Names and faces
■ Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, underwent surgery Thursday to remove a growth from his vocal cord that was causing his notably raspy voice. Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, underwent outpatient surgery for the polyp and was home and resting, an institute spokesperson told The Associated Press. Fauci, 79, said by text message that doctors have told him to rest, avoid speaking “for a few days” and then limit the time he spends doing interviews and other speaking for a week or two. Fauci, as a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has become the nation’s leading scientific voice on the coronavirus pandemic, giving regular public advice via media interviews and webcasts, most recently one on Wednesday afternoon. Polyps are bumps that can form on the vocal cords and cause hoarseness. Fauci has been open about his illness, saying in an interview with the Economic Club of Washington this spring that he had an irritated throat after a bout of winter flu that never got a chance to heal. “I probably have a polyp there,” he said at the time, adding that “the only way you’re going to make it get better is to keep your mouth shut. But that’s not in the cards right now.”
■ Max Weinberg, the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen and the bandleader for “Conan O’Brien’s Late Night” and “The Tonight Show,” has been appointed to the planning and zoning board in Delray Beach, Fla., the city where he lives. Weinberg, 69, told The Palm Beach Post he’s looking forward to serving the two-year term on the board, adding that he plans to thoroughly review plans that go before the board. “You owe that to the community,” Weinberg said. “I want to see Delray Beach developed in a way that takes into consideration all of the different viewpoints. You need to look at these plans from every angle.” Weinberg, who has bought or built nearly 40 houses over the years and has appeared before planning committees across the country, was recommended for the post by Commissioner Juli Casale, who said she met Weinberg while campaigning last year. “I was impressed with his knowledge and vision of real estate and development,” she said. “I love Springsteen. Who doesn’t? But this appointment was not made because of his music prowess.” Weinberg, who was hired as Springsteen’s drummer in 1974, told the Post that community decisions, like music, can have a lasting effect. “Bruce used to ask the question: Why do they call it a record? It is because it will last forever,” Weinberg explained. “Forty years from now, people will listen to Born to Run. He put a tremendous amount of time and effort into writing those songs. It is the same with planning and zoning board decisions. They will have lasting impacts.”