Mass. & Cass Causing Trouble Next Door: The HUB

The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at jimmy.bentley@patch.com.

Today is Wednesday, September 22. Let's get started.

The situation at Mass. and Cass has grown worse in Boston, and residents and business owners near "Methadone Mile" are demanding answers. But one potential solution is creating tension between city officials and their next door neighbor, Revere.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey's office wants to bus homeless people living along Mass. and Cass to a Revere Hotel, the Boston Globe reported. Her administration said it plans to rent 30 rooms at the Quality Inn Hotel on Morris Street. But Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo is pushing back against Janey's new strategy for addressing drug addiction and increasing violence near Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.

Arrigo said he's frustrated by a lack of communication between Boston health officials and his administration regarding the hotel plan. In a Monday letter to the executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, Arrigo said he lost all confidence in the organization's ability "to thoughtfully execute on an issue of such regional importance."

"Unfortunately, the BPHC has yet to demonstrate the capacity to meet the moment and have instead endangered the progress we all hope to see for our community," Arrigo said.

Read more from The Boston Globe.

Top stories

I'm from the South Shore, and for those who aren't, you can thank me later. I'm about to let you Bostonians know about the greasy little delicacy that is South Shore bar pizza. For years, pizza lovers will tell you the only way to get authentic bar pizza was to venture to the South Shore, but that is about to change. The first restaurant to serve South Shore bar-style pizza in the city is opening in Southie this week. Bardo's Bar Pizza at the new Castle Island Brewery in South Boston will start serving hungry guests this Thursday at 5 p.m. (Boston Patch)

How did Acting Mayor Kim Janey fail to advance to the general election, despite being armed with the benefits the office afforded her? She had a five-plus month advantage of being able to show voters in real time what she could do as mayor. Was it failed messaging? A weak ground game that failed to bring voters to the polls? The city's history of racism making voters not want to vote for a Black woman? The Boston Globe's Danny McDonald explores all these questions and more. (Boston Globe)

A 17-year-old girl was shot in the head and killed at a private party in an upscale Boston hotel last February when she "swatted" the hand of a man holding the gun, prosecutors said Tuesday. On Feb. 4, two men and four "juvenile females," were partying and "taking selfies" with a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol inside a hotel room at the Hyatt Regency Boston before the teen was killed, the Suffolk County District Attorney said. Messiah Leggett, 21, of Boston, was arraigned Monday on charges of involuntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm in the death of Nalijah Andrade, 17, of New Bedford. (Boston Patch)

In case you missed it

Berklee College of Music once again made its mark in the entertainment world, with two alumni taking home Emmy Awards. Berklee alumni Jeff Lingle and Jason Lingle took home awards for their contributions to the sound mixing and editing of HBO's Lovecraft Country. In total 26, Berklee alumni were nominated, and three more were recently nominated for Tony Awards. (Boston Patch)

Local voices

"There have been casinos run by women in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and other places for years, but here's where Massachusetts gets props. It didn't take very long." - Encore Boston Harbor Casino President Jenny Holaday.

Learn more about the first woman to run a casino in Massachusetts and why she's betting it will be successful, despite months of COVID-19 pandemic-related ups and downs. (Boston Magazine)

A lighter touch

Bars are cool and all, but have you ever been to a speakeasy? Well the modern take on one anyway, I promise this one is legal. A new upscale speakeasy Next Door will open on Porter Street later this fall, offering seasonal craft cocktails, a raw bar and more. (WHDH)

Elsewhere in Massachusetts

A Facebook page cofounded by Worcester police sergeant and City Council candidate Richard Cipro drew controversy this week after a member posted a picture of a Hitler mustache crudely drawn on a photo of Mayor Joseph Petty. The Monday post defacing Petty was quickly removed from the page, and Cipro — who was the top voter-getter in the Sept. 14 primary — said he sent an apology to the mayor. He also said moderators will now review each post before publishing them in the public group. (Worcester Patch)

What I'm reading today: I'm a huge sports nerd, so if that's not your thing, I apologize in advance. But my favorite thing I read today was a film review of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones' performance against the New York Jets. Jones so far has been efficient and has had the best season so far out of all the starting rookie quarterbacks. But that doesn't mean he's been perfect. Evan Lazar, of CLNS Media, did a great job putting himself in a coach's shoes and showing us some film on where Jones can improve, especially when it comes to pushing the football downfield. (CLNS Media)

Weather:

The National Weather Service says patchy fog before 7 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 76. Southeast wind, 6 to 10 mph.

– Jimmy Bentley

Jimmy Bentley is a Massachusetts and Rhode Island field editor for Patch covering Cape Cod, Braintree, Barrington, East Greenwich, East Providence and North Kingstown. He was a reporter at the Plympton-Halifax Express and interned for Patch while earning his master's at Emerson College. In his free time, Jimmy hits concerts (sometimes reviewing them for Patch), watches movies and plays ice hockey.