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Jeffrey Epstein court documents released with names unsealed

1. How relevant is this ad to you? Video player was slow to load content Video content never loaded Ad froze or did not finish loading Video content did not start after ad Audio on ad was too loud Other issues

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Watch the First Meteor Shower of 2024 Reach Its Peak

Unfortunately, the darkest skies across the United States, from New Mexico to Idaho, will likely be coated in clouds Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Things don’t look much better along the East Coast, where clouds will dominate the sky, other than some coastal areas in New England. The best spots, as far as weather is concerned on Wednesday, will be the south-central U.S. Those hoping to catch residual fireballs after the shower’s peak ends will have mixed opportunities. Thursday night should offer better viewing across the Eastern U.S. and portions of the Southwest with little to no cloud cover. But the Northwest won’t ever catch a break in the clouds the next two nights, and the weather system hanging over the Rockies on Wednesday will blanket the central U.S. on Thursday. Where meteor showers come from There is a chance you might see a meteor on any given night, but you are most likely to catch one during a shower. Meteor showers are caused by Earth passing through the rubble trailing a comet or asteroid as it swings around the sun. This debris, which can be as small as a grain of sand, leaves behind a glowing stream of light as it burns up in Earth’s atmosphere. Meteor showers occur around the same time every year and can last for days or weeks. But there is only a small window when each shower is at its peak, which happens when Earth reaches the densest part of the cosmic debris. The peak is the best time to look for a shower. From our point of view on Earth, the meteors will appear to come from the same point in the sky. The Perseid meteor shower, for example, peaks in mid-August from the constellation Perseus. The Geminids, which occur every December, radiate from the constellation Gemini.

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Updates emerge with Patriots Trent Brown drama

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As his teammates took on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, Trent Brown was a healthy scratch for the first time in his Patriots career. The hulking tackle didn’t have a stall set up in the visitor’s locker room at Highmark Stadium, and Vederian Lowe took every snap at left tackle in a 27-21 loss to the Bills. The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed reported the team has struggled to keep Brown motivated since he lost money on playing time incentives, and Bill Belichick was tight-lipped on the decision to scratch him after the game. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. “We played the players we wanted to play,” Belichick said, declining to comment on Brown’s motivation. Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal offered a deeper dive into the issues with Brown, who suffered a pair of injuries during a late October loss to the Dolphins. Since then, he’s missed four games, and hasn’t shouldered a full workload when he’s been active. “Internally, I’m told, there was belief Brown could have returned before (Week 12) and did not,” Giardi writes. “The belief was that he was protecting himself and his future earnings in a season without the promise of a postseason. With the number of players on the roster who were playing through injuries — including those on the offensive line — needless to say, that hasn’t gone over very well.” Giardi then cited an anonymous player, who told him, “A lot of us — almost all — are fighting for each other and for pride, even though the results aren’t what any of us want. It sucks that not everyone is willing to put it out there. I hope people who sign the checks are paying attention.”

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Mass. communities declare snow emergencies, parking bans ahead of Sunday storm

MASS. — Communities across the state are getting ready for the first major snow of the season, and many towns have declared snow emergencies and parking bans ahead of Sunday’s storm. Belmont Parking ban from 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, January. 6 until further notice. Braintree Street parking will be off-limits starting at 9:00 p.m. and will reopen once snow removal has finished. Chelmsford Parking ban in effect beginning on Saturday, January 6 at 10 p.m. until Monday, January 8 at 8 a.m. Dedham To aid in the snow removal process Dedham has issued a parking ban that will be in effect beginning Saturday night/Sunday morning at midnight (12:00 AM) until noon on Sunday. Fall River Citywide parking ban from 12 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 6 until further notice. Fitchburg Parking Ban in effect from 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 6, 2024, to 7:00 a.m. on Monday, January 8, 2024. Foxboro Parking ban starting Sunday, January 7th at 12:01 a.m. until further notice Haverhill Snow Emergency starting Saturday, January 6th at 11:59 pm and ending on Sunday, January 7th at 10:00 pm. Parking is prohibited on both sides of the streets along the Snow Emergency Routes Leominster A snow-related parking ban will be in effect from 6:00 PM Saturday until midnight Sunday into Monday. Lowell Citywide parking ban declared from 12 p.m. on Saturday, January. 6, begins at 6 p.m. until further notice. Manchester-By-The-Sea Parking ban from 10 p.m. on Saturday, January. 6 until further notice. Marlboro An emergency storm operations parking will be in effect from Saturday at 5 p.m. to Monday at 8 a.m. Methuen Methuen prohibits parking on any public way from Saturday into Sunday. Milford Parking ban from 6 p.m. on January 6 until further notice. North Attleboro Parking ban will be in effect beginning at midnight on Sunday, January. 7, until further notice. Plainville Parking ban from 6 p.m. on Saturday, January. 6 until 6 a.m. on Monday, January. 8. Salisbury All on-street parking is prohibited beginning at 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening. The ban will expire when snow removal finishes. Somerville Snow emergency effective 4 p.m. Saturday, January 6. Move cars to the odd-numbered side of the street by 8 p.m. on Saturday January. 6. Springfield Citywide parking ban as of 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 6, 2024 Waltham A snow emergency and parking ban will begin at 11:45 pm on Saturday, January 6th for all streets. Watertown Snow emergency effective 6:00 PM, Saturday, January 6, 2024. On-street parking will be banned Westboro Parking ban from 7 a.m. Sunday till 4 p.m. on Sunday. Worcester Winter parking ban beginning 10 p.m. on Saturday, January 6. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2024 Cox Media Group

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5 MA Doughnut Shops Make List Of Those 'Worth The Drive'

Business & Tech 5 MA Doughnut Shops Make List Of Those 'Worth The Drive' A Boston publication says these five Massachusetts doughnuts are worth traveling for. A Boston publication says these five Massachusetts doughnut shops are worth traveling for. (Shutterstock) ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS — Five Massachusetts doughnut shops are among Eater Boston's "New England Doughnuts Worth the Drive." Whether it's classic flavors like cinnamon or chocolate or unusual ones like tres leches and java caramel, these are the doughnuts deemed worthy of travel. The five doughnut makers in Massachusetts on the list are: Brothers' Brew Coffee Shop in Rockport Ziggy & Sons Donuts in Salem Doughnut Homies in Worcester Hole in One Bakery & Coffee Shop in Eastham Back Door Donuts in Oak Bluffs Doughnut shops in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island also made the list. The only question is: how far are you willing to go for the perfect doughnut? "When planning travel around New England, throw away all thoughts about traffic or car problems," Eater Boston wrote. "Instead, start thinking about all the places to grab doughnuts along the way because — what’s better than a doughnut and iced coffee? "Whether the trip calls for a dozen potato doughnuts; funky flavors like Earl Grey; or a classic old fashioned; there’s a sweet option available." The Massachusetts shops on the list range from the "interesting and Instagrammable" Doughnut Homies in Worcester to the "old fashioned dough boys" at Ziggy's & Sons' "unassuming storefront." Check out the full list at Eater Boston.

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Powerball: See the winning numbers in Wednesdays $20 million drawing

It’s time to grab your tickets and check to see if you’re a big winner! The Powerball lottery jackpot continues to rise after one lucky winner in Michigan won $842 million in the January 1 drawing. Is this your lucky night? Here are Wednesday’s winning lottery numbers: 30-31-38-48-68, Powerball: 08, Power Play: 10X Double Play Winning Numbers 08-09-17-31-56, Powerball: 23 The estimated Powerball jackpot is $20 million. The lump sum payment before taxes would be about $10.1 million. The Double Play is a feature that gives players in select locations another chance to match their Powerball numbers in a separate drawing. The Double Play drawing is held following the regular drawing and has a top cash prize of $10 million. Powerball is held in 45 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The Double Play add-on feature is available for purchase in 13 lottery jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania and Michigan. A $2 ticket gives you a one in 292.2 million chance at joining the hall of Powerball jackpot champions. The drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Eastern, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The deadline to purchase tickets is 9:45 p.m.

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Women at Fast-Growing Realty Firm Say They Were Drugged and Assaulted

It was a declaration of eXp’s culture: Work hard, play harder — and build wealth in the process. But in more than 30 interviews with current and former eXp agents, women said the culture has an underbelly. The company’s highest earners are granted star status, and allegations of misconduct are ignored. In two lawsuits, the first filed in February and the second on Thursday, five women described a yearslong pattern of predatory behavior by two marquee agents. The women said the agents drugged them during alcohol-soaked eXp events, and four of the women said they were then sexually assaulted. Executives ignored complaints about the men for years, acting only after the first lawsuit was filed, agents said. In addition, current and former agents said the company ignored allegations about other sexual misconduct, and the company has not changed its culture. eXp Realty has a unique structure — agents are recruited by other agents who then take a cut of their earnings, so everyone is funneling money to people above them. That means there is little incentive to root out high earners even when they are accused of assault, women said. “Everyone is just a recruiter. They’re not there to sell homes and represent the client,” said Tricia Turner, 53, a Houston broker who left eXp in August. “The ones that grow their teams the fastest are the center of attention for the company and the cheerleaders for the company. And unfortunately, it’s like they can do no wrong.”

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NASA Streams Cat Video From Deep, Deep Space

Every year, our critics review numerous movies, television shows, musicals, plays, operas, dance performances, music and more. And come December, they whittle down their favorites to a list of 10. But what are best-of lists if not an invitation to critique? An unscientific collection of reader comments suggests that people most wanted to see “Barbie” in the top 10 list for best movies, while “Ted Lasso” and “For All Mankind” were mentioned the most as favorite TV shows of the year. Here’s a look at readers’ comments across several popular categories.

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Soggy Christmas Eve - Boston News, Weather, Sports

Wet weather continues overnight as a dying system passes through New England. Light rain, fog, and mist is expected to continue overnight, with visibility occasionally dropping below 1/2 mile in spots. Although it’ll be soggy, it will also be mild with temperatures staying in the 40s. Santa’s also bringing some mild weather, with temperatures above average all week long.

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Iceland Scrambles to Shelter Residents Made Homeless by Volcanic Eruption

Brazilian officials served up an array of plans and figures at the recent COP28 climate summit in Dubai, presenting itself as a world leader, on track to protect its forests and the people who live there. But on Thursday, Brazil’s Congress approved a law that threatens Indigenous people’s rights to most of the land they inhabit or claim, potentially opening vast territories to deforestation, farming and mining. The new law requires that Indigenous people must provide concrete evidence that they occupied the land they claim on Oct. 5, 1988, when the country’s current Constitution was enacted — a requirement that many of them have little or no hope of meeting. Under the new rule, not only can Indigenous land claims currently going through the legal process be thrown out for lacking such documentation, but established legal protections for Indigenous territories can also be challenged in court and rescinded.

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Your favorite classic Christmas music might have New England ties

There's nothing like a classic Christmas song to get you in the holiday spirit. You probably know many of the time-worn melodies and cheery lyrics by heart, even if you didn't mean to memorize them. But, did you know that some of the most well-known tunes have New England ties? Radio Boston revisits its 2021 conversation with Joe Bennett, a professor and musicologist at Berklee School of Music, about some local Christmas classics that we've come to love over the years.

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How The Nutcracker Has Been Reimagined, for Better and Worse

Brian Setzer’s career has been defined by a revivalist energy. First, his rockabilly group Stray Cats looked back to the rock ’n’ roll of the 1950s through the eyes of the 1980s. After the group split, he founded the Brian Setzer Orchestra, a boogie-woogie, jump blues band straddling originals and jazzed-up covers. “The Nutcracker Suite,” originally arranged for Les Brown and his Band of Renown by Frank Comstock, wasn’t the only time that the Brian Setzer Orchestra dabbled in classical rearrangements. In the 2007 album “Wolfgang’s Big Night Out,” Beethoven’s “Für Elise” became the Django Reinhardt pastiche “For Lisa,” and Johann Strauss II’s “The Blue Danube” became the bluesy swing chart “Some River in Europe.” An unlikely source brought the group’s take on Tchaikovsky into holiday tradition: Buddy, in the movie “Elf.” As the lights dim in Gimbels, the store that Buddy (Will Ferrell), has tasked himself with redecorating overnight, the Brian Setzer Orchestra trumpets strike up, playing the fanfare call from “March of the Toy Soldiers.” But what follows is not the impish, pizzicato response that usually accompanies the toys’ jolting movements: A drum kit crashes in, and snarling, swinging saxophones accompany Buddy’s commando rolls across the aisle behind a security guard. The whole arrangement pits clipped precision against swirling chaos. Drew McOnie and Cassie Kinoshi: ‘Nutcracker’

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ChatGPT launched one year ago. AI will never be the same.

Though artificial intelligence programs have been around for years, ChatGPT is something else — a “generative” AI system that seems capable of original thought (emphasis on “seems”). With a few typed commands, anybody can use it to crank out essays, poems, images, and even computer software with humanlike sophistication. The message from OpenAI founder Sam Altman appeared on Twitter on Nov. 30, 2022: “Today we launched ChatGPT. try talking with it here: chat.openai.com .” ChatGPT became one of the fastest-growing online applications ever. And one year later, it attracts about 100 million users each week. Advertisement Even the recent palace coup at OpenAI, in which Altman was fired as chief executive but rehired days later, will probably have little impact on the popularity of ChatGPT. There’s speculation that the move was inspired by fears that he was too quick to release generative AI services into a world not yet prepared to use them safely. But the dam has already burst. Similar AI programs like Bard, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have also signed up millions of users. And billionaire Elon Musk is about to launch another generative AI system called Grok. In all, the generative AI boom is the biggest in digital tech since Apple’s iPhone ignited the smartphone market in 2007. “It’s only been a year, and I feel like it’s changed the public conversation about science and technology,” said Tim Ritchie, president of the Museum of Science in Boston. “I’m not sure I’ve seen anything unleashed that has made such a big difference so quickly.” And yet, one year isn’t nearly long enough to answer the big questions about AI. It’ll take much longer to understand its real impact, its astounding risks, its vast capacity for error, and the downsides of relying on machines to do our thinking and communicating for us. What’s more, the new AI applications haven’t even had that much impact yet. But the same was true of the iPhone’s early days: It took a few years for smartphones to become indispensable. Advertisement So where do things stand? The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press People are finding practical applications for AI systems, with new ones arriving every day. There are the obvious ones, like corporate memos and legal briefs generated automatically from a handful of notes, suggested travel itineraries for specific destinations, or elegant illustrations created in seconds by people without a scrap of artistic talent. There’s also the prospect that AI will enable anybody to write powerful software apps, just by asking. “What you’re going to see is the ability of more and more nontechnical people to become software developers without even knowing it,” said Bret Swanson, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. “I can essentially tell a computer what I want it to do in my normal voice.” There are other uses as well. Next time you need to step away from a teleconference, AI might bail you out. Jeetu Patel, a senior vice president at telecom giant Cisco, said his company’s WebEx video conferencing system knows when you go off-camera. The system tracks what’s said while you’re away and displays an on-screen summary to help you catch up. Patel said the same AI technology can generate summaries of messages in a user’s voice mailbox, or edit a seven-minute corporate marketing video down to a 30-second highlight reel. Advertisement AI is even learning to play instruments. Google’s DeepMind lab earlier this month demonstrated a tool that lets users compose music merely by humming. The software can replay the tune using realistic audio synthesis that can feature a single instrument or an entire orchestra. Amid all the hype, business leaders are trying to figure out how best to use AI technology and account for its myriad effects. “Everyone is recognizing that AI can have an impact on their business, and they’re just wondering exactly how,” said Daniela Rus, director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. She compared it to the “digital transformation” that occurred as businesses embraced the internet. But the backlash against generative AI has been remarkable. Six months after ChatGPT’s launch — amid other alarm bells — prominent scientists warned that AI could soon prove too powerful for humans to control, and become as dangerous as “other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” Many ridiculed this claim, but there’s good reason to worry about less catastrophic threats. Educators worry that students are using AI to complete assignments and avoid the hard work of learning. Data security experts say that cybercriminals can use AI to launch online fraud campaigns on a massive scale, and hostile nations could serve up vast quantities of disinformation through social media networks. And of course, machines that can emulate humans could be career-killers for many workers. Movie and television actors and screenwriters went on strike against AI earlier this year. They forced Hollywood production companies to accept strict limits on using AI to write screenplays or replacing actors with digital simulations. Advertisement Members of the Writers Guild of America picketed outside Fox Studios on May 2 in Los Angeles. Ashley Landis/Associated Press But commercial artists and illustrators haven’t been as lucky, said Scott Nash, executive director and founder of the Illustration Institute. Because of competition from AI-generated art, “the young artists I know are not getting paid what they’re worth,” Nash said. “They’re getting paid what we were getting paid in the 1980s.” University of Chicago computer scientist Ben Zhao said that many artists can’t find work at all. “All the best people who do this are losing their jobs,” he said. To make matters worse, generative AI programs are trained on human artworks with no compensation to the original artists. In response to such concerns, the nonprofit Responsible Innovation Labs is drafting voluntary guidelines for AI startup companies. These companies will commit to understanding the risks of the AI systems they develop. They’ll promise to secure permission to use the intellectual property of others for training purposes. They’ll also pledge to test their systems to ferret out security flaws and identify biases that could cause AIs to produce results that discriminate on the basis of race or gender. The goal, said executive director Gaurab Bansal, is an AI ecosystem where concern for the technology’s social impact is built in at the beginning. “It’s very hard to retrofit a company for responsibility,” Bansal said. Advertisement Governments worldwide have more aggressive policies in mind. The European Union is putting the finishing touches on AI regulations it’s been considering since 2021. The EU plan would require companies to reveal the kind of data used to train AI systems, and all AI-generated materials would have to be identified as such. The Biden administration last month issued an executive order calling for stricter regulation of AI systems. The order would force developers of AI “that poses a serious risk to national security, national economic security, or national public health and safety” to report their activities to federal regulators. It’s an open question whether Biden can enforce his plan without action from Congress. But the sheer speed of the administration’s response is revealing. For now, AI experts and observers remain optimistic but vigilant. MIT’s Rus said she foresees “a future where generative AI is not just a technological marvel, but a force for hope and a force for good.” Ritchie, from the Museum of Science, puts the onus on all of us. “The thing that hasn’t changed is human nature,” he said. “AI will only be as good as what humans put into it.” Hiawatha Bray can be reached at hiawatha.bray@globe.com. Follow him @GlobeTechLab.

