Tom Menino used to do it all the time (in case you're wondering why there are no WalMarts in Boston and why the first Chick-fil-A in town only opened after he left office); now Mayor Wu is telling the real-estate holding company that owns what will soon be the former Carney Hospital that she will block any redevelopment of its 11.7-acre site along Dorchester Avenue that is not solely focused on healthcare, the Dorchester Reporter reports.

A disgusted citizen filed a 311 complaint about the way BPS only announced it was canceling school today late in the day on Thursday: Read more.

Mayor Wu today endorsed Allison Cartwright for one of those election positions that long ago ceased having any policy issues on which we could judge candidates: clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County: Read more.

Some restaurant owners in the North End have thrown up banners in the neighborhood to get visitors to make reservations for outdoor dining via 311, which might confuse out of towners who don't know 311 doesn't handle restaurant reservations. Read more.

Mayor Wu said today she will seek state legislation that would let the city tax owners of commercial and industrial property at a higher rate for four years, should official assessments being conducted this year show a precipitous drop in the assessed value of downtown office space in particular due to work shifts caused by the pandemic. Read more.

CommonWealth Beacon reports on yet another effort by Boston lawmakers to convince the T to change the Hyde Park, Readville and West Roxbury commuter-rail stations to the same zone as the Fairmount one - which could save riders hundreds of dollars a year. But T officials say they're more interested in an overall reduced-fare system it's looking to set-up for low-income riders across the entire commuter-rail network.

The owners of 21 North End restaurants and the North End Chamber of Commerce yesterday sued the city over its 2022 fees for restaurants in the neighborhood that wanted to use public sidewalks and streets for patio seating - and its ban on such patios last year - alleging the Wu administration and a local residents' groups hate Italians for some reason. Read more.

Mayor Wu and Police Commissioner Michael Cox today apologized to Willie Bennett and Alan Swanson, who were investigated and even arrested for supposedly killing Carol Stuart when, in fact, it was her husband Charles who shot her after they left a childbirth class at Brigham and Women's Hospital on Oct. 23, 1989. Read more.

Mayor Wu said today the number of people in tents or tarps at Mass and Cass has dropped from 50 to 14, the State House News Service reports. Wu last week announced another attempt to move people out of the area and into temporary housing or treatment.

Mayor Wu is endorsing Enrique Pepén, her former constiuent-services director, over incumbent Ricardo Arroyo in the District 5 (Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan) City Council race in the Sept. 12 preliminary election. Wu had backed Arroyo in previous campaigns - including his run for DA, at least until those allegations surfaced. Read more.