PAGE 1 THE BOSTON SUN If you are looking to get in contactAU withGUST our 6, staff 2020 STUDENTS HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL GREETED WITH or any info related to the Boston Sun please call 781-485-0588 or contact us via email. A 5-STAR SURPRISE . READ ABOUT IT ON PAGE 10 Email addresses are listed on the editorial page. THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020 PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY SERVING BACK BAY - SOUTH END - FENWAY - KENMORE Southwest Corridor Park voted ‘Best of Boston’ 2020 By Lauren Bennett and organizations goes into keep- ing the park beautiful and enjoy- The Southwest Corridor Park, able for all. known by many as a peaceful It’s a real team effort and many escape running through the center hands go into helping out with of bustling Boston from Jamaica the different sections of the park, Plan and Roxbury to the South but the Sun spoke with Fran- End and Back Bay, was recently co Campanello, President of the chosen as the “Best Secret Gar- Southwest Corridor Park Conser- den” by Boston Magazine in its vancy (SWCP), as well as Jenni- 2020 Best of Boston issue. fer Leonard, Chair of the South- The magazine admits the park west Corridor Park Management “isn’t exactly a secret,” as it is used Advisory Council (PMAC). The by many to commute, play, or just SWPC looks after the portion of enjoy some fresh air. However, a lot of hard work from volunteers PHOTOS BY SETH DANIEL (SOUTHWEST CORRIDOR, Pg. 7) HIDDEN GARDEN…The Southwest Corridor Park in the South End and Back Bay was named Best Secret Garden by Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston in the most recent issue. For many, it is a secret, but for a lot of residents and park users, City unveils Mass/Cass 2.0 it’s the worst kept secret in the neighborhood as the Corridor gets tremendous use and great community care. Here, bees Dashboard following buzz through a large patch of Echinacea flowers. Meanwhile, Tony Velez said the Corridor has been really beautified in the last several years. As a courier who lives in Boston, he bikes sharp criticism from neighbors on the Corridor daily. “You have to stop now and then and appreciate what you have around you, like the Corridor here. It’s one of the best spots in Boston.” By Seth Daniel exchanges and 3-1-1 requests. The dashboard had been a low- After facing sharp criticism from hanging-fruit promise as part of neighbors last week in the Worces- the 2.0 plan last year, and it was ter Square area on the Mass/Cass expected to be up and running ‘BioBlitz’ aims to identify and record biodiversity in 2.0 plan, on Tuesday the City by December or January. How- Common, Commonwealth Avenue Mall and Public Garden suddenly released a long-delayed ever, delays plagued it and then in the Boston Common, the Com- 1,500 observations of biodiversity online dashboard with statis- By Dan Murphy COVID-19 hit and took away the monwealth Avenue Mall and the and 257 species had already been tics and benchmarks on things The Young Friends of the Public Boston Common. recorded in the parks since just like recovery placements, needle (MASS/CASS 2.0 DASHBOARD, Pg. 3) Garden is currently undertaking Dr. Colleen Hitchcock, a profes- launching the BioBlitz days before- a “BioBlitz” with the intention of sor in the biology department and hand. engaging the public to identify and environmental studies program at Visitors to the three parks can record 2,500 observations of bio- Brandeis University, outlined the participate using iNaturalist – an diversity and 400 different living initiative Tuesday during a virtual species during a one-month period instruction session. She said that (BIO-BLITZ, Pg. 3) Walsh gives COVID-19 updates, Cassellius discusses BPS reopening By Lauren Bennett the BPS reopening plan. number of cases in the state, it is not currently a cause of concern. Mayor Walsh held a press con- COVID UPDATES “Compared to the rest of the ference on Friday, July 31, where Walsh said on Friday that the United States, Boston and the he provided updates on the City’s seven day daily average of new Commonwealth are working The City quite suddenly released the long-awaited Mass/Cass 2.0 Data COVID-19 efforts, as well as invit- cases remains “very low,” as does extremely hard to make sure we Dashboard on Tuesday evening after sharp criticisms from those in the ed Boston Public Schools (BPS) WSANA neighborhood and those on the 2.0 Task Force. The Dashboard the number of COVID patients in keep these numbers down,” Walsh includes statistics like recovery placements, needle exchange rates and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius hospitals. He said that while there 311 quality of