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2023 All-Western Mass. Girls Cross Country: Selections announced for fall season

MassLive announced its All-Western Mass. teams for girls cross country on Dec. 28. Take a look at the first and second teams in Class A and Class B below: Class A

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Read Your Way Through Utah

What is the state of reading in Utah? It begins by reading the land. Start with “The Broken Land: Adventures in Great Basin Geology,” by Frank DeCourten, paired with Stephen Trimble’s beautifully penned and photographed “The Sagebrush Ocean: A Natural History of the Great Basin.” For the high desert emblematic of Utah’s national parks, consult “The Geology of the Parks, Monuments and Wildlands of Southern Utah,” by Robert Fillmore. And for a more personal sense of Arches and Canyonlands, “Blow Sand In His Soul: Bates Wilson, The Heart of Canyonlands,” by Jen Jackson Quintano, is a spirited biography of Wilson, who advocated their protection. “A Naturalist’s Guide to Canyon Country,” by David B. Williams, is an essential companion, with more than 270 plants and animals identified and described within their ecological communities. Indigenous voices are strong and varied in Utah. Ute historian Forrest S. Cuch’s excellent “A History of Utah’s American Indians” introduces the eight federally recognized tribal nations located in the state. “Navajo Mountain and Rainbow Bridge Religion,” by Karl W. Luckert, provides transcripts of oral histories made by Diné elders who shared traditional knowledge associated with Rainbow Bridge, one of the world’s largest sandstone arches, accessible by boat on Lake Powell. “Edge of Morning: Native Voices Speak for the Bears Ears,” edited by Jacqueline Keeler, is an evocation of why these sacred lands matter to Native communities; it includes voices such as Regina Lopez Whiteskunk, Willie Grayeyes and Jonah Yellowman. Stacie Shannon Denetsosie’s stunning debut collection, “The Missing Morningstar: And Other Stories,” was recently published, to rave reviews. Which books can lead to a desert state of mind? Begin with the classics, such as “Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness,” by Edward Abbey, an anti-memoir on wildness set in Arches National Park in the years when Abbey was a park ranger there. Published in 1968, it can be considered a Thoreauvian counterpoint to the turbulence surrounding the Vietnam War. Then, for a romp of a novel with a bent toward sabotage, Abbey’s “The Monkey Wrench Gang” may inspire you — as it did the environmental group Earth First! — to reimagine the Colorado River without Glen Canyon Dam. If you find Abbey’s politics problematic, I suggest the saucy “Desert Cabal: A New Season in the Wilderness,” by Amy Irvine. “The Last Cheater’s Waltz: Beauty and Violence in the Desert Southwest” and “The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone and Sky,” by Ellen Meloy, are sharp-edged works with quick-witted storytelling that use cultural tensions between the land and a politics of extraction — of uranium, oil and gas or coal — to complicate the scenery. Craig Childs’s elegant exploration of archaeology in “House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest” takes the reader back in time to pre-Puebloan cultures whose pictographs and petroglyphs tell stories on stone near the cliff dwellings they left behind. And his book “The Secret Knowledge of Water” could not be more germane to our current megadrought. Which books can feed a Mormon state of mind? Two biographies create a bedrock for understanding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling,” by Richard Lyman Bushman, and “Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet,” by John G. Turner. Both authors present these iconic figures in human terms. The charisma of Smith as a mystic and Young as a visionary pragmatist led the “saints” into a theology of western expansion only to find that they had a salt desert to tame. Two of my other favorite Mormon books are Maurine Whipple’s novel “The Giant Joshua” and Annie Clark Tanner’s autobiography “A Mormon Mother.” Both are tough and tender commentaries about how patriarchy and polygamy shape women’s lives as they endure heartbreak and deepen their spiritual strength. “Mormon Country” and “Recapitulation,” by Wallace Stegner, are wise works of historical intelligence, with rich renderings of Salt Lake City following settlement. And Jonathan T. Bailey’s “When I Was Red Clay: A Journey of Identity, Healing and Wonder” is a courageous memoir of growing up gay in a rural Mormon community and avoiding erasure by finding refuge in wilderness.

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Hitting a Home Run on Their First Date, With the Help of a Furry Friend

On July 18, 2021, the day Patrick Alan Pennel was supposed to meet Margaret Ann Kretzmer for a first date, he canceled to spend time with someone else he was getting to know. When Ms. Kretzmer offered to meet him the following day instead, he said OK but brought the other girl along. Mr. Pennel, 40, wasn’t being a cad, he just didn’t have much choice: He had recently moved to Santa Monica, Calif., by himself and, to stave off Covid loneliness, was adopting a dog. Emma, the shepherd mix he brought home the day of the postponed date, was too new to leave alone. So on July 19, she came with him to meet Ms. Kretzmer at Ashland Hill, a Santa Monica bar. “I was still very much getting to know Emma,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect.” Nervous barking or a date cut short by a needy new pet he could have anticipated. Feeling the first stirrings of love for an Los Angeles Dodgers fan: not as much. Mr. Pennel and Ms. Kretzmer met on Hinge, where an app-generated prompt on Ms. Kretzmer’s profile connected them. To the query, “We’ll get along well if …” Ms. Kretzmer had written “ … you like baseball.”

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How much snow are we getting Sunday? What to expect from this weekend's storm

Our quiet stretch continues with a blend of sun and clouds and highs in the low 40s for many of us Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday night, we’ll drop into the 20s under partly cloudy skies and some snow showers in far northern New England. As a cold front sweeps through the region from northwest to southeast Thursday, scattered snow showers in northern and western New England through midday will drop a coating to a couple inches with elevations in the mountains and deliver a passing rain or snow shower elsewhere. Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. After reaching highs in the low 40s (30s north), noticeably colder air will arrive by Thursday evening. Despite full sunshine on Friday, we won’t get out of the low to mid 30s for highs (20s far north). While plowable snow is likely for portions of New England, what remains uncertain is the exact track and strength of the storm center, which will play a critical role in determining the intensity of the snow and where the rain/snow line will set up. With water temperatures in the low to mid 40s and an east wind forecast for a time, even if we start as snow in eastern Massachusetts, a transition to rain seems probable, before flipping back to snow toward the tail end. Snow forecast this weekend in Mass. Saturday will be cold too, with increasing and thickening clouds ahead of a storm that will be advancing through the Mid-Atlantic by Saturday afternoon. For us here at home, areas of snow are likely to arrive sometime Saturday late evening and continue into Sunday. The wind doesn’t look too intense, but some gusts to 40 mph are possible at the coast. The bottom line? While this doesn’t look like a blockbuster storm – it will bring the plows and crews out in many cities and towns. Boston snowfall: A look back Another snowstorm next week? After things wind down later Sunday, quiet weather will greet us next week before the next system arrives. There are strong signals that a burst of wintry mix later Tuesday will change to rain as milder air works into the region with highs around 50 on Wednesday. After that, we turn cooler again for the end of next week as seen in our exclusive 10-day forecast.

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How to watch the new episode of 1,000-Lb. Sisters on TLC, stream for free

A new episode of the hit TLC show “1,000-Lb. Sisters” will air on the network on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 9 p.m. ET. The series is also available for streaming on platforms like Philo, FuboTV and DirecTV. All platforms offer a free trial for those interested in signing up for an account. The show follows the personal lives of Amy Slaton-Halterman and her sister Tammy Slaton — who both weigh in at over 1000 pounds between the both of them. Throughout the seasons, viewers are able to see both sisters attempts at weight loss and weight loss surgery. In Tuesday’s episode titled “Caleb surprises Tammy with a romantic dinner date, but it goes south when Tammy learns what’s on the menu; the Slatons attend a Zumba class together, but Amy’s lack of self-care leads to a meltdown that has the whole family feeling déjà vu.” How can I watch the premiere if I don’t have cable TV? Viewers can watch on streaming platforms like Philo and FuboTV. Both platforms offer a free trial for new users What is Philo? Philo is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers 60+ entertainment and lifestyle channels, like AMC, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and more, for the budget-friendly price of $25/month. What is FuboTV? FuboTV is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers more than 100 channels, such as sports, news, entertainment and local channels. What is DirecTV? The streaming platform offers a plethora of content including streaming the best of live and On Demand, starting with more than 75 live TV channels. DirecTV also offers a free trial for any package you sign up.

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The Threads of Identity in a Palestinian Craft

In 2021, UNESCO added Palestinian embroidery to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing it as “a widespread social and intergenerational practice in Palestine,” a symbol of national pride and a way in which women supplement family income. But like other Indigenous handicrafts across the world, it faces threats, including mechanization and abandonment of old styles of dress. Now there is a push to revive the handicraft in younger generations and to preserve old thobes that tell Palestinian history. Those efforts include plans to reintroduce embroidery in curriculums in Palestinian schools, to include it as part of school uniforms and to open an academy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank dedicated to the handicraft, overseen by the Palestinian Authority’s cultural ministry. In July, the museum inaugurated a Textile Conservation Studio to preserve Palestinian thobes and other heritage fabrics and to provide training for conservation and restoration. “We need to practice our heritage so we don’t lose it,” said Maha Saca, the founder and director of the Palestinian Heritage Center in Bethlehem, who helped submit the UNESCO application and is now working on opening the academy.

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Brain Study Suggests Traumatic Memories Are Processed as Present Experience

At the root of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a memory that cannot be controlled. It may intrude on everyday activity, thrusting a person into the middle of a horrifying event, or surface as night terrors or flashbacks. Decades of treatment of military veterans and sexual assault survivors have left little doubt that traumatic memories function differently from other memories. A group of researchers at Yale University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai set out to find empirical evidence of those differences. The team conducted brain scans of 28 people with PTSD while they listened to recorded narrations of their own memories. Some of the recorded memories were neutral, some were simply “sad,” and some were traumatic. The brain scans found clear differences, the researchers reported in a paper published on Thursday in the journal Nature Neuroscience. The people listening to the sad memories, which often involved the death of a family member, showed consistently high engagement of the hippocampus, part of the brain that organizes and contextualizes memories.

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Lauren Boebert, Far-Right Firebrand, Is Switching House Districts in Colorado

Now that abortion is restricted and affirmative action is hobbled, the conservative legal movement has set its sights on a third precedent: Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. The 1984 decision, one of the most cited in American law but largely unknown to the public, bolstered the power of executive agencies that regulate the environment, the marketplace, the work force, the airwaves and countless other aspects of modern life. Overturning it has been a key goal of the right and is part of a project to demolish the “administrative state.” A decision rejecting Chevron would threaten regulations covering — just for starters — health care, consumer safety, government benefit programs and climate change. (My colleague Charlie Savage has written more on the possible implications.) After three and a half hours of lively arguments on Wednesday that appeared to divide the justices along the usual lines, it seemed that the court’s conservative majority was prepared to limit or even eliminate the precedent.

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Servicio de mascotas busca ayudar a los animales puertorriqueos

Vanessa Henriquez and Kassandra Perez launched a fundraising event at the View Street Tavern Sunday to raise money to feed abandoned dogs and cats on Puerto Rico. (Dave Canton /The Republican)Dave Canton

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Transit police nab man accused of trying to smash ATM with shovel - Boston News, Weather, Sports

BOSTON (WHDH) - Transit police arrested a Boston man accused of tying to smash his way into an ATM with a shovel at Ashmont Station. Officers responding to a report of a person trying to break into an ATM with a shovel around 6 a.m. Saturday learned the suspect had fled in a vehicle, which was later spotted on Dorchester Avenue, according to transit police. The suspect, whose name was not released, was taken into custody. No additional information was immediately available. 12/30 6AM #MBTA Ashmont. Outstanding police work results in the arrest of Dorchester man who attempted to break into the ATM w/a shovel. SP fled in a vehicle. An eagle eyed TPD off spotted the V on Dot Ave. SP placed into custody-TPDHQ for booking. SP also had warrants. pic.twitter.com/SefLK0QF9v — MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) December 30, 2023 (Copyright (c) 2023 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Tuskegee vs. Alabama State How to watch college football

This year marks the 99th Turkey Day Classic, featuring Tuskegee and Alabama State, two of the most storied football programs among HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities). The two schools recently signed an agreement to renew the rivalry for the next three seasons. Both schools are coming off losses in their conference finals, but this is a historic rivalry and usually a compelling matchup. Tuskegee is 39-32-1 all-time against Alabama State. Fans looking to watch this college football game can do so with ESPN+. ESPN+ plans are $9.99 a month or $12.99 a month if you bundle with Hulu and Disney+. Who: Tuskegee vs. Alabama State When: Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, 3 p.m ET Where: Hornet Stadium, Montgomery, AL Stream: ESPN+. ESPN+ plans are $9.99 a month or $12.99 a month if you bundle with Hulu and Disney+. Tickets: StubHub and *VividSeats *New customers who purchase tickets through VividSeats can get $20 off a $200+ ticket order by using the promo code MassLive20 at checkout.* Gear: Shop around at Fanatics for jerseys, hats, polos, sneakers, shirts and more Sports Betting Promos: Football fans can wager online on Massachusetts sports betting with enticing promo codes from top online sportsbooks. Use the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo code for massive new user bonuses. RELATED CONTENT: Tuskegee (7-3) and Alabama State (6-4) have split their last 10 meetings, though Alabama State has won the last three head-to-head matchups. The teams didn’t meet last season. ASU quarterback Damon Stewart is a player to watch. He threw for 372 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort against Prairie View A&M recently. The Associated Press contributed to this article

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India and Maldives Trade Barbs After Modis Beach Visit

Since the 1970s, the Maldives has become one of the global jet set’s preferred resort destinations, earning $3 billion in tourism revenues in 2019, worth about a quarter of its national economy. After coronavirus pandemic-related lockdowns took effect, when outbound Chinese tourism stopped in its tracks, India became the Maldives’ biggest source of high-spending visitors. India had always kept tinier Lakshadweep under wraps. Until recently its islands saw only 10,000 visitors a year, nearly all of them Indian. In 2021, Mr. Modi’s government indicated that it saw great untapped potential there. If Lakshadweep’s coral-shaped lagoons can be sold to the world as an alternative to the Maldives, they would strike at the small country’s economic lifeblood. Just as the war of words with India hit fever pitch, with some Indian celebrities swearing they would restrict their luxury vacations to India’s own shores, the Maldives’ new president, Mohamed Muizzu, was starting a five-day state visit in China. His trip was planned much earlier, but rivalries with India were already on the agenda. The Maldives, like several other countries around South Asia, has for years bobbed along the surface of a great-power competition between India and China. Successive governments have been more pro-China, like Abdulla Yameen’s, from 2013 to 2018, or pro-India, like the one led by Ibrahim Mohamed Solih until November. Mr. Muizzu, who defeated him in the polls, had campaigned on a platform of “India Out.” Mr. Muizzu had already broken with tradition by skipping visiting India and spending his first state visit in Turkey. So it was little surprise that he chose China for his second state visit. His government also intends to eject the 80 or so Indian military personnel who operate aircraft based in the Maldives.

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This Venezuelan Family Won Asylum. Days Later, They Lost It.

A Radical Agenda To be sure, some of what Mr. Trump and his allies are planning is in line with what any standard-issue Republican president would most likely do. For example, Mr. Trump would very likely roll back many of President Biden’s policies to curb carbon emissions and hasten the transition to electric cars. Such a reversal of various rules and policies would significantly weaken environmental protections, but much of the changes reflect routine and longstanding conservative skepticism of environmental regulations. Other parts of Mr. Trump’s agenda, however, are aberrational. No U.S. president before him had toyed with withdrawing from NATO, the United States’ military alliance with Western democracies. He has said he would fundamentally re-evaluate “NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission” in a second term. He has said he would order the military to attack drug cartels in Mexico, which would violate international law unless its government consented. It most likely would not. He would also use the military on domestic soil. While it is generally illegal to use troops for domestic law enforcement, the Insurrection Act allows exceptions. After some demonstrations against police violence in 2020 became riots, Mr. Trump had an order drafted to use troops to crack down on protesters in Washington, D.C., but didn’t sign it. He suggested at a rally in Iowa this year that he intends to unilaterally send troops into Democratic-run cities to enforce public order in general. “You look at any Democrat-run state, and it’s just not the same — it doesn’t work,” Mr. Trump told the crowd, calling cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco crime dens. “We cannot let it happen any longer. And one of the other things I’ll do — because you’re supposed to not be involved in that, you just have to be asked by the governor or the mayor to come in — the next time, I’m not waiting.”

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No Labels Asks the Justice Department to Investigate Its Critics

No Labels, the centrist group that could field a third-party presidential bid, has asked the Justice Department to investigate what it calls unlawful intimidation by groups that oppose it. The group filed a complaint on Jan. 11, accusing a number of political figures and other critics of engaging in voter suppression and violating federal law, including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, which is often used to combat organized crime. Leaders of No Labels who described the complaint during a news conference on Thursday pointed largely to previously reported details of efforts to oppose the group, as well as incendiary statements that some of its critics had made on political podcasts. The group compared the efforts of its opponents to those of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1950s and ’60s and the fictional mob boss Tony Soprano. A montage of clips shown by the group included Rick Wilson, a founder of the anti-Trump Republican group the Lincoln Project, saying last spring that the group had to “be burned to the ground,” using an expletive — although the clip had been cut off before Mr. Wilson adds the word “politically.” (After being asked about the shortened clip, the group uploaded a version of the video with the full statement.)

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Multi-vehicle crash with injuries on I-93 in Boston causes delays

A multiple-vehicle crash with injuries on Interstate 93 north in Boston caused delays on Wednesday morning. The crash was reported around 11:30 a.m. by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. They said the crash occurred in the area of Exit 13B, the Morrissey Boulevard/Savin Hill exit. The two center lanes were closed for almost an hour, causing significant delays. Multi-vehicle crash with injuries in #Boston on I-93-NB at Exit 13B. Two center lanes are CLOSED. Expect delays. — Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) December 6, 2023 Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. All lanes had reopened as of 12:18 p.m., MassDOT said.

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Mild start to December but morning sun gives way to clouds, chance of rain

The mild temperatures peak Friday as sunshine holds sway through the morning. Although limited these days, it should be enough to boost us into the low and mid-50s this afternoon. Breezes from the southwest continue as the clouds slowly increase from the west. Showers are moving east as well. While this isn't a big rainmaker, we should see some wet weather by late afternoon/evening. All of it will fall in the first half of the night, then make a quick exit by morning. Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. We're left with a lot of clouds Saturday, but we can't rule out a few rays of sun from time to time, either. This will be our only dry day of the weekend. Sunday's showers will get a jump on us early, but the heaviest rain will wait until Sunday night. As colder air works in from the north, the rain/snow will drop south late night. Some mix could come into the picture by Monday morning in central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, but the prospects for accumulation remain low — and limited to higher terrain — given the mild temps near 50 on Sunday and the gradual nature of the cooling. Our storm departs on Monday, but there still may be a few showers around through at least early afternoon. Have a great weekend!

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Storm to bring heavy rain, flooding, and hazardous winds to Massachusetts

The inclement weather will is expected to make the Monday morning commute difficult, as rain will pelt Boston before noon, when it will start waning, Joe Dellicarpini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said in a phone interview. Rain is expected to drench the Boston area early Sunday afternoon with a south wind up to 21 miles per hour during the day and gusts as high as 45 miles per hour Sunday night. Damaging winds, heavy rain, flooding, and hazardous seas are expected in Massachusetts Sunday afternoon and overnight into Monday as a storm rolls through New England, according to the National Weather Service. Advertisement Between 1 and 2 inches of rain are possible Sunday evening with patchy fog after 3 p.m., according to the weather service. The storm has been on its way up through Rhode Island Sunday morning. “For those folks whose basements typically are prone to flooding, this is probably going to be an issue for that. It’s a good idea today to make sure the sump pumps are working and make sure there aren’t any valuables in places that could flood,” Dellicarpini said. The weather service warned about the possibility of downed trees and power lines along the South Shore, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Sunday night into Monday morning. Significant street flooding and minor river and stream flooding west of I-95 could occur, as well. “With the expectation of heavy rain, there could be some flooding of some of the smaller rivers and streams, especially when you get out towards the Merrimack Valley, north and west of the city, and then out towards Worcester,” Dellicarpini said. Eversource prepared crews and materials to respond to any power outages caused by the incoming storm, the company said in a statement Sunday morning. “You can get ready, too, by assembling a kit with essentials,” Eversource said on Facebook. Advertisement Conditions on the water could be dangerous for boaters with high winds Sunday night into Monday, the weather service said. Monday morning will bring a high tide to the South Shore, which could cause minor flooding of coastal roads, the forecast said. For Greater Boston, the worst of the storm is predicted to be around 10 p.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday, Dellicarpini said. Rain and possible thunderstorms are in the forecast for Monday before noon, with only a slight chance of rain between noon and 1 p.m., the weather service said. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall, and patchy fog might roll through before 8 a.m., according to the forecast. There will be a south wind around 24 miles per hour, with wind gusts as high as 40 miles per hour in the morning, the forecast said. The winds will become west in the afternoon. “We’re telling folks to expect a slower than normal commute tomorrow morning — plan in some extra time. There’s likely to be some street flooding and low visibility, which is going to slow the commute, Dellicarpini said. Bailey Allen can be reached at bailey.allen@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @baileyaallen.

