Graduation Day Turns Into Time To Push For Change: Patch PM

It's Monday, June 8. The state reported 38 new deaths and 193 cases of coronavirus, bringing the totals to 7,353 and 103,626, respectively. See the full report here.

The state is mere hours into phase two of its reopening plan. Mother Nature did restaurants a solid as many were finally able to open outdoor seating. One reporter wasted no time in trying it out — while his order didn't change, some other things did.

Other industries weren't expecting as smooth a rollout. Parents and providers alike are questioning what social restrictions mean for day care. And looking ahead, a back-to-school plan is taking shape. (That's for the schools that will actually be reopening.)

Here's what else is happening around Massachusetts:

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It was supposed to be a day when Ava Lerman and her Oliver Ames High School graduating classmates made memories to last a lifetime celebrating all they had achieved.

It turned out to be a day when many of them came together to push for awareness and reforms that will hopefully make a change for the better for many OA classes to come as they marched in a Black Lives Matter protest in Easton on Sunday.

There's a store in Worcester that shares a name with George Floyd, who died May 25 after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. The name crossover is a strange coincidence amid a national uprising over police brutality — and the man who founded the store sees important parallels between recent protests and the country he emigrated from.

Both of Jonathan Mande's parents are fighting for their lives after testing positive for the coronavirus. He's their medical proxy and has been on the phone nearly every day with the hospital and nurses. It's meant that his business — Drums and Wellness in Brookline's Washington Square — has had to take a back seat.

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MA Companies Continue Hiring During Coronavirus Pandemic

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Sports

The NFL, NBA and NHL all have plans to return. The MLB? It's looking grimmer by the day.