'Obligation To Ensure This Never Happens Again': 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.

Today is Friday, July 30. Let's get started.

Missteps in the investigation of child sexual abuse allegations against a Boston police officer allowed him to return to duty, ultimately rising to lead the patrolmen's union, according to a report from the newly formed Office of Police Accountability and Transparency.

Patrick Rose was accused of abusing a child in 1995, but the Boston Police Department's Internal Affairs division did not interview him until after the accuser recanted more than six months later.

That delay ran counter to recommendations made three years earlier by the St. Clair Report, a commission convened in response to other department scandals. Rose spent two years on desk duty, but was otherwise not disciplined.

Rose retired from the department in 2018. He is now in jail awaiting trial on nearly three dozen counts of child sex abuse.

"The failure to fully implement the reforms recommended in 1992 was a missed opportunity with very tragic results, and in 2021, we have an obligation to ensure this never happens again," Acting Mayor Kim Janey said.

Top Stories

Gov. Charlie Baker is back in a familiar spot as COVID-19 cases rise, sparking concern over the Delta variant and new CDC recommendations. The governor is weighing what guidance, if any, he should implement in Massachusetts this time around. (The Boston Globe)

A plan to house recovering addicts at a Best Western in the center of Methadone Mile is receiving pushback from community advocates. Steve Fox of the South End Forum community group compared it to housing a "diabetic in a candy factory." (The Boston Herald)

Attorney General Maura Healey is accusing meal delivery service GrubHub of exceeding a 15 percent cap placed on fees charged to Massachusetts restaurants during the pandemic. Healey wants the company to refund the money she says it made through exorbitant fees and pay $5,000 per violation. (Commonwealth Magazine)

In case you missed it

GBH is ending the popular children's show "Arthur" after 25 seasons. A childhood staple of many New Englanders, the show follows the life of an 8-year-old aardvark and his friends and family, often tackling difficult topics like bullying, cancer and learning disabilities, all while teaching kindness and empathy to kids. (Patch)

Local voices

Some restaurant customers forgot their manners during the pandemic, Boston Magazine's Scott Kearnan says. Kearnan spoke to short-staffed, burnt out chefs across Boston for tips on how not to be a "monster" when you dine out.

Here's something you might not've known: shooting into someone's home is not a felony. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan hopes to change that, pushing for a five-year sentence and up to $10,000 in fines for gunplay. The Boston Herald's editorial staff says such a bill should be fast-tracked.

A lighter touch

Planning a quick fall getaway this year? Country Living Magazine ranks three New England fall festivals and fairs on its list of the country's best. You'll have to go out of state, though, because none in Massachusetts made the cut. (Boston.com)

What I'm reading today: Hand up, I was in the "couldn't Simone Biles have toughed it out for her team" camp. Possessing neither the athleticism nor the flexibility for gymnastics (but maybe the height), I had to read up on this phenomenon called the "twisties." And boy, was I wrong.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest winds of 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Mostly clear at night, with a low around 57. Northwest winds of 8 to 14 mph.