These Flying Heroes Don't Wear Capes: 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 Friday, September 17. Let's get started.

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's firefighters flying from Boston to Chicago coming to the rescue.

North Attleboro Fire Chief Christopher Coleman and a group of several active and retired firefighters weren't wearing capes as they took to the skies, but they were the heroes a man aboard a Southwest Airlines flight needed, when he had a medical emergency.

Coleman, Capt. George McKinnon, Capt. Josh Langille, Lt. Scott Langille, retired firefighters Jeff Badger and Rich McDonagh, and Foxborough firefighter Cory Shepardson saw a man in a row behind them experiencing symptoms of a seizure.

The firefighters sprung into action and began performing CPR on the unresponsive passenger. They then administered advance life support until the man's pulse returned.

Read more from Boston Patch.

Top stories

City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George came out on top in Tuesday's preliminary election, but what neighborhoods were they getting the most votes from? According to the Boston Globe, Wu, who came in first, saw support everywhere, but dominated in some of the city's most liberal neighborhoods, like Allston and Brighton. Second place finisher Essaibi George did best in whiter, more conservative neighborhoods, but she saw limited enthusiasm beyond South Boston and parts of Dorchester and West Roxbury. (Boston Globe)

A 7-year-old had her head grazed by a bullet in a Dorchester shooting Thursday evening. A spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said a person was taken into custody in connection to the shooting. (WHDH)

Several candidates for governor and mayor of Boston have pushed for fare-free public transit before the end of the decade. But as they do so, a new report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation suggests the MBTA could be facing "fiscal calamity." In a few years, the MBTA will need $1.25 billion in new annual revenue just to meet its operating and financial needs, the report reads. (Commonwealth Magazine)

Local voices

The family of a Boston University professor, who died in a staircase accident, believes his death was preventable. David Jones, 40, of Milton, went for a run Saturday, but he fell through a gap in a set of rusted out stairs that had been closed for nearly two years across from the JFK/UMass MBTA station in Dorchester.

"Our lives were changed forever last weekend with the sudden, tragic, and preventable passing of our beloved father, husband, son, brother David Kline Jones," Jones'family said. "Our hope is that this unimaginable tragic loss will foster a renewed commitment to create safe and healthy environments for all people." (Boston Herald)

A lighter touch

When I think of pets, I have to admit, the first thing that comes to mind for me are dogs and cats. But what about the smaller little critters out there like hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, gerbils and birds? They need a loving home too. That's why MSPCA-Angell in Boston is waiving the adoption fee for small animals this weekend. (Boston Patch)

A Question for you

Should Massachusetts create its own public bank? That's the question Boston Globe correspondent John Laidler pondered, while exploring the views of industry experts on both sides. Maybe I'm a nerd, but I found the debate interesting, and there's even a poll where readers can voice their own opinions after reading into the subject. (Boston Globe)

Weather:

The National Weather Service says a slight chance of showers. Patchy fog before 11 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 72. East wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

– Jimmy Bentley

About me: 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. Email: jimmy.bentley@patch.com. Twitter: @PatchBentley.