a law protecting providers and people seeking abortions from legal action taken by states with more restrictive laws. This hotline is meant to build off that legislation, offering those seeking or providing an abortion with a clear understanding of how they are protected under the law.

☎️ Who can use it? Anyone. You don’t have to be a Mass. resident.

☎️ How do you use it? Just call or message the hotline at (833) 309-6301 and leave specific call-back instructions. They recommend using an encrypted communications platform like Signal, if you can. Someone will contact you within two to three business days to gather your legal questions and info and pass it along to their pro bono attorneys.

Note: The people answering the hotline can’t immediately provide legal (or medical) advice. They’re just in charge of gathering your questions and information.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🤑 Who you got for the Super Bowl? Well, you can officially put your money where your mouth is starting at 10 a.m, as today marks the first day of in-person sports betting in Mass. This means anyone 21 or older who wants to gamble on sports will be able to make their wagers at Encore Boston Harbor, the Plainridge Park Casino, and MGM Springfield. All casinos will offer a mixture of the classic “sportsbook” experience and kiosk platforms, plus some additional options depending on where you go. Mobile sports betting is scheduled to launch in March.

🥶 Get ready for bone-chilling temps. Mother Nature will deliver us a quick and dirty cold snap later this week, bringing the kind of brutally cold temps we only get every 10 years or so. I audibly gasped when I learned wind chills on Friday night/Saturday morning could be as low as -20 and -35 below zero. Thankfully, we’ll be back to regularly scheduled winter on Sunday. I suppose this is Mother Nature’s way of balancing out the fact that January was the fifth warmest on record.

⚽ Report: Boston awarded a new fútbol team. The National Women’s Soccer League is reportedly expanding to Boston. When? The timing is TBD as the league will be welcoming teams in San Francisco and Utah next year. Where? Also TBD. But White Stadium in Franklin Park seems to be a front runner. Mayor Wu also suggested East Boston’s Memorial Stadium as an option. The last time Boston had a professional women’s squad was in 2018 when the Boston Breakers folded, so it’s been a minute.

🍽️ Add this new restaurant to your list. Comfort Kitchen, a cafe by day and restaurant by night, officially opened in Upham’s Corner last week. This Black-, immigrant-, and woman-owned spot in Dorchester celebrates the flavors and ingredients of the African diaspora and serves global comfort food. According to their website, they believe that “food is a vital aspect of community building.” You can check out their menu here. The pistachio cardamom ice cream and seared okra sound amazing.

ONE LAST THING

Introducing Wickedpedia

Boston.com just launched Wickedpedia, where your unserious questions can be seriously answered.

Their first installment answers, “What’s inside the ‘shakers’ on the ‘salt-and-pepper-shaker bridge’?” Translation: What’s inside those towers on the Longfellow?

The history behind the bridge is actually pretty interesting, but long story short, there’s nothing inside those towers except for stairs that are used for inspections. They’ve always been inaccessible to the public, and were only open to staff who took care of the bridge in the past. The answer is a little underwhelming, but at least you’ll sound super smart if anyone ever asks.

You can send in all your burning, unserious questions to [email protected]. The more obscure, the better.

😂 Thanks for reading! Whoever came up with the name Wickedpedia deserves a raise.

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