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Author readings around Boston through Jan. 27

(” Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine ”) will be in conversation with Renée Graham at 6 p.m. at the Brattle Theatre . (Tickets are $10 for admission only, $34 for admission and a copy of the book.)

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New Jersey mayor says buses of migrants bound for New York are being dropped off at NJ train stations

Politics New Jersey mayor says buses of migrants bound for New York are being dropped off at NJ train stations File -- Secaucus, New Jersey, Mayor Michael Gonnelli. KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey mayor says buses of migrants bound for New York City have been stopping at the train station in his town and others in an apparent effort to evade an executive order by New York’s mayor trying to regulate how and when migrants can be dropped off in the city. Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli said Sunday that Secaucus police and town officials had been told by Hudson County officials about the arrival of buses at the train station in Secaucus Junction beginning Saturday. He said four buses were believed to have arrived and dropped off migrants who then took trains into New York City. Advertisement: Gonnelli said the executive order signed recently by Mayor Eric Adams of New York requires bus operators to provide at least 32 hours’ advance notice of arrivals and to limit the hours of drop-off times. “It seems quite clear the bus operators are finding a way to thwart the requirements of the executive order by dropping migrants at the train station in Secaucus and having them continue to their final destination,” Gonnelli said in a statement. He suggested that the order may be “too stringent” and is resulting in “unexpected consequences.” Gonnelli called the tactic a “loophole” bus operators have found to allow migrants to reach New York City, and added that state police have reported that “this is now happening at train stations throughout the state.” Gonnelli vowed to work with state and county officials and to “continue to monitor this situation closely.” A message posted on a social media account for Jersey City said the city’s emergency management agency reports that “approximately 10 buses from various locations in Texas and one from Louisiana have arrived at various transit stations throughout the state, including Secaucus, Fanwood, Edison, Trenton.” About 397 migrants had arrived at those locations since Saturday, the post Sunday said. Advertisement: “This is clearly going to be a statewide conversation so it is important that we wait for some guidance from the governor here on next steps” as buses continue, the post said. Tyler Jones, a spokesperson for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, told lehighvalleylive.com that New Jersey is being used as a transit point for migrants, almost all of whom continued on to New York City. Jones said New Jersey officials are “closely coordinating with federal and local officials ”including our colleagues across the Hudson.” In New York City, a spokesperson for City Hall said Monday that the city had “led the nation in responding to this national humanitarian crisis, providing compassion, care, shelter, and vital services to more than 161,000 migrants” since spring 2022. The spokesperson characterized the executive order as “part of that effort, ensuring the safety and well-being of both migrants and city staff.” The Texas governor, the spokesperson said, was treating asylum seekers “like political pawns” and dropping off families in surrounding areas “in the cold, dark of night with train tickets to travel to New York City” as was done in Chicago in response to a similar executive order there. “This is exactly why we have been coordinating with surrounding cities and counties since before issuing our order to encourage them to take similar executive action to protect migrants against this cruelty,” the spokesperson said. Advertisement: Adams last week joined mayors of Chicago and Denver to renew pleas for more federal help and coordination with Texas over the growing number of asylum-seekers arriving in their cities by bus and plane. “We cannot allow buses with people needing our help to arrive without warning at any hour of day and night,” Adams said at a virtual news conference Wednesday with the other mayors. “This not only prevents us from providing assistance in an orderly way, it puts those who have already suffered” so much in danger. The Democratic mayors, who met last month with President Joe Biden, want more federal funds, efforts to expand work authorization, and a schedule for when buses arrive. Cities have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars to house, transport and provide medical care for migrants.

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Massachusetts weather: Arctic air, below-zero wind chills forecast this weekend

Weather Snowy Shot Of Winter Precedes Weekend Warmup In Latest MA Forecast After a cold stretch this week temperatures are expected to rebound well above normal by this upcoming weekend. After a nice Monday and seasonable Tuesday, things will turn colder Tuesday night as a chance of snow moves in after midnight. (Shutterstock) MASSACHUSETTS — While it could begin to look a lot like Christmas during a cold stretch with a shot of snow across the state over the next couple of days, the forecast of a weekend warmup could have things feeling a lot more like early fall than less than two weeks before the official start of winter. After a nice Monday and seasonable Tuesday, things will turn colder Tuesday night as a chance of snow moves in after midnight. The National Weather Service is calling for a 40 percent chance of widespread snow showers that could be enhanced along the coast with ocean-effect snow. While it could be too warm for the white stuff on the outer Cape, the National Weather Service said the best chance of getting up to an inch of snow will be in the Greater Boston area. That will pave the way for a cold Thursday with a high temperature of 35 before a nice weekend warmup. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 44 degrees as winds shift around to the southwest on Friday, then a high of 53 degrees on a partly sunny Saturday and 57 degrees with a chance of rain on Sunday. Even better news for those who are not ready to bundle up for the season is that the 8-14 day temperature outlook suggests New England will have above-normal temperatures from Dec. 11 to Dec. 17 with no frigid cold expected anywhere across the country except for the far Northwest and Alaska.

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Sam Altman returns to OpenAI in a bizarre reversal of fortunes

1. How relevant is this ad to you? Video player was slow to load content Video content never loaded Ad froze or did not finish loading Video content did not start after ad Audio on ad was too loud Other issues

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Five-bedroom home sells for $2.8 million in Wellesley Hills

A 3,809-square-foot house built in 1950 has changed hands. The spacious property located at 106 Bristol Road in Wellesley Hills was sold on Nov. 27, 2023. The $2,800,000 purchase price works out to $735 per square foot. This two-story house boasts a generous living space with five bedrooms and four baths. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. The property is equipped with hot water heating and a cooling system. Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby: On Bristol Road, Wellesley Hills, in June 2023, a 5,203-square-foot home was sold for $4,632,750, a price per square foot of $890. The home has 6 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. A 4,978-square-foot home at 146 Lowell Road in Wellesley Hills sold in October 2023, for $4,525,000, a price per square foot of $909. The home has 6 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. In August 2023, a 2,576-square-foot home on Lowell Road in Wellesley Hills sold for $1,315,000, a price per square foot of $510. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data. See more Real Estate News

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Jingle Bells was written by a Masshole but was it written in Massachusetts?

A Boston-born composer, James Pierpont, wrote one of the most well-known Christmas songs. But did he do it while he was in Massachusetts? Two states, Massachusetts and Georgia, are in what’s known as the “Jingle Bell Wars.” There is a plaque in Medford near 19 High St. that claims it’s the spot where Simpson Tavern was located and that in 1850, Pierpont wrote the song “Jingle Bells” there in the presence of Mrs. Otis Waterman, “who later verified that the song was written here.” Pierpont later had it copyrighted while living in Georgia in 1857, which is why the state claims it was written there instead. Kyna Hamill — who volunteered with Medford Historical Society, is a faculty member at Boston University and has become an expert on Pierpont — worked to get to the bottom of the legend. “I don’t have the definite answer to where he sat down and wrote the song,” Hamill told Boston University in 2016. “But — and this is where my town is going to be mad at me — it was absolutely not written in 1850 at the Simpson Tavern in Medford.” Instead, during that time, Pierpont was in California trying to cash in on the Gold Rush. He returned to Boston broke in 1851 after a San Francisco fire burned down his shop, BU Today explained. The song was originally titled “One Horse Open Sleigh.” Hamill found a playbill from Harvard Theater Collection that puts the song’s first performance at impresario John Ordway’s Ordway Hall, on Washington Street in Boston, with a troupe called Ordway’s Aeolians on Sept. 15, 1857, according to the university. Ordway Hall, near the Old South Meeting House, was known for white men performing in blackface, “offering a racist caricature of people of color as middle-class entertainment,” the university said. Read more: Stranger leaves wedding rings to Salvation Army in act of holiday charity “Sleigh songs were having an important moment in the 1850s. Sleigh bell songs were common,” Hamill told Itemlive. “The songs would often exist in their parlor version and in the blackface version, where they’re put into ‘black’ dialect.” But it’s not clear if Pierpont was even there for the debut. Around the same time, Pierpont moved to Savannah, Georgia, which is where he copyrighted it. It was re-copyrighted as “Jingle Bells, or the One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1859, the university said. Hamill also points out the timing for Georgia doesn’t match up. He was often in need of money, she said. So, he wouldn’t have kept it to himself for that long. Although, another historian, Dr. Christopher Hendricks, a professor at Georgia Southern University in Savannah, told Fox News, San Francisco should be added to the list of possible places where he wrote the song. Still, Massachusetts might be able to claim Pierpont’s “Jingle Bells” for itself. Hamill’s guess is that Pierpont wrote the song at a rooming house not far from the Old State House in downtown Boston. Was Pierpont a Masshole? Beyond the song’s complicated history, Pierpont was also a complicated man. “He’s kind of a jerk, actually. He would leave all of the time. He went out west to try to make his way with the gold rush. He went all over the place and left his wife with his father,” Hamill told CBC News. After his wife died, he quickly remarried and abandoned his three children, the news outlet reported. He had been adventurous since an early age. When he was 14 years old, he ran away and set sail on a whaling ship named Shark, according to Valdosa Daily Times. He later served in the U.S. Navy. During his time in Georgia, Pierpont enlisted with the Confederacy. According to the news outlet, he was first a clerk with the First Georgia Battalion which later became part of Fifth Georgia Volunteer Cavalry, adding that he also wrote patriotic songs during his war years, including, ‘We Conquer or Die,’ ‘Our Battle Flag’ and ‘Strike for the South.’” It wasn’t until after he died that “Jingle Bells” became popular. Originally performed as a Thanksgiving song, it didn’t resonate with audiences as much due to its lack of religious themes or mentioning of Christmas, Valdosa Daily Times reported. But over time, and with some possible song changes, it began clicking with audiences. Now, you’re unlikely to make it through the holiday season without hearing it at least a dozen times.

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Credit card skimmers found at grocery store in Sudbury - Boston News, Weather, Sports

SUDBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - An investigation got underway over the weekend after credit card skimmers were found at a grocery store in Sudbury, officials said. Roche Bros. Supermarkets in a statement said the skimmers were found on two self-checkout pin pads at the chain’s Sudbury Farms location off Boston Post Road on Sunday. Roche Bros. said it “immediately took steps to secure all registers at all locations and launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the activity.” Roche Bros. operates 20 grocery stores around Massachusetts. As of Sunday, the chain said it determined the Boston Post Road Sudbury Farms store was the only store impacted. While there was no confirmation that any customer data had been compromised, Roche Bros. said anyone who shopped at the Sudbury Farms site on or before Sunday may have been impacted. Roche Bros. CEO Kevin Barner addressed the situation in his company’s statement, saying “Roche Bros. has strong policies in place to protect against these types of incidents, including conducting multiple security checks daily on our registers.” “Roche Bros. is committed to protecting the confidentiality and security of our customers’ information and are issuing a press release to try and reach affected and potentially affected customers who we are not able to specifically identify,” Barner said. Roche Bros. said it notified law enforcement after finding the skimmers. Sudbury Chief of Police Scott Nix later confirmed his department responded, saying the incident remained under investigation Monday morning. While authorities investigate in Sudbury, this is not the first time this year that skimmers have been found in local grocery stores. Indeed, other devices have been found at various grocery stores in communities including Chelsea; Somerville; Reading; Haverhill; Concord, New Hampshire and Nashua, New Hampshire. Police have launched investigations into other skimmer sightings. The Better Business Bureau, in the meantime, has shared tips for shoppers to protect themselves. Among tips, the BBB advises: Keep a close eye on your bank and credit accounts. Be wary if your card gets stuck in a chip reader. Use contactless payment methods. Go inside to a teller to withdraw cash from the bank Use ATMs in banks Cover the keypad Don’t proceed if you feel resistance when your card is inserted. (Copyright (c) 2023 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Flash freeze expected to accompany weekend snowstorm in Mass.

If a foot or more of snow wasn’t enough to worry about this weekend, the National Weather Service is predicting a “flash freeze” amid the storm, which could make travel even more hazardous. National Weather Service Meteorologist Kyle Pederson explained that the flash freeze will take place on Sunday. “As we get later into Sunday, areas that maybe received the more rain-snow mix could see what we call a flash freeze, which is where the temperatures drop really quickly and they are below freezing,” Pederson said. Roadways that are wet from rain or melting snow could then quickly be covered in ice, he said. A message posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, encouraged people to plan to get snow and slush cleared on Sunday morning if possible and be prepared for slippery travel once temperatures drop. Sunday Flash Freeze: Temps will start out near/above freezing Sunday then will rapidly drop into 20s Sunday afternoon (blue shading). Plan on getting snow/slush cleared Sunday AM if possible. Be prepared for slippery travel once temps drop.#ctwx #mawx #riwx pic.twitter.com/y2hLX8oDFL — NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) January 5, 2024 Affected areas include the coastline and southeastern Massachusetts, where there is likely to be a rain-snow line. “Where there’s going to be heavier snow, it’s not going to be as big of a concern because it’s already going to be below freezing in those areas,” Pederson said. Icy roadways will likely continue through Sunday night and even into the Monday commute, he said. “On the Monday morning commute, there still could be some icy spots out there, hopefully not as bad as Sunday though,” he said.

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Detroit Man Charged in Stabbing Death of Synagogue President

A man was charged on Wednesday in the killing of Samantha Woll, a synagogue president who was found stabbed to death in October outside her Detroit home, the authorities said. Ms. Woll’s death appeared to have taken place during a break-in at her home, Kym L. Worthy, the Wayne County prosecutor, said at a news conference. “This is an extraordinarily sad and tragic case,” Ms. Worthy said, adding that “there are no facts to suggest that this defendant knew Ms. Woll and there are no facts to suggest that this was a hate crime.” Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, was charged with first-degree felony murder, a charge that carries a penalty of life in prison without parole. He was also charged with home invasion and lying to a peace officer. Mr. Jackson-Bolanos was being held in custody on Wednesday evening, and it was uncertain whether he had legal representation.

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Two cars crash through former Boston Market in Saugus

Local News Two cars crash through former Boston Market in Saugus A Boston man crashed into a parked car, police said, and will face a string of charges related to the crash including drug possession. Courtesy of Saugus Police Department Two vehicles flipped into a former Boston Market in Saugus Monday night after a man crashed into a parked car, police said. Saugus police said a 62-year-old man from Boston driving a Volvo crashed into a unoccupied Toyota Prius around 7:23 p.m. on Monday, and both vehicles flipped into the restaurant at 168 Broadway. A dramatic photo shows the two overturned vehicles inside the building’s storefront. The man driving was the only person involved in the crash. He was transported to a medical facility with non-life threatening injuries. An investigation showed the Volvo was traveling very quickly going northbound on Route 1 when it left the roadway and struck the parked car, Saugus police said. Advertisement: Saugus police said the driver is facing pending charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating with a suspended license, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and possession of a class A substance, which the police said they believe is fentanyl or heroin. The man will be expected in court as the charges are filed.

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Congressional Leaders Unveil Stopgap Bill to Head Off Shutdown

Congressional leaders unveiled stopgap legislation on Sunday to avert a partial government shutdown, teeing up a race to pass the bipartisan spending deal into law before a deadline at the end of the week. The bill, which came out of a spending deal negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, would temporarily extend funding for some federal agencies until March 1 and for others through March 8. It would keep the government funded at its current spending levels, without any policy changes or conditions. Facing opposition from hard-line House Republicans and a razor-thin G.O.P. majority, Mr. Johnson will most likely need to rely on the same coalition — made up of Democrats and mainstream Republicans — to pass the bill that both he and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy have relied on to keep the government funded. In a sign that Democrats were preparing to muster the bulk of the votes to pass the bill, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, signaled his backing of the bill on Sunday night. He wrote to his caucus that he was “in strong support of the effort to keep the appropriations process moving forward and avoid a disruptive partial government shutdown.”

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A Ski Resort Rebrands as Ultraexclusive, and Some Locals Feel Left Out

Windham Mountain, a ski resort just over two hours north of New York City, was in need of revamping. The lift lines were too long. The food and drink quality had declined. So when word got out that a new ownership group was taking over, the change was initially welcomed. But then the new owners, led by the founder of a national restaurant chain and a hotel group scion, unveiled a slick website that laid out their plans for an ambitious rebrand in October. Windham Mountain would now be known as the Windham Mountain Club. The resort promised skiers “a rare time in rarified air.” The club’s restaurants would receive a “gastronomique glow up.” Memberships to access the new amenities would come at a steep price: $175,000 for those who joined right away, and $200,000 for those who waited until March. If current members, some of whom paid as little as $25,000 for their spots, did not opt in, their memberships would be terminated on May 1. “It’s no secret that they’ve managed to alienate and, frankly, piss off a lot of people,” said Nick Bove, who owns Windham Mountain Outfitters, a local equipment store.

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Boston weather: After scattered storms clear out, weekend looks good

Most of Massachusetts has a strong chance of receiving at least six inches of snow during a storm that’s expected to hit the state late Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service. The eastern half of the state — minus Bristol and Plymouth Counties, the coast, the Cape and the Islands — has a 70 to 80% chance of getting more than 6 inches of snow, the weather service said. The western half of the state has a 60 to 70% chance of receiving more than a half a foot of snow. Read more: Here are Massachusetts weekend snow predictions in 5 maps The Massachusetts coast, as well as Bristol and Plymouth Counties, have a 10 to 50% chance of receiving more than 6 inches of snow, according to the weather service. That chance is greatest along the Route 1 corridor and decreases moving southeast towards the Cape. The chance of any precipitation stops just before you reach the Cape and Islands. Bristol and Plymouth Counties — plus the coast — have the highest chance of receiving rain instead of snow, but also have the greatest risk of experiencing power outages, according to the weather service. This map from the National Weather Service shows the likelihood of receiving 6+ inches of snow during the storm this weekend across Massachusetts.National Weather Service The weather service predicts that the storm will hit Western Massachusetts first, between 4 and 9 p.m. Saturday. The central part of the state is expected to see snow by 9 p.m. Saturday, and the eastern part should see snow by 1 a.m. Sunday. The snowfall is expected to lessen around 3 or 4 p.m. Sunday, and then largely cease by 9 or 10 p.m. that day. There is also a slight chance of snow across Massachusetts this morning, largely before 8 a.m., according to the weather service. Skies are expected to stay cloudy in the morning before clearing as the day goes on. Highs across the state should be in the low 40s. Lows overnight this week are expected to be in the high teens and low 20s, except for overnight Saturday when temperatures will be in the low 30s and high 20s, according to the weather service. Friday is expected to be sunny with highs in the low 30s across the state, and Saturday should see mostly cloudy skies with highs in the mid 30s before the storm hits. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s during the storm Sunday, according to the weather service. Monday should be clear with highs in the mid 30s.

