Bidding farewell to Baker

Also: Some schools request students mask up post-holiday break; 5 predictions for the 2023 Mass. economy [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  January 3, 2023 🌧️ Rain with areas of fog after 10 a.m. High near 45. Good Morning Boston, Welcome back and happy New Year! We hope everyone had a restful break. Your usual, beloved newsletter cruise director Nik DeCosta-Klipa is off this week, so I'll be your guide to what's happening locally in the interim. We're bidding adieu to more than 2022 in the new year. Here are some notable farewells — and welcomes — coming at us this week: - Gov. Charlie Baker is saying farewell to the Commonwealth this afternoon. His final address is scheduled for 2 p.m. and it will be the last time he talks to the people of Massachusetts before leaving office on Thursday. - During his eight years in office, Baker has left quite the legacy, as WBUR's Steve Brown reports below. He was able to become one of the most popular governors in the country, even while navigating major challenges like the MBTA's perpetual woes, how to deal with climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. - But [analysts agree that one of the most significant impacts is the one Baker left on the state's judiciary](. He appointed more than half the judges now sitting on the bench. Looking back over his two terms, he's named 250 judges — including all seven serving on the Supreme Judicial Court! - A reminder: after Baker leaves office, he'll become the [commissioner of the NCAA.]( - But he's not quite done yet! Today is the final day of the 192nd legislative session. While the biggest measures were finished up back in July, there's still a chance that bills could progress to Baker's desk today if every lawmaker agrees on them. Anything passed today in the eleventh hour will have to be signed by Baker before his term ends on Thursday at noon, otherwise it's back to the beginning of the [law-making process]( in the new session. So, what could be pushed through today? There's a bill banning the distribution of so-called "revenge porn" and another bill clarifying "teen sexting." - Today is also the last day on the job for MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. Poftak led the MBTA amid funding challenges, the pandemic and perpetual safety issues for the last three years. Gov.-elect Maura Healey will get to name the T's next general manager and she's hired a search firm to help find the replacement. But in the interim, deputy GM Jeffrey Gonneville is taking over. - New beginnings: The state is launching a network for people to access mental health care starting today. WBUR's Lynn Jolicoeur reports that 25 new Community Behavioral Health Centers will allow people to walk in for mental health evaluations, get outpatient care at that center, or be set up with acute care seven days a week. The hope is that these centers, which are specifically staffed to help with mental health issues, will take some of the strain off emergency rooms. You can see the [full list of centers and services here.]( - Did you know minimum wage in Massachusetts just got a little higher? [The rate increased to $15 an hour on Jan. 1]( up from $14.25 last year. The new minimum for tipped workers also rose by 60 cents to $6.75 an hour. These jumps were the last in a five-year series of wage hikes scheduled for the state. - Boston Public Schools officials are [urging students and staff returning from winter break today to mask up]( for the next two weeks until Friday, Jan. 13. Newton Public Schools is also making a similar request. - Is masking going to be required? Not quite. "This is our ask and expectation of students and staff, not a mandate," BPS superintendent Mary Skipper wrote in a letter to students and their families. - Zoom out: COVID rates have increased in recent weeks, as expected. While we're still well below earlier peaks, hospitalizations have risen in Massachusetts [since late November]( and COVID levels in wastewater are [up to levels]( not seen since last January. P.S.— Today we wanted to focus on Baker's goodbye, but later in the week we're talking about welcoming a new governor. We'll provide live, special coverage of Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll's inauguration this coming Thursday, starting at 11 a.m. on Radio Boston. Block off those calendars so you can tune in! Meagan McGinnes Assistant Managing Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Charlie Baker wraps up 8 years as Mass. governor. Analysts ponder how he'll be remembered]( Charlie Baker is scheduled to leave office for the final time this week – in what is traditionally called the 'Lone Walk' ceremony – and turn the levers of power over to Gov.-elect Maura Healey. People are already beginning to take stock in his legacy. [Read more.]( [Charlie Baker wraps up 8 years as Mass. governor. Analysts ponder how he'll be remembered]( Charlie Baker is scheduled to leave office for the final time this week – in what is traditionally called the 'Lone Walk' ceremony – and turn the levers of power over to Gov.-elect Maura Healey. People are already beginning to take stock in his legacy. [Read more.]( [Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is in critical condition after collapsing in a game]( The Monday night game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was suspended after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. Hamlin was in critical condition, the NFL said. [Read more.]( [Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is in critical condition after collapsing in a game]( The Monday night game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was suspended after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. Hamlin was in critical condition, the NFL said. [Read more.]( [Will Mass. see a recession or a slowdown? 5 predictions for the 2023 economy]( Slower consumer spending and a stubbornly tough housing market are some of the economic realities we can expect going into 2023, according to experts. [Read more.]( [Will Mass. see a recession or a slowdown? 5 predictions for the 2023 economy]( Slower consumer spending and a stubbornly tough housing market are some of the economic realities we can expect going into 2023, according to experts. [Read more.]( [Mass. officials threaten to limit emergency shelter without more funding]( Within the next 90 days, state officials said they expect the family shelter system will no longer be able to guarantee spots for qualifying families, unless lawmakers allocate additional money to the state-run program. [Read more.]( [Mass. officials threaten to limit emergency shelter without more funding]( Within the next 90 days, state officials said they expect the family shelter system will no longer be able to guarantee spots for qualifying families, unless lawmakers allocate additional money to the state-run program. [Read more.]( [Here's what 2023 has in store, as predicted by experts in 1923]( A researcher collected century-old newspaper clippings with predictions in fields ranging from public health to beauty to transportation. Some have proven more accurate than others. [Read more.]( [Here's what 2023 has in store, as predicted by experts in 1923]( A researcher collected century-old newspaper clippings with predictions in fields ranging from public health to beauty to transportation. Some have proven more accurate than others. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - People in Massachusetts should care about what's happening in Hobbs, New Mexico, according to Lieutenant Governor-elect Kim Driscoll and Rebecca Hart Holder. [They explain in this commentary]( how the fight for abortion rights is hyper local. - There were two notable deaths over the weekend. Trailblazing journalist [Barbara Walters]( died on Friday at age 93. [Retired Pope Benedict XVI]( died on Saturday in Vatican City at age 95, and [thousands passed through St. Peter's Basilica Monday]( to pay their respect to the pontiff emeritus. - "GOAT." "Inflection point." "Quiet quitting." Yes, these are some of the words that Lake Superior State University thinks we should stop using. The Michigan college [releases an annual list of words that they say deserve to be "banished" from our vocabularies]( due to  "misuse, overuse and uselessness."  What We're Reading 📚 - The Case for Wearing Masks Forever ([The New Yorker]( - My wife and daughter were killed when Iran shot down Flight PS752. I will do whatever it takes to bring the corrupt regime to justice ([Toronto Life]( - Creating the Exiled Sea Creature of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ ([The New York Times](  Life Advice [What do you want to accomplish in 2023? This New Year's resolution guide can help]( Scroll through Life Kit's expert guides to discover practical and inspiring ways to grow in 2023. [Read more.]( [What do you want to accomplish in 2023? This New Year's resolution guide can help]( Scroll through Life Kit's expert guides to discover practical and inspiring ways to grow in 2023. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common looks back at what the [road for legalized sports betting has been like so far]( and what consumers can expect from the soon-to-come Massachusetts sports betting experience. Before you go: ["Cape Cod: Now available in winter."]( 😎 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.