Warren puts the T in the hot seat

Also: Wrapping up the Jan. 6 committee hearings; Woburn officer placed on leave over Charlottesville rally allegations [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  October 14, 2022 🌧️ Rainy and gusty, with a high near 71. Good Morning Boston, This isn't quite the nice Friday weather we had [last week](. But things should clear up by this afternoon, [depending on where you live](. [Check out the full forecast]( from meteorologist Danielle Noyes. Heads up: officials [closed]( Storrow Drive eastbound near the BU Bridge early this morning due to a [messy]( [Storrowing rollover crash](. Check back [here for updates](. To the rest of news: - Sen. Elizabeth Warren calls herself a "huge supporter" of the MBTA. But she's putting the agency's leaders in the hot seat this morning. Warren is holding [a rare Senate field hearing in downtown Boston]( at 11 a.m. today to call for more transparency and accountability about MBTA management. This follows a series of [recent safety incidents across the system]( that have injured, and even [killed]( passengers. - Warren [told WBUR Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy]( that she's advocating for more federal funding for the [understaffed]( agency. But she added she doesn't want to "just pour money into a hole with no real plan on what they're going to do going forward." - The hearing will focus on “preventable errors” and “preventable waste,” Warren said. And while transit agencies across the country are [struggling with staffing shortages]( she suggested that MBTA leaders are partly to blame for not creating a more attractive work environment. - The witness list: MBTA General Manger Steve Poftak and Matthew Nelson, the head of the Department of Public Utilities (which, [somewhat controversially]( oversees the T) are expected to testify. FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, Mayor Michelle Wu and TransitMatters director Jarred Johnson will be there, too. - What to expect: If Warren's [past Senate hearing grillings of Wall Street executives]( are any indication, it may not be a fun day for Poftak and Nelson. Warren told Shenoy she particularly plans to press the two state officials on their vision as the state prepares to hand over the reins to a new governor. "If they can't account for themselves, then we need to get people in those positions who are willing to take some responsibility," Warren said. - Speaking of the T, there are more diversions this weekend. The MBTA is shutting down the Red Line from Harvard up to Alewife [all day Saturday and Sunday for track work](. That means free (albeit slower) shuttle buses for that stretch of the Red Line. - Shuttle buses are also still replacing Green Line's D branch through the weekend. Trolleys will return to service Monday through Friday, before the [third and final of the series of nine-day closures of the branch]( begins next Saturday, Oct. 22. - Woburn police have [placed an officer on leave amid allegations]( he helped plan — and attended — the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin say he will move to fire officer John Donnelly, if the allegations prove true. - The back story: HuffPost [reports]( that an anti-facist group called "Ignite the Right" first identified Donnelly using a combination of online sleuthing and facial recognition software. - Woburn's police chief told the outlet they will also seek to decertify Donnelly if the allegations are true, meaning he won't be able to serve in law enforcement anywhere in Massachusetts. - Social Security recipients are in line for [a historic 8.7% increase in their monthly benefits in January]( due to inflation. Advocates say the adjustment will equate to an additional $140 a month for the average retiree in Massachusetts, where 1.3 million collect Social Security. - Still, it may not be enough to keep up with [soaring energy bills this winter](. WBUR's Yasmin Amer reports that lower-income residents may be eligible for [utility bill assistance](. - Boston is planning to turn a vacant lot in Dorchester's Grove Hall neighborhood into [a new multi-million dollar community center](. Wu's office says it will be the neighborhood's first full-service BCYF center, offering everything from play spaces to farmers markets. - The $50-$60 million project is expected to take three years. P.S.— Attorney General Maura Healey's office says they've seen a recent uptick in this occurrence in Massachusetts. Do you know what it is? Then take [our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the local stories we covered this week. 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[Read more.]( [Boston's investment in summer learning converts into high participation this year]( An event Thursday began and ended with a slideshow of students learning and playing outdoors, many without masks, in a partial return to pre-pandemic 'normal.' But Boston's summer offerings are still profoundly shaped by COVID and its aftermath. [Read more.]( [It's almost impossible to find a CEO who isn't bracing for a recession]( Nearly all the chief executives in a new survey — 98% — say they're getting their ducks in a row for an impending economic downturn in the United States. [Read more.]( [It's almost impossible to find a CEO who isn't bracing for a recession]( Nearly all the chief executives in a new survey — 98% — say they're getting their ducks in a row for an impending economic downturn in the United States. [Read more.]( [Police: Officers may have been 'lured' into deadly ambush in Bristol, Conn.]( State police said Thursday that the 911 call about a dispute between two siblings appears to have been "a deliberate act to lure law enforcement to the scene" in Bristol. [Read more.]( [Police: Officers may have been 'lured' into deadly ambush in Bristol, Conn.]( State police said Thursday that the 911 call about a dispute between two siblings appears to have been "a deliberate act to lure law enforcement to the scene" in Bristol. [Read more.]( [Group urges hiring more school counselors to meet student mental health needs]( Massachusetts would need over a thousand more school counselors to meet the recommended ratio of one counselor to every 250 students, according to the Massachusetts School Counselors Association. [Read more.]( [Group urges hiring more school counselors to meet student mental health needs]( Massachusetts would need over a thousand more school counselors to meet the recommended ratio of one counselor to every 250 students, according to the Massachusetts School Counselors Association. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - The Huntington Theatre is [reopening today for the first time since 2020]( — with a new production of the late August Wilson's groundbreaking play “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” - This week's episode of Endless Thread [unravels the long-taboo idea that wild animals have individual personalities]( and finds a surprising shift in how humans understand the natural world. - Does caffeine really makes you dehydrated? Are eight glasses of water a day really necessary? NPR's Life Kit [busts five common myths about water and hydration](. - There’s been a lot of news in the last 10 years. The editors of our opinions and ideas section, Cognoscenti, [reflect on how they've tried to hold space for the personal]( even during times and events that feel too big to put into words. Plus, don't miss Julia Claiborne Johnson's [love letter to Facebook Marketplace](.  What We're Reading 📚 - Brian O’Donovan is walking on air against his better judgment ([The Boston Globe]( - It’s Never Too Late to Pivot From N.F.L. Safety to Neurosurgeon ([The New York Times]( - The Vulnerability of John Fetterman ([New York Magazine](  Tell Me Something Good [Boston celebrity chef Tiffani Faison to open a 'giant' Tenderoni's in Fenway]( Faison announced Thursday on Radio Boston that she'll prop up a supersized edition of the "Italian-ish" eatery in the same location once occupied by her now-closed restaurant Tiger Mama. Faison says it will look like "a tricked-out roller rink"— with giant mozzarella sticks. [Read more.]( [Boston celebrity chef Tiffani Faison to open a 'giant' Tenderoni's in Fenway]( Faison announced Thursday on Radio Boston that she'll prop up a supersized edition of the "Italian-ish" eatery in the same location once occupied by her now-closed restaurant Tiger Mama. Faison says it will look like "a tricked-out roller rink"— with giant mozzarella sticks. [Read more.]( Before you go: [Shots fired]( Northeastern. 😎 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.