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Lego Masters episode 10: How to watch on FOX for free Dec. 7

The newest episode of “Lego Masters,” airing on Thursday, December 7, will count down the top 100 moments from four seasons of “LEGO Masters” on FOX. The newest episode of season 4 will air at 9 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on FOX. Viewers looking to stream the premiere can do so by using FuboTV and DirecTV Stream. Both streaming services offer free trials. According to a description of the show by FOX, in “Lego Masters,” teams of two LEGO® enthusiasts go head-to-head, with infinite possibilities and an unlimited supply of LEGO® bricks. “Throughout the competition, host Will Arnett and expert judges encourage the amateur builders, introduce incredible challenges and put the creations to the test,” according to FOX. The competing pairs who impress the judges the most progress to the next round. In the finale, the top teams face off for a cash prize, the ultimate LEGO trophy and the grand title of LEGO® MASTERS. In episode 10, they’ll be counting down the top 100 moments from four seasons of “LEGO Masters.” Here is a look at season 4 from FOX’s YouTube channel: How can I watch “Lego Masters” without cable? The newest episode of season 4 will air at 9 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on FOX. Viewers looking to stream the premiere can do so by using FuboTV and DirecTV Stream. Both streaming services offer free trials. What is DirecTV Stream? The streaming platform offers a plethora of content including streaming the best of live and On Demand, starting with more than 75 live TV channels. What is FuboTV? FuboTV is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers more than 100 channels, like sports, news, entertainment and local channels. It offers DVR storage space, and is designed for people who want to cut the cord, but don’t want to miss out on their favorite live TV and sports.

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Spenser is the guy you want to write: Author Mike Lupica picks up the legacy of Bostons famed PI

Spenser is back. And Mike Lupica couldn’t be happier about it. With “Broken Trust,” the veteran journalist and author has taken up the voice and mantle of Boston’s most famous (fictional) private investigator. It’s the 51st book in the series, originated by the late Robert B. Parker, a Beantown mainstay, who died in 2010, and continued by author Ace Atkins. “I’m proud of this book. I’m proud of the way I have carried on (Spenser and Parker’s legacy),” Lupica told MassLive last week during an interview from his home in Wellington, Fla. The new book, a complicated and twist-filled tale of tech, business mergers and murder in the Boston’s financial district, finds Spenser back in the Back Bay, and amid his familiar haunts along Berkeley, Arlington and Marlborough streets. Locals may delight at mentions of such local institutions as the Street Bar in the Newbury Hotel, Marathon Sports and Bistro du Midi, which overlooks the historic Public Garden in the heart of downtown. While it’s his first Spenser novel, Lupica, 71, is no stranger to the Parkerverse. He’s already written several installments of Parker’s best-selling “Jesse Stone” and “Sunny Randall” series. “If you loved Bob Parker, and you loved his work, Spenser is the guy you want to write,” Lupica told MassLive, adding that he’s passed the baton for Sunny Randall and Jesse Stone to other authors so he can focus exclusively on Spenser. Indeed, the 52nd book in the series is already in the works. In a wide-ranging interview, Lupica, a New Hampshire native with deep ties to Boston, talked about Spenser and the cast of supporting characters that make the books complete, his love for the Bay State’s biggest city, and why he’s sometimes stumped by titles. The conversation below has been lightly edited for clarity and content. MassLive: You wrote some of the “Jesse Stone” books, you wrote some of the “Sunny Randall” books, and now you’re taking up [Spenser] from Ace Atkins ... Does this feel like getting the call-up to the Big Club in some ways? Lupica: “You probably know, Bob [Parker] was a friend of mine. We used to email frequently during the baseball season. I visited the [Parkers’] house in Cambridge ... I first bought [the debut Spenser novel] “The Godwulf Manuscript” at a Brentano’s on Boylston Street when I was in college. And so, this man’s voice has been in my head ever since. “ ... But I never planned to do this. I used to listen on walks, and long rides, all the time, to the Parker books — even the books that I have read and reread. And I was on my way up to Vermont from Connecticut, and my daughter was reading Sunny Randall ... And when I got up there, I called [my agent], and I told her [Parker’s] westerns had been continued, Spenser got continued, and Jesse got continued you know, by multiple writers. How come no one ever kept Sunny going? ... She said ‘I would want you to write a sample chapter.’ “And I said ‘No, no, no, I wasn’t pitching myself, I have more than enough to do.’ And she said, ‘Write the sample chapter.’ I got up in the morning, at this house we were renting up there, and wrote the 10 pages that essentially became the first chapter of [the Sunny Randall novel] ‘Blood Feud.’ And that easily, and quickly, I was in the Parkersphere. And the minute I started writing ... I knew I was in my comfort zone. “... And then they asked me if I wanted to do ‘Jesse [Stone],’ and I said ‘Yeah.’ And I would still be doing all three — just the way Bob did it, except [James] Patterson came into my life ... I keep telling people that if there were 16 months in the year, I would continue all three characters.” (Editor’s Note: Lupica and the author James Patterson have collaborated on a series of books.) MassLive: What’s it like inhabiting that voice, that Spenser voice, making sure you [capture it]? Lupica: “If you go back, I wrote three mysteries back in the ‘80s and ‘90s about a New York investigative reporter, Peter Finley. So if you go back and read it, or if you’ve ever read my column, you know we have very similar voices. That kind of side-of-the-mouth, ironic, smart-ass stuff is [me]. So I’m not trying to ghost him. I’m just carrying on ... I think it’s more an attitude ... and so I’m thrilled when people say ‘Oh I can’t tell whether this is Parker or me.’ Which is incredibly high praise ... It’s been a very natural progression.” MassLive: In many ways, Parker was the voice of contemporary American mystery fiction. He’s such a gold-standard. Lupica: “ ... Spenser, in so many ways, has taken his place, and I think he’s at the head of the list with, you know, [fictional private detectives] Philip Marlowe, Travis McGee. We can go through that whole list. [Spenser’s] humor, his attitude, the whole knight-errant quality to him. It’s fitting that Bob made him come from Laramie, Wyo., because there’s an Old West, cowboy feel. And ... nobody did it better than [Parker] did.” MassLive: There is no more relationship, real or fictional, than the relationship between Spenser and [Boston] and the city and Spenser. It’s always so much a character in the books. Lupica: “The only other person [where] the city becomes as much a character as Boston as in Spenser is [with] my friend Robert Crais. Los Angeles is such a powerful character in the ‘Elvis Cole/Joe Pike’ books. But, again, you can see my love of Boston. You can see [Crais’] love of Los Angeles. “I think I figured out one time that even having gone to New York, and had a newspaper career there, I think I’ve spent, just professionally, a year of my life, in Boston hotels. And then you go back again to college and for all my kids’ graduations, and visits ... my love for the city is profound. I grew up, you know, Nashua (N.H.) is 45 minutes away from downtown Boston.” (Editor’s Note: Lupica is a Boston College graduate.) MassLive: This book, “Broken Trust,” is contemporary in the themes that it takes on, our worship of the Rich Guy Genius and the dominance of the tech sector. Lupica: “Rich guys are celebrities ... Their money makes them rock stars ... One thing, working in New York, as long as I have, I’ve always said all really rich people and really famous people have a tremendous fear of heights. Because when they look down from their perch, falling scares the crap out of them.” MassLive: What do you want people to take away from this book, if they’re coming to Spenser for the first time, or if they’re coming back? Lupica: “I think the people who come to this book will know Spenser, and they will know Robert B. Parker’s work ... People who love this man’s work, and love this man’s characters, I believe, they know that they’re in good hands; [with] someone who will honor them, and have fun with them, and hopefully continue to present them to readers in an interesting way.”

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Former Celtics coach ejected after LeBron James altercation

With 8:35 left in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ game against the Lakers, Ime Udoka appeared to have some choice words for LeBron James. Referee J.T. Orr was right next to them hearing the conversation as whatever was said resulted in a double technical foul for both of them. While it was James’ first tech of the game, Udoka received his second of the night as he was ejected from the contest. The Lakers went on to beat the Rockets 107-97 in Los Angeles. Here’s a look at the interaction as caught by the television cameras. $200 INSTANT BONUS DRAFTKINGS MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET FANDUEL MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $50, GET $250 BONUS CAESARS MASS CLAIM OFFER $1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS BETMGM MASS CLAIM OFFER MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. After the game, both Udoka and James were asked about the altercation. “Thanksgiving,” James said of their conversation. “How much we enjoy Thanksgiving.” “They didn’t like what they heard,” Udoka said. The Rockets were a pleasant surprise earlier this season, but they have slipped recently to an 8-9 record in Udoka’s first season at the helm. Udoka was set to lead the Celtics after a successful 2021-22 season where he led them to the NBA Finals. But after violating team policies, he was suspended from the C’s just days before training camp opened up then eventually dismissed later on in the season. After taking all of last season off, he was hired by the Rockets to lead their franchise starting with the 2023-24 season. Houston had low expectations this season, but it did add free agent pieces like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks into the fold. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 15-4 on the season with second-year coach Joe Mazzulla leading the way.

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WG&E predicts rates will eventually increase as state phases out natural gas

WESTFIELD — Massachusetts is transitioning too quickly to an electric-powered future, which will cause an increase in electric rates, according to Western Gas & Electric General Manager Tom Flaherty. “Coming from a company that supplies natural gas, it’s a little quick to get rid of a stable, cost-effective, cost-efficient heating fuel,” he said. Flaherty was responding to two state clean energy initiatives: Department of Public Utilities Order 20-80, which requires natural gas companies to consider non-gas initiatives before building new gas infrastructure, and the Clean Heat Standard, a proposal to require energy suppliers shift away from using fossil fuels to supply heat, in exchange for credits. WG&E emailed the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection a response to a draft Clean Heat Standard framework on Dec. 21, in which they described the state’s decarbonization plan as “an electrification-only approach.”

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WMass Boys Basketball Season Stats Leaders: Who leads the region by class?

In the whirlwind that was Kristaps Porzingis deal, there was plenty of uncertainty when it came to the Celtics acquiring the talented big man. But before all of those trade negotiations, Porzingis himself had to pick Boston because of the unique position he was in with his contract. Porzingis had until midnight June 21 to decide whether to opt into the last year of his deal. It was either that or hit free agency, where suitors would line up after his career-best year in Washington. So while there was drama in the negotiations — Marcus Smart was part of the deal instead of Malcolm Brogdon — it also hinged on Porzingis picking Boston over free agency. $200 INSTANT BONUS DRAFTKINGS MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET FANDUEL MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $50, GET $250 BONUS CAESARS MASS CLAIM OFFER $1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS BETMGM MASS CLAIM OFFER MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. The big man broke down that decision on his appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast, “The Old Man and The Three.” While it was officially a trade with Washington, Redick noted that it was similar to free agency in that Porzingis had the option to choose where he wanted to go in some regards. So Porzingis could have also left some money on the table by choosing the Celtics over free agency. “Just the ability to win a championship, compete for a championship,” Porzingis said. “That’s what excited me. That opportunity. When that was presented on the table, I didn’t think too much about it. I knew my game would fit well with (Jaylen Brown) and (Jayson Tatum) and the guys that were here. I was just hoping that because of the trade deadline and when it was coming close, it was like last moment and I didn’t know what was going to happen. When it came true, I was really happy.” The early returns have impressed as the Celtics are tied for the best record in the East at 15-6. Porzingis has been as advertised on both ends of the court as he’s fit in well with the C’s stars. He’s missed the past four games with a left calf strain, but there hasn’t been any huge injury that has kept him out an extended period of time. Porzingis himself said he’s loved his time in Boston thus far. He also already signed a two-year, $60 million extension that will keep him with the Celtics through the 2025-26 season. “It’s been great honestly,” Porzingis said. “Fans welcomed me with open arms here from Day 1. Joe has been great. Playing at TD Garden is special. What else can I ask for, playing with these kind of guys, these kinds of players. It’s a perfect scenario.”

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Westfields Arm Brook Dam project clears federal hurdle before construction

WESTFIELD — The federal government recently ruled the rehabilitation of the Arm Brook Multipurpose Dam will not require an environmental impact statement before the project gets underway in 2025. “This is absolutely good news,” said Allison McMordie, the city engineer, when asked about the report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service on Nov. 22.

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Apple Is Doing Its Part to End Green Bubble Shaming. Its Our Turn.

For more than a decade, smartphone users everywhere have faced a major problem in how we communicate: the “green versus blue bubble” disparity. When iPhone users send texts to other iPhones, the messages appear blue and can tap into exclusive perks like fun emojis and animations. But if an iPhone user texts an Android user, the bubble turns green, many features break, and photos and videos deteriorate in quality. Over time, the annoyance and frustration that built up between blue and green bubbles evolved into more than a tech problem. It created a deeper sociological divide between people who judged one another by their phones. The color of a bubble became a symbol that some believe reflects status and wealth, given a perception that only wealthy people buy iPhones. Now part of this problem will soon be addressed. This month, Apple announced that it would improve the technology used to send texts between iPhone and Android users, starting next year, by adopting a standard that Google and others integrated into their messaging apps years ago. Texts sent between iPhones and Androids will remain green, but images and videos will look higher-quality and security features like encryption may eventually arrive, Apple said.

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Biden Says Its Self-Evident That Trump Supported an Insurrection

President Biden said on Wednesday that it was “self-evident” that former President Donald J. Trump had supported an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, but that the courts would decide whether he should be on the ballot in 2024. The president was responding to a reporter’s question about the Colorado Supreme Court decision on Tuesday that said that Mr. Trump was disqualified from being on the 2024 ballot in the state’s Republican primary because he was part of an insurrection. “Not going to comment on it,” Mr. Biden said after landing in Milwaukee for a speech to the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce. And then he did. “It’s self-evident. You saw it all,” Mr. Biden said, adding that it would be up to the court to decide whether Mr. Trump was in violation of the 14th Amendment, which says that acts of insurrection can disqualify someone from office.

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Sixth Grader Killed and 5 Others Injured in Iowa School Shooting

A gunman killed a sixth-grade student and injured five other people at a high school in Perry, Iowa, early Thursday morning just as students were arriving back to school after their winter break. Four of the injured were students, and one was an administrator, Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said at a news conference on Thursday. One of the injured victims was in critical condition. The administrator was identified by Easton Valley Community School District as Dan Marburger, the principal at Perry High School, where the shooting took place. Officials did not release the names of any other victims. The gunman, identified as Dylan Butler, a 17-year-old student at the high school, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Mr. Mortvedt said. Law enforcement officials believe he acted alone and said the motive for the attack was not yet known.

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People without assault rifles have right to freedom from fear (Letter)

A recent opinion piece (“America’s Rifle Fetish Is Destroying its Freedom,” The Republican, Nov. 2) by Jamelle Bouie describes a dystopian American society in which the possession of guns has become a fetish and one gun in particular, the AR-15 assault rifle, has become iconic. Mr. Bouie poses this question: “How free are you really when you know a trip to the grocery store or a morning in prayer or a day at school or a night at the movies can end in your death at the hands of a gun?” This question is particularly relevant, considering the 597 mass shootings this year.

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Boston mom says 9-year-old daughter sexually assaulted on bus, suing school

A Boston woman has filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court against the Boston Public Schools, a private bus company and a local charter school claiming her 9-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted several times. The suit, which was filed Friday by attorneys from Morgan and Morgan, a personal injury law firm, claims the 9-year-old was sexually assaulted by an 11-year-old numerous times during a seven-month period in the 2022-2023 school year. The lawsuit names the city of Boston, the Match Foundation, Inc. and Transdev Services Inc., a transportation company, as the defendants, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained and reported by the Boston Globe. “The sexual assaults took place just a few feet from the bus monitor and the bus driver on the ride home after school from the Match Charter Public School,” the lawsuit said. Read More: Suspect arrested after 2 Boston University students sexually assaulted The girl, who was named Child Doe in the suit, attended Hyde Park school and took a bus from the Boston Public Schools owned by Transdev, Inc., according to the lawsuit. The girl was unable to finish the fourth grade because she was scared she’d be sexually assaulted again, according to the Boston Globe. The 11-year-old boy had threatened the girl with physical violence if she ever reported her abuse. In May, the girl’s family alerted the school about their child’s sexual assault, the lawsuit said. Although Transdev required the bus to be equipped with video cameras, no footage could be found from October 2022 to May 2023. “Our lawsuit alleges that it was the failure of Boston Public Schools and Transdev to follow their own policies that directly led to this young child’s assault,’’ attorneys from Morgan and Morgan said in a statement to the Globe. “Our client will experience a childhood haunted by trauma and flashbacks, and we will do everything in our power to hold the defendants accountable and prevent anything like this from happening to another child in our city.”

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Chicopee man indicted by federal grand jury for allegedly robbing, assaulting confidential informant

SPRINGFIELD — Federal authorities say a Chicopee man has been charged with allegedly holding up a confidential informant at gunpoint for $1,400 in government money. Hector Laureano, 38, was charged by a grand jury with assault with a dangerous weapon on a person assisting an officer or employee of the United States. He is also charged with brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and armed robbery, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy.

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Man Who Attacked Las Vegas Judge Gets Up to 4 Years in Prison

Detroit is on track to record the fewest murders since the 1960s. In Philadelphia, where there were more murders in 2021 than in any year on record, the number of homicides this year has fallen more than 20 percent from last year. And in Los Angeles, the number of shooting victims this year is down more than 200 from two years ago. The decrease in gun violence in 2023 has been a welcome trend for communities around the country, though even as the number of homicides and the number of shootings have fallen nationwide, they remain higher than on the eve of the pandemic. In 2020, as the pandemic took hold and protests convulsed the nation after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, the United States saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded. Now, as 2023 comes to a close, the country is likely to see one of the largest — if not the largest — yearly declines in homicides, according to recent F.B.I. data and statistics collected by independent criminologists and researchers. The rapid decline in homicides isn’t the only story. Among nine violent and property crime categories tracked by the F.B.I., the only figure that is up over the first three quarters of this year is motor vehicle theft. The data, which covers about 80 percent of the U.S. population, is the first quarterly report in three years from the F.B.I., which typically takes many months to release crime data.

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How to watch the new season of Southern Hospitality, stream for free

The Tesla technicians who walked off their jobs in Sweden say they still support the mission of the American company and its headline-grabbing chief executive. But they also want Tesla to accept the Swedish way of doing business. They call it the Swedish Model, a way of life that has defined the country’s economy for decades. At its heart is cooperation between employers and employees to ensure that both sides benefit from a company’s profit. Instead, four technicians who walked off their jobs on Oct. 27 said, they have been subjected to what they described as a “typical U.S. model”: six-day workweeks, unavoidable overtime and an unclear evaluation system for promotion. “Just work, work, work,” said Janis Kuzma, one of the technicians on strike. The union representing the Tesla workers, IF Metall, won’t say how many of the company’s 130 technicians have walked out — it may be only a few dozen. The company’s 10 service centers remain open.

