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☔Rainy, foggy, windy morning with highs in the 40s, followed by a clear night. Sunset tonight is at 6:58 p.m.

Last month we told you about a law from the early days of the COVID pandemic that was about to expire: this law allows for public government meetings to include an option for remote attendance. Yesterday, lawmakers on Beacon Hill took action: they passed an extension allowing municipalities to use hybrid options for public meetings through June 30, 2027.

“The hybrid option gives both everyday residents and government officials more flexibility,” Sen. Patrick O’Connor of Weymouth told the State House News Service. 

“We hear all the time from members of select boards, school committees, planning boards, you name it, from across the South Shore, which I represent, but really across the entire state that, you know, some good things did come out of COVID-19,” O’Connor said.

Next up: the bill heads to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk, where she has 10 days to sign it or veto it.

Four Things to Know

C’s ka-ching: William Chisholm, of California-based Symphony Technology Group, is leading a group that is buying the Celtics for $6.1 billion. That’ll get you about 46,923,076 Jayson Tatum jerseys at the TD Garden pro shop. It’s the most expensive sale of a North American sports franchise in history, surpassing the NFL’s Washington Commanders’ sale in 2023 for $6.05 billion. Chisholm, who grew up in Georgetown, Mass., now runs his private equity company from the West Coast.

A new Dana-Farber: State regulators approved a plan for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to build a standalone hospital with a price tag of almost $1.7 billion, roughly across the street from its current home in the Longwood Medical Area. Dana-Farber will split from Mass General Brigham, its partner since 1997 (when it was Brigham and Women’s Hospital) and join with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In a three-hour hearing, doctors and administrators from Dana-Farber and Mass General Brigham discussed differences in where patient referrals will come from and how the changes might impact care for cancer patients in the region. 

Rideshares to Logan: Massachusetts Port Authority board members decided to raise fees for Uber and Lyft rides to and from Logan Airport from $3.25 to $5.50. That’s lower than their initial plan of a $7.50 fee per trip. The money will go to infrastructure updates for Logan and its neighbors. “Nobody on this board wants to raise fees,” board member John Nucci said. “But to do nothing right now could be a disaster waiting to happen. I know firsthand living in East Boston what it’s like. And the same thing is true for people in other surrounding communities.” One group that’s not happy with the changes: drivers themselves. “It seems like everyone but us is making millions in profits, fees and taxes off of our work,” said Celtus Awah, who drives for both Uber and Lyft.

A new senior housing development in Waltham has opened with 68 units for people 62 and older with less than $68,400 in annual income. If the name Leland House sounds familiar, it’s because it stands at the site of the former Leland Home, a nursing home that closed in 2020. It’s also right next door to the city’s senior center. “Just being around seniors, we have a lot in common,” said resident Cissy Spear, a retired math teacher. “There’s tons to talk about. Living in a city is phenomenal. Oh, my gosh, there’s so much to do. There is public transportation — but it is the great people who make the building.”

Officials criticize Trump order closing education department

It’s not yet clear what the full impact of President Donald Trump’s executive order downsizing the federal Department of Education will be. Closing the department completely, which Trump promised on the campaign trail, would require an act of Congress. Significantly reducing its size is already the subject of legal challenges, including one from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office.

But here are some ways in which it could impact students in Massachusetts: Gov. Maura Healey said the Bay State gets more than $2 billion a year in federal education funding and would not be able to step up and fill in that gap. Nationally, public schools get about 14% of their funding from federal dollars, the Associated Press reports. 

“President Trump claims he wants to give power back to the states, but as a Governor, I know that the way to do that is not gutting the programs and funding that our students rely on. It makes no sense,” Healey said yesterday.

Until recently, the department has tracked disparities in school resources, offerings and educational outcomes.

The department is also responsible for managing public student loans — totaling $1.5 trillion for more than 40 million borrowers, according to the Associated Press – as well as Pell Grants and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It also oversees the agencies that accredit colleges and universities.

“It’s really important to understand that cutting staff, cutting fat and waste — of which everyone knows every government agency has — it does not at all impact the delivery or service level of programs targeted to students most in need,” said Jeanne Allen, founder and CEO of the national Center for Education Reform, who supports the move to cut the department.

Without a federal Department of Education, those roles could be transferred to another government department, privatized or even eliminated.

“Right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty around what will happen,” said Chris Gabrieli, chair of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. “This is not how change is ever done well. Nobody at any level has any idea where it’s going,” Gabrieli said.

Read more from Sarah Betancourt’s reporting here.