Why Wait? Boston May Speed Up Timeline: 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 Wednesday, May 12. We're talking Warren's encounter with Rose, a cool $15K a month and where to grab a bite as the weather warms.

But first...

COVID-19 metrics are going down, so reopening may be speeding up.

Boston is still a few weeks behind the state's reopening in many ways. The city will explore catching up, with a decision expected soon, Acting Mayor Kim Janey said.

The news comes after health officials reported a 38 percent decline in the city's COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. It also comes after some criticism from fellow mayoral candidates who argued the state's reopening timeline is safe and a delay is unnecessary.

Christopher Gavin has more on Janey's news conference yesterday.

Check it out

Can't say this is a surprise. Among the nuggets in Sen. Elizabeth Warren's new book "Persist" is a 2015 interaction she had with Patrick Rose, then head of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association and currently facing charges of child sex abuse. Warren, after giving one of the strongest speeches by a major politician in the early days of the Black Lives Matter movement, was confronted by a ticked-off Rose days after the speech. You can imagine how this conversation went, but Emma Platoff at The Boston Globe has details.

You might think the headline tells the whole story, but you'll want to dive into this one from James Sullivan at The Boston Globe. "Meet the Berklee student making $15,000 a month writing steamy werewolf fiction for a smartphone app" deserves a click, anyways.

I shared a version of this last month but it's worth resurfacing after seeing the forecast. Boston Magazine, which would rank high on the list of local sites that make lists, offers 65 of the best places to eat outdoors in Boston.

What I'm reading today: It's incredible to see this drama playing in the Republican party months after former President Trump's defeat. Catie Edmonson at The New York Times has the story on Rep. Liz Cheney's defiant speech warning her party of the dangers of embracing Trump's election lies on the eve of what will almost certainly be her ouster from GOP leadership. This late-night tweet makes you ask, "What are we doing here?":

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — Sunny, with a high near 63. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph. At night — Mostly clear, with a low around 45. Northwest wind around 7 mph.

Have a swell Wednesday.

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