The Top Places To Live — If You Can Swing 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 Thursday, April 21. We're talking about the blame game in the Patrick Rose case, the Boston mayoral candidates talking shop and a major movie theater reopening in the city.

But first...

Near-record home prices. Dozens of offers. Paying tens of thousands above asking just to have a shot.

The local real estate has absolutely walloped potential buyers for what feels like forever. It showed little sign of slowing in yesterday's monthly report from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, which said the median sale price of a single-family home in March increased to $485,000. You can read more about it from Matt Murphy of State House News Service at the Boston Business Journal.

There is some reason for optimism if you squint. Steve Medeiros, the president of the association, said in a statement he was "encouraged by the increase of new listings and seeing some more inventory come on the market." That hasn't translated into any relief for buyers yet — March's median price tag is nearly 17 percent higher than last year, while the $459,450 median condo price is a record.

If you are one of the people making a pandemic-inspired move around or from the city, The Boston Globe dropped a perfectly timed "Top Spots To Live 2021" list.

Dorchester, Mission Hill and Beacon Hill make up the best of Boston, but I won't spoil the north, west and south selections, except to say I don't live in any of them.

Check it out

Hey, at least they tried, right? That's the vibe a former Boston police commissioner and police superintendent gave in a statement about their role in the sordid Patrick Rose case. Then-Commissioner Paul Evans and then-Superintendent Ann Marie Doherty late Tuesday night offered their side of the story, defending the department's handling of the 1995 sex abuse allegation against Rose. It reads like a 700-word attempt to shift the blame to the union — which is certainly at fault — but the bottom line is: If the union is powerful enough to render the commissioner impotent in removing an alleged child abuser from the streets, change is needed.

The five mayoral candidates not currently acting as mayor got together for a virtual forum Tuesday night. GBH's Callie Crossley moderated the chat, which featured the candidates discussing education and policing. Acting Mayor Kim Janey was at a press conference talking about the earlier conviction of Derek Chauvin, an account of which you can read from Mark Gartsbeyn at Boston.com.

Do you miss the movies? Were you even going to the movies before the pandemic? I learned to love streaming services the last 14 months, but I'm ready to get back in front of the silver screen, which is why I was happy to hear Regal Cinemas plans on opening its Fenway location tomorrow. I won't tell you what I plan on seeing there (Mortal Kombat) but with vaccination progress and safety measures, I feel comfortable getting back into theaters.

What I'm reading today: This one's admittedly not local, but in this case, I'm thankful for that. Pfizer said it's identified counterfeit versions of its coronavirus vaccine in Mexico and Poland, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive. Never underestimate the depravity of some people.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — Increasing clouds, with a high near 47. Breezy, with a west wind around 22 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. At night — Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. West wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Have a swell Thursday.

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