Too close to home?

Also: Mass. eases up mask advisory; get to know WBUR's new newsletter editor [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  February 16, 2022 ☁️ Increasing clouds, with a high near 46. Good Morning Boston, I want to start today with a little note of appreciation: You rock! I’ve loved a lot of things about the last three-plus years writing WBUR Today, but getting to start my day with readers and listeners like you has definitely topped that list. Your thoughtful questions, personal stories and kind words have made waking up early to write this newsletter a true joy (and “early” and “joy” are not words I pair together often). That being said, it’s time for me to take a step away from the day-to-day writing of WBUR Today. I’m not leaving WBUR; I’ll just be working to make new newsletters and improve our current lineup, including this one. Your new guide to the news Boston is talking about is WBUR’s newsletter editor [Nik DeCosta-Klipa]( who you’ve gotten to know in recent weeks — and can get to know even more below! And don’t worry; this isn’t goodbye. I’ll still be making guest appearances in WBUR Today and some of our other newsletters. But until then, thank you so much for welcoming me into your inboxes. I can’t quite put into words how much this community means to me. Now, onto the rest of the day’s news: - Massachusetts is easing up on its [face covering advisory](. Now, state officials are [advising]( only unvaccinated individuals and those who face an elevated risk from COVID to wear a mask in indoor public places. Officials cite the state's high vaccination rates, as well as falling numbers of infection and hospitalization. - A reminder: Gov. Charlie Baker's administration had never reimposed a statewide indoor mask mandate during the delta and omicron surges; they only [recommended in December]( that everyone over the age of 5 wear a face covering in indoors public settings, regardless of their vaccination status. - The new Department of Public Health advisory Tuesday simply returns to the pre-omicron guidance that says vaccinated individuals only should wear a mask if they: - have a weakened immune system or underlying health condition that puts them at higher risk. - are elderly. - have someone in their household who is unvaccinated or falls under the previous two categories. - PSA: Everyone (regardless of vaccination status) still needs to mask up in certain settings, like health care facilities, public transportation, Ubers, etc. It's best to just have one with you! - Happening "in the next few days or so": Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says the city could soon repeal its vaccination mandate for certain indoor venues. - Wu's administration is waiting for three metrics — the city's positivity rate, COVID hospitalizations and hospital bed occupancy — to [all fall below certain levels]( before lifting the mandate. One metric, bed occupancy, is already below the threshold, and the other two are getting close. - Could the city reimpose the mandate after lifting it? Yes, but Wu said only if all three of the metrics go back above those thresholds. That means it could be back next fall or winter, when some epidemiologists are predicting another COVID surge. - One more thing: Boston's indoor mask mandate remains in place — for now. For the mask mandate to get dropped, Wu said those three key COVID metrics need to keep trending even further downward. - Wu's vaccination mandate for city workers is [on pause](. An appeals court justice overturned the earlier rejection of police and firefighter unions' request to upend the order, saying the unions' claim that the mayor should have negotiated with them over the mandate is a fair one. - There's one less contender in the race for governor. Harvard professor Danielle Allen [announced Tuesday that she's dropping out.]( She said the state's Democratic Party makes it too hard for non-traditional candidates to make the ballot. Here's our [running list of who's still going for governor.]( - Let's end on a good paw: First responders in Massachusetts are now allowed to treat and transport injured police dogs to veterinary hospitals. Baker [signed Nero's bill into law]( Tuesday. P.S.– I'd like to leave my last official newsletter with something super on-brand. So, please enjoy this [parody of Aladdin's "A Whole New World" with a twist about my latest obsession, Wordle](. Even the post-New York Times acquisition haters will enjoy this. Meagan McGinnes Senior Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Too close to home? Protests outside Boston mayor's house spark debate]( Across the country, protesters across the political spectrum are taking their grievances directly to the homes of public officials, sparking debate about when protests go too far. That includes the 7 a.m. protests in front of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s home each morning. [Read more.]( [Too close to home? Protests outside Boston mayor's house spark debate]( Across the country, protesters across the political spectrum are taking their grievances directly to the homes of public officials, sparking debate about when protests go too far. That includes the 7 a.m. protests in front of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s home each morning. [Read more.]( [Federal report predicts a foot of sea level rise by 2050, with higher levels in the Northeast]( Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration project sea levels are likely to rise as much in the next 30 years as they have in the past hundred. [Read more.]( [Federal report predicts a foot of sea level rise by 2050, with higher levels in the Northeast]( Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration project sea levels are likely to rise as much in the next 30 years as they have in the past hundred. [Read more.]