All Eyes On Police, Pols Following Explosive Report: 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 Monday, April 12. We're looking at an outraged community in mourning after a stray bullet brings tragedy, the Orange Line perhaps getting back on track and the streaking Red Sox.

But first...

It's hard to know where to start with this Boston Globe report over the weekend revealing how the Boston Police Department hid child sex abuse allegations against a longtime patrolman who went on to lead the union that represents patrol officers.

One horrific detail stands out: The father of a girl Patrick Rose is accused of molesting was himself the subject of a sexual assault complaint against Rose decades earlier.

Now Rose stands accused of indecently assaulting several children over three decades. The Globe details the overwhelming failure by the department, which filed a complaint against Rose in the 1995 case involving the girl's father. The complaint was eventually dropped, but an internal investigation determined he was likely guilty of the crime.

Still, Rose not only stayed on the force but elevated to a powerful position and was called upon to respond to situations involving vulnerable children.

Rose will see his day in court — he's in jail prepared to fight nearly three dozen counts of sexually abusing six children. But what about the institutional failure that led to this? Will the department, which is already facing calls to release information about its police commissioner who has been on leave for two months and an officer who may have been at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, be forced into transparency?

Acting Mayor Kim Janey called the Rose ordeal "appalling." But she's already being challenged by at least one mayoral candidate to put some weight behind her words:

Check it out

More hard news from the city this weekend. A grandmother sitting on her Dorchester porch died after being struck Saturday by what police said was a stray bullet. Delois Brown, 73, was not the intended target, authorities said. As police search for suspects, a shocked community demands justice, write Erin Tiernan of the Boston Herald.

Back on track. Hopefully. The MBTA said Orange Line service will resume between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square on Monday, almost a full month after a train with about 100 people aboard derailed. No one was injured, but the March 16 derailment caused severe damage to an old track switch and led to the removal of all new Orange Line and Red Line trains.

That boy can hit. J.D. Martinez smacked three home runs Sunday afternoon in Baltimore, where the Red Sox outslugged the Orioles, 14-9, to win their sixth straight game. The streaking Sox are tied for the best record in the American League. It looks like we might have ourselves a baseball season after all. Jen McCaffrey at The Athletic has more about what the next few days could mean for Boston.

What I'm reading today: As the fight against the coronavirus progresses, it becomes clearer what the next stage might look like. One of the touchiest issues remains vaccines — specifically, what people who don't get them can and can't do. Colleges, including Boston University and Northeastern, appear to be coming down quickly with a decision: get vaccinated or stay off-campus. WBUR's Elissa Nadworny has more on the next hot-button issue.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day: A chance of showers, mainly before 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 47. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. At night: A slight chance of showers before 7pm, then a slight chance of showers after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Northeast wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Have a swell Monday.

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