😳🥦 We’re taking the high road

Happy Friday, Boston!

☕ Saturday is a triple holiday: 4/20, National Record Store Day, and National Cold Brew Day. So while you’re blazing with your vinyls, don’t forget to take advantage of La Colombe’s free draft latte with any purchase, and a free medium cold brew from Dunks with an in-app purchase.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Another round of T shutdowns

• The sticker shock of a lifetime

• David Clarke runs on runs

Up first…

TELEPHONE TAG

It’s a joint effort

Happy (almost) 4/20, B-Siders! For those of you partaking in any celebrations, we hope you enjoy, and stay safe.

For this month’s edition of small business telephone tag, we asked four local dispensaries how they’re feeling about Mass.’ cannabis industry and which products they’re excited about. Then we asked them which dispensary we should call next.

Here’s what they said: 

🥦 The Heritage Club loves a hint of CBD. Mass.’ cannabis scene is “in limbo” right now, according to Nike John, owner and CEO of The Heritage Club in Charlestown. More and more dispensaries are popping up, she said, which is great for accessibility, but how the saturation will affect the market and pricing is still mostly TBD. 

👀 John’s rec? For cannabis newbies, try this 10:1 CBD to THC vape by ROVE. And for seasoned pros, Waiting Game, a strain by Bailey’s Buds with just a touch of CBD, is worth checking out.

🌫️ LowKey Dispensary loves a strain inspired by the city. The local cannabis industry is “going through some growing pains,” said Jeff Similien, founder and CEO of Dorchester’s LowKey Dispensary. Officials’ unfamiliarity with the growing industry has led to “a lot of mistakes” when it comes to licensing and regulations that are still being settled. 

👀 Similien’s rec? Anything from LowKey’s “neighborhoods collection,” which are strains cultivated locally, and inspired by the Boston neighborhoods he loves. His personal faves are the Dorchester Diesel and Blue Hill Dreams.

🌿 Kush Groove loves clean cannabis. Mike Pires, CEO of Kush Groove in Cambridge, agrees that the local cannabis market is reaching saturation quickly, but in his case, he’s already begun to notice how it’s going to affect revenue through “overall price compression.” 

👀 Pires’ rec? He loves a clean cannabis product, so he recommends these gummies by Treeworks, specifically the citrus focus flavor. They’re solventless, made of hash rosin (one of the purest forms of cannabis concentrate), vegan, gluten free, and non-GMO, he said.  

🌬️ New Día loves a summer bev … with a twist. Being located right next to Fenway Park, New Día Cannabis Co. has a unique perspective on the industry’s public perception. “For a lot of folks, it was new to see cannabis so front and center and so mainstream,” said Ross Bradshaw, their CEO, “but I think we're getting to a point of normalization now.” 

👀 Bradshaw’s rec? A tincture (a.k.a. a drink mix) by the brand Squires, which he personally likes to mix with a lemonade and pair with a hot dog: “It's a good way to kick off springtime, right?” he said.

TOGETHER WITH OOFOS

A little treat for your feet

🏃 Inspired to take up running after Monday’s exciting marathon? Don't let sore muscles slow you down. Head to the OOFOS pop-up at 799 Boylston and explore the revolutionary active recovery footwear that keeps runners’ — and even Boston marathoners’ — feet happy and pain-free. Crafted with cutting-edge technology to ease post-run discomfort and supercharge recovery, OOFOS shoes have your back (and feet) at all times. But hurry, the pop-up only lasts until April 30, so make sure you stop by before it’s gone!

QUICK QUESTION

💦 We’re doing some story research and want to know … Do you have an emotional support water bottle?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚚 Working aged adults are saying ta-ta to Mass. The fact that droves of people have been leaving Mass. since the pandemic isn't new news, but a new study points us toward who’s making the move: Working aged adults. In fact, we lost an average of 22,631 people ages 25 to 44 across 2021 and 2022 (about the size of the population of Winchester). That’s a pretty big deal, especially combined with Mass.’ aging population, low birth rate, and a potential gap in the workforce. And while the culprit isn’t totally clear, housing and WFH culture are partially to blame, according to officials.

