It's Registration Week!: The HUB

The HUB is a rundown of the stories people in Boston are talking about. Patch publishes the HUB every weekday.

Good morning, Boston! Today is Tuesday, April 20. We're talking about connecting Back Bay and Fenway, doing away with library fines and a rough tweet from Logan Airport.

But first...

It's registration week!

I sincerely missed the Boston Marathon yesterday, but today marks a small step in the right direction. Online registration for the postponed race opens at 10 this morning and lasts through 5 p.m. Friday. It's not much, but it's progress toward getting back on the running path.

The Marathon has been rescheduled for Oct. 11, assuming Boston will allow road races by then. There will be just 20,000 runners in the 125th running of the race. Of course, last year's race was canceled due to the pandemic.

There will also be a virtual race this year. Registration for that opens between Oct. 8-10 for the first 70,000 who register here.

The Boston Globe has some photos on what Patriots' Day looked like without the Marathon.

Check it out

"Reconnecting Back Bay to the Fenway." The ambitious, transformational development called the Fenway Center project will be hard to miss. The project will put a 2-acre deck and 350-foot tower above the Mass Pike between Brookline Avenue and Beacon Street. The Globe's Tim Logan has all the details and a design rendering to help you visualize it.

Late returning a book? It's fine, but without the fine. The Boston Public Library is prepared to eliminate all late fees — including forgiving current ones — in a move made with equity in mind. Director of Library Services Michael Colford told GBH the fine system "creates shame in people who are unable to pay" and leads to what feels like an unwelcoming relationship for patrons saddled with late fees.

"This has to be a joke." But not many were LOL'ing at Logan Airport's tweet — probably because it wasn't meant to be funny. Logan's Twitter account caught some heat for suggesting driving to and parking at the airport "reduces the impact on the environment. #EarthDay." You know it's bad when the tweet gets deleted after blowback. CBS Boston has more on the cringy tweet.

What I'm reading today: It seems like every week is a new ubiquitous coronavirus debate/conversation/social media screaming match. Whether Massachusetts needs to keep masking it up while outside looks to be on the horizon. Derek Thompson at The Atlantic says ending outdoor mask mandates is a good way to wean people back to normalcy.

Wait a second...

How did I miss this? The woman who wrote the CommonWealth piece I shared yesterday on renaming Maverick Square is actually the girl who wrote the CommonWealth piece I shared yesterday on renaming Maverick Square. Annamarie Hoey is a sixth-grade student who got some help from her dad editing the piece. Bravo, Annamarie.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a southwest wind 6 to 11 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. At night — Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.

Have a swell Tuesday.

You can email me at mike.carraggi@patch.com and follow me @PatchCarraggi.