'This Is A Robbery': 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, April 6. We're talking Boston acknowledging and addressing its racist reputation, separating fact from fiction in Showtime's "City On A Hill" and a historic market for local renters.

But first...

It's hard to believe it took this long, but tomorrow the whole world gets to dive a little bit deeper into one of Boston's most mesmerizing crimes.

“This Is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist" premieres Wednesday on Netflix. The four-part docuseries is sure to drum up a lot of fresh conversation on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist, even if it doesn't seem likely to crack the case, Erin Trahan said in her review at WBUR.

While we're sure no reader condones the stealing of expensive art, the mystique around the 1990 heist is part of a weird pride Boston has in its criminal history. Even the museum website has a webpage retelling what happened somewhat dramatically.

The paintings are still out there. There's a $10 million reward for information leading to their recovery.

Check it out

Yesterday we pointed out "Saturday Night Live" noting Boston's reputation as a racist city. Today we'll point out the mayor of Boston acknowledged such a reputation — and the city is tackling it. Acting Mayor Kim Janey said "we have a lot more work to do" in shedding the label. A small part of that push is a new $2.5 million "All Inclusive Boston" campaign, which has The Boston Globe's Shirley Leung asking if it might help change the perception of the city. (This seems like a good place to slide in the Globe's look at Black mayoral candidates in Boston.)

Why let facts get in the way of a good story? My colleague Dave Copeland put Showtime's "City On A Hill" under a microscope, trying to separate fact from fiction. If you lived in Boston in the early '90s, you might be able to catch some of the liberties being taken with exactly how things went down.

"For the first time in a long time, it’s good to be a renter in Boston and surrounding cities." That's quite the lead for this CBS Boston story about the impact the pandemic has had on the Boston-area rental market. We're talking no security deposit, no broker's fee, even free months of rent.

What I'm reading today: If I'm being honest about what I'm reading I'd tell you about the piece from The Ringer in which scientists argue who would win in a fight between Godzilla and King Kong. But that's probably a byproduct of my late-stage pandemic burnout, an all-too-familiar topic this New York Times story zeroed in on.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — Partly sunny, with a high near 56. North wind 8 to 11 mph.. At night — Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Light and variable wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the evening.

Have a swell Tuesday.

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