The HUB is a preview of the stories the people of Boston are talking about. Patch publishes the HUB every day of the week.

Hello, Boston! We are Tuesday May 18th. We’re talking about another black eye for Boston Police, a neighborhood dirt bike crisis, and “The Newbury.”

But first …

The pandemic is not over.

But the pandemic as we know it – the fear and anxiety, empty shops and schools, social distancing and masks – is almost over, at least for those who are fully vaccinated.

Most of us had been waiting for Governor Charlie Baker’s announcement yesterday for more than 430 days. On June 1, life is expected to return to the new normal for millions of Massachusetts residents.

And you might have missed this nugget yesterday: The 281 new coronavirus cases reported by the Department of Public Health were the lowest since September 22.

Still, 19 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported – again, this thing isn’t really over yet.

There’s a lot to unbox in the future, so I’ll leave you with a few links on the reopening announcement before we move on to the rest of the day:

Check it out

Another day, another black eye for the Boston Police Department. I’m going to give you the thread of this Boston Globe article by Elizabeth Koh and my buddy Milton Valencia: “Boston cop under investigation for tweets attacking the former vice president and for attending a rally of January that led to an assault on the U.S. Capitol is a 13-year veteran who is perhaps best known for organizing local Back the Blue rallies across Massachusetts, according to a person briefed on the matter. “

Vroom, vroom in West Roxbury. Adam Gaffin at Universal Hub has a quick rundown of what’s going on with all the dirt bikes and ATVs in the neighborhood. The police know this, having written “hundreds of quotes from motor vehicles”. As someone living next to a hardcore motor inverter, it’s that sort of thing that bothers me.

Are you registering? The Newbury Boston is celebrating its long-awaited opening today after a multi-year “lobby to roof transformation”, the hotel said. The Newbury is a luxury hotel overlooking the Public Garden – you may know it as the Old Ritz. Contessa, a rooftop restaurant set on the Newbury, will offer unique views.

What i read today: I have Amazon Prime, Disney +, HBOMax, and Netflix – and HBO Max is by far the superior product (although my little one might argue for Disney.) That’s why I read about the WarnerMedia merger of AT&T with Discovery. Josef Adalian of Vulture takes a look at three big questions in the aftermath of the merger – like what will happen to HBO Max?

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day – Possibility of showers, mainly between 11 am and 4 pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 7 to 11 mph. The risk of precipitation is 30%. Further precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible. Nighttime – Partly cloudy, low around 57. West wind around 6 mph.

Have a swell on Tuesday.

You can email me at [email protected] and follow me @PatchCarraggi.