It's The End Of The Pandemic As We Know It: The HUB

The HUB is a rundown of the stories people in Boston are talking about. Patch publishes the HUB every weekday.

Good morning, Boston! Today is Tuesday, May 18. We're talking another black eye for Boston police, a neighborhood dirt bike crisis and 'The Newbury.'

But first...

The pandemic isn't over.

But the pandemic as we know it — the fear and anxiety, the empty stores and schools, the social distancing and masks — is very nearly over, at least for those who are fully vaccinated.

Most of us had been awaiting Gov. Charlie Baker's announcement yesterday for more than 430 days. Come June 1, life should be back to whatever the new normal will be for millions of Massachusetts residents.

And you might have missed this nugget yesterday: The 281 new coronavirus cases reported by the Department of Public Health was the lowest since Sept. 22.

Still, 19 deaths related to COVID-19 were reported — again, this thing isn't really over yet.

There's a lot to unpack moving forward, so I'm going to leave you with some links on the reopening announcement before we get to the rest of the day:

• Terrence Doyle, Eater: We’re About to See a Lot More Maskless Faces Inside Massachusetts Restaurants
• Scott Souza, Patch: Masks Can Soon Come Off During Outdoor Games, Recess, Camps
• Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: Here’s where masks will still be required for everyone in Massachusetts after May 29
• Katie McInerney, The Boston Globe: Fenway Park, TD Garden to allow full capacity beginning May 29

Check it out

Another day, another black eye for the Boston Police Department. I'm going to give you the lead of this Boston Globe article by Elizabeth Koh and my pal Milton Valencia: "The Boston police officer under investigation for sending tweets attacking the former vice president and for attending a January rally that led to an assault on the US Capitol is a 13-year veteran who is perhaps best known for organizing local Back the Blue rallies across Massachusetts, according to a person briefed on the matter."

Vroom, vroom in West Roxbury. Adam Gaffin at Universal Hub has a short bit on what's happening with all the dirt bikes and ATVs in the neighborhood. Police are aware, having written "hundreds of motor-vehicle citations." As someone who lives next to some hardcore engine-revers, this is these sort of thing that annoys the hell out of me.

Checking in? The Newbury Boston is celebrating its long-awaited opening today following a years-long "lobby to roof transformation," the hotel said. The Newbury is a luxury hotel overlooking the Public Garden — you may know it as the Old Ritz. Contessa, a happening rooftop restaurant on the Newbury, will offer some unique views.

What I'm reading today: I have Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBOMax and Netflix — and HBO Max is by far the superior product (although my toddler might argue for Disney.) That's why I've been reading up on AT&T's WarnerMedia merger with Discovery. Vulture's Josef Adalian looks at three big questions in the aftermath of the merger — like what will happen to HBO Max?

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — A chance of showers, mainly between 11am and 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. At night — Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. West wind around 6 mph.

Have a swell Tuesday.

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