MA COVID-19 Restrictions Extended At Least 2 More Weeks: Patch PM

Today is Thursday, Jan. 7. Here are some of the top stories we are covering.

Massachusetts is extending the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions for at least two more weeks.

Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday afternoon the restrictions put in place Dec. 26 will continue through at least Jan. 22. They had been set to expire Friday.

The restrictions include 25 percent capacity limits for most indoor businesses. Gathering limits of 10 people for indoors and 25 people for outdoors will remain in effect.

"We know that extending those restrictions for many businesses, especially small business, is a lot to ask," he said.

Baker cited the continued strain on the state's health care system amid rising COVID-19 numbers.

See the list of businesses impacted by the capacity limits here

Other top stories

Gov. Baker Calls For President Trump To Be Removed From Office

Gov. Charlie Baker called on Vice President Mike Pence to lead the transition to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration in two weeks in a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump's actions and rhetoric surrounding Wednesday's attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"I think that the most important thing we need to do at this point in time is to recognize that there is a transition to a new administration that's going to take place 14 days from now and that Vice President Pence should be empowered to be able do that," Baker said during his Thursday news conference. "Whatever the mechanism there is to do that I leave up to the people in Washington. But I think it's important at this point that there be an orderly transition — and that transition be led by the vice president."

Baker added that officials should act "in the most expeditious way possible for the president to step down and the vice president to assume the powers of the office for the next 14 days."

Boston Mayor Walsh Tapped By President-Elect Biden For Labor Secretary: Reports

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has been chosen by President-elect Joe Biden to serve as his Labor secretary, Politico reported, citing two sources. Biden was expected to appoint a union favorite to head the department, which will play a key role in enacting his pro-worker agenda, according to the publication.

Walsh was a longtime labor union president before he was elected mayor. His appointment comes amid debate over diversity in Biden's cabinet.

"If he does take this job, obviously we'll wish him well and do everything we can to ensure that in the midst of this difficult time that we transition effectively and quickly and collaboratively," Gov. Charlie Baker said during a press conference Thursday.

If Walsh takes the job, City Council President Kim Janey will become acting mayor.

Biden Picks RI Gov. Raimondo for Commerce Secretary: Report

President-elect Joe Biden has picked Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo as his commerce secretary nominee, according to multiple reports Thursday.

Raimondo, a moderate Democrat, has been engaged in a will-she, won't-she debate for more than a month after initial reports that she was a top contender to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The governor dispelled these rumors herself in December, saying she was "not going to be President-elect Biden's nominee for HHS secretary ... and I have nothing else to say on that" during her weekly news conference. At the time, as was the case when she was a reported candidate to be Biden's vice president, she said her full focus was on steering Rhode Island through the coronavirus crisis.

Friends Describe Man Shot By Police In Newton As 'Gentle Giant'

Michael Conlon, the 28-year-old Newton man who was fatally shot Tuesday by police was described by those who knew him as a "gentle giant" who had recently stopped taking the medication he used to treat his mental illness.

"He was not a robber or a criminal," said Colleen Powell, whose daughter was close with Conlon before she died in 2017.

This summer, Powell said she and Conlon visited her daughter's grave this summer, and he brought a dozen roses. She and Conlon frequently exchanged positive messages on social media, she said.

Also

State Police Cruiser Struck During I-93 Traffic Stop In Medford

A trooper was injured when his cruiser was hit from behind on I-93 overnight.

Waltham Attacks: No Arrests Yet, Police Confident Charges To Come

It's been two months since the violent random attacks began in Waltham, and a little more than a month since they ended.

Proposed Safety Changes At Dangerous Medford Intersection

The Traffic Commission will consider a series of temporary improvements at the notorious Main-South intersection at its Jan. 19 meeting.

MassDOT Picks Commuter Rail Options Between Worcester, Western MA

The long-awaited East-West passenger rail study is the first step in a long process toward expanding commuter rail west of Worcester.