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Welcome back and happy New Year! We hope everyone had a restful break. Your usual, beloved newsletter cruise director Nik DeCosta-Klipa is off this week, so I’ll be your guide to what’s happening locally in the interim.

We’re bidding adieu to more than 2022 in the new year. Here are some notable farewells — and welcomes — coming at us this week:

Gov. Charlie Baker is saying farewell to the Commonwealth this afternoon. His final address is scheduled for 2 p.m. and it will be the last time he talks to the people of Massachusetts before leaving office on Thursday.

• During his eight years in office, Baker has left quite the legacy, as WBUR’s Steve Brown reports below. He was able to become one of the most popular governors in the country, even while navigating major challenges like the MBTA’s perpetual woes, how to deal with climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• But analysts agree that one of the most significant impacts is the one Baker left on the state’s judiciary. He appointed more than half the judges now sitting on the bench. Looking back over his two terms, he’s named 250 judges — including all seven serving on the Supreme Judicial Court!
• But he’s not quite done yet! Today is the final day of the 192nd legislative session. While the biggest measures were finished up back in July, there’s still a chance that bills...

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