Cannabis-Infused Ice Cream Now A Thing In MA: The HUB

The HUB is an effort to get you caught up on whatever you need to know each weekday in Boston and around Massachusetts.

Good morning! Today is Wednesday, June 9. Grab an iced coffee or freezer pop and let's get started.

Mike Carraggi is off today again, but don't worry, he'll be back tomorrow.

Today there's some reminiscing about the Celtics of years past, an estimate on how long it would take to connect the Red and Blue MBTA lines, and — speaking of the MBTA — more details have come to light about that Orange Line derailment. There's also the story of how the wizard of Franklin Park went missing but returned.

But first...

Just in time for the heat wave, a Framingham-based maker of cannabis-infused ice cream — the first in the state — is now in business.

Boston University alum David Yusefzadeh, owner of Plant Jam in Framingham, said the first batch of Cloud Creamery-brand infused ice creams and sorbets has shipped to cannabis retail shops across the state. And it is now available at Caroline's Cannabis in Uxbridge, Buds Goods in Worcester and Abington and Western Front in Chelsea.

The ice cream comes in an 8-ounce serving and contains 5 milligrams of THC and will run about $8 or $9 per container, reports MassLive.

3 Things You Need To Know Today

Track infrastructure likely played a role in March Orange Line derailment, MBTA says

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials cited three factors that could have played a part in the derailment of an Orange Line train in March, including a 46-year-old track switch that was replaced in the wake of the derailment after it was “heavily damaged,” during a briefing in a meeting of the agency’s Fiscal Management and Control Board on Monday. (Boston Globe)

Connecting Subway Lines Could Cost $850 Million, Take Nearly 10 Years

Why don't the Red and the Blue lines connect on the MBTA? The idea of connecting the only two trains in the MBTA system that don't link has been something the city has discussed on-again off-again since at least the 1970s. Then in 2018, they took the question up again and now, they've got a cost estimate. And that's if all goes to plan should they go ahead with this at some point. (Statehouse News via WBUR)

Venture capitalists pumped $7.2 billion into life-sciences companies in Boston through May

While office landlords in most cities are having to figure out to do about falling rents, and vacancy rates on the rise, and the possibilities of businesses not returning — it's a different story in Boston, where life sciences benefited from responding to the pandemic.

Even before the pandemic and the race for vaccines began, Boston and Greater Boston were becoming known for a boom in life-sciences businesses. And why wouldn't they? First: Boston is lovely. And second: MIT, Harvard and plenty of other colleges and medical centers.

The Wall Street Journal reports more life-sciences businesses are heading to the area. (Read the scoop from WSJ)

Sporty Spot

Now:

And then:

What I'm reading today:

You know how every summer block party involves someone bringing a version of chili? Well, it seems like every fast food joint is now trying to perfect the chicken sandwich. Burger King is attempting to get a leg up in that chicken sandwich war by taking a not-so-subtle dig at rival Chick-fil-A's fraught history with the LGBTQ+ community. (Read the latest at Nypost.com)

Artistic touch:

Those who explore the woodsy paths around Franklin Park might have come across some mysterious paintings and art tucked here and there. It can feel magical to turn a corner in the leafy woods and discover such a work. But recently, after some fires in the woods, a beloved wizard was mostly destroyed.

When Alex Cook, a Jamaica Plain muralist, discovered this, he gave the original artist some time to touch up the work that has been around for about a decade. But when that person didn't, he took matters into his own hands.

He grabbed some paint and some tools and helped bring back a wizard, to the cheers of the community.

Check out his photos and thought process:

Weather

The National Weather Service says: We're cooling off. Sorta. There's a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms pretty much all day. Forecasters say it will be, mostly cloudy, with a high near a mere 88. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday night it may even get down to 65.

Enjoy your Wednesday. Mike's back tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

You can email me at jenna.fisher@patch.com and follow me @ReporterJenna