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Boston's Morning Newsletter
Bidding adieu: Baker's farewell address, Poftak's last day as GM of MBTA
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Welcome back and happy New Year! We hope everyone had a restful break. Your usual, beloved newsletter cruise director Nik DeCosta-Klipa is off this week, so I’ll be your guide to what’s happening locally in the interim.
We’re bidding adieu to more than 2022 in the new year. Here are some notable farewells — and welcomes — coming at us this week:
Gov. Charlie Baker is saying farewell to the Commonwealth this afternoon. His final address is scheduled for 2 p.m. and it will be the last time he talks to the people of Massachusetts before leaving office on Thursday.
- During his eight years in office, Baker has left quite the legacy, as WBUR’s Steve Brown reports below. He was able to become one of the most popular governors in the country, even while navigating major challenges like the MBTA’s perpetual woes, how to deal with climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
- But analysts agree that one of the most significant impacts is the one Baker left on the state’s judiciary. He appointed more than half the judges now sitting on the bench. Looking back over his two terms, he’s named 250 judges — including all seven serving on the Supreme Judicial Court!
- A reminder: after Baker leaves office, he’ll become the commissioner of the NCAA.
- But he’s not quite done yet! Today is the final day of the 192nd legislative session. While the biggest measures were finished up back in July, there’s still a chance that bills could progress to Baker’s desk today if every lawmaker agrees on them. Anything passed today in the eleventh hour will have to be signed by Baker before his term ends on Thursday at noon, otherwise it’s back to the beginning of the law-making process in the new session. So, what could be pushed through today? There’s a bill banning the distribution of so-called “revenge porn” and another bill clarifying “teen sexting.”
Today is also the last day on the job for MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. Poftak led the MBTA amid funding challenges, the pandemic and perpetual safety issues for the last three years. Gov.-elect Maura Healey will get to name the T’s next general manager and she’s hired a search firm to help find the replacement. But in the interim, deputy GM Jeffrey Gonneville is taking over.
New beginnings: The state is launching a network for people to access mental health care starting today. WBUR’s Lynn Jolicoeur reports that 25 new Community Behavioral Health Centers will allow people to walk in for mental health evaluations, get outpatient care at that center, or be set up with acute care seven days a week. The hope is that these centers, which are specifically staffed to help with mental health issues, will take some of the strain off emergency rooms. You can see the full list of centers and services here.
Did you know minimum wage in Massachusetts just got a little higher? The rate increased to $15 an hour on Jan. 1, up from $14.25 last year. The new minimum for tipped workers also rose by 60 cents to $6.75 an hour. These jumps were the last in a five-year series of wage hikes scheduled for the state.
Boston Public Schools officials are urging students and staff returning from winter break today to mask up for the next two weeks until Friday, Jan. 13. Newton Public Schools is also making a similar request.
- Is masking going to be required? Not quite. “This is our ask and expectation of students and staff, not a mandate,” BPS superintendent Mary Skipper wrote in a letter to students and their families.
- Zoom out: COVID rates have increased in recent weeks, as expected. While we’re still well below earlier peaks, hospitalizations have risen in Massachusetts since late November and COVID levels in wastewater are up to levels not seen since last January.
P.S.— Today we wanted to focus on Baker’s goodbye, but later in the week we’re talking about welcoming a new governor. We’ll provide live, special coverage of Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll’s inauguration this coming Thursday, starting at 11 a.m. on Radio Boston. Block off those calendars so you can tune in!
