Dell dating Middlebrooks
By 
Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks tweeted a photo of himself and NESN reporter Jenny Dell celebrating together on New Year’s Eve. The happy couple looked like they were having a good time, but the photo raised more than a few eyebrows around town since reporters typically don’t sleep with the people they cover.
The Globe posted a small item in its Names and Faces section reporting that Dell was living with Middlebrooks, which may explain why she is talking with Fox Sports 1 about a job that, as the Globe puts it, would allow her “to separate her work life and her personal life.” Some sports blogs said the relationship has been going on quite awhile.
Officials at NESN didn’t return the Globe’s phone calls about the Dell-Middlebrooks relationship, even though both media companies are owned all or in part by Red Sox owner John Henry. Perhaps NESN didn’t get back to the Globe because bigwigs there are too busy trying to decide what to do with Jerry Remy, the station’s color commentator for Red Sox games. Remy stepped down in mid-August after his son was arrested for killing his girlfriend, and it’s unclear whether he will return this coming season.
Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy reports that NESN has asked Remy to return, but Remy isn’t saying what he plans to do. Would joking with Don Orsillo during Red Sox broadcasts seem insensitive as his son goes on trial for murder? “It’s awful and awkward,” writes Shaughnessy.
–BRUCE MOHL
BEACON HILL
Sen. Joan Lovely of Salem and Rep. Ted Speliotis of Danvers say they want to sharply reduce the number of homeless people in motels, possibly by instituting at least a 30-day residency requirement to qualify for the state shelter program, the Salem News reports.
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
All eyes are on Boston College today, where Marty Walsh will be sworn in as mayor of Boston. Stephanie Ebbert has the Globe‘s advance story on today’s momentous transition with a look at the man and the state of the city he will lead. The New York Times puts a shine on departing Mayor Thomas Menino‘s two-decade tenure.
Lynn groups say they plan to take a census of homeless people who are 25 and under, the Item reports.
Incoming Brockton Mayor William Carpenter says his focus will be on making the city safer after a spate of recent violence and improving “customer service” for businesses and residents.
NATIONAL POLITICS/WASHINGTON
The Senate is expected to vote later today on the nomination of Janet Yellen as head of the Federal Reserve Bank.
Mitt Romney says he accepts the “heartfelt” apology from a MSNBC host who, along with some guests, made fun of a picture of the former Massachusetts governor with his adopted African-American grandson.
Liz Cheney drops her bid for the US Senate in Wyoming, Time reports.
The National Review breaks with other conservative media and comes out in support of Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana use because people smoking pot to get high “is not the worst thing in the world.” Meanwhile, demand is expected to outstrip supply in the state despite the initial high cost of legal weed. And, so just how much does marijuana cost around the US?
Why Hawaii may be the most progressive state in the US.
ELECTIONS
Marty Walsh names Felix Arroyo, a one-time rival for Boston mayor who lost the preliminary election and then endorsed Walsh, as the city’s health and human services chief, the Associated Press reports. On Saturday, he named Daniel Koh, a 29-year-old Andover native with an eclectic background in government and media, to be his chief of staff.
Daniel Rivera is formally sworn in as mayor of Lawrence in front of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and US Rep. Nikki Tsongas and then pledges to hire 10 more police officers with money saved by demoting some of the department’s senior officers, the Eagle-Tribune reports.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Mohegan Sun signs agreements with two labor unions whose members will construct the proposed Revere casino.
Men’s Wearhouse likes the way Jos. A Banks looks, launching a $1.6 billion hostile bid for the rival clothier.
EDUCATION
School administrators may not be the best judges of whether their teachers are effective or not.
Student debt levels are growing.
HEALTH CARE
Harvard and MIT will each receive $90 million as part of a more than half-billion dollar bequest by late shipping magnate Daniel Ludwig to support cancer research.
The New Republic ‘s Noam Scheiber says lefty filmmaker Michael Moore, whose recent op-ed in the Times pronounced Obamacare “awful,” should cheer up because the law is actually helping pave the way for the single-payer system Moore wants.
TRANSPORTATION
The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co., the firm currently contracted to run the MBTA’s commuter rail operation, which appears to be losing out in the competition for the lucrative contract, may be laying the groundwork for a legal challenge should the deal go to the French company Keolis,its rival bidder.
Should boaters be licensed in order to crack down on operating a boat under the influence of alcohol?
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
ISO New England , the region’s power grid administrator, rejected the application to retire the Brayton Point plant in Somerset in 2017, saying the coal-fired facility is needed for at least another year beyond that.
Officials fear rising insurance premiums for homeowners in Massachusetts coastal communities will have a long-term impact on property values, tax receipts, and the local construction business.
States confirm many instances of pollution when drilling for natural gas, the Associated Press reports.
A case before the state’s Supreme Judicial Court today could determine whether conservation groups have to pay taxes on lands they preserve from development.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The nation’s crime labs, despite repeated scandals such as the one involving Annie Dookhan in Massachusetts, have changed very little, NPR reports.
A Braintree man was arrested and charged with stealing storm drain covers in Weymouth with the intent to sell them for scrap metal and is suspected of similar thefts in surrounding towns.
MEDIA
A print copy of tips that already appeared for free online sells out, proving that print isn’t dead yet, the New York Times reports.