life calls. to speak more about the status of has been a “small uptick” in the (WALSH UPDATES, Pg. 4) PAGE 2 THE BOSTON SUN AUGUST 6, 2020 editorial WAITING FOR THE BIG ONE As we are writing this, we are awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Isaias, which is the earliest-ever ninth named storm of a hurricane season. Although Isaias was a weak Category 1 hurricane when it made land- fall in the Carolinas and will be a tropical storm by the time it reaches us, it is forecast to combine with a storm front out of the west by the time it reaches New Jersey, bringing heavy rain to western New England and strong winds to eastern New England, similar to what Hurricane Irene did in late August of 2011. Irene caused widespread power outages in Eastern Mass. (we recall losing all of the contents of our freezer in the basement) and the same is being forecast for Isaias, so we trust that all of our readers are prepared for some degree of inconvenience in the coming days. Although Isaias will not cause major damage, the record number of named storms already this season gives us pause. Climate change unde- niably is occurring in ways that are not fully understood, but one thing that is clear is that the number and severity of tropical storms are on the increase. Climate change is bringing warmer ocean temperatures, which are the jet fuel for tropical storms. And for the record, the ocean temperature in Boston Harbor these past two weeks uncharacteristically has been above 70 degrees, which is wonderful for swimmers, but a harbinger of bad things to come. The Hurricane of 1938 still stands as the fiercest hurricane ever to strike our part of the country, a once-in-a-hundred years weather event. In terms of the odds alone, we are overdue for another major hurricane. But with the effects of climate change factored into the mix, it is clear that Mother Nature could do some serious damage if another coastal UEST P D storm makes its way here. G O -E So as with everything else in life, it’s just one day at a time as we await the inevitability of The Big One to strike. School buffer zones shackle communities of color from economic freedom DEATHS ARE ONLY PART OF THE By Linda Champion state law. ognize as people of color we are Boston does have a choice and able to advocate and choose for COVID STORY Creating drug-free school buffer the City Council has an obliga- ourselves. Whether the subject is drunk driving, gun violence, or COVID-19, the zones sounds like a good idea. The tion to support communities of As the Black Lives Matter headline that grabs our attention always is the death toll, of which there disparate impacts of these zones color by creating buffers that work movement has swelled to become tragically have been more than 150,000 of our fellow Americans from led to the mass incarceration of for all residents. the single largest, organized pro- COVID-19. thousands of Black and Brown res- State law allows Boston to test in modern history. While pro- However, what often goes unreported are the large numbers of injuries, idents. Now, this same failed pol- reduce buffers by ordinance or tests can inspire, our policy choices whether caused by drunken drivers, guns, or the coronavirus, that have icy is being used to prevent com- by-law. The State’s Cannabis make them meaningful. The City life-altering consequences for victims. munities of color from opening Control Commission has itself Council has the opportunity to Recent studies have shown that even individuals who are totally cannabis retail shops in their own acknowledged that overly strict do just this; by acknowledging the asymptomatic when they contract COVID-19 still are likely to have neighborhoods – denying econom- zoning rules and large buffer zones failure of school buffer zones that long-term, if not permanent, damage to their heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, ic opportunities marijuana legal- sharply limit the number of parcels shackled our communities. and other organs. ization was designed to create. available to potential operators, Opportunities to create gener- With respect to the heart, a study revealed that more than 3/4 of As a former Suffolk County favoring large corporations with ational wealth have eluded com- a group of 100 relatively young and healthy persons who contracted prosecutor, I know the profoundly substantial financial resources munities of color. The economic COVID-19 had some degree of visible heart damage -- 76 had evidence disparate human and societal toll while disproportionately harming opportunity a vibrant cannabis of a biomarker signaling cardiac injury typically found after a heart of school buffer zones—zones that smaller, local companies.