The race to replace AG Maura Healey grows

Also: The timeline for the next COVID vaccine rollout; your favorite Tom Brady memories [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  February 2, 2022 ☁️ Cloudy, with a high near 39 and a slight chance of rain after 3 p.m. Good Morning Boston, Happy Wednesday. We're saying [farewell to Tom Brady]( and I'm saying hello to you. I'm Nik DeCosta-Klipa, and I'm a new member of WBUR's newsletter team. I'm excited to be in your inboxes. And while I could never replace WBUR Today GOAT Meagan McGinnes, you'll be hearing from me more often, too. Also, happy Groundhog Day. For those who put stock in the [quite questionable predictions]( of a large rodent, Punxsutawney Phil [says six more weeks of winter](. Or maybe not! He's [usually wrong]( Anyway, to the news: - Just in: Former Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell is [running for Massachusetts attorney general](. She joins labor lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan and attorney Quentin Palfrey in the Democratic primary to succeed current AG and gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey. Campbell is officially kicking off her campaign this morning in Dorchester. - Yesterday marked [two years since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Massachusetts](. Since then, the state has reported nearly 1.5 million cases of the disease, as well as 21,419 deaths. - The (relatively) promising news is that local COVID rates — while still high — are [trending sharply downward](. Newly released data shows breakthrough infections were down 40% last week compared to the previous week and the [amount of COVID in the Boston area's wastewater]( continues to drop dramatically as well. - New daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths are still higher than almost any other point during the pandemic. But experts are [cautiously optimistic]( about the near-term outlook. - The Boston City Council is planning to take on [the subject of potential reparations for Black residents](. City councilors Julia Mejia and Tania Fernandes-Anderson will propose the formation of [a 15-member commission]( to develop proposals to address the socioeconomic disparities caused by systemic racism. - A Mansfield woman is being charged with manslaughter in death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe, [whose body was found outside a Canton home early Saturday]( during the weekend blizzard. The Norfolk County District Attorney's office believes 41-year-old Karen Read knew O'Keefe, but has not elaborated on the nature of their relationship. - PSA: Food stamp recipients in the Boston area now have a local source for grocery delivery. Mayor Michelle Wu's office [announced that nearby residents can now use EBT cards]( order groceries online from a local nonprofit food store called the Daily Table. It expands a [state program]( that previously only included "very, very large players" like Amazon, Stop & Shop and Walmart. Free delivery is available to anyone within two miles of Daily Table's three locations in Boston and Cambridge. - Attention South Shore commuters: Three MBTA commuter rail lines are stopping short of Boston this morning, as crews work to repair a cracked rail near the JFK/UMass station. But officials will let riders take the Red Line to finish the rest of their commute. Officials say that, [until further notice]( all Middleborough and Kingston Line trains will start and end at Braintree; the Greenbush Line will do the same at Quincy Center. P.S.— What are your favorite memories of Tom Brady’s time in New England? Of course, there are the six Super Bowls, the 28-3 comeback, the MVPs. But what about the less famous moments? Personal interactions with the superstar? Or things that only true Brady fans would remember? Reply to this email to share and it may be featured in a future newsletter or story on WBUR! Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [When can babies and kids under age 5 get their shots? Here's the timeline]( The first big hurdle was crossed when Pfizer shared its clinical trial data with the FDA. Now there are five more steps get through before this vulnerable population can finally be vaccinated. [Read more.]( [When can babies and kids under age 5 get their shots? Here's the timeline]( The first big hurdle was crossed when Pfizer shared its clinical trial data with the FDA. Now there are five more steps get through before this vulnerable population can finally be vaccinated. [Read more.]( [Once strangers, 2 Afghan women try to find their way in western Mass.]( Fati and Malalai didn’t know each other before arriving in western Massachusetts. But together, these two Afghan women are figuring out how to navigate their new life in the United States. [Read more.]( [Once strangers, 2 Afghan women try to find their way in western Mass.]( Fati and Malalai didn’t know each other before arriving in western Massachusetts. But together, these two Afghan women are figuring out how to navigate their new life in the United States. [Read more.]( [Politicians of color decry 'racist' attacks on Boston mayor]( Rep. Ayanna Pressley and more than a dozen other elected officials are speaking out against “the relentless threats of violence and hateful attacks” on Mayor Michelle Wu and her family. [Read more.]( [Politicians of color decry 'racist' attacks on Boston mayor]( Rep. Ayanna Pressley and more than a dozen other elected officials are speaking out against “the relentless threats of violence and hateful attacks” on Mayor Michelle Wu and her family. [Read more.]( [Tom Brady retires after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles]( “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” Brady wrote in a lengthy Instagram post Tuesday. [Read more.]( [Tom Brady retires after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles]( “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” Brady wrote in a lengthy Instagram post Tuesday. [Read more.]( [Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores accuses NFL of racial discrimination in lawsuit]( In other Patriots-related news, apparently mistaken texts from coach Bill Belichick are at the center of a bombshell lawsuit . [Read more.]( [Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores accuses NFL of racial discrimination in lawsuit]( In other Patriots-related news, apparently mistaken texts from coach Bill Belichick are at the center of a bombshell lawsuit . [Read more.]( Anything Else? - PSA: WBUR's CitySpace is [celebrating its third anniversary with free tickets to all February events](. Yes, free! You can either attend in-person or tune in virtually (though there's at least one baking-related event for which you may want to be in the building). - Radio Boston [reflected on the career and retirement of Tom Brady]( with those who knew him best: Boston Globe Patriots reporter Jim McBride and ESPN senior writer and Howard Bryant. And [in in this commentary]( writer Joanna Weiss argues that, despite Brady's seeming snub of the Patriots on Tuesday, he'll "always be ours." - The Winter Games are here and there will be a record 109 sporting events this year. Here are [seven new events making their Olympic debut in Beijing](. - ICYMI: WBUR's true crime podcast Last Seen just [dropped the first two episodes of its second season](. Episode 1 focuses on "[Murph the Smurf]( the enigmatic folk hero who pulled off the biggest jewel theft in New York City history, while Episode 2 looks into [the high-tech dungeons]( where the über-rich hide their most valuable assets. Yeah, I'm gonna be subscribing to that. What We're Reading 📚 - What We Can Learn From How the 1918 Pandemic Ended ([The New York Times]( - We’re Thinking About Endemicity All Wrong ([The Atlantic]( - Freedom House was a center of the civil rights movement in Boston. Now it faces demolition. ([The Boston Globe]( Tell Me Something Good [A 911 call taker fought burnout with furry friends, then made working with them her full-time job (GBH)]( How a former Boston police dispatcher made the shift to full-time dog trainer after the pandemic made her rethink her career. [Read more.]( [A 911 call taker fought burnout with furry friends, then made working with them her full-time job (GBH)]( How a former Boston police dispatcher made the shift to full-time dog trainer after the pandemic made her rethink her career. [Read more.]( Before you go: That's [what the Super Bowls are for](. (He did eventually [say thank you]( 😎 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.]( Support the news   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.