Some MA Towns Lagging On Vaccines: 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 Thursday, July 29. Let's get started.

Massachusetts is in better shape than most of the country when it comes to folks getting vaccinated, but some towns are still lagging behind the rest of the state.

More than a dozen communities have inoculation rates of under 50 percent, The Boston Globe's Travis Andersen reports:

Hardwick wasn’t the only municipality that the state indicated had less than half its population fully inoculated as of July 22.

Other communities in that category included Lanesborough at 48 percent; Dartmouth at 49 percent; Fall River at 47 percent; New Bedford at 42 percent; Rehoboth at 47 percent; Seekonk at 48 percent; Lawrence at 48 percent; Orange at 49 percent; Holyoke at 48 percent; Southwick at 49 percent; Springfield at 43 percent; Wales at 43 percent; Westfield at 48 percent; Shirley at 49 percent; Brockton at 46 percent; Middleboro at 46 percent; and Wareham at 48 percent, according to the data.

Hardwick Health Agent Marcelino "Tex" Sarabia told the Globe he has "no idea how or why" the rate is so low at 35 percent. But Hardwick hasn't had a new case of COVID-19 since June 21, and officials said the town of 3,300 was never labeled high risk under the state's metrics.

Top Stories

Sen. Tom Cotton is making it his mission to block Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins from becoming the U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts. The Arkansas Republican cited Rollins's criticism of ICE and her no-prosecute list, saying she "won't stand up for victims of these crimes." (Boston Herald)

Boston mayoral candidates have their own ideas for addressing the situation at Mass and Cass, which nearby residents and business owners say has gotten worse. But the consensus is that health-related resources there should be spread to other communities, as the neighborhood is overwhelmed to the point of becoming "dangerous." (GBH)

The real estate dealings of Douglas George, husband of mayoral candidate Anissa Essaibi-George, raise questions for the former city councilor. A Boston Globe report found Essaibi-George tried to use her office to block a rival project in 2019. (Boston Globe)

At least 65 of the state's colleges and universities will require vaccines for students returning to campus this fall, and at least 23 schools are mandating vaccines for on-campus faculty and staff. (WBUR)

Local Voices

If Massachusetts is looking for a way to bolster voter turnout, the FARE Act might be the solution, Commonwealth Magazine's Joseph Boncore, Frank Moran and Chynah Tyler write. The FARE Act would make public transit free on Election Day, which proponents say would make the democratic process more accessible to underrepresented populations.

If you have a minute

Gov. Charlie Baker has not yet made changes to the state's policy on mask-wearing in schools and other indoor spaces, following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the CDC's recommendations have some scratching their heads at the local level. From GBH's Gabrielle Emanuel:

If you are indoors in public in Boston, the CDC would suggest putting on a mask, even if you are vaccinated. But it’s not necessary if you cross the river into Cambridge or cross the street into Brookline, according to the CDC’s new recommendations released Tuesday.

Some local health officials say this geographic variation is confusing and are calling for more consistent recommendations that cover the entire state, region or country.

A lighter touch

Bennifer is back, but hopefully Affleck is leaving the goatee at home. Here's more than you probably wanted to know about the couple's history in Massachusetts, and whether we can expect more sightings now that they've rekindled their romance, via Boston Magazine.

What I'm reading today: Two men with the same name – and a court may have given the wrong one a life sentence for murder. This is the tale of two Thomas Jameses, from GQ's Tristram Korten.

Weather

The National Weather Service says:

A slight chance of showers before 1 p.m, then a slight chance of showers after 5 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. South wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Showers and thunderstorms likely before 10 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m. Patchy fog after 11 p.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.