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Researcher calls for investigation into the relationship between Harvard and Facebook

Joan Donovan, a prominent disinformation scholar who left Harvard University last summer told NBC10 Boston's @Issue that she was terminated from her position at the university as she launched a deep dive in late 2021 into a trove of Facebook files she considers the most important documents in internet history. The actions impacting Donovan's work coincided with a $500 million donation to Harvard by a foundation run by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan. "I am calling for an investigation into understanding how Facebook and Harvard in particular interact," Donovan told Cory Smith and Sue O'Connell. In a whistleblower disclosure, Donovan accuses Harvard of betraying academic freedom and the public interest to protect Meta, Facebook's parent company. Donovan is asking Harvard President Dr. Claudine Gay, Harvard's general counsel, the Massachusetts attorney general's office and the U.S. Department of Education to look in what she calls "inappropriate influence." Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters. "As researchers and as academics, we have to be above the fray," Donovan told @Issue." We have to be in a position where we can't be bought. And that requires the university to say you as an academic are telling the truth and we support you. And if a lawsuit comes, we will protect you. It's cowardice to tell a researcher they're not protected by academic freedom." The CEO of Whisteblower Aid, a legal nonprofit supporting Donovan, called the alleged behavior by Harvard's Kennedy School and its dean a “shocking betrayal” of academic integrity at the elite school. "Whether Harvard acted at the company’s direction or took the initiative on their own to protect (Facebook's) interests, the outcome is the same: corporate interests are undermining research and academic freedom to the detriment of the public,” CEO Libby Liu said in a press statement. In response to NBC10 Boston, the Kennedy School rejected the disclosure’s allegations of unfair treatment and donor interference. “The narrative is full of inaccuracies and baseless insinuations, particularly the suggestion that Harvard Kennedy School allowed Facebook to dictate its approach to research,” spokesman James F. Smith said in a statement. "By longstanding policy to uphold academic standards, all research projects at Harvard Kennedy School need to be led by faculty members. Joan Donovan was hired as a staff member (not a faculty member) to manage a media manipulation project. When the original faculty leader of the project left Harvard, the School tried for some time to identify another faculty member who had time and interest to lead the project. After that effort did not succeed, the project was given more than a year to wind down. Joan Donovan was not fired, and most members of the research team chose to remain at the School in new roles. Harvard University and Harvard Kennedy School continue to carry out pathbreaking research on misinformation and the role of social media in society. For example, a Kennedy School faculty member has constructed and posted online the Facebook Archive, the only academic archive that makes available to researchers thousands of leaked Facebook documents. As another example, a Kennedy School faculty member publishes and edits the only peer-reviewed academic journal on misinformation, the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review. By policy and in practice, donors have no influence over this or other work.” During her interview on @Issue, Donovan pushed back against that statement. "The... thing that's confounding about their statement is... that research staff don't have academic freedom. Now, if anything in my disclosure kept me up late at night was the description of the one on one meeting I had with (former) Dean Douglas Elmendorf, where I make the claim that he intimidated me by saying I don't have academic freedom, which meant to me if I proceeded with the Facebook project, I could be personally liable. He's since doubled down on that in the Harvard Crimson and in (Washington Post) suggesting that that is the rule at Harvard. This raises huge concerns for the over 6000 academic research staff that publish at Harvard that aren't faculty. I believe that that is one of the crucial things that come out of this whistleblower complaint, especially. Before Donovan spoke with NBC10 Boston, Latanya Sweeney, a professor who leads Harvard's Public Interest Tech Lab, responded to Donovan's whistleblower complaint in a statement provided to NBC10 Boston by the Harvard Kennedy School. “The number and nature of inaccuracies and falsehoods in the document are so abundant and self-serving as to be horribly disappointing. FBarchive was under my charge from the beginning. Meta exerted no influence over FBarchive or any of our/my work. Just a few weeks ahead of the public launch, we offered Meta the chance to review the archive for security and privacy concerns and suggest redactions, which we independently elected to accept or reject.” Meta spokesman Andy Stone told NBC News the company had no comment on the dispute between Donovan and Harvard. In its statement, The Kennedy School said it “did not receive any portion of the Chan-Zuckerberg gift,” which went to Harvard University for an unrelated artificial intelligence initiative. Both Chan and Zuckerberg went to Harvard, where Facebook was first launched. .A representative for their philanthropic organization told CNBC that the group “had no involvement" in Donovan’s "departure from Harvard and was unaware of that development before public reporting on it.”

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Corey Taylor cancels tour due to health concerns

Slipknot’s frontman, Corey Taylor, stated on Instagram Friday, January 5, that he is canceling his North American solo tour due to “mental and physical health” concerns. Taylor canceled his run of solo tour dates, a month after announcing them because “he reached a place that was unhealthy for him and his family.” Fans who have bought tickets or VIP packages for the tour will get a full refund. Here is the full statement he posted to his Instagram: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the cancellation of my upcoming North American tour. For the past several months my mental and physical health have been breaking down, and I reached a place that was unhealthy for my family and I. I know this decision will come as a shock to some and may be regarded as unpopular by others - but after taking a hard look at where I am and where I was going, I need to pull myself back and be home with my family for the time being. Those of you who bought tickets and VIP packages for this upcoming run will get a full refund. I send my love to the fans, my band, my family & friends, and everyone who’s helped me get here thus far. I promise I’m doing everything I can to be as healthy as I can be. Until then, my apologies to everyone we would have seen on the tour - and hopefully, we’ll see you again down the line.” Slipknot has a European and UK tour scheduled for this year, as well as a handful of US festival appearances, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut self-titled album. As of now, those are still happening and tickets for those shows can be purchased on StubHub and VividSeats.

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One Hulking, One Gaunt: Two Very Different Macbeths

There is more than one way to tell a story. In England, two equally impressive new productions of “Macbeth” prove this, both featuring major stars in the title role and adopting strikingly different approaches to Shakespeare’s classic tale of hubris and betrayal. The first, starring Ralph Fiennes (“The Menu,” “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”), runs at the Depot, a cavernous converted warehouse on an industrial estate in Liverpool. Despite its grittily authentic set design and costumes, it is for the most part a conventional, realist treatment. The second, at the Donmar Warehouse, in London, and starring David Tennant (“Doctor Who,” “Des”), is a rather more high-concept affair, heavy on ambience and atmospherics. The leading men are, likewise, a study in contrasts: Fiennes’s Macbeth is a hulking, lugubrious presence, whereas Tennant’s is a gaunt, energetic bundle of angst. The Fiennes “Macbeth,” directed by Simon Godwin, runs through Dec. 20 at the Depot in Liverpool, before moving on to Edinburgh, London and Washington, D.C., in 2024. The makeshift playhouse features an immersive set: To get to their seats, theatergoers must file past a bleak, dusty landscape of rubble and burned-out cars, suggestive of a war zone. The stage set is an elegant geometric structure in forbidding gray, comprising a number of doors, balconies and stairways, representing the various Scottish castles in which much of the action unfolds. Thin, vertical streaks of blood gradually materialize on its walls as the story progresses.

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The Results Are In: These Are the Best Holiday Movies According to Our Instagram Followers | Hey BU Blog

The Results Are In: These Are the Best Holiday Movies According to Our Instagram Followers Film & TV The Results Are In: These Are the Best Holiday Movies According to Our Instagram Followers It’s time to get watching, BU! It’s that time of year again, Terriers! As the weather gets colder and the holidays creep up, it’s only natural that you begin your movie-binging. There’s nothing quite like snuggling up with loved ones and indulging in heartwarming films that capture the magic of the holidays! With that being said, it can be time-consuming to find a film that everyone will agree on, so we let the Terriers who follow @bostonu on Instagram do the picking for you. Here’s a list of the top five holiday classics our followers agreed on: 1. Elf Courtesy of giphy.com It’s funny, heart-warming, and great for the whole family. Laughing is pretty standard when watching any Will Ferrell movie, no matter what age you are. The comedy follows Buddy, a human raised by elves at the North Pole, as he embarks on a journey to New York City to find his real father, Walter Hobbs. Buddy’s childlike innocence clashes with the bustling and cynical world of humans until he’s able to spread holiday cheer. Available for streaming on: Max & Hulu (free with subscription) 2. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Courtesy of giphy.com 🎶 Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight! 🎶 Rudolph, of course, is a holiday classic. The film is right up there with the animated Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman movies everyone knows and loves from their childhood. The film tells the story of Rudolph, a reindeer with a luminous red nose that sets him apart from his peers. Originally shamed for his unique feature, Rudolph discovers that his special ability becomes the key to guiding Santa’s sleigh on a foggy Christmas Eve. Available for purchase on Amazon Prime ($7.99) 3. Home Alone Courtesy of giphy.com Could this be a must-watch holiday movie list without Home Alone? This was Terrier’s most loved holiday movie, winning by a landslide vote. In case you somehow haven’t watched it, the story follows a young boy who is accidentally left behind during his family’s vacation. While home, Kevin must defend the house against a duo of goofy burglars. It’s an original comedy classic! Available for streaming on: Disney+ & Hulu (free with Premium subscription) 4. Love Actually Courtesy of giphy.com This film follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England. The overriding message? The holidays are better when you spend them with the people who care about you, and that’s good enough for us. Available for streaming on: Netflix (free with subscription) 5. The Polar Express Courtesy of giphy.com Cozy up with a cup of HOT… HOT…HOT… HOT CHOC-O-LATE and catch The Polar Express! The film follows a young boy on Christmas Eve who embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas. The train conductor, played by Tom Hanks, shared one of the most iconic lines in holiday film history when he said, “Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” Available for streaming on: Hulu, Max, and Amazon Prime (free with subscription) Happy holidays, Terriers! Let us know if we missed one of your favorites in the comments below. ⬇️

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Texas Woman Asks Court to Allow Her Abortion

A pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a fatal condition sued the state on Tuesday seeking an emergency court order to allow her doctor to perform an abortion, despite the state’s strict bans on the procedure. The lawsuit is believed to be one of the first attempts in the nation to seek a court-ordered abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, allowing states to make their own abortion laws. Texas is at the forefront of states that restrict abortion, and has overlapping bans that outlaw abortions from the point of fertilization and allow private citizens to sue others who might help a woman obtain an abortion. The laws allow some exceptions to save the health and life of the pregnant woman, though abortion rights advocates argue that they are unclear, putting women with pregnancy complications at risk. The vagueness of the exceptions in Texas have prevented doctors from performing the procedure in most cases, lawyers for the woman, Kate Cox, have argued. A decision in her case could force the state to more clearly define what is allowed under the law.

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Ex-Patriots assistants shouldnt be ruled out to replace Bill Belichick (report)

With the end of the New England Patriots’ regular season on the horizon, questions about Bill Belichick’s future are only becoming more frequent. Whether Belichick will return to New England in 2024 remains unclear, but the latest report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero shed light on what could be coming in the weeks and months ahead. Including two interesting candidates to take over for Belichick should he not come back. “If Belichick does move on, speculation has centered on (Jerod) Mayo as his successor. That’s not a guarantee, though, and other options — particular coaches with Patriots ties, such as Josh McDaniels or Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores — shouldn’t be ruled out,” Rapoport and Pelissero wrote. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. McDaniels spent time as the Patriots offensive coordinator, but his head coaching success, or lack thereof, has been on full display with the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders — who fired him earlier this season. Flores, meanwhile, was with the Patriots in different roles for 10 seasons. He was the Miami Dolphins coach for three seasons before he was fired, which led to a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. Flores is in his first year as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. It’s also worth noting that Rapoport and Pelissero reported that Belichick “intends to coach in 2024″ and team owner Robert Kraft has “consulted numerous people about how to move forward.” There are a lot of questions surrounding the Patriots going into the offseason, but perhaps none more important than what comes next with Belichick, who’s helped lead the team to six Super Bowl championships.

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Dedham Total Wine employee assaulted at knifepoint by group in parking lot

A male employee of Total Wine & More in Dedham was assaulted by a group of people at knifepoint in the store’s parking lot Sunday evening, according to Dedham police. Dedham Police Chief Michael d’Entremont said the attack stemmed from an incident Saturday during which the employee denied service to a man at the Dedham mall store. On Sunday, about half a dozen people assaulted the employee in the store’s parking lot around 8 p.m., d’Entremont said. Two of the people were wielding knifes. Read more: Early morning Boston shooting leaves man with life-threatening injuries The group eventually fled, d’Entremont said. The employee was evaluated by paramedics at the scene, but declined further medical assistance. Police are still looking for suspects in the case. Total Wine & More did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning.

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Southwick Conservation Commission approves outlay to acquire Middle Pond parcel

SOUTHWICK — The Conservation Commission approved covering the cost of acquiring a parcel of property its owner wants to donate to the town on the Middle Pond of Congamond Lake at its meeting Monday night. “Here’s my favorite one,” said Commission Vice Chair Dennis Clark about the commission’s agenda item to appropriate the money needed to pay the legal fees and for a survey needed for the town to accept the lot at 13 Berkshire Ave.

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Malaysian Prisoners Plead Guilty to Conspiring in 2002 Bali Bombing

Two Malaysian prisoners at Guantánamo Bay pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiring in the October 2002 nightclub bombings in the resort island of Bali, Indonesia, that killed more than 200 people. The guilty pleas were the first step in a slowly unfolding proceeding that began when the men, Mohammed Farik Bin Amin, 48, and Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep, 47, were charged in 2021 — 18 years after their capture in Thailand. Sentencing is scheduled for next week. The pleas were also seen as a breakthrough for military commission prosecutors, who had been seeking deals to resolve long-running cases against former C.I.A. prisoners. Similar talks with the accused plotters of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, ended last year after the Biden administration declined to consider health care and confinement conditions sought by the prisoners. Both defendants were held for years in the C.I.A.’s secret overseas prison network. They were transferred to Guantánamo Bay in 2006 for trial at the special national-security court that President George W. Bush set up after the Sept. 11 attacks. While in agency custody, according to their lawyers, they were tortured, along with their accused ringleader Encep Nurjaman, an Indonesian prisoner known as Hambali.

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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu endorses Enrique Pepn for City Council, rejecting Ricardo Arroyo

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu endorsed her former employee Enrique Pepén for the District 5 seat on the City Council, scorning the embattled incumbent Ricardo Arroyo, a longtime ally she’s supported in prior elections. In a Monday statement, Wu described Pepén as “exactly the kind of leader we need in government,” saying that he “not only knows City Hall inside out, but has lived the challenges of our community through growing up in Boston and now raising his two young kids here.” “He’ll be a fantastic partner on the Council with the shared progressive values, determination, and heart for service to make Boston a city for everyone,” Wu said. The endorsement, first reported by Politico, is the mayor’s latest effort to back her former employees in the Boston City Council race, ahead of the Sept. 12 preliminary. Pepén worked as the executive director of the Boston Office of Neighborhood Services under Wu. Wu has also backed Henry Santana, her former director of civic organizing, for councilor-at-large, and Sharon Durkan, a political fundraiser who worked for the mayor when she was a city councilor, for the District 8 seat. Pepén previously worked for former City Councilor Tito Jackson, former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III and former Mayor Marty Walsh. The son of Dominican immigrant parents, he was born and raised in Boston and lives in Roslindale with his wife and two children, according to his campaign website. “I am profoundly humbled and honored to receive the support of my mentor and friend Michelle Wu,” Pepén said in a Monday statement. “I share Mayor Wu’s dedication to serve our community and meet people where they are.” The two other challengers vying to unseat the progressive incumbent are Jose Ruiz, an officer with the Boston Police Department, and Jean-Claude Sanon, a small business owner. While the endorsement may be seen as the mayor’s latest attempt to reshape a City Council prone to infighting and scandals over the past two years, it may also be interpreted as a direct indictment on Arroyo, the current District 5 councilor. Wu’s statement did not mention Arroyo by name, but she did yank her support for him ahead of last year’s preliminary election for Suffolk County district attorney, when old sexual misconduct allegations came to light. In a Monday statement, Arroyo said he was “proud to be the only candidate in this race with a proven independent and progressive record.” “Like the residents of District 5, I am focused on the issues that impact their daily lives and will continue to be a champion for racial, environmental, economic and social justice,” Arroyo said. The mayor had initially stuck by Arroyo after the 2005 and 2007 misconduct allegations surfaced, but eventually joined big-name progressive politicians U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey in pulling their support, after a Boston Globe report revealed one of the women was a minor at the time. Still, Wu said on a prior GBH Boston Public Radio appearance that she had voted for Arroyo in the Suffolk DA primary. She also backed him during his initial bid for City Council in 2019. Arroyo has denied the allegations and charges were never filed. It was later revealed in two federal reports that former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins colluded with Arroyo to tip the outcome of the election for Suffolk District Attorney, by leaking information that led to damaging pre-primary stories about his opponent that were published by the Globe. The Herald chose not to publish the leaked information until after the primary. Arroyo has denied any wrongdoing, stating that he had no knowledge Rollins was leaking sensitive information on his behalf, and denied pressuring the state’s top prosecutor to investigate his primary opponent, now-DA Kevin Hayden. Rollins resigned when the two reports were made public in May. In late June, Arroyo admitted to a state ethics violation, and agreed to pay a $3,000 fine for continuing to represent his brother, Felix G. Arroyo, in a 2018 civil lawsuit involving the city after he became a city councilor. The lawsuit involves sexual assault allegations made against his brother by a former city employee. Arroyo was also one of three city councilors named in a bullying and harassment complaint made by a City Council attorney in April, the Herald reported last week. He dismissed the complaint as “baseless.”

