🌤️ Mostly sunny , with a high near 75.

Good Morning Boston,

TGIF. If you notice the skies look hazy this afternoon, that's not fog. It's actually smoke from wildfires out west that has blown across the country. Otherwise, we should have a beautiful weekend of late-summer weather ahead. Don't forget our arts and culture team's event recommendations if you're looking for something to do.

To the news:

• Remember the MBTA ferry that treated commuters from East Boston to free 10-minute trips downtown (and stunning waterfront views) during last spring’s Blue Line tunnel closure? It’s coming back Monday. After receiving funding in the budget from state lawmakers, MBTA officials announced that they're relaunching the Lewis Mall-to-Long Wharf ferry on a pilot basis. It will run next week through the end of November and then resume in March for the spring.
  • The ferry will run back and forth every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (save for a midday break from 12:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.)
  • It will cost money this time — but only $2.40 per one-way trip, which is the same as the subway and less than the agency's ferries to Charlestown, Hingham and Hull. You'll also be able to use weekly or monthly passes that are printed on a CharlieTicket or on the mTicket app. (Due to how ferry fares are validated, such passes on CharlieCards won't be accepted.)
  • The new service comes after the temporary ferry during the Blue Line closure saw 1,750 daily riders, according to the T. And local elected officials like state Sen. Lydia Edwards have advocated for expanded ferry service for communities north of Boston Harbor. "This is just the beginning," Edwards tweeted Thursday.

• Heads up, beachgoers: If you're taking advantage of the gorgeous weather this weekend for a beach trip, beware of rip currents. The National Weather Service has issued a warning for high surf and strong rip tides — the distant effects of Hurricane Earl churning off in the Atlantic Ocean. According to the service, the highest risk for rip currents will be at beaches in New Hampshire and Maine.
  • Zoom out: Hurricane season has gotten off to an unusually late start this year. In fact, it's the first time in 25 years no tropical cyclones formed in the North Atlantic basin in August.

• The monkeypox outbreak in Massachusetts appears to be slowing. State officials reported 30 new cases of the disease this week, continuing a downward trend that began about a month ago. Overall, a total of 347 cases have been confirmed in Massachusetts since the first U.S. infection was reported in the state on May 18.
  • So far, about 20,000 people in Massachusetts have gotten the monkeypox vaccine, which remains in limited supply and is prioritized for those likely to have been exposed.

• The new NFL season kicks off in full this weekend (the first game was last night, and the Patriots open the year at 1 p.m. on Sunday against my team, the Miami Dolphins). But it stills seems like it will be some time before residents can bet on games in Massachusetts.
  • Despite the state's new law legalizing sports wagering, regulators are still in the early stages of hammering out the licensing process and over 200 necessary regulations. The exact timeline for when bets will be allowed remains unclear, but it could be months.
  • While there was some talk of using emergency regulations to speed up the process, Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said Thursday that they "will not compromise getting this right for anything."

P.S.— The leaves are turning earlier than usual this year. Do you know why? Then take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of the local stories we covered this week.

• Did you know Queen Elizabeth II visited Boston in 1976? Here are photos and footage of the visit, during which Her Majesty was met by former Gov. Michael Dukakis — and a fair number of protesters.

• A new musical at The Huntington transports audiences to 1980s Ireland, where two teenagers search for love, a band is made and the necessity of dreams is revealed, writes theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair.

• This week's episode of Endless Thread takes us into a day of the life of New York City's sweatpants-wearing comedic enigma.

• Summer is nearly over, and fall field crickets are calling. But as Anita Diamant writes in this commentary, we shouldn't despair the turning of the seasons.

• Queen Elizabeth’s Unthinkable Death (The Atlantic)

• A crisis of conscience, with lives on the line (The Boston Globe)

• When Weird Al Yankovic Met Daniel Radcliffe, Things Got … Well, You Know (The New York Times)

Before you go: A definitive pronunciation guide to the confounding number of 'ham-towns in Massachusetts.

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