Terrifying Shootings Investigated As Hate Crime: 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 mike.carraggi@patch.com.

Today is Monday, June 28. Let's get started.

I hate to start the week off with something like this, but news continues to come out about the horrifying shootings that took place Saturday in Winthrop.

First, the victims: They were identified as Air Force veteran Ramona Cooper, 60, and retired Massachusetts State Trooper David L. Green, 68. A three-reporter team at The Boston Globe has some reporting about them.

And the unnamed hero: A lone Winthrop police sergeant shot and killed the accused shooter. Police didn't identify the sergeant but said he was "extremely heroic" and has been released from the hospital.

I won't give the accused shooter any more space than to say Suffolk County DA Rachael Rollins revealed the 28-year-old has written racist, antisemetic statements. Rollins said the killings are being investigated as a hate crime.

Ignore the drama, look at the policy. That's what city councilor and Boston mayoral candidate Michelle Wu wrote in a refreshing piece on CommonWealth, even calling the outlet out for a recent story that she said dinged the mayoral race for being "boring" compared to the "intensely acrimonious" New York City race.

"The last mention of the Boston mayoral race in CommonWealth was weeks ago, covering the details of a text message poll," Wu said. "To date, there has not been one single article from this platform examining the differences in track record or policy commitments across the candidate field." Wu's piece was immediately followed by Michael Jonas looking at the candidates' stances on extending the superintendent's contract.

Massachusetts will see an increase in crime after the police reform law changes what special police officers are allowed to do, the Boston Special Police Officers Association head told the Boston Herald. "It definitely will be a noticed factor come July 1st when officers will no longer be able to effectuate and practice law," Frank Meija said. Sean Philip Cotter and Alexi Cohan have more.

I can't say I disagree with this. Spencer Buell at Boston Magazine says the city absolutely must keep outdoor dining, even at the expense of hundreds of parking spots. "Amazing how good things flourish when the city makes a point of making it easy to do so, and doesn’t let bureaucratic roadblocks get in the way," Buell writes. Preach, brother.

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A national look

• The top Surfside, FL, building official told Champlain Towers South residents in 2018 the building was safe even after reviewing an engineer's report detailing "major structural damage." The death toll was at nine as of Sunday night as dozens more were still missing. (Miami Herald)
• U.S. airstrikes targeted facilities used by two Iranian-backed militias defense officials said was responsible for drone strikes against Americans in Iraq. (New York Times)
• Donald Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr said the former president's claims of election fraud were "bulls---" in a new book. (The Hill)

What I'm reading today: Speaking of those baseless claims, Axios took a look at what companies donated the most to Republicans who objected to certifying the results of the 2020 election. Toyota led the field — and it wasn't even close. "We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification," a Toyota spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Axios.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 101. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph. At night — Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph.

Have a swell Monday.

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