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Beyonc's Renaissance look sparks debate about colorism and white-fishing

A weekly newsletter for the chronically online and easily entertained. Honey dishes us savvy analysis on culture, entertainment and power to make you the group chat MVP. Subscribe today! Music icon Beyoncé has once again ignited conversation about race and identity with her latest look. On Nov. 25, global superstar Beyoncé Knowles hosted the world premiere of her film “Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé,” a movie chronicling the journey of creating and performing the “Renaissance” Tour, in Los Angeles. On the chrome carpet, she wore a long silver Versace dress complete with platinum hair. While many social media users loved the metallic look now synonymous with the tour, others questioned if the singer was trying to look lighter than what she truly is. “Can we just keep it funky and acknowledge that Beyoncé looks light enough to be white in those photos? And we know sis understands lighting, so publishing photos looking like Khaleesi was…a choice,” X user Donovan Ramsey said in a Nov. 28 post. People quickly came to Knowles’ defense, including her own mother, Tina Knowles. “She does a film where the whole theme is silver with silver hair, a silver carpet, and suggested silver attire and you bozos decide that she’s trying to be a white woman and is bleaching her skin? How sad is it that some of her own people continue the stupid narrative with hate and jealousy,” Knowles said in a Nov. 28 post on Instagram. As her mother said, the commentary surrounding Beyoncé's premiere look is sparking conversations around “racism, sexism, [and] double standards.” Along with this, the differences between “white-fishing” versus “Black-fishing” and representation are being discussed online as well, according to a Nov. 29 Cosmopolitan UK article. This isn’t the first time in her decades-long career this issue of colorism has come up. In 2008, the company L’Oréal was accused of altering Beyoncé's complexion to look lighter for their hair care advertisement with her. In 2021, Tiffany and Co. in their own advertisement with Beyoncé were accused of lightening her skin as well, worrying fans. These conversations are part of “the longstanding pattern in the entertainment world of assessing women more for their appearances and what they are wearing than discussing the actual projects on which they have worked,” Cornell University professor Riché Richardson said. The public’s reproach From artist Katherine Harris’ perspective, she saw the critiques of Beyoncé “attempting to look more white” as delusional. “Beyoncé constantly uplifts women and especially Black women. Everyone has a right to their opinions, but it’s crazy to watch people try to find something wrong or something to criticize about almost everything in life. Most melanated individuals experience various appearances based on environment, lighting, and appearance enhancers such as makeup,” Harris said. After a white journalist from TMZ reached out to Beyoncé's hair stylist Neal Farinah for a statement on Beyonce’s skin tone, Knowles had enough. Posted along with a fan edit of Beyoncé to her song “Brown Skin Girl,” Tina Knowles wrote that the situation “made my blood boil, that this white woman felt so entitled to discuss her Blackness. What’s really most disappointing is that some Black people, yes you bozos that’s on social media. Lying and faking and acting like you’re so ignorant that you don’t understand that Black women have worn platinum hair since the Etta James days,” asking if the other Black celebrities who have worn platinum hair are trying to be white as well. Despite public denial, X user Shaniqua in a Dec. 2 post said that “one of the biggest lies to emerge in recent years is the ‘white women want to have Black features’ claim. In reality it’s the exact opposite. The biggest Black superstars want to be white. Beyonce is the perfect example.” White-fishing and colorism “White-fishing” is a term used to describe when people of color adopt physical or cultural attributes typically associated with whiteness. Critics of Beyoncé's look argue that it perpetuates harmful stereotypes about Black beauty and contributes to the erasure of Black identity. Critics jumped to the conclusion that Beyoncé is trying to promote Euro-centric features, author Elena Chabo said in her Nov. 29 Cosmopolitan UK article. According to author Jacqueline Arias in a 2019 article for Preen.PH, white-fishing and Black-fishing are both forms of erasure that promote Euro-centric features while ignoring minority communities. There is evidence of Beyoncé proudly claiming her Black culture throughout her career. For example, her 2016 song “Formation” and its following music video was seen as a “deeply personal look at the Black and queer bodies who have most often borne the brunt of our politics,” writer Syreeta McFadden said in a 2016 article for The Guardian. In her 2020 song “Black Parade,” released on Juneteenth weekend, Knowles celebrates her Blackness. She sings about getting peace and reparations for her people, letting her natural hair free and showing Black love to all. “During the past decade, as an artist, Beyoncé stood at the forefront of Black activism and showcased the platforms of such movements as Black Lives Matter, #SayHerName, and #TakeAKnee in her artistry, particularly in work such as ‘Formation’ and on the larger ‘Lemonade’ album. It’s not fair to attempt to troll her or to brand her as any kind of ‘sellout,’ Richardson said. Despite Beyoncé not having issues when it comes to skin whitening, that doesn’t mean that this and colorism aren’t prevalent issues in the music industry. Artists such as rapper Lil Kim have been accused of changing their Black features to meet Eurocentric standards. In a 2000 interview with Newsweek, Lil Kim said that “I have low self-esteem and I always have. Guys always cheated on me with women who were European-looking. You know, the long-hair type. Really beautiful women that left me thinking, ‘How can I compete with that?’ Being a regular Black girl wasn’t good enough.” A 2021 survey done by Black Lives in Music found that out of the Black women surveyed, 48% said they were far more likely to be forced into altering both their behavior and their appearance (44%). Another 2021 study focusing on the differences in disadvantages between light skin and dark skin Black women found that “darker skin was associated with disadvantage across socioeconomic, health, and psychosocial domains.” Research and data suggests that colorism is still an issue today. A study by Villanova in 2011 found that “light-skinned Black women served 11% less time in prison than dark-skinned Black women.” In pop culture, there are examples of colorism, a form of discrimination or prejudice that favors people with lighter skin over those with darker skin, still being prevalent. Experiencing colorism can lead to those to face mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. The phenomenon also has an impact on how successful a person can be in the entertainment industry. For example, singer Chris Brown allegedly said in 2021 that he allows “no darkies” in his club section, causing controversy. Shows such as “Grown-ish” in 2018 have been called out for a lack of dark-skinned characters, despite covering topics such as colorism on their show. Even when it comes to reality TV, the hit show “Real Housewives of Potomac” had a spotlight put on them earlier this year for how the dark-skinned cast members are unable to express themselves like their light-skinned peers. Looking back at colorism’s history, “for a long time, advertisements in the Black press for skin lighteners and hair straighteners proliferated and were very real. Similarly, depictions in the Black media as well as in the cultural mainstream, particularly in the years prior to the Black Power movement, tended to embrace more Eurocentric beauty standards…,” Richardson said. What’s next with this complex issue? On the flip side, musical artists have also been accused of “Black-fishing” in order to gain personal profit and approval. “Black-fishing” “refers to a non-Black person’s manipulation of Black aesthetics for the purpose of attaining social capital or monetary benefit,” according to a 2022 article from Ms Magazine. Some recent artists accused of “Black-fishing” include singer Jesy Nelson of girl group Little Mix, singer Rita Ora and rapper Iggy Azalea. Journalist Taylor Crumpton sees Black-fishing as a way for non-Black people to be able to profit off of the attention and movements around Black identity and culture. “It would be remiss not to connect the wave of ‘Black-fishing’ social media influencers to digital campaigns around #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, and #BlackGirlsRock. If whiteness is power and Blackness is currency, then white people will always feel an incentive to adorn Black elements and components in order to get rich,” Crumpton said. As Chabo said in her Nov. 29 Cosmopolitan UK article, accusing someone of “white-fishing” is a way to try to make “Black-fishing” seem invalid. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of colorism, and there are a number of organizations and initiatives that are working to combat it. For instance, organizations such as The Representation Project are working to raise awareness around these issues and increase the representation of girls and women of color in the media. They release films such as “Miss Representation” and “The Mask You Live In” to be able to tell the stories of those that are often ignored in society. “No matter who you are or where you live, intersectional gender stereotypes are hurting you and those you love. Through film, education, and activism, The Representation Project awakens consciousness, spotlights the cost of these stereotypes, and invites everyone to build a more equitable future,” the organization stated. It remains to be seen if the issues of Black-fishing, representation and colorism will be properly addressed in our society. “Conditions must improve and barriers must be removed for Black artists to be themselves, which means interventions and change must be enacted at all levels for artists in order to be free,” said Crumpton. “As Beyoncé says on ‘Church Girl,’ ‘I was born free.’ Work has to be done for all of us to be able to enjoy our freedom.”

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Rep. Lori Trahan takes place in key Democratic Caucus position ahead of 2024 election

Massachusetts Congresswoman Lori Trahan just took a step up into a prime position as co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communication Commission, the main messaging arm of the Democratic House Caucus. What message does she want voters to hear ahead of the 2024 election year? Rep. Trahan joined Radio Boston to talk about her new role.

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How an Obscure Song Became an a Cappella Sensation

The arrangement marked one the first times that all 14 members of the Virginia Gentlemen had their own vocal part on a song, he said. They submitted their recording to Sharon, who liked it enough to put it on one of the first “Best Of College A Cappella” albums in the mid-1990s. From there, the record hit campuses and the arrangement began to spread the old-fashioned way: word of mouth. Other groups copied the arrangement by ear. A member of the Wesleyan Spirits who had performed a version in high school brought it to the Spirits. That arrangement made its way to the Vineyard Sound, a group based on Martha’s Vineyard. Similar arrangements were performed at the University of Rochester and Plymouth State. “This song is what made me fall in love with my group,” Michelle Shankar, who was part of the Dartmouth Dodecaphonics from 2008 to 2012, said. “They open almost every show with this piece. It’s high energy, super upbeat, at least the a cappella version of it is. And it just starts with this wall of sound — that really high belt that’s like, ‘Whoaaa!’, and that just became an iconic line.”

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What is trisomy 18, the condition causing a Texas woman to flee the state for abortion?

Sign up for Reckon’s latest newsletter dedicated to the fight for reproductive justice, a weekly repro rundown covering the good, the fair-to-middlin' and the ugly in repro news. Enter your email to subscribe to Reproductive Justice with Reckon. A Texas mother-of-two is making headlines and becoming the face of the battle for exceptions in abortion bans. On Nov. 27, at 20 weeks pregnant, Kate Cox learned that her wanted pregnancy would likely be unviable, as her baby was diagnosed with trisomy 18 – a medical condition linked to miscarriage, stillbirth and death in infancy. Texas has a near-total abortion ban, with exceptions for cases that threaten the life of the pregnant person, though Cox’s story illustrates that those defining lines are not so black and white. The mother-of-two looked to the courts to approve her abortion. A Dec. 5 court filing details her travels to three emergency rooms, where doctors told her she would have to allow the baby to die inside of her or carry the pregnancy, risking complications of a third c-section and the likeliness that the baby would die soon after birth. Cox was granted a temporary restraining order to terminate the pregnancy on Dec. 7 by Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, to which Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton responded by letter to three hospitals, according to the Texas Tribune. In the letters, which were shared on Twitter, he threatened the potential of civil and legal liability for anyone involved in the abortion process. “We remind you that the TRO [temporary restraining order] will expire long before the statute of limitations for violating Texas’ abortion laws expires,” wrote Paxton, who also asked the higher court to step in. On Monday afternoon, the Center for Reproductive Rights, who is representing Cox, announced she had left the state to receive her abortion. Soon after, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that her case did not qualify for a medical exception, and overturned the restraining order. Though her whereabouts have not been disclosed, Cox presumably has or will soon have terminated her pregnancy. “This past week of legal limbo has been hellish for Kate,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “Her health is on the line. She’s been in and out of the emergency room and she couldn’t wait any longer. This is why judges and politicians should not be making healthcare decisions for pregnant people—they are not doctors. What you need to know about trisomy 18 Trisomy 18, also known as Edward’s syndrome, is a genetic condition that occurs when a baby is born with three copies of chromosome 18 instead of the usual two. This extra chromosome disrupts normal development and leads to a range of physical and intellectual disabilities. In 2012, Republican candidate Rick Santorum cut his campaign for president short to tend to then-3-year-old daughter Isabella, who had a medical emergency linked to her trisomy 18. “When the cells are dividing when a woman is still pregnant, an accident happens… and the child ends up with too much genetic material, sort of extra genetic material, and it can affect every single part of the child’s body…” said Elizabeth Cohen, CNN senior medical correspondent said during an on-air interview with Soledad O’Brien. Trisomy 18 is a serious condition and there is no cure. Unfortunately, the majority of infants with Trisomy 18 do not survive their first year. However, some children born with Trisomy 18 can live for several years with appropriate medical care and support. Only 13 in 100 born with trisomy 18 live past their first birthday. Medical News Today reports that those who do survive face issues such as low birth weight, intellectual disabilities, cleft lip, abnormally shaped heads, overlapping fingers, structural brain issues and more. Over 90% of infants with this condition have congenital heart defects, and 50% experience hearing loss. Trisomy 18 is not a hereditary condition, but rather, an abnormality of the chromosomes that causes issues in the development of organs. While most people are born with two chromosome 18s out of our 23 pairs of chromosomes, those with trisomy 18 have an extra one in all or some of their cells. According to WebMed, there are three types of trisomy 18: The most common type, full trisomy 18, occurs when an extra chromosome is present in every cell of the baby’s body. Partial trisomy 18 is when part of an extra chromosome 18 attaches to another chromosome in the egg or sperm cell. Mosaic trisomy 18 affects only some cells. Only about 5% of those with trisomy 18 have mosaic trisomy. Numerous outlets report that trisomy 18 impacts 1 in 5,000 live births, including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). NICHD also points out that this is much more common, though most pregnancies diagnosed with the condition don’t survive past the second or third trimesters. The Trisomy 18 Foundation estimates that 1 in 2,000 pregnancies are affected. For more information about trisomy 18, visit www.trisonomy18.org.

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Boston weather forecast: Sun before rain arrives this weekend

Two manhole explosions in Boston on Wednesday have resulted in cutting power to two apartment buildings, Eversource said in a statement. The explosions happened on St. Stephen Street, Eversource said in the statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. The street is very close to Northeastern University. Boston police started getting calls about the explosions at around 10:07 a.m., Boston Police Sgt. John Boyle told MassLive. “The substantial rainfall overnight likely played a role,” Eversource said about the “underground issue.” “We’ll look into the exact cause while crews make repairs.” In order for repairs to begin, Eversource said it “had to de-energize the line and two apartment buildings and are without power. We have generators on the way to restore power to these buildings while our crews complete their work.” “I was in the shower, and I heard a big explosion and some car alarms go off. And then 10 minutes later, I was getting dressed, and then the same thing happened,” Kerem Vasoglu told WCVB, which confirmed that vehicles near the explosions were damaged. While the investigation into the explosions continue, Boyle asked anyone who typically drives along St. Stephen Street to seek “alternate routes, as we’re detouring cars in that area to avoid it for the time being.” Read more: Flooding shuts down Milford Street in Medway after overnight storm No injuries have been reported, Boyle said.

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Eradicating the Stigma: jarrett hill

Stories that will make you laugh, cry and question everything you thought you knew. Step into a portal where LGBTQ+ folks can live authentically, free from hate and where their contributions to art and culture are celebrated. Sign up for the QueerVerse newsletter today! Editor’s note: For World AIDS Day 2023, Reckon interviewed people from across the U.S. about living with and battling the persistent stigma that people living with HIV/AIDS still confront today. From those deeply personal, wide-ranging interviews, we published profiles of five people about their journey and fight to eradicate stigma. On World AIDS Day 2021, jarrett hill, 38, shared his HIV status publicly for the first time, a stark contrast to his 2012 diagnosis when he was muzzled by stigma and shame shaped by his religious upbringing. Since then, the award-winning journalist, professor, author, and co-host of the FANTI podcast has made a splendid slice of life for himself in Inglewood, California. But this rich-fueled life of opportunity, love, and community wasn’t always something hill thought was possible. For the first time, hill shared with Reckon his experience living with HIV and his hopes for eradicating the stigma. “I completely shut down, never talked about it with anyone, and ignored it for a very long time. When [I received] my diagnosis, I remember immediately thinking, ‘Who’s gonna love me now?’ Like that would not be a possibility for me as a person who’s always been a hopeful romantic,” hill tells Reckon. At the time, the 26-year-old hill didn’t have health care insurance, was unaware of the resources available to him and stigma kept him from inquiring to seek treatment. For years, every time he had a headache, caught a cold, or nicked his finger, hill thought, ‘This is going to be the thing that kills me.’ “I lived with that for years and years and eventually did get sick enough that I got concerned because I had started to lose weight, and it was different than just having a cold,” he says. Eventually, hill found community resource AHF, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and got access to treatment and a therapist. “It was lifesaving and affirming because it was a community built for people like myself and a full circle moment as I previously worked at AID Atlanta prior to my diagnosis, helping to organize their AIDS Walk,” he says. Today, being positive isn’t something hill thinks about every second of his day. According to hill, even when taking a pill, HIV is not something that he worries about nor does he fear the things that concerned him before. Fully aware of the magnitude of the disease and better equipped with education about treatment, hill knows that the depictions in society and media of HIV as this “horrible, terrible alternative life” and othering is far from reality. “I live such a full life that has so many other things to be concerned about than HIV. I’m really grateful for that, but I don’t know that I would have expected that when I got my diagnosis,” he tells Reckon. The silence that stigma causes loomed, the weight exacerbated by working in a public-facing career. For a long time, he was concerned about not using his platform and influence to share this part of himself until very recently. “I want to combat the stigma of people who are living with HIV feeling like they can’t talk about it and be safe to share. I know people get awful responses when coming out about it, but ultimately, the freedom of it is much better than the prison of the secret,” he says. Not until hill watched FX’s Pose did he see an accurate depiction of his experience receiving his diagnosis. In one episode, Billy Porter’s character, Pray Tell, gets diagnosed with HIV; he chooses not to share and live with that secret. “I didn’t do a good job of pretending and just shut down. But I wonder how my life would have been different if I had told someone or if I would have felt safe to; I wasn’t ready,” he says. This World AIDS Day, hill says the best way others can show up for folks living with HIV is to educate themselves on what it’s like to live with the diagnosis today. “I think it would be incredibly valuable for us all. I’m still sometimes surprised by how many people don’t know much about HIV/AIDS and how far medication has come along to help you be able to live a full life,” he says. As a person who grew up Christian and immersed in church, hill believes communities of faith should be thoughtful about the ways that they engage conversations and people aboutHIV/AIDS. “We have pastors, preachers, ministers, etc., tasked with service within churches who are doing a lot of harm, sometimes without even knowing it. I’ve heard my own pastor refer to having HIV/AIDS amongst being a murderer, you know, all of these other terrible things. Communities of faith are tasked with being welcoming, inclusive, and sharing love, and I don’t believe many of them are doing that as well as they could,” he says.

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Probable cause hearings announced for alleged clients in Mass. brothel bust case

Dates have been set for probable cause hearings in the cases against 28 people accused of paying for sex in a high-end brothel network alleged to have been operating in Massachusetts and Virginia. The names of the accused have yet to be released, but the hearings will be open to the public after requests from NBC10 Boston and other news outlets. The hearings are set for Jan. 18, Jan. 19 and Jan. 22 in Cambridge District Court, starting at 10 a.m. each morning. Capacity is limited and attendees will be allowed in on a first come basis. If no probable cause is found further details will not be made public. If it is, court paperwork will be made available. This is significant because typically these hearings, called "show cause hearings" are closed to the public, a concept unique to Massachusetts' criminal justice system. It allows people accused of misdemeanors who haven't been arrested to have closed-door hearings with clerk magistrates. Typically, the cases are only made public if the magistrate decides there is enough probable cause to approve the criminal charges. Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. Federal prosecutors are now laying out new state charges connected to a case involving an illegal brothel ring uncovered in Massachusetts. But following media requests, Cambridge District Court Clerk-Magistrate Sharon Shelfer Casey allowed the proceedings to be open to the public, citing public interest in the case. The arrests of three people in connection with the brothel organization alleged to have operated in Massachusetts and Virginia drew public attention, and acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy of Massachusetts previously said that the list of accused clients included politicians, professors, military officers and pharmaceutical executives.

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How Astronomers Are Saving Astronomy From Satellites For Now

In December 2020, astronomers documented a burst of highly energetic light in one of the most distant galaxies ever observed. But less than a year later, the paper’s claims lay in limbo. Other scientists said it had merely been a passing satellite. “I was a bit sad that the gamma ray burst turned out to be just an artificial satellite,” said Krzysztof Kamiński, an astronomer at the Astronomical Observatory Institute in Poland who said he matched the position, time and brightness of the discovery to an orbiting spacecraft. Linhua Jiang, an astronomer at Peking University in Beijing who led the original finding, said his team stood by their work, adding that the probability of a satellite passing directly in front of the distant galaxy at exactly the right moment was minuscule at best. The dispute likely will not be the last time that scientists argue over whether a passing satellite is being mistaken for an astronomical discovery.

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Montana vs. SDSU: Free stream, start time, TV, how to watch FCS Championship Game

It’s the FCS National Championship Game as South Dakota State takes on Montana. Sunday’s game will air on TV via ABC. Fans can watch college football games for free by signing up for a trial of fuboTV LIVE STREAM: Sign up here to watch the FCS championship game SDSU come in not only as the reigning national champs, but are red-hot after a 59-0 blowout win over Albany in the semifinals. Star quarterback Mark Gronowski has led the way for the Jackrabbits, who are a perfect 14-0 this season. On the other side, Montana is coming off a dramatic win over FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in the semifinals, winning in double overtime. The Grizzlies now head into their first title game appearance since 2009 and will be looking for their first championship since 2001. But to do that, the 13-1 Grizzlies will have to snap the Jackrabbits’ 28-game winning streak. How to watch SDSU vs. Montana | FCS National Championship Game What time does the game start? What TV channel will it air on? - Sunday’s game will start at 2 p.m. EST from Frisco, Texas. The game will air on TV via ABC. Live stream info: fuboTV | Sling | ESPN+ | DirecTV - Fans can stream Sunday’s game from any of these services, provided the game is on in their area. DirecTV Stream and fuboTV offer free trials for games broadcast in your area. The game will air stream on ESPN+. Fans who have a cable subscription can also use login credentials from their TV provider to watch games online or streaming on apps.

