Oh, rats

Also: Jacinda Ardern is coming to Harvard; pension costs could make MBTA ‘insolvent’ [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  April 26, 2023 ⛅ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Good Morning Boston, This city is crawling with rats — and unlike "The Departed," we're not using [any heavy-handed metaphors](. We're talking about literal rats. - Boston City Council President Ed Flynn wants the city to [follow in the footsteps of New York City]( and get its own "rat czar" to take on the pest problem. Flynn [plans to set those moves in motions today](. During this afternoon's City Council meeting, Flynn will file an order to hold a hearing on the possible formation of a new Office of Pest Control led by a single point person (a rat czar) to focus on what he calls a "critical quality of life issue." So, how did we get to this point? - Rats are an age-old annoyance, but complaints have ballooned since the start of the pandemic. From 2020 to 2022, pest complaints to Boston's 311 line jumped from 1,212 to 2,253. And the city is on track to see even more complaints in 2023. - Why? In cities across the country, restaurant shutdowns at the beginning of the pandemic forced rats to migrate to new places to find food — like residents' homes. And as one urban ecologist [told NPR's Short Wave podcast]( "once that flag is there, it stays." - Why is a new department necessary? Pest control in Boston is currently spread across several departments, like Public Works and Inspectional Services. But as Flynn told WBUR's Amy Sokolow, he thinks the task requires "one specific department to coordinate all aspects of pest control," from rats to mice to bugs. - Do you have what it takes to become Boston's rat czar? If the proposal wins approval from the City Council and Mayor Michelle Wu, Flynn says he's looking for someone who's well-organized, a good listener and dedicated to the city. Willing to work on the weekends is also a plus, because rats don't take nights off. - Massachusetts state education leaders are moving to ease regulations to make it easier for licensed educators to teach other subjects, like English as a second language and special education. The hope is to address a statewide teacher shortage. - Education Commissioner Jeff Riley says those two areas have been particularly short-staffed, but suggested the change would only be temporary. "What we're trying to do is be a little more flexible than we've been in the past with the understanding that at some point we're probably going to back up later," Riley said. - What's next: The state's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is taking public comment on the rules, ahead of a final vote in June. - Easthampton school officials are pausing their turbulent search for a new superintendent and are instead looking to hire an interim leader for the next year. - The decision comes after their first top candidate [had the job offer revoked following his use of the term "ladies" in an email]( to the school committee. A second finalist withdrew their candidacy after students [raised concerns about Facebook posts she made about transgender women]( in athletic competitions. - The [late Mel King]( already has [a square named after him]( in the South End. Next up: a school. Wu and local school leaders will join King's widow, Joyce, at 10 a.m. today to celebrate renaming the McKinley Schools complex after the political legend. The new name: Melvin H. King South End Academy. - The Bruins will look to do tonight what the Celtics couldn’t last night: close out their first-round playoff series up 3-1 at TD Garden. They play at 7 p.m. against the Florida Panthers — and a win would definitely help erase visions of [that Trae Young shot]( from Boston sports fans’ minds. P.S.— The [penultimate episode of our podcast Violation is here](. It takes a close look at the revocation of Jacob Wideman's parole and asks: was he a master manipulator, the victim of a misunderstanding — or something worse? Listen [wherever you get your podcasts](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Pension costs could make the MBTA ‘insolvent’ by 2038, document shows]( Expenses are projected to exceed $220 million annually, eating up nearly one-third of the T’s operating revenue. [Read more.]( [Pension costs could make the MBTA ‘insolvent’ by 2038, document shows]( Expenses are projected to exceed $220 million annually, eating up nearly one-third of the T’s operating revenue. [Read more.]( [Ex-New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is chosen for Harvard fellowships]( Jacinda Ardern resigned as New Zealand's prime minister and left parliament earlier this year, saying that she "no longer had enough in the tank" to continue in politics. [Read more.]( [Ex-New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is chosen for Harvard fellowships]( Jacinda Ardern resigned as New Zealand's prime minister and left parliament earlier this year, saying that she "no longer had enough in the tank" to continue in politics. [Read more.]( [Long stays in ERs a problem for N.H. patients in mental health crisis. Timeline to fix it is debated]( Some patients who are held involuntarily due to a psychiatric crisis spend days or weeks in hospital emergency rooms, because the state doesn’t have enough treatment beds to meet the demand. [Read more.]( [Long stays in ERs a problem for N.H. patients in mental health crisis. Timeline to fix it is debated]( Some patients who are held involuntarily due to a psychiatric crisis spend days or weeks in hospital emergency rooms, because the state doesn’t have enough treatment beds to meet the demand. [Read more.]( [Chief Justice Roberts declines to testify before Senate panel]( The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing to examine proposals to hold Supreme Court justices to the same ethical standards as the rest of the federal judiciary. [Read more.]( [Chief Justice Roberts declines to testify before Senate panel]( The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing to examine proposals to hold Supreme Court justices to the same ethical standards as the rest of the federal judiciary. [Read more.]( [As some push back against MCAS, defenders of the test unite behind report]( A new coalition of influential groups have launched a campaign to continue backing the state’s standardized test with a new report, saying its benefits far outweigh possible flaws. [Read more.]( [As some push back against MCAS, defenders of the test unite behind report]( A new coalition of influential groups have launched a campaign to continue backing the state’s standardized test with a new report, saying its benefits far outweigh possible flaws. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Celebrity chef Barbara Lynch is [calling the recent allegations of workplace abuse "a coordinated attack" timed with legal action]( being brought by some of her former employers. In a lengthy new statement, Lynch rejected specific claims detailed in the media reports. - Following a spinal cord injury last June and months of intensive therapy, Boston folk music icon Patty Larkin is [back on stage performing a solo show this weekend in Lexington](. She tells Noah Schaffer that her beloved voice has come back stronger than ever. - Art historian Katy Hessel is shining a light on the women left out of the canon with her new book, "The Story of Art Without Men." Ahead of its release next week, Michael Patrick Brady [talked to Hessel about several of the book's featured women artists]( whose works are on display at Boston-area museums this spring. - Former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has found a new job — for real this time. The Houston Rockets [have agreed to hire Udoka]( just a few months after he was suspended and then dismissed by the Celtics for an improper relationship with a team staff member.  What We're Reading 📚 - Polly Wants a Video Chat ([The New York Times]( - Law firm head bought Gorsuch-owned property ([Politico]( - A Test of the News ([Columbia Journalism Review](  Tell Me Something Good [4 paws and 4,000 feet: 9-year-old pug conquers the New Hampshire 48 (Boston.com)]( Woof, a 9-1/2-year-old pug, scaled the famous 48 4,000-footers in the White Mountain National Forest largely without assistance. [Read more.]( [4 paws and 4,000 feet: 9-year-old pug conquers the New Hampshire 48 (Boston.com)]( Woof, a 9-1/2-year-old pug, scaled the famous 48 4,000-footers in the White Mountain National Forest largely without assistance. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [looks at the makeup of landlords, homeowners and renters in the Massachusetts State Legislature]( — and what it means for Boston's rent control proposal. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: What are they [putting in the coffee over at WBZ]( 😎 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.