Some slightly off-the-beaten-path stories you may have missed over the past week:

— He’s obviously not a big fan of his successor: “Ex-Boston Mayor Marty Walsh backs Brownsberger, a senator Mayor Wu is trying to defeat” (Boston Herald)

— Most people get watches when they retire. BU honchos get mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar condos: “Boston University backed six-figure loans for former president, two administrators” (BBJ)

— Jon Keller goes after ‘bike supremacists’ who are using a tragic death to try to reimpose radical bike-lane policies: “Mayor Wu’s biker backlash” (MassterList)

— It’s part of the new station owner’s attempt to rebuild the brand: “NECN hires former WCVB reporter Matt Reed as anchor, eyes relaunch in September” (Globe)

— AI firms are throwing money around: “Where Did All the Computer-Science Professors Go?” (The Atlantic)

— Is the Middle Kingdom going the way of 1990s Japan, i.e. an overly hyped and feared economic rival? “China’s Moment of Weakness” (Foreign Affairs)

— The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine admirably stands firm: “Orange-stained pardon can’t keep cop-punching Jan. 6 doc from losing her right to practice medicine” (Universal Hub)

— Spot-on advice that too many don’t want to hear: “If the Democrats Actually Want to Win, This Is What They Have to Do” (NYT)

— Meanwhile, an old-school conservative lets the VP have it: “The endlessly pliable JD Vance has no aversion to conversions” (Washington Post)

— Unfortunately, both military and Ivy League types look on him as a sort of freak for choosing to serve: “I’m an Army general. My education shouldn’t be unexpected.” (Washington Post)