Rachael Rollins' new job starts today

Also: State issues booster mandate for nursing home workers; remembering Bob Saget [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  January 10, 2022 🌬 Windy and cloudy, with a high near 28. Good Morning Boston, I hope you're able to read this newsletter cozy in a blanket, or at least while bundled up in a really warm scarf and hat. It's chilly out there this morning. Here's what we're watching, besides the dropping thermometer: - Former Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is taking office today as the first Black woman to serve as the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. She'll be sworn in during a private ceremony this morning. - Who will replace Rollins as DA? Gov. Charlie Baker tapped Kevin Hayden, the current chair of the Sex Offender Registry Board, to fill in until the election later this year. - Of note: WBUR's Deborah Becker reports that it appears Rollins will not receive the security protection she requested while in this new role. Since getting nominated, Rollins said she and her family have received threats. - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is speaking today at 10 a.m. about homelessness and addiction in the area around Mass Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. The city has been working closely with the state to set up housing and services for people living in that tent encampment area before all the tents are cleared by this Wednesday. - In the hot seat tomorrow: Baker. He and Health and Human Services chief Marylou Sudders are set to testify at a COVID-19 oversight hearing on Beacon Hill. Lawmakers aren't pleased with the latest COVID-19 surge response. They're expected to grill Baker and Sudders about long testing lines, hospitals at capacity and school staffing challenges. - PSA: If you take the Haverhill or Framingham-Worcester commuter rail lines, make sure your normal stop is still available. [Weekday schedules]( are changing as of today to adjust for COVID-related staffing shortages. The schedule change will be in effect for at least two weeks. P.S.– It [may not get to record-breaking cold out there]( today, but my teeth are still chattering. I'm bringing back [this 2020 conversation with dog musher and adventurer Blair Braverman]( who wrote "Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North." She shared some helpful tips for staying warm, especially when you want to get outside. And when it comes to dressing for winter, WBUR's Roberto Scalese's [explanation of the "Ralphie-Randy Conundrum"]( is my favorite way to champion dressing in layers. Meagan McGinnes Senior Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Some mental health advocates in Massachusetts want a new name for schizophrenia]( When someone is diagnosed with schizophrenia — a psychotic disorder marked by delusional thinking — they often experience fear and anxiety. A group of Massachusetts-based researchers and advocates say changing the name could reduce its stigma. [Read more.]( [Some mental health advocates in Massachusetts want a new name for schizophrenia]( When someone is diagnosed with schizophrenia — a psychotic disorder marked by delusional thinking — they often experience fear and anxiety. A group of Massachusetts-based researchers and advocates say changing the name could reduce its stigma. [Read more.]( [Actor and comedian Bob Saget dies at 65]( Saget was a prominent presence on American television screens throughout the 1990s as the father Danny Tanner on Full House and the host of America's Funniest Home Videos. [Read more.]( [Actor and comedian Bob Saget dies at 65]( Saget was a prominent presence on American television screens throughout the 1990s as the father Danny Tanner on Full House and the host of America's Funniest Home Videos. [Read more.]( [State issues COVID-19 booster mandate for nursing home workers]( More nursing home workers will now be forced to roll up their sleeves and get a COVID-19 booster — or risk losing their jobs. [Read more.]( [State issues COVID-19 booster mandate for nursing home workers]( More nursing home workers will now be forced to roll up their sleeves and get a COVID-19 booster — or risk losing their jobs. [Read more.]( [A fire in a Bronx apartment building leaves 19 dead, including 9 children]( One resident described seeing a wall of "thick, chalky smoke. The type of smoke you can't breathe" in the building's hallway when he tried to leave his apartment. [Read more.]( [A fire in a Bronx apartment building leaves 19 dead, including 9 children]( One resident described seeing a wall of "thick, chalky smoke. The type of smoke you can't breathe" in the building's hallway when he tried to leave his apartment. [Read more.]( [What's different — and what's the same — with omicron in hospitals]( Fewer patients are dying and fewer need ventilators than in prior COVID surges, but those who land in the ICU are just as sick, doctors say. [Read more.]( [What's different — and what's the same — with omicron in hospitals]( Fewer patients are dying and fewer need ventilators than in prior COVID surges, but those who land in the ICU are just as sick, doctors say. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Winter and its chill are finally here, but don't let it get you down! Here are [13 art exhibits]( to brighten up the darkness of winter. - What did the world watch on TikTok last year? NPR [rounded up some of its favorite videos]( from "mukbang ASMR" to jokes about cash flow. - It's a COVID fire hose and tough to handle, writes Holly Robinson [in this commentary]( but all we can do is hold on, forgive ourselves for mistakes, and keep trying to protect each other. What We're Reading 📚 - In 2021, almost twice as many women joined the workforce than men ([The 19th]( - With its ski resort open again, everyone is rooting for Rangeley, Maine ([The Boston Globe]( - When Home Is a Toxic Hot Spot ([ProPublica]( Tell Me Something Good [Scientists vacuum zoo animals' DNA out of the air]( Researchers who detected that detecting environmental DNA, or eDNA, in two zoos say the technique could one day be used to look for endangered species in remote locations in the wild. [Read more.]( [Scientists vacuum zoo animals' DNA out of the air]( Researchers who detected that detecting environmental DNA, or eDNA, in two zoos say the technique could one day be used to look for endangered species in remote locations in the wild. [Read more.]( Before you go: If you already have the midweek wearies before Monday even starts, and you are a New Englander of a certain age, [this nostalgia bomb on Twitter is just what you need](. Long live Riverside Park. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.](   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2021 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.