The Police Commissioner Stink Bomb: The HUB

The HUB is a rundown of the stories people in Boston are talking about. Patch publishes the HUB every weekday.

Good morning, Boston! Today is Monday, May 17. We're talking about the masks' last stand, an inevitable market correction and the best fish & chips around.

But first...

Man, Marty Walsh really left Kim Janey some kind of stink bomb — and the stench is getting stronger.

Janey is trying to move on from Dennis White, the police commissioner who has spent three months on leave after a 22-year-old domestic violence allegation was uncovered just a couple days after he was sworn in.

But White isn't having it. He filed a lawsuit against the city Friday for what he says is an illegal attempt to fire him. Janey had reportedly planned to name Superintendent Nora Baston the new commissioner at a Friday afternoon news conference, but the lawsuit put that on hold.

To recap: Walsh hastily elevated White apparently without proper vetting, placed White on leave and left for Washington, D.C., to become the U.S. Secretary of Labor. No one's blaming him for taking a post in the Biden Cabinet, but Janey is left holding the bag while he avoids the rancid situation.

Adrian Walker at The Boston Globe said Janey didn't make this mess, "but she isn't doing much to unmake it, either." Walker's column is a must-read.

Michael Jonas at CommonWealth asks why Walsh tried to cut short the probe into White — an underreported part of the investigation detailed Friday. Walsh said he was trying to resolve the situation before he went to D.C., but White’s attorney said Walsh tried to end it in order to reinstate White.

Check it out

Is this the masks' last stand? Gov. Charlie Baker is expected to update the state's COVID-19 restrictions early this week, and everyone's waiting to see to what extent and how quickly the state's mask mandate will be dropped. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week shook up the timeline when it announced fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks, indoors or outdoors. There could also be an acceleration of the reopening process — increased gathering limits and bar openings are scheduled for May 29.

RIP, relatively advantageous renting in the Boston area. Tim Logan at The Boston Globe is reporting that with a return to normal comes that old renters' market, which typically squeezes the average person looking to settle into the city. "We were expecting to see things bounce back," a housing economist is quoted as saying. "But we’re surprised to see how soon and how quickly."

Finally, the story we've all been waiting for: where to find the best fish & chips in around. Scott Kearnan at Boston Magazine is blessing us with 10 scrumptious destinations for the fried seafood classic in Boston, Cambridge and Brookline. Thank you, Scott.

Sports latest

A quick glance at where the local teams stand coming out of the weekend: The Red Sox were one out away from sweeping the Angels, but they still wrapped up a successful homestand. Boston's off today and starts a road trip in Toronto tomorrow ... The Celtics will try to squeak into the playoffs in a play-in game tomorrow against Charlotte ... The Bruins lost their first playoff game to the Washington Capitals but will try to even the series tonight. (TV: NESN, NBC Sports; Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub.)

What I'm reading today: Great Scott, I watched "Back To The Future" for the zillionth time over the weekend. I did some reading up on the film afterward — the Eric Stoltz-as-Marty McFly footage below is mind-blowing stuff — and stumbled upon Roger Ebert's old review. It's honestly not a super interesting review, but it's cool to check out.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Light and variable wind becoming east around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. At night — A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Have a swell Monday.

You can email me at mike.carraggi@patch.com and follow me @PatchCarraggi.