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Boston's Morning Newsletter
A big raise, work-from-home: What we know about Marty Walsh's new gig
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President Joe Biden didn’t even make it onto Capitol Hill last night before Marty Walsh was stealing headlines — at least here, back home.
According to anonymous sources, the former Boston mayor-turned-U.S. labor secretary is leaving Biden’s Cabinet to take a job as head of the NHL’s Players Association. The news — which emerged as a possibility last week — was reportedly slated to be announced after Biden’s State of the Union, but was leaked early Tuesday. It would also make Walsh the first of Biden’s Cabinet secretaries to leave.
- What it means for Walsh: For one, it means a big pay raise. The Daily Faceoff — a small hockey site that first reported the news — says he’ll make $3 million a year, compared to his current salary of over $220,000. Walsh will also reportedly get to keep living in Boston (as he has as labor secretary) rather than Toronto where the NHLPA is based. The move seemingly makes sense, given Walsh’s background as a union leader and Bruins season ticket holder.
- On the other hand: The Daily Beast reports that some players aren’t exactly welcoming the news, describing the deal as “a little janky” and “incredibly secretive” by league standards. Their biggest point of concern is that the Bruins owner — who chairs the NHL Board of Governors — was a major donor to Walsh during his time as mayor. (Being cozy with league owners isn’t exactly a plus if you’re running the players’ union.)
- You might remember that Walsh’s name was recently being thrown around as Biden’s potential next chief of staff. According to the Daily Faceoff, Walsh wasn’t entertaining the NHLPA job until after he was passed up for that powerful political position.
- Fun fact: Walsh served as the “designated survivor” during last night’s State of the Union. Fortunately, he was able to kick back — presumably in cargo shorts — and watch from afar in peace.
The local Turkish community is rallying to send truckloads of goods and money to those affected by Monday’s devastating earthquake that has claimed 11,000 lives and counting across Turkey and Syria. The efforts have coalesced around Medford’s Freerange Market, an unofficial gathering place for Boston-area Turkish-Americans.
WBUR’s Amy Sokolow and Vanessa Ochavillo report that there are ways the public can pitch in, too:
- Drop off any of the items requested here at Freerange Market (325 Rivers Edge Dr., Medford) or the Turkish Consulate General (31 Saint James Ave., Boston).
- Send cash donations using bank information provided by the consulate general here.
- The Turkish Cultural Center, along with the Boston Dialogue Foundation and the Peace Islands Institute of Boston, are collecting donations here.
Why was the magnitude 7.8 quake so deadly? NPR reports taller buildings in the region that are older than 20 years are extremely vulnerable to “pancaking” when earthquakes hit due to old concrete construction techniques. Experts also noted that it’s not just an issue in Turkey, but a “global problem.”
Good news for the 1,200 people who park at the Alewife garage. The T is opening the first four levels today “with limited capacity” (but not the fifth floor on the roof) following Saturday’s car crash. And as you can tell from these photos, the cleanup has made good progress.
- Bad news for those who take the T from Alewife: There’s still no timetable for when subway service will resume. So, it’s shuttle buses to Davis for at least the rest of this week.
PSA: Cambridge officials are warning local residents about a recent spate of catalytic converter thefts in the city. (It’s the part of your car that controls emissions, and it contains valuable precious metals.) According to Cambridge police, there have been nine thefts in the past week, compared to six for all of January.
- What should you do: Police advise parking your car in well-lit areas and marking your converter with an etching or sticker with identifying information so it can be traced if it’s stolen and shows up at a scrapyard. NPR has more tips here.
- Zoom out: Nationwide, converter theft has risen 1,215% since 2019, according to NPR. Before he left office, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill requiring scrapyards to share sale records with police and hold converters for at least 10 days before reselling them.
P.S.— Did you miss the State of the Union last night? You can watch Biden’s full speech and the Republican response here. Or scroll below for the main takeaways from the president’s address. You can also catch analysis and reactions on air most of the morning, so tune in.
