Morning Updates: A skyscraper just lost its famous name, and Mayor Walsh looks past the Olympics
Good morning, Boston. Mayor Marty Walsh calls for fixing up Widett Circle in the post-Olympic era, the Hancock Tower gets a lame name change, and the rest of the news you need to know today.
Mayor Walsh pens a post-Olympic column: “There may never be an Olympic stadium built in Widett Circle. But there could be new retail and office space. There could be beautiful open space and parks. There could be thousands of affordable housing units — which we need in order to accommodate our city’s rapidly growing population of young professionals, families, and seniors. … That’s why I am calling on developers, architects, neighbors, and all residents across Boston to take an interest in Widett Circle.’’ (The Boston Globe)
The Olympics and democracy just don’t get along: “The International Olympic Committee on Friday named Beijing as host of the 2022 Winter Olympics after the Chinese capital got more votes from IOC members than the only other candidate, Almaty in Kazakhstan. … [Beijing] was regarded as favorite ahead of Almaty after several European cities, including Oslo and Stockholm, dropped out of the race because of cost concerns.’’ (The Wall Street Journal)
What’s in a name? “[T]he owners of Boston’s tallest building may be facing an uphill battle trying to get locals to refer to the John Hancock Tower by its new name: ‘200 Clarendon.’ The owners of the tower, Boston Properties, announced the name change on Thursday, explaining that because John Hancock is no longer a tenant of the building, they couldn’t continue to use the name for the building.’’ (Boston.com)
Cincinnati police shooting shows why body cameras won’t help: “The presence of an all-seeing eye … did not stop [officer Ray Tensing] from shooting [Samuel] DuBose. Nor did it stop him from lying to his superiors. But a camera can’t stop a shooting from happening. We should not focus our efforts on catching police in lies. We should focus our efforts on addressing what allows them to lie. Technology is capable of many useful things, but it will neither solve nor outpace bad policing.’’ (Boston.com)
The indefatigable Attorney General Maura Healey: “I tried to keep up with her for two days, and failed. Somewhere into the second day, a staffer asked if I was exhausted yet. (For the record: Yes, and my feet were killing me.) Healey’s workday is jammed with events and appearances; she walks briskly up and down stairs in her 2-inch pumps (she says she needs the exercise), through parking garages, around halls jammed with people who want her ear. In between, she confers with staff—and, of course, manages the top law office in the state. But her smile reveals no impatience, no indication that this or that delay will—and, inevitably, it will—jam up the rest of her day.’’ (Boston magazine)
Happy Friday!
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The Goodbye: New England’s quirkiest, most bizarre landmarks.
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