( [This 16-year-old wanted to get the COVID vaccine. He had to hide it from his parents]( At 16, Nicolas Montero is old enough to get vaccinated on his own in some parts of the country. But he had to try to get the jabs without his parents knowing, since they're opposed to the vaccine. [Read more.]( [This 16-year-old wanted to get the COVID vaccine. He had to hide it from his parents]( At 16, Nicolas Montero is old enough to get vaccinated on his own in some parts of the country. But he had to try to get the jabs without his parents knowing, since they're opposed to the vaccine. [Read more.]( [The government dropped its case against Gang Chen. Scientists still see damage done]( Researchers working in the United States say the China Initiative has harmed both their fellow scientists and science itself — as a global cooperative endeavor. [Read more.]( [The government dropped its case against Gang Chen. Scientists still see damage done]( Researchers working in the United States say the China Initiative has harmed both their fellow scientists and science itself — as a global cooperative endeavor. [Read more.]( [Urban forests may store more carbon than we thought, study finds]( In the Northeastern U.S., trees around the edges of urban forests may play an outsized role in combatting climate change [Read more.]( [Urban forests may store more carbon than we thought, study finds]( In the Northeastern U.S., trees around the edges of urban forests may play an outsized role in combatting climate change [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Attention soon-to-be Harvard grads: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been [chosen to give the keynote speech]( at the university's spring commencement. - The [fourth episode of Last Seen's second season is out]( This week's podcast looks at the "Year of Africa," when 17 African nations declared their independence from the colonial West. But as the story of Congo illustrates, the turning point wasn't a seamless transition, especially when the CIA intervened. - WBUR's Sean Burns says in his latest review that the new sci-fi film "Strawberry Mansions," which opens this week at the Brattle Theatre, is like watching [a "cross between a Wes Anderson and Philip K. Dick" movie](. Meet Nik DeCosta-Klipa Nik DeCosta-Klipa, newsletter editor (Jesse Costa/WBUR) Tell us a little about yourself. I joined WBUR after seven years at Boston.com, covering local government, politics, transportation and a little bit of everything else. The job took me everywhere from the [presidential primary trail]( to [ballpark press boxes]( to [Boston City Hall]( to [nondescript corners of Charlestown]( ([twice]( actually). I’m an unabashed enthusiast of all things obscure, whether it’s [geopolitical anomalies]( or [oddities buried in a sports rulebook](. I’m also an avid sports fan — though not exclusively of the New England teams (it’s a long story). When I’m not trawling the internet, you can find me trying to exercise outside (despite the New England weather), hunting for new outdoor dining spots (despite the New England weather) and obsessing over my nacho-making technique. Why do you like newsletters? There are many things in the current media ecosystem that are constantly competing for (and distracting) our attention: Twitter, push notifications, clickbait. On the other hand, newsletters remind me of the old-fashioned newspaper model: all the information you need, already packaged and delivered each morning to your front door — or the virtual front door that we call an inbox. Except with newsletters, it opens a line of communication between writer and reader, as if you could deliver back a note directly to the reporter’s front door. What drew you to work in public media? Public radio has always felt part of my life. I grew up listening to classics like Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, Car Talk and This American Life in the car. And in more recent years, I’ve found myself often listening to [a certain mid-day Boston public radio talk show](. But beyond my personal fandom as a listener, it’s the business model I admire on a more macro level. Researchers have found that [countries with better-funded public media have healthier democracies](. And with the support of members, that model allows us to devote resources to the stories that really matter. (That wasn’t initially intended to be a plug, but while we’re at it: you can support WBUR’s work [here]( What kind of stories are you passionate about telling? I love stories that break down some arcane policy or complicated debate into something that everyone can understand. These pieces are usually as much of a learning process for me as it is ultimately for the reader. And contributing to some level of greater understanding — where opposing sides can at least empathize, if not agree, with the other view — is something I find really fulfilling. What’s your favorite random fun fact about New England? That Vermont publishes [every single one]( of its presidential election write-in votes. What We're Reading 📚 - What does it say about your neighborhood if the supermarket isn’t so super? ([Kaiser Health News]( - The COVID Strategy America Hasn’t Really Tried ([The Atlantic]( - The Age of Anti-Ambition ([The New York Times Magazine]( Tell Me Something Good [A Maine Department of Transportation hard hat was found in a fjord in Norway — 3,300 miles from home (The Boston Globe)]( “Meet our new friend Sigbjørn. He lives in Norway (the country – not the town in Maine),” MaineDOT officials wrote in a Facebook post. [Read more.]( [A Maine Department of Transportation hard hat was found in a fjord in Norway — 3,300 miles from home (The Boston Globe)]( “Meet our new friend Sigbjørn. He lives in Norway (the country – not the town in Maine),” MaineDOT officials wrote in a Facebook post. [Read more.]( Before you go: Choose your side in [the Massachusetts waffle war](. Newsletter editor Nik DeCosta-Klipa co-produced this newsletter. 😎 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.