🚇 Orange Liners, prepare for another weekend shutdown. On Saturday and Sunday, service between Forest Hills and Ruggles will be replaced by shuttle buses, but thankfully, the commuter rail will be fare-free between Forest Hills, Ruggles, Back Bay, and South Station. But it’s not all bad MBTA news, as the transit agency just announced enhanced ferry service this spring, including new weekend service on the Lynn ferry, increased service on the Winthrop/Quincy ferry, and increased weekend service to Hingham/Hull ferry. 

🚰 Some Somerville residents just got the sticker shock of a lifetime. Changes to the city’s water metering system have caused some residents’ water bills to rise exponentially — from hundreds to literally tens of thousands of dollars in some cases. Apparently, the increase is essentially a backlog payment as the result of older systems not accurately recording residents’ water usage. And while the city is exploring options to support residents through their payment, including assistance programs and need based exemption, state law prohibits officials from waiving the bills altogether. 

🏆 It’s officially playoff season, and we’re feeling GOOD. This weekend marks the start of what will hopefully be a bang-up playoffs season for the Celtics and the Bruins, who are heading in as their series’ No.1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively. For the C’s, their first round matchup depends on who wins tonight’s Bulls v. Heat game, with game one at TD Garden Sunday night. As for the B’s, they’ll face the Maple Leafs at the Garden on Saturday night for game one, who they’ve beaten 4-0 in the regular season. 

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

🎧 Celebrate the “The Tortured Poets Department” with fellow Swifties. There are tons of TTPD-themed parties this weekend, like this listening party at House of Blues, a friendship bracelet-making party at Time Out Market, or chowdown on Bardo’s Taylor Swift-themed pizza.

🪴 Trade in your plant babies for new ones. The Long Live Roxbury taproom is hosting a swap and prop event and plant sale on Sunday where folks can bring in their own clippings and trade with other plant parents. 

📚 Find your next favorite book. The South Boston branch of the BPL is hosting their monthly book sale on Saturday, equipped with live classical music from their Breathe with Bach music series. 

🌎 Show Mother Nature how much you care. There are tons of neighborhood clean ups that could use your help. Check out the local ones happening at DCR’s Park Serve Day. Or, hit up this Earth Day clothing swap for ladies.

🥦 4/20 blaze it at a flower block party. That’s exactly what’s going down at Herbwell’s Flower Bar in Cambridge on Saturday, featuring 40% everything in the store all day long, a $1,000 cash prize giveaway, and loads of freebies. 

ONE LAST THING

Davis Clarke gets the runs

From TMZ to Daily Mail, local influencer Davis Clarke’s Boston Marathon finish has been sweeping the internet. And it’s not because of his massive following, extremely short training block, or impressive sub-three hour finish time. It’s because he pooped his pants. A lot. At mile 21. And still finished the race. 

If you follow Clarke, the social media sensation whose content is essentially the lovechild between a golden retriever and a motivational poster, you might already be a little too familiar with the story via his (very graphic) finish line video.

According to an interview with Boston.com, who got the exclusive on the news, Clarke made the decision to let it out, as it were, once he realized he’d have to choose between a sub-3 finish and a bathroom break. 

“I was willing to do everything and anything that it took,” he said. And boy did he.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

💩 Thanks for reading! All jokes aside, you’ve gotta respect the commitment. Also, the headlines on those TMZ and Daily Mail articles are the highlights of my week.

💜 Special shoutout to our sponsor, OOFOS, for supporting local journalism and keeping runners feeling better and faster all year long.  

🏈 The results are in: 44% of B-siders think that Kraft is in the wrong for allegedly bad-mouthing Belichick. And another 36% said football tea isn’t their thing. Noted. “This is giving ‘Real Housewives of Foxboro,’" said one reader.  

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