WATCH LIVE: Gov. Baker Discussing Decision To Not Run | Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Wednesday, Dec. 1. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• As expected, last week's Thanksgiving gatherings across Massachusetts is leading to an increase in positive coronavirus case rates. On Tuesday, the state reported 2,915 new COVID-19 case and a surge in the positive test rate to 4.46 percent.
• In-state and out-of-state students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst will see an increase in their tuition starting in fiscal year 2023, as UMass's flagship cancel still feels the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Mayflower II, the full-scale replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America's shores in 1620, is making its way from Plymouth to Mystic, Conn., where it will undergo basic maintenance and get a new paint job over the winter months.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story: Baker Speaks On Decision To Not Run

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will not run for re-election. Baker is expected to discuss the decision at a 3 p.m. press conference, with is being streamed live by CBS Local Boston:

Earlier on Wednesday, Baker and Polito confirmed reports they would not run for reelection next year. The 65-year-old Baker on Monday told GBH News he was "pretty close" to making his decision, having said all along he would only run if he had the desire and an agenda that would serve the state.

The announcement is expected to set off a mad scramble for governor in Massachusetts.

Read the full story.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

COVID cases spiking after holiday: As expected, last week's Thanksgiving gatherings across Massachusetts is leading to an increase in positive coronavirus case rates. In Andover, for example, public school officials were doing contact tracing for the 21 cases identified as of Monday. On Tuesday, the state reported 2,915 new COVID-19 case and a surge in the positive test rate to 4.46 percent.

UMass hiking fees, tuition: Still feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and a nearly $12 million deficit from 2021, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst has announced that both in-state and out-of-state students will see an increase in their tuition starting in fiscal year 2023. School officials announced last week that the university will increase tuition by 2.5 percent for in-state students and 3 percent for out-of-state students in order to provide a balanced budget for fiscal year 2023 without adding additional stimulus funding.

Fire at firetruck business: A Hopkinton business that builds and repairs fire trucks was hit by a fire early Wednesday morning. The fire stared near 1:30 a.m. at Bulldog Fire and Emergency Apparatus, which is located at 17 Winter Street near Route 135. The fire began in a vehicle parked inside the building, according to news reports. Bulldog, which has locations in Connecticut and New York, sells a range of fire truck types and ambulances, according to the company's website.

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Picture This: Mayflower II sets sail

Mayflower II, the full-scale replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America's shores in 1620, is making its way to Mystic, Conn., where it will undergo basic maintenance and get a new paint job over the winter months, according to the Plimoth Patuxet Museum, where the vessel is typically docked.

Also on Patch: Gov. Baker Attends Norwood Hospital Groundbreaking Ceremony

They Said It

"Even when stalking or harassment-type behaviors are coupled with a history of physical violence and known weapon possession they will not support a finding of credible present threat absent some additional, current threat of physical violence."

• From a 40-page New Hampshire Judicial Review Committee report that found while a Salem, MA shooting victim suffered "intimate partner violence" and was the recipient of recent harassment and verbal abuse, the judge who denied her a protective order a month before her Nov. 16 attack was justified in doing so because the threats did not rise to what the committee called the state's "restrictive" standard of a "credible present threat."