Boston's new top cop

Also: Critical fish in New England are disappearing; Lynn officials rail at MBTA over commuter rail plans [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  July 14, 2022 🌦️ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85 and a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Good Morning Boston, There's a new man in charge of the city's police force — or at least there will be soon: - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday that Michael Cox — the current police chief in Ann Arbor, Michigan and a former Boston cop with a long, [tempestuous history]( with the department — will be [the next BPD commissioner]( besting three other finalists for the job. Cox will formally begin work on Aug. 15, more than 18 months since Boston [last had a permanent police commissioner on the job](. - Cox took over as Ann Arbor's police chief in 2019, after more than 30 years in Boston's police force. WBUR's Simon Rios reports that some reform advocates in Ann Arbor are sorry to see Cox go, after he oversaw transparency reforms, such as making body camera footage more publicly available. - The backstory: In 1995, during his early years on the Boston police force, Cox — who is Black — was [infamously beaten unconscious by fellow officers]( who mistook him for a suspect they were chasing. After news of the incident became public, he faced retaliation from fellow officers and subsequently sued the force (the three-year saga ultimately became the subject of a [book](. Cox told reporters Wednesday that he has since dedicated his life to making sure that BPD and "policing in general has grown and learned" from what he experienced at the time. - What's next: Read [the full story from WBUR's Ally Jarmanning and Deborah Becker]( on Cox's priorities — such as improving officer morale and [community relations]( — and the challenges he will face as commissioner. - Fun fact: Cox's oldest son had a [brief career]( as a NFL running back with the New York Giants. - The MBTA is getting vocal pushback from elected officials in Lynn over the agency's plans to [temporarily close the city's commuter rail station]( for upgrades. The station was originally scheduled to close next spring, but the MBTA announced this week that it was moving up those plans to July 25. While T officials declined to estimate how long the closure will last, Lynn officials say it could be over three years. - Mayor Jared Nicholson [said in a statement]( that he understands the need for upgrades, but that the MBTA should be doing more to offset the near-term impact for local residents, including providing more alternative parking when the T closes its parking garage in the city next year. State Sen. Brendan Crighton also called the T's suggestion that riders use the more-expensive Swampscott station a "[slap in the face]( Crighton [told the Lynn Item]( that the T should provide shuttle bus service to Swampscott and allow residents to pay the same Zone 2 fares. - Massachusetts health officials are encouraging residents to use bug spray and be cognizant of peak mosquito hours (early morning and evening), after detecting the state's first case of West Nile Virus in a mosquito in Easton. No human or other animal cases have been detected so far this year in the state. - Still, the news is [a reminder to follow some basic tips]( to avoid mosquito bites, according to Department of Public Health. While most people who get West Nile Virus have no symptoms, those over 50 face a higher risk for severe disease. - Check out the [state's town-by-town mosquito-borne disease risk]( map for more data and locally target prevention tips. - First Lady Jill Biden is coming to Boston today as part of a three-day swing through Massachusetts. WBUR's Fausto Menard reports that she'll visit the Boston veterans nonprofit Home Base and a fundraiser in Andover today, followed by a speech Friday at the American Federation of Teacher's Convention in South Boston. Then it's over to Bunker Hill Community College for a job training event with former Boston mayor-turned-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. And then she's headed down to Nantucket — [a Biden family favorite]( — for a fundraiser scheduled Saturday. P.S.— Now that the police commissioner job is taken care of, Boston has another position to fill: a "[late-night czar]( to spice up the city's nightlife. And [applications for the job are now open]( I personally think they should name the position "night mayor" [like other cities](. But we'll take what we can get if it means making Boston more fun after dark. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [These fish are critical to New England, and they're disappearing]( The fight to revive river herring and American eel populations has only yielded mixed results, and conservationists still don't fully understand why. [Read more.]( [These fish are critical to New England, and they're disappearing]( The fight to revive river herring and American eel populations has only yielded mixed results, and conservationists still don't fully understand why. [Read more.]( [There's a massive housing shortage across the U.S. Here's how bad it is where you live]( Hundreds of cities and towns are seriously short of housing, both homes to buy and rentals, according to a new study. It's the main reason that home prices and rents are so high. [Read more.]( [There's a massive housing shortage across the U.S. Here's how bad it is where you live]( Hundreds of cities and towns are seriously short of housing, both homes to buy and rentals, according to a new study. It's the main reason that home prices and rents are so high. [Read more.]( [Over-the-counter birth control pills are available worldwide. The U.S. may be next]( Birth control pills are available in the U.S. only with a prescription. Now a drugmaker is asking the FDA to approve a progestin-only contraceptive that would be available without one at pharmacies. [Read more.]( [Over-the-counter birth control pills are available worldwide. The U.S. may be next]( Birth control pills are available in the U.S. only with a prescription. Now a drugmaker is asking the FDA to approve a progestin-only contraceptive that would be available without one at pharmacies. [Read more.]( [Report: Massive financial infusion needed for rural Mass. schools]( Lawmakers and academic leaders called on the Massachusetts Legislature to increase rural school aid in the state’s annual budget from $4 million last year, to at least $60 million. [Read more.]( [Report: Massive financial infusion needed for rural Mass. schools]( Lawmakers and academic leaders called on the Massachusetts Legislature to increase rural school aid in the state’s annual budget from $4 million last year, to at least $60 million. [Read more.]( [Many try to return to normal from COVID, but disabled people face a different reality]( With COVID safety protocols rescinding around the country, many are returning to a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy. But disabled and immunocompromised people can't do so, and are being left behind. [Read more.]( [Many try to return to normal from COVID, but disabled people face a different reality]( With COVID safety protocols rescinding around the country, many are returning to a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy. But disabled and immunocompromised people can't do so, and are being left behind. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Here are [five things to do weekend]( from a special screening at the Harvard Film Archive to Somerville's annual ArtBeat festival. - If you've been feeling stressed lately, you're not alone. Here & Now looks at [why the world has been feeling more stressed and unhappy lately]( yes, even more than when the pandemic first hit. - WBUR's Sean Burns writes that the messy melodrama “Both Sides of the Blade” — opening this weekend at the Coolidge Corner Theatre — [evocatively depicts the "battles between our bodies and our minds."]( - Anri Wheeler [writes in this commentary]( about the importance of talking to her young daughters about "hard things" in the wake of the Dobbs decision, even if she doesn't always feel ready.  What We're Reading 📚 - Democrats Are Headed for a Disaster With Unfilled Judicial Vacancies ([Slate]( - The challenge of turning pro-choice Americans into pro-choice voters ([Vox]( - The Most Pathetic Men in America ([The Atlantic](  Tell Me Something Good [Cat caught after weeks on the run at Boston's Logan airport]( A family's beloved pet cat that's been dodging airport personnel, airline employees, and animal experts for three weeks since escaping from a pet carrier at Logan airport was finally caught Wednesday. [Read more.]( [Cat caught after weeks on the run at Boston's Logan airport]( A family's beloved pet cat that's been dodging airport personnel, airline employees, and animal experts for three weeks since escaping from a pet carrier at Logan airport was finally caught Wednesday. [Read more.]( Before you go: Interior design, [New England-style](. 😎 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 © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.