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Mass. State Lottery winner: 2 $1 million, 3 $100,000 prizes claimed same day

Two $1 million and three $100,000 lottery prizes were won or claimed from tickets sold across Massachusetts the day after Christmas. One of the $1 million prizes claimed on Dec. 26 was from the Massachusetts State Lottery’s $50 scratch ticket game called “Billion Dollar Extravaganza,” and was sold in the Western Massachusetts city of Greenfield from the Elks Lodge. The other $1 million prize claimed Tuesday was sold in Oxford from a shop called Rte. 12 Variety, and was from the lottery’s scratch ticket game called “$1,000,000 Snow Much Money.” Two of the $100,000 prizes claimed in the state the day after Christmas were both from the scratch ticket game called “300X.” One was sold in Uxbridge from a store called Brothers Liquor, and the other was sold in Franklin from Old Gold Convenience Store. The third $100,000 ticket was from the “Mass Cash” drawing for Dec. 26. The winning numbers for the drawing were 5, 11, 13, 23 and 27, and the winning ticket was sold in Braintree from Liberty Wine & Spirit. Overall, there were at least 924 lottery prizes worth $600 or more won or claimed in Massachusetts on Tuesday, including 23 in Springfield and 38 in Worcester. The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of all the winning tickets each day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600. The two largest lottery prizes won in the state of Massachusetts so far in 2023 were $33 million and $31 million Mega Millions jackpot prizes. The tickets were each sold a week apart. The $33 million ticket for the Tuesday, Jan. 24 drawing was purchased from a Stop & Shop in Belchertown. The winner came forward to claim the prize on March 1 through the Skylark Group Trust. The $31 million Mega Millions jackpot ticket was won on Jan. 31. The winning ticket was bought in Woburn from a Gibbs gas station, and the winner claimed the prize on March 8 through S & L Trust.

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Chloe Parsenios leads late comeback as Lenox girls basketball edges Greenfield in OT

LENOX – It may have taken a little longer to find an offensive rhythm than Lenox coach Nicole Patella wanted, but once her team found it, they never looked back. Despite being up early, the Millionaires surrendered their lead to Greenfield and found themselves down by double digits throughout the second, third and fourth quarters. Most of the fourth that is.

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Where Is Navalny? A Search Is On for the Missing Russian Dissident.

After two weeks without word from Aleksei A. Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition figure, his lawyers and allies, fearing the worst, are running a frantic campaign to find him. Their efforts have included requesting information from dozens of Russian prisons and taking to social media to raise awareness of Mr. Navalny’s disappearance and to call on the Russian government to reveal his whereabouts. Many Russians living abroad have gone to their country’s diplomatic missions to protest. Some have held up posters saying “Where is Navalny?” Dmitri S. Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin, told journalists on Friday that the Kremlin had “neither the possibility, nor rights or desire to trace the fate of convicts,” referring to Mr. Navalny.

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EBNHC Launches New Behavioral Health Urgent Care Service The Boston Sun

Special to the Sun East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC), the largest community-based primary care health system in Massachusetts, gathered with city, state and community leaders last week, to officially announce the opening of its new Behavioral Health Urgent Care Service (BHUCS). Part of the EBNHC’s integrated behavioral health program, the BHUCS provides same-day and urgent mental health services for children, adolescents, and adults, in East Boston and surrounding communities, transforming how community members — predominantly low-income immigrants — can access the high-quality behavioral health services they need and deserve. “Timely access to high-quality behavioral health services is a common challenge across the Commonwealth, especially for vulnerable families. I’m proud to say that EBNHC’s Behavioral Health Urgent Care Service addresses this growing need head on,” said EBNHC President and CEO, Greg Wilmot. “Our industry must offer innovative ways to close long-standing gaps in care. This expansion of our behavioral health program is a monumental step in the right direction as we strive to achieve health equity for our patients and neighbors.” The new service is innovative and different from other behavioral health urgent care options across the state as it is co-located with the state’s only community-based satellite emergency facility, operated by EBNHC. Additionally, the service is fully integrated within the health center and EBNHC’s larger behavioral health and recovery services program. This unparalleled care model allows patients in the community to be connected to a wide range of care services, seamlessly and immediately moving from the BHUCS to emergency medical care, primary care, additional behavioral health care, and other health and wellness programs available through the Center. Addressing health equity gaps, like disparities in access to behavioral health care for Black and Latinx communities, has long been a focus for EBNHC which was recently recognized by the Department of Health and Human Service’s Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) as a 2023 National Quality Leader and one of the nation’s leading health centers in reducing health disparities. To help put patients at ease, the new BHUCS suite features state-of-the-art behavioral health care design. A calming space, intentionally constructed to be safe and aesthetically pleasing for those struggling with a mental health or substance use disorder, the BHUCS provides access to immediate crisis evaluation, next-step planning, and support for all patients ages six and above. The BHUCS currently welcomes walk-ins five days a week and will move to seven-day a week access in early 2024. “We are in the midst of a behavioral health crisis that requires new ideas, more resources, and a strong investment to meet this demand,” said EBNHC Executive Vice President and COO, Ryan Boxill, PhD, MBA. “Since our soft-opening last month, we’ve already seen great demand for this service that will be especially vital for low-income and non-English speaking patients. Our highly trained, diverse, multi-disciplinary behavioral health team members are eager to welcome many first-time patients and are equipped to offer care in their native language.” Thanks to earmarked state funding advocated for by Massachusetts State Rep. Adrian Madaro, EBNHC has hired more than 20 diverse new staff, experienced in providing behavioral health care to adults, adolescents, and youth. “Behavioral health care providers are still seeing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, for many children was a two-year hiatus from achieving key developmental, academic and social milestones,” said Michael Mancusi, MSW, LICSW, EBNHC Vice President and Chief Behavioral Health Officer. “This has had a deleterious effect on the mental health of our young people, and we realized a better model was needed to address community behavioral health — one with an immediately accessible entry point and a range of care to match our patients’ needs. That is why we created the BHUCS — to provide an urgent response to an urgent health care crisis.” Patients can now access the following services at the BHUCS, Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (weekend hours will be available in 2024): • Same-day clinical triage, crisis evaluation, next step planning and support • On-site medical evaluation and necessary laboratory tests • Psychopharmacology evaluation and medication prescription • Crisis response and stabilization • Care navigation and care coordination • Enrollment in EBNHC primary care, based on availability EBNHC has also expanded mind/body offerings for patients, such as reiki, trauma-informed yoga, community peace circles and other community interventions to meet interest in non-traditional, indigenous, and culturally relevant healing methods.

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Theres momentum at last for East-West Rail, but Postal Service still stands in the way

Just look at what’s happened lately. MassDOT is seeking $108 million from the feds for rail improvements between Springfield and Worcester. Governor Maura Healey set aside $8.5 million in her first proposed state budget for track upgrades in Pittsfield and $4 million for a station study and design in Palmer. A new commission reconvenes on Tuesday to hash out the best governing structure for passenger rail operations in Western Massachusetts. Amtrak and CSX are finally all aboard. And Senate President Karen Spilka was just out touring Palmer, where she pledged that it’s a matter of “when, not if” improved train service between Pittsfield and Boston gets done. After years of being stuck on the siding, East-West Rail sure seems like it’s on the right track now. Advertisement But there’s one big obstacle no one seems to be talking about: the US Postal Service’s sprawling mail-sorting complex along the Fort Point Channel. State officials can do all the track and station work they want out west. With the massive USPS facility blocking a South Station expansion in Boston, East-West Rail could be going nowhere. Get Trendlines A business newsletter from Globe Columnist Larry Edelman covering the trends shaping business and the economy in Boston and beyond. Enter Email Sign Up This isn’t just an issue for adding to Amtrak’s meager one-train-a-day, east-west service. The upcoming commuter rail expansions to Fall River and New Bedford can’t reach their full potential without more South Station capacity. Dreams of running frequent, subway-like service on the Fairmount line through Dorchester can’t really come true, either. South Station is jam-packed, at capacity. That’s why MassDOT has spent years nudging forward a South Station expansion, one with space for up to 10 tracks to augment the 13 there today. However, to pull it off, the USPS needs to move. An Amtrak train pulls into South Station. Expanding the station could allow the rail line to add service in Boston, including a long-planned route across Massachusetts. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Representative Bill Straus, the longtime point person for transportation issues in the House, plans to raise the issue on Tuesday to the Western Massachusetts Passenger Rail Commission in Springfield. He wants to draw attention to the logjam while East-West Rail is in the spotlight. Advertisement Trying to dislodge the USPS from Fort Point has been a saga that has lasted for years, if not decades. Several previous state transportation secretaries told Straus they were optimistic a deal would get done. But it never has. And while the USPS no longer needs to be near rail lines, Straus notes there’s only one place South Station can expand: the property next door. About eight years ago, MassDOT seemed to be closing in on a deal that involved a land swap with the Massachusetts Port Authority. The USPS would have moved to Massport land in South Boston, off Pappas Way by the Reserved Channel, while Massport would have received some land that the USPS uses for parking near A Street, closer to downtown. Talks broke down as the value of the Postal Service’s land grew amid a development boom. MassDOT hasn’t given up. Spokeswoman Jacque Goddard said “high level discussions” were held last fall with the USPS about a relocation, and “the lines of communication remain open.” In other words, the ball is with the people who run the Postal Service. No word yet from them. Straus said he hopes Healey and her transportation secretary, Gina Fiandaca, will find a receptive audience with rail fans in the Biden administration, including possibly the president himself, and that the USPS can be convinced of the broader public good. (Trump-era appointee Louis DeJoy is still in charge, though.) The focus, Straus said, shouldn’t be on making a killing in the real estate market. Advertisement When asked about her East-West Rail efforts, Healey said she wants a fully functioning transportation system for the entire state. Translation: It’s not just about Greater Boston, and the beleaguered MBTA. To ensure that vision doesn’t get derailed, Healey is going to have to reckon with the South Station dilemma — and that means dealing with the post office. Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.

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Don't compare me to the almighty.' The origin of Biden's saying.

“Don’t compare me to the almighty,” White said in launching his bid for a fourth mayoral term. “Compare me to the alternative.” His impromptu statement didn’t last long and wasn’t captured on audio or video. But a bit of it still echoes in American politics and voters could hear it often this year. WASHINGTON — The TV camera crews had departed Boston City Hall after a news briefing on May 21, 1979, when Mayor Kevin H. White surprised a clutch of lingering reporters and his own aides with an announcement that wasn’t expected for weeks: He was running for reelection that fall. Advertisement President Biden adopted the saying years ago and sometimes attributed it to the late White, a fellow Irish-Catholic politician whom he admired, while other times he cites his father, or no one at all. Ascertaining its true source is complicated, but determining its meaning is not. It neatly defines Biden’s political persona — at once religious, pragmatic, self-effacing, and pugnacious — and succinctly frames his challenge in overcoming low approval ratings to win a second term in a likely rematch against Donald Trump. Get Today in Politics A digest of the top political stories from the Globe, sent to your inbox Monday-Friday. Enter Email Sign Up “It is actually the antithesis of the Trumpian statement, ‘I alone can fix it,’ " said former Biden speechwriter Jeff Nussbaum. “Trump says, ‘I alone can fix it,’ and doesn’t. Joe Biden says, ‘Don’t compare me to the almighty’ and comes pretty damn close to getting everything done that people hoped for him to do.” Biden’s frequent use of the almighty comparison has pushed it into the political lexicon, with other politicians picking it up and some citing him as the source. But as with many political sayings, its origin is unclear. Boston Mayor Kevin White and his wife, Kathryn White, stand on stage during his victory party at the Copley Plaza in Boston on Nov. 6, 1979, after White won a fourth consecutive term for mayor. David L. Ryan White himself in 1979 attributed the phrase to the Canadian prime minister at the time, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, according to the Globe’s story on his announcement. But there’s no record in the Canadian media of Trudeau saying it himself and it appears to have first been said about him. Advertisement “We don’t have to compare him to the ideal,” Finance Minister John Turner said of Trudeau days before Canada’s 1972 elections, according to The Montreal Star. “We don’t have to compare him to the almighty. We just have to compare him to the alternative.” Other members of Trudeau’s Liberal Party adopted the saying, and it was used in a party election strategy document reported in news stories in April 1979, just weeks before White quoted it in Boston. Trudeau used a bland variation in a 1978 press conference, “Considering the alternatives, I’m the best man,” according to his biographer, John English. But English said in an email that he wouldn’t be surprised if Trudeau adopted it and failed to cite Turner. “The two of them came to dislike and distrust each other, and Trudeau would never give him credit for the origins of his comment,” said English, a retired history professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and former Liberal member of the Canadian Parliament. “He undoubtedly knew of it. In fact, Trudeau had a remarkable memory and drew upon it for quips that became identified with him.” Trudeau was known for his eloquence, as was White, who was Boston mayor from 1968-84. The trait helped make White a finalist to be the running-mate of Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern in 1972. Advertisement White’s former press secretary, Boston public relations executive George Regan, who was his aide for 11 years, said he had never heard him use the almighty comparison before the 1979 reelection announcement. Neither had Micho Spring, his chief of staff from 1978-84. “He thought it captured the essence of what an election is — a choice between two actual candidates — not between an incumbent and an ideal,” Spring, now a reputation strategy consultant, said in an email. But Ira Jackson, who was White’s chief of staff from 1972-75, said he remembered White using it earlier than 1979. “I think it’s very much the way he viewed himself,” Jackson, who now teaches a course on leadership and social change at Harvard. “Just the fact that he would say, ‘Don’t compare me to the almighty’ suggested that might be a reference point that people had in mind, himself included. But it was a wonderful way of Kevin positioning himself: a little bit of humility, a little bit of humor, a lot of Irish and very competitive.” Those characteristics, particularly the Irish part, help explain the connection to Biden, who also leans into that heritage. “He was a very big fan of Kevin White’s. They just really hit it off,” said Ted Kaufman, a longtime Biden aide who was appointed as his Senate replacement when he became vice president. “He was always really respectful of mayors and how difficult that job is.” Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and President Reagan, in Ottawa during an international summit on July 18, 1981. GEORGES BENDRIHEM/AFP via Getty Images As Biden told it during a 2011 forum in Washington, he was in Boston for a Democratic Party event during his first year in the Senate in 1973 and heard White use the slogan as reporters were hounding him. Advertisement “And the gaggle of press got him as he came out of the mayor’s office and basically said, ‘Well, wise guy, hot shot ... how do you feel now?’ " Biden said. “And he looked at them. I’ll never forget what he said. He said, ‘Look, don’t compare me to the almighty. Compare me to the alternative.’ ” Biden was at a Democratic event in Boston in 1973, according to the Globe archives. He was the luncheon speaker at a political seminar at the Sheraton Boston Hotel on Dec. 8, 1973, sponsored by the Democratic State Committee. But White, “who was invited and listed as a panelist, was conspicuous by his absence,” the article said. A search of the Congressional Record, news archives, and White House transcripts indicates Biden first began using the almighty comparison in public while campaigning for Democrats ahead of the 2010 midterm elections. “You know, there used to be a mayor of Boston ... this is way back in ‘72. His name was Kevin White. He said, ‘Don’t compare me to the almighty; compare me to the alternative,” Biden told the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting in St. Louis on Aug. 20, 2010, drawing laughter and cheers before repeating the saying for emphasis, according to a transcript. But Biden, typically careful to attribute other people’s words after a 1987 plagiarism scandal derailed his first White House bid, has shifted the attribution from White to his father over the years. Advertisement “My dad used to have an expression. He’d say, “Joey, don’t compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative.” Biden told a Democratic National Committee fund-raiser in Boston on Sept. 12, 2022. And sometimes Biden doesn’t attribute the saying at all. Kaufman said Biden used it well before he became vice president in 2009, the point when almost all his public comments were chronicled by the White House and news media. “He doesn’t always attribute it to his father, but that’s how I remember it, especially when he first got started,” Kaufman said. “His father was good at this kind of stuff, so it wouldn’t surprise me that his father told him that.” A Biden campaign spokesman declined to comment on the origins of the saying. Kaufman said Biden primarily uses it when campaigning. Biden and White have similarities that would lead both to embrace the almighty comparison, said Nussbaum, who researched a speech White almost gave, defying Boston’s court-ordered school busing, for his 2022 book, “Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History.” “Look at [White’s] old speeches, they were this wonderful combination of progressivism, civic hope, good governance, and idealism, combined with a real political savvy. And, of course, the Irishiness of it all,” said Nussbaum, who was Biden’s speechwriter from February 2021 to May 2022 and now is a partner at the Washington public affairs firm Bully Pulpit International. “I think a lot of that is in Biden’s DNA. And White was a peer of a lot of the people who Biden admired and modeled himself after.” Former Boston mayor Martin J. Walsh said the saying is a perfect fit for Biden. “It’s coming from his heart, it’s coming from his gut,” said Walsh, who is close to Biden and served as his labor secretary before stepping down in March. “He wouldn’t be running for president if the alternative was stronger, and he’s concerned about the alternative.” For Jackson, White’s former chief of staff, the almighty comparison indicates Biden is willing to take the fight directly to Trump. And it’s an ideal way to sum up the choice facing Americans next fall, as it was for Bostonians in 1979. “It’s so useful. It’s so memorable. It’s so penetrating. It’s so simple,” Jackson said. “It’s wonderful that Biden occasionally attributes it to Kevin White. That’s a sign of his humility and that sort of fraternity of Irish pols who respect one another. But it’s not necessary. And I don’t think Kevin White thought it was necessary to always refer to Pierre Elliott Trudeau. And who knows where Trudeau got it, if he got.” Jim Puzzanghera can be reached at jim.puzzanghera@globe.com. Follow him @JimPuzzanghera.

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Mass. State Lottery winner: Stop & Shop sells $100,000 prize

Someone who stopped by the grocery store and picked up a Massachusetts State Lottery ticket claimed a $100,000 prize on Thursday, the same day a $1 million lottery prize was claimed. The winning $100,000 ticket was from the “300X” scratch ticket game, which still has 69 prizes valued at $100,000 remaining as of Dec. 22. The winning ticket was sold at a Stop & Shop in Brookline by Coolidge Corner. The $1 million prize claimed on Thursday was from the lottery’s crossword-style scratch ticket game called “$2,000,000 50X Cashword,” and was sold at a convenience shop called Girlies Variety Store in Taunton. Overall, there were at least 511 lottery prizes worth $600 or more won or claimed in Massachusetts on Thursday, including 17 in Springfield and 20 in Worcester. The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of all the winning tickets each day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600. The two largest lottery prizes won in the state of Massachusetts so far in 2023 were $33 million and $31 million Mega Millions jackpot prizes. The tickets were each sold a week apart. The $33 million ticket for the Tuesday, Jan. 24 drawing was purchased from a Stop & Shop in Belchertown. The winner came forward to claim the prize on March 1 through the Skylark Group Trust. The $31 million Mega Millions jackpot ticket was won on Jan. 31. The winning ticket was bought in Woburn from a Gibbs gas station, and the winner claimed the prize on March 8 through S & L Trust.

