There's Something In The Air: 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 Tuesday, July 27. Let's get started.

Editor's note: A reader emailed objecting to me putting the news of civil rights leader Robert Paris Moses under the "If you have a minute" section of Monday's HUB, saying it was disrespectful as he deserves more than a minute of readers' time. That section is for stories I encourage readers to click on and spend some time with if they aren't in a hurry — hence the title, though this time it admittedly missed the mark for Mr. Moses.

It might look cool — it certainly shows off some different colors of the sun — but this haze has got to go.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection announced most of Massachusetts is under an air quality alert thanks to the smoke that has drifted thousands of miles east.

It's unhealthy to be breathing in this air, particularly for people with certain health conditions. It's also been a burden for local fire departments, many of which reported receiving calls about the smoke.

So where exactly is the smoke you're inhaling coming from? California, Oregon, Canada ... you name it. Hundreds of thousands of acres have been burned this month. It's a true nightmare. You can learn more about the wildfires at NBC News.

Top stories

Medical leaders said Massachusetts must institute a mask policy for school when children return to classrooms, piling more pressure on Charlie Baker to address the plan for the fall, reports Shira Schoenberg at CommonWealth.

Researchers said by 2030, a "100-year-storm" could be the end of the Blue Line and parts of the Orange and Red lines, according to Andrew Brinker at The Boston Globe.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey flexed the power of the incumbency with fewer than 50 days before voters hit the polls, launching three months of free bus rides between Roxbury and Mattapan. Meghan Ottolini at The Boston Herald has more on what Janey said she'd like to see be the norm in Boston.

Local voices

The Boston Globe's Joan Vennochi has an interesting piece diving into the Tom Mountain/MassGOP scandal. She's certainly not defending Mountain, but raises the question about who orchestrated his catfishing scandal — and whether the bit of distance he was putting between himself and some in Trumpworld had something to do with it. "I’m not defending the online comments attributed to Mountain; they are gross, whatever the source. But a version of the brutal civil war that’s playing out across the country between Republicans who support Trump and those who resist the former president to any degree is happening in Massachusetts, too."

If you have a minute

From Mike Deehan, GBH

"The 2022 Massachusetts governors race could be a showdown between the state’s biggest Republican and Democratic heavy weights: Republican Governor Charlie Baker and Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey. But so far, neither has decided whether they are going to run.

A few well-placed Democrats say that Healey is taking discrete soundings, talking to longtime allies and a handful of stalwart contributors.

Whenever he’s asked, Baker grins and dances. His inner circle is even more mum than Healey’s. Either they won’t say — or don't know."

A lighter touch

This is public service journalism at its best. Colman M. Herman at Boston Magazine dug into the bathrooms at each MBTA station — only about a third of the 63 stations have restrooms available to the public — and graded them. Forest Hills: "The restroom at this station was without doubt the most stomach-churning one I came upon." Back Bay: "The restroom here was very clean as well, smelled nice, and the necessary materials were all on hand."

What I'm reading today: Hold on to your butts if this ever makes it stateside. France yesterday approved a law that affords vaccinated people "privileged access to restaurants, cafes, intercity transportation and other venues starting in August," writes The Washington Post.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 88. West wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. At night — A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Light west wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Have a swell Tuesday.

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