Why Wu wants a raise

Also: Mass. auditor candidates vie for voters — and attention; why Baker hasn't signed the climate bill [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  August 10, 2022 ☁️ Cloudy with a high near 76. Good Morning Boston, I almost forgot what 70 degrees felt like! That said, while the heat wave may be over, we still need a little more rain to kick this drought. In fact, most of Massachusetts is now in a "[Level-3 Critical Drought]( That means residents are being asked to conserve water and stop all non-essential outdoor watering. Sorry, lawn. To the rest of the news: - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is [proposing some big pay raises for top City Hall staff]( — including herself. But she says it's only because the city has fallen so far behind. WBUR's Walter Wuthmann reports that a law requires the city to review top-level, non-union salaries every two years. However, the review was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. City councilors now will discuss the subject at their meeting today. - Wu is proposing 11% pay raises for top city officials. That would boost the mayor's salary from $207,000 to $230,000 a year, while increasing city councilors' pay from $103,500 to $115,000. The police and fire commissioners would get big hikes, too. - Wuthmann reports that finance experts say the city needs to offer high salaries to be competitive with the private sector — though not all similarly-sized cities do. While the mayor of San Francisco makes $353,802, the mayoral salary in Nashville is $180,000. - What's holding up Gov. Charlie Baker's signature on the [revised climate bill]( Some hesitation about one particular part. Baker told reporters Tuesday that he has "deep concerns" about a provision that would allow 10 cities and towns to ban oil and gas hookups in new construction and major renovations. The governor had suggested changes to the provision, but it was not among the ones adopted by lawmakers when they sent the bill back to him on July 31. - What Baker's saying: He framed the provision as a form of "exclusionary zoning," which typically refers to the practice of banning multifamily housing or imposing other restrictions that [advocates say]( have blocked affordable housing in many suburbs. - The bill does require cities and towns to meet a 10% affordable housing target in order to ban new gas hookups. Still, Baker says he is trying to weigh whether its impact on affordable housing could "overwhelm the rest of the good the bill does or not." - Tick tock: Baker's decision is due by Thursday. - Watch this space: Vermont is poised to [send the state's first woman and openly gay person to Congress]( after state Sen. Becca Balint won the Democratic primary Tuesday to replace Rep. Peter Welch (who is running to succeed outgoing Sen. Patrick Leahy). - The win makes the Bernie Sanders-backed Balint the favorite to win the general election in November (she's facing Republican nominee and retired U.S. Army officer Gerald Malloy). - Zoom out: Vermont — which has just one seat in the House of Representatives — is the [only state]( never to send a woman to Congress. - The dog days of summer have not been kind to the Red Sox: The team [announced]( Tuesday that injury-plagued Chris Sale broke his wrist in a bike accident Saturday and will miss the rest of the season. - The incident ends Sale's year after pitching less than six innings this season (he got hit by a line-drive that fractured his pinky in just his second start, after returning from an offseason rib injury in July). The Red Sox remain in last place in the AL East, five games out from the playoffs. - If there's a silver lining, it's that the injury is to Sale's non-pitching arm and he should be ready for spring training next year. P.S.— We have another debate today! The three Democrats running to replace Maura Healey as Massachusetts attorney general will [face off later this morning at WBUR CitySpace](. You can watch the debate online [here]( or even attend in person! Tickets are [free]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [State auditor candidates vie for voters' attention in often overlooked race]( Two Democrats and a Republican are competing to become Massachusetts' next state auditor, one of the state's top watchdogs. But the candidates face a major challenge: Few voters are familiar with the state auditor's work and why it matters. [Read more.]( [State auditor candidates vie for voters' attention in often overlooked race]( Two Democrats and a Republican are competing to become Massachusetts' next state auditor, one of the state's top watchdogs. But the candidates face a major challenge: Few voters are familiar with the state auditor's work and why it matters. [Read more.]( [Mystery at Mar-a-Lago: What were FBI agents looking for and what are the consequences?]( A federal search warrant like the kind carried out at the home of former President Donald Trump would require detailed evidence and sign-off at the highest levels of the DOJ, legal experts said. [Read more.]( [Mystery at Mar-a-Lago: What were FBI agents looking for and what are the consequences?]( A federal search warrant like the kind carried out at the home of former President Donald Trump would require detailed evidence and sign-off at the highest levels of the DOJ, legal experts said. [Read more.]( [Some Native Americans say this Pilgrim site is failing as a bi-cultural museum]( Members of Massachusetts's Wampanoag community say the people running the Patuxet living history site have done little to ingratiate themselves with tribes. [Read more.]( [Some Native Americans say this Pilgrim site is failing as a bi-cultural museum]( Members of Massachusetts's Wampanoag community say the people running the Patuxet living history site have done little to ingratiate themselves with tribes. [Read more.]( [Mass. truck driver acquitted in deaths of 7 motorcyclists in N.H.]( A jury on Tuesday acquitted a commercial truck driver of causing the 2019 deaths of seven motorcyclists in a head-on collision in northern New Hampshire. [Read more.]( [Mass. truck driver acquitted in deaths of 7 motorcyclists in N.H.]( A jury on Tuesday acquitted a commercial truck driver of causing the 2019 deaths of seven motorcyclists in a head-on collision in northern New Hampshire. [Read more.]( [With supplies low, FDA authorizes plan to stretch limited monkeypox vaccine doses]( The Biden administration is allowing the shot to be given between layers of skin — a method that only requires a fifth of the full dose — in order to increase vaccinations and slow the outbreak. [Read more.]( [With supplies low, FDA authorizes plan to stretch limited monkeypox vaccine doses]( The Biden administration is allowing the shot to be given between layers of skin — a method that only requires a fifth of the full dose — in order to increase vaccinations and slow the outbreak. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Kimberly Hensle Lowrance[writes in this commentary]( that Olivia Newton-John served as the soundtrack to her childhood, but grew to mean even more to her as an adult. - Conservation Law Foundation vice president Staci Rubin [writes in this commentary]( that the MBTA needs to do "much more" to make the coming Orange and Green line diversions easier on riders. - Celebrity adventurer Bear Grylls [explains how to "S-T-O-P" fighting fear]( — and instead use it to fuel you — in everyday life - Check out Planet Money's ["hot econ summer" playlist]( filled with pop songs that (let's say, loosely) relate to current macroeconomic themes like inflation and consumption.  What We're Reading 📚 - Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms — And In Her Own Words ([Vogue]( - The Mysterious Dance of the Cricket Embryos ([The New York Times]( - Kamala Harris made history — so her husband did, too ([The 19th](  Tell Me Something Good [Fiona the Hippo gets a little brother]( Fiona the Hippo got a baby brother last week. Her 23-year-old mom gave birth to a healthy calf, who weighs about 60 pounds. [Read more.]( [Fiona the Hippo gets a little brother]( Fiona the Hippo got a baby brother last week. Her 23-year-old mom gave birth to a healthy calf, who weighs about 60 pounds. [Read more.]( Before you go: Even the Brookline turkeys needed [a break from that heat wave](. 😎 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.