Fare-Free T? Pump The Brakes: The HUB

The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at alex.newman@patch.com.

Editor's Note: I was out last week, so I might be a bit rusty. Go easy on me.

Today is Tuesday, November 9. Let's get started.

One of Mayor-elect Michelle Wu's chief campaign promises is already getting an icy response on Beacon Hill.

Top lawmakers pushed back against the idea of a fare-free MBTA, which would require the state to come up with alternate avenues to account for that lost revenue, the Boston Herald reported. In fiscal year 2020, fares generated $684 million for the MBTA, about a third of the agency's total revenue.

"There's no such thing as a free T," Baker told WCVB’s "On the Record."

Legislative leaders were less blunt, with Senate President Karen Spilka saying she would "like to have a discussion" with Wu on the subject of a fare-free T, and House Speaker Ronald Mariano acknowledging he's "willing to talk" about the proposal.

Baker said if Boston wants to foot the bill, that's "worth the conversation," but he doesn't think the city should expect the rest of the state to pay for Bostonians' free ride, the Herald reported.

Read more from the Boston Herald.

Top stories

The United States recently lifted travel bans against 33 countries, paving the way for long-awaited reunions. Logan Airport saw dozens of such reunions on Monday, as Bay Staters embraced friends, parents and significant others they hadn't seen in nearly two years. (Boston Globe)

Michelle Wu will be sworn in as Boston's mayor during a "brief" ceremony on Nov. 16. The tight timeline is due to Wu replacing an acting mayor, but the mayor-elect said she is "thrilled to get a chance to roll up our sleeves right away." (GBH)

If you've got a snowplow, you could make some serious coin this winter. Communities that faced a plow shortage last winter are offering beaucoup bucks for coverage this year, with rates ranging from $110 to as high as $310 an hour for drivers with specialized equipment. (Boston.com)

Local voices

"Wu seems poised to chart a very different course than the last several Boston mayors, with plowing the streets after snow storms likely to be accompanied by a zest for big policy ideas perhaps not seen since Kevin White’s days in City Hall." - Michael Jonas, Commonwealth Magazine

"You’ll see that there is a strong community among the unhoused and drug users at Mass. and Cass. And while the neighborhood is full of complex challenges, recognizing this community’s strength is the key to addressing the area’s most pressing problems." – Brendan Little, Boston Globe

Elsewhere in Massachusetts

NECN: The coach of a high school football team in South Easton is stepping down, and the varsity program has been suspended, following "unacceptable behavior" and "poor sportsmanship" during a game Friday night.

Some players and members of the coaching staff at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School displayed "unprincipled behavior not consistent with our school's code of conduct" in the game against Upper Cape Cod Tech, Superintendent Luis Lopes said.

Coach Dominique Williams "blames himself for what happened," Lopes said. The team will forfeit its game this Friday, and its regular season finale on Thanksgiving Day is still up in the air.

Danvers Patch: Passionate public comment, a defense of a yearlong investigation process, calls for Danvers School Committee members to resign and a motion to place Superintendent of Schools Lisa Dana on administrative leave filled the first two hours of the committee's passionate meeting on accusations 0f homophobic hazing and racial taunts within the hockey program Monday night.

School Committee member Robin Doherty, who was elected this past spring – nearly a year into the investigations – began the night with a motion that Dana be placed on administrative leave "while the School Committee can ascertain the best path moving forward."

The School Committee then went into a brief executive session and determined they will take up the motion, which was seconded, at an executive session scheduled for Nov. 15.

No routine, no problem

Technical difficulties hit the final show of USA Gymnastics' Gold Over America tour at TD Garden Sunday night.

But the country's top gymnasts were unfazed, improvising a follow-the-leader routine that included handstands, backflips and even the worm. (Boston.com)

Weather: Sunny, with a high near 64. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Increasing clouds at night, with a low around 46. Light north wind.

– Alex Newman

About me: Alex is a Jersey transplant covering Arlington, Malden, Medford, Reading and Somerville for Patch. A graduate of Northeastern University, Alex has lived in the Boston area since college (though he still hasn't been able to bring himself to root for the Sox). He is an avid football and baseball fan, amateur woodworker and film geek. Alex lives in Chelsea with his fiancée, their dog and a revolving door of foster puppies.