Transit Worker Two-Timed Boston, Denver, Officials Say: The HUB

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Today is Friday, August 6. Let's get started.

An employee collected paychecks from transit agencies in both Boston and Denver during the pandemic, officials in Colorado said.

The Boston Herald reported Tuesday that John Hersey was allowed to work remotely for the MBTA from Colorado, but RTD Denver said he was simultaneously employed by them for nine months.

Before he was laid off by RTD in March, Hersey collected $93,097 annually in Denver and $130,000 in Boston, earning more than $220,000. He "decided to leave" the MBTA last month, the Herald reported.

Hersey worked as the MBTA's head of transit-oriented development.

Top Stories

Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey says she regrets drawing parallels between vaccine passports and slavery. While Janey still opposes showing proof of vaccination, saying it would "shut out" many low-income neighborhoods, she felt the analogy distracted from the effort to ensure that public health policies are fair. (GBH)

Masks will return to several Boston museums following updated face-covering guidance from the CDC. The Institute of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the New England Aquarium announced that guests above age 5 will be required to wear a mask indoors. (Boston Globe)

A proposal would reduce the role of Boston police officers in responding to 911 calls where people are experiencing a mental health crisis. A co-response team that includes mental health workers is currently dispatched on a case-by-case basis, but the proposal would standardize the process. (WBUR)

Local Voices

A Lighter Touch

A lucky Billerica woman won the second of five million-dollar prizes the state is handing out to fully vaccinated residents through its VaxMillions lottery. A Norwood resident and student at Blue Hills Regional Technical School received the $300,000 college scholarship prize. (Patch)

What I'm reading today: I'm a casual (using it liberally) soccer fan, but as I understand it, Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona registered a 10.0 on whatever version of the Richter Scale the soccer-verse uses. Here's what could happen next, via ESPN.

Weather:

The National Weather Service says sunny, with a high near 84. West winds of 5 to 8 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Mostly clear at night, with a low around 66. Southwest winds of 6 to 8 mph.