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NFL picks for wild-card weekend

The Memphis Tigers, appearing in its 10th straight bowl game, take on the Iowa State Cyclones in the Liberty Bowl. The Tigers are 9-3 while the Cyclones are 7-5, having won six Big 12 games. Memphis, which had the AAC’s No. 2 scoring offense (39.7 ppg), is led by 1,000-yard rusher Blake Watson. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht is the Big 12 offensive freshman of the year. The Cylcones are 1-2 in the Liberty Bowl. Fans looking to watch this college football bowl game can do so for free on fuboTV, which offers a free trial (as well as RedZone, for you NFL fans) or on DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV has promotional offers available, as well. Through the end of 2023, fuboTV is also offering $20 off the first two months of subscription (in addition to the 7-day free trial). Who: Memphis vs. Iowa State When: Friday, 3:30 p.m. ET Where: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee Stream: fuboTV (free trial); or Sling; or DirecTV Stream Tickets: StubHub and *VividSeats Gear: Shop around for jerseys, shirts, hats, hoodies and more at Fanatics.com Sports Betting Promos: Football fans can wager online on Massachusetts sports betting with enticing promo codes from top online sportsbooks. Use the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo code for massive new user bonuses. RELATED CONTENT: Memphis is playing Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl for the second time since 2017. The Tigers have a chance for some payback after losing that game by a point. Memphis needs a victory on its home field for just the fifth season in school history with at least 10 wins and the fourth since 2014. Iowa State is 1-2 all-time in this bowl. The Cyclones are trying to finish winning three of their final four. They upset then-No. 19 Kansas State 42-35 in the regular season finale. Iowa State is playing in its sixth bowl since Matt Campbell took over as coach. WHAT’S AT STAKE? With a victory, Memphis can post just the fifth season in school history with at least 10 wins and the fourth since 2014. The Tigers also can get a little payback after losing this bowl to Iowa State 21-20 in 2017. The Iowa State Cyclones are 1-2 all-time in this bowl. Iowa State is looking to finish winning three of its final four and comes in having upset then-No. 19 Kansas State 42-35 in the regular season finale. KEY MATCHUP Iowa State’s opportunistic defense against a Memphis offense that averaged 39.2 points a game this season. The Cyclones ranked fifth in the NCAA picking off 16 passes and tied for 18th nationally with a plus-8 turnover differential. PLAYERS TO WATCH Iowa State: QB Rocco Becht is the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and has school freshman records with 20 touchdown passes and 2,674 yards passing that had been held by Brock Purdy, now in the NFL with San Francisco. Becht also has the freshman mark with 209 completions in 12 career starts. Memphis: Seth Henigan is the third-youngest starting quarterback at 20 in FBS this season. He comes in needing to throw for 321 yards for a school record, and he already has 17 300-yard passing games and five 400-yard passing games that are the most in program history. He ranks 10th averaging 293.2 yards passing per game and 11th with 3,519 yards passing for the season. He is ninth averaging 313.8 yards in total offense per game. FACTS & FIGURES Iowa State is playing its sixth bowl game with coach Matt Campbell, a big improvement for a program that had made 12 bowl appearances in its 124 seasons. ... Memphis is one of nine teams in FBS with nine or more straight bowl appearances, a group that includes Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Iowa. ... Iowa State is 7-2 all-time against American Athletic Conference teams. The Cyclones are 1-5 all-time in games played in Tennessee, including 1-3 in Memphis. ... Memphis has won 87 games since 2014, 16th-most nationally in that span and most among AAC schools. ... Memphis has scored 20 or more points in 26 straight games for the longest active streak nationally. ... Memphis has forced at least one turnover in 24 of the last 30 games with 54 takeaways in that span. ... Iowa State has won 20 straight games when leading at halftime and is 41-5 when leading at the half under Campbell. The Associated Press contributed to this article

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Names released for pedestrian, motorcyclist killed in Saturday crash in Boston

The two people who were killed in a late-night motorcycle crash in Boston on Saturday have been identified as Angel Maestre, 62, and Yordani Rodriguez, 27, Boston police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office told MassLive Tuesday. The crash involving a motorcycle and a pedestrian was reported in the area of Blue Hill Avenue and American Legion Highway in Dorchester around 10:44 p.m. on Nov. 25, Officer Michael Torigian told MassLive Sunday. Maestre was the pedestrian and Rodriguez was the motorcyclist, according to authorities. One person was pronounced dead at the scene. The other person, who was brought to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, was pronounced dead at the hospital, Torigian said. “Homicide Detectives and the Fatal Collision Team were notified and responded,” Torigian added. “It is an ongoing investigation.”

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Date for 2024 Boston Pride Parade announced

The date for the largest Pride celebration in New England has officially been announced. Boston Pride 2024 will be held on Saturday, June 8, the event said in a Instagram post Monday, Jan. 8. This is the second year that the organization Boston Pride For The People (BP4TP) is hosting the celebration. “We are thrilled to be back for a second year helping our City and region celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s vibrancy and joy,” Adrianna Boulin, president of BP4TP, said in a statement according to NBC10 Boston. “We are committed to creating a Pride that is built by us and for us, that reflects and honors our rich culture and diversity,” Boulin continued. The Boston Pride Parade returned to the city last year for the first time since 2019. The parade was put on hold following the COVID-19 pandemic. It did not return in 2022 after restrictions loosened. Read More: Boston Pride Parade marks its comeback in Copley Square after hiatus since 2019 The parade’s original nonprofit organizer, Boston Pride, also dissolved in 2021 amid a boycott over issues of race and transgender inclusion, and complaints of excessive commercialization of the parade, MassLive previously reported. No new organizer picked up the event in 2022. More than 1 million people attended the parade in 2023, NBC10 Boston reported. This year’s parade will start in Copley Square and make its way through the South End before finishing at Boston Common. Read More: How to find the best sledding spots in the Greater Boston Area Two festivals will take also place throughout the day including an all ages festival on Boston Common and a 21-plus festival at Boston City Hall Plaza, according to NBC10 Boston. BP4TP is also seeking volunteers to help with the event. Volunteers will have to attend weekly committee meetings from January to June. Applications will be accepted until Saturday, Jan. 13. Click here to apply.

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Robert Kraft explains why he didnt trade Bill Belichick

FOXBOROUGH – As it turns out, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have more in common than their Patriots connections and Super Bowl titles. They’re also two people who owner Robert Kraft refused to trade. On Thursday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Belichick announced that they agreed to a mutual parting of the ways. This amicable split means Belichick will leave the Patriots with one year left on his contract. He’s expected to coach elsewhere next season and the Patriots won’t be trading or receiving any assets for the future Hall of Fame head coach. Although Kraft traded for Belichick when he hired him in 2000, the Patriots owner said he wasn’t willing to trade the longtime head coach this time around. On Thursday, Kraft said the reason he refused to trade Belichick was the same reason he didn’t want to trade Brady. For him, it comes down to loyalty. “It’s an interesting question and in our family, our businesses are all private and so we try to create a culture and an environment where people want to stay and stay long term,” Kraft said. “And yeah, I guess if you look at this as a transaction, he is so valuable, how we could extract something, I didn’t think that was right. And I didn’t think it was right for Tom Brady, who gave us 20 years. I don’t think it’s right for Bill. Each of them earned the right to be in a position where they should do what’s right for (them), given what they have done for this franchise.” BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. Trading a head coach isn’t common, but it’s happened twice with Kraft. In 1997, Kraft received the Jets’ third and fourth-round picks in 1997, a second-round pick in 1998, and a first-round in 1999 in exchange for head coach Bill Parcels. In 2000, Kraft sent a first-round pick to the Jets for the right to hire Belichick. In 2002, Raiders owner Al Davis traded Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay for a first-round draft pick in 2002, a first-round pick in 2003, and a second-round pick in 2004. Last year, the Denver Broncos traded a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for the right to head coach Sean Payton. Time around, Kraft said he felt it was better to treat people like Brady and Belichick “fairly,” which is why he let both decide their future. “So, some people might criticize me for not extracting as much value and I understand that,” Kraft said. “But we just tried to do what we think is right for the proper values and ability to operate and try to get people who want to come and feel that we’re going to treat them fairly.”

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Polish Truckers Lift Border Blockade With Ukraine

Polish truckers have lifted their blockade of checkpoints on the border with Ukraine after reaching an agreement with their government, putting an end for now to a two-month protest that has delayed tons of goods from reaching Europe and strained the Ukrainian economy. Under the agreement, reached on Tuesday afternoon, the truckers will suspend the blockade while they hold further talks with the Polish government to reach a final deal by March 1. A few hours later, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service announced that traffic had resumed at the three border crossings that remained blocked. A free flow of goods “is vital in times of war, especially for the supply of the military and humanitarian goods, for exports and for the functioning of our economy,” Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, said in a statement welcoming the agreement. Since the war began in 2022, Ukraine has mainly used overland routes for its exports because of Russia’s attempt to blockade the Black Sea. But Polish truckers have complained about what they see as unfair and cheap competition from their Ukrainian counterparts, threatening their own profits. Starting in early November, they blocked several checkpoints, forcing thousands of Ukrainian trucks to wait for days at the border.

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Bentley in Border Bridge Crash Was a Luxury Car Packed With Power

The car that exploded this week at a border bridge in Niagara Falls, N.Y., was a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur, the authorities said on Friday, an ultraluxury model capable of reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour in four seconds. The police identified Kurt P. Villani as the driver and Monica Villani as the passenger. The married couple, who were both 53 and from Grand Island, were the owners of several businesses in western New York. They were headed to a concert in Toronto before the fatal crash, which remained unexplained. The base model Flying Spur in 2022 came powered by an eight-cylinder engine generating 542 horsepower and weighed 5,137 pounds, according to specifications from Edmunds, which provides data about automobiles for consumers. Used models cost more than $200,000, and Car and Driver magazine said that “the Flying Spur’s unbeatable blend of luxury and performance comes with an eye-watering six-figure price tag.” Speculation had percolated online about the car’s make and model since the crash just before noon on Wednesday, and investigators were exploring whether a mechanical problem had caused the car to accelerate out of control.

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Trent Brown still missing, reportedly has next team picked out

FOXBOROUGH — Trent Brown still hasn’t returned to the Patriots practice field since serving as a healthy scratch in Buffalo. Brown missed practice on Wednesday — he was listed with an illness again on the injury report — and was nowhere to be found on Thursday, either. Brown has now missed four practices in the past two weeks with the illness designation, despite coming off the injury report last Friday and posting a number of social media photos from a New Years Eve party over the weekend. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. According to the Boston Herald, the free-agent-to-be already has his next destination picked out. “Brown had dealt with knee and ankle injuries in late October, and had his mind on free agency,” Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed wrote. “After a surprising upset at Pittsburgh, Brown openly discussed plans to play for an NFC team in the team locker room.” It’d make a lot of sense if that was the Dallas Cowboys, who are hours from Brown’s ranch in Texas and have high-profile tackle Tyron Smith heading into free agency. Elsewhere on the practice field, Myles Bryant returned from an illness and the Patriots had perfect attendance beyond Brown. With snow in the forecast for Sunday’s season finale against the Jets, quarterback Bailey Zappe is looking forward to playing in some New England weather. “It’ll be exciting. I’m from Texas,” Zappe said. “We don’t really play in snow very much, so it’s going be fun. It’s going to be a great environment, last game, try to end the year out strong. So, I’m ready for it.”

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Bill Belichick named Army-Navy guest picker on ESPNs College GameDay

Mayor Eric Adams raised $732,000 in less than two months to pay for legal expenses related to a federal investigation into his campaign fund-raising, according to a filing submitted Tuesday. The contributors to Mr. Adams’s defense fund include an array of wealthy players in business and politics, among them at least four who have been described as billionaires: the former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Ukrainian-British oligarch Leonard Blavatnik, the real estate and fertilizer tycoon Alexander Rovt and the cryptocurrency investor Brock Pierce. The fund has so far spent $440,000, most of it on WilmerHale, the law firm Mr. Adams hired to represent him in the investigation, the filing shows. City law permits elected officials to set up defense funds to pay for expenses related to criminal or civil investigations that are unrelated to their government duties and cannot be paid for with public money. The funds can collect up to $5,000 per donor but are not permitted to solicit or receive contributions from anyone with city contracts or business before the city.

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Ozempic and Wegovy Users Had Less Risk of Suicidal Thoughts in Large Study

People taking the wildly popular drugs Ozempic, to treat diabetes, and Wegovy, to combat obesity, are slightly less likely to have suicidal thoughts than people who are not taking them, researchers reported on Friday. Millions of people take Ozempic and Wegovy, which are considered to be among the biggest blockbusters in medical history. But last year a European drug safety agency said it was investigating whether the drugs cause suicidal thoughts. The new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, was funded by the National Institutes of Health and used a huge population. The findings provide data that may potentially reassure people who take the drugs. Novo Nordisk, maker of the drugs, had no role in the study, and the study’s investigators had no conflicts of interest. The investigators used anonymized electronic health records from a database of 100.8 million people. That allowed them to look at two groups: 240,618 who were prescribed Wegovy or other weight loss drugs, and 1,589,855 who were prescribed Ozempic or other medicines to lower their blood sugar. Suicidal thoughts were included in patients’ records as part of routine monitoring of their health.

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10 most expensive homes sold in Middlesex County, Nov. 19 - Dec. 2

A house in Chestnut Hill that sold for $4 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Middlesex County between Nov. 19 and Dec. 2. In total, 182 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past two weeks, with an average price of $840,382. The average price per square foot ended up at $479. The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded from the week of November 19 to the week of Dec. 2 even if the property may have been sold earlier. 14 Hillcrest Parkway, Winchester, MA 10. $2.3 million, detached house at 14 Hillcrest Parkway The 1,832 square-foot single-family home at 14 Hillcrest Parkway in Winchester has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in November and the total purchase price was $2,250,000, or $1,228 per square foot. The house was built in 1940. The deal was finalized on Nov. 9. 9. $2.4 million, single-family residence at 56 Dexter Road The 1,568 square-foot single-family house at 56 Dexter Road in Melrose has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in November and the total purchase price was $2,400,000, or $1,531 per square foot. The house was built in 1930. The deal was finalized on Nov. 9. 9 Larch Road, Waban, MA 8. $2.5 million, single-family home at 9 Larch Road The sale of the single family residence at 9 Larch Road in Waban has been finalized. The price was $2,475,000, and the new owners took over the house in November. The house was built in 1929 and has a living area of 3,316 square feet. The price per square foot was $746. The deal was finalized on Nov. 8. 124 Holworthy St., Cambridge, MA 7. $2.5 million, single-family house at 124 Holworthy St. A sale has been finalized for the single-family house at 124 Holworthy St. in Cambridge. The price was $2,500,000 and the new owners took over the house in November. The house was built in 1875 and the living area totals 2,157 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $1,159. The deal was finalized on Nov. 6. 6. $2.5 million, single-family home at 18 Shady Hill Road The property at 18 Shady Hill Road in Weston has new owners. The price was $2,510,000. The house was built in 1955 and has a living area of 2,513 square feet. The price per square foot is $999. The deal was finalized on Nov. 9. 5. $2.6 million, single-family house at 180 Burlington St. The sale of the detached house at 180 Burlington St. in Lexington has been finalized. The price was $2,600,000, and the new owners took over the house in November. The house was built in 1955 and has a living area of 1,660 square feet. The price per square foot was $1,566. The deal was finalized on Nov. 10. 4. $2.8 million, detached house at 12 Solomon Pierce Road The property at 12 Solomon Pierce Road in Lexington has new owners. The price was $2,750,000. The house was built in 1987 and has a living area of 4,969 square feet. The price per square foot is $553. The deal was finalized on Nov. 9. 25 Chestnut St., Concord, MA 3. $3 million, single-family residence at 25 Chestnut St. The sale of the single family residence at 25 Chestnut St. in Concord has been finalized. The price was $2,950,000, and the new owners took over the house in November. The house was built in 2020 and has a living area of 3,606 square feet. The price per square foot was $818. The deal was finalized on Nov. 8. 14 Cottonwood Road, Newton Center, MA 2. $3 million, single-family house at 14 Cottonwood Road The property at 14 Cottonwood Road in Newton Center has new owners. The price was $3,000,000. The house was built in 2007 and has a living area of 4,826 square feet. The price per square foot is $622. The deal was finalized on Nov. 8. 52 Hammondswood Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 1. $4 million, single-family home at 52 Hammondswood Road The 5,021 square-foot detached house at 52 Hammondswood Road in Chestnut Hill has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in November and the total purchase price was $4,000,000, or $797 per square foot. The house was built in 1929. The deal was finalized on Nov. 8. Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data. See more Real Estate News

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Daughters of Christian Oliver killed alongside actor in Caribbean plane crash

U.S. actor Christian Oliver and his two daughters died in a plane crash near a tiny private island in the eastern Caribbean, according to police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The crash occurred just west of Petit Nevis island near Bequia as the plane headed for nearby St. Lucia on Thursday, Jan. 4, police said in a statement. They identified the daughters as Madita Klepser, 10, and Annik Klepser, 12, adding that the pilot, Robert Sachs, also died. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash, according to police. Authorities said fishermen and divers in the area went to the crash site to help as the St. Vincent and Grenadines Coast Guard headed to the area. Read More: Country music star shocks fans with farewell tour announcement “The selfless and brave acts of the fishermen and divers is very much appreciated,” police said. The 51-year-old actor born in Germany had dozens of crediting film and television roles, including in the 2008 film “Speed Racer” film and “The Good German,” a 2006 World War II film by Steven Soderbergh that starred George Clooney and Cate Blanchett. He appeared throughout season two of the 1990s series “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” playing a Swiss transfer student named Brian Keller.

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BroadwayWorld Boston Awards December 5th Standings

It's December, and the first standings of the month have been announced as of Tuesday, December 5th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Boston Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve! The 2023 Regional Awards honor regional productions, touring shows, and more which had their first performance between October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2023. Winners will be announced in January! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve! This year the BroadwayWorld Regional Awards are bigger and better than ever, including over 100 cities across America, Canada, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia! 2023 BroadwayWorld Boston Standings Best Cabaret/Concert/Solo Performance (Non-Professional) Donnie Norton & Steve Bass - A SWINGIN' AFFAIR BIG BAND - The Company Theatre 22% Abby Mueller - UNBREAKABLE - Break a Leg Theater Works 13% Steve Bass - A SWINGIN' AFFAIR - The Company Theatre 12% Daniel Webber - AN EVENING WITH SONDHEIM, SCHWARTZ, AND WEBBER - Voices of Hope Boston 8% Harry Ohlson - UNBREAKABLE - Break a Leg Theater Works 7% James Jackson Jr - JAMES JACKSON JR SINGS! - Post Office Cafe 6% Casey Hatch - AN EVENING WITH SONDHEIM, SCHWARTZ, AND WEBBER - Voices of Hope Boston 6% Jon DiPrima - AN EVENING WITH SONDHEIM, SCHWARTZ, AND WEBBER - Voices of Hope Boston 6% Ken Kawa - THOROUGHLY MODERN MUSICALS - Case Theatre Boosters 6% Erin Maitland - AN EVENING WITH SONDHEIM, SCHWARTZ, AND WEBBER - Voices of Hope Boston 6% Jo Brisbane - MOD HOLLYWOOD! TUNES FROM A TOWN WITHOUT PITY - Napoleon Room/Club Cafe Boston 5% Letta Neely - PULLING IT ALL INTO THE CURRENT - A Revolution of Values Theatre Project 3% Best Cabaret/Concert/Solo Performance (Professional) Kelli O'Hara - BROADWAY IN WORCESTER PRESENTS KELLI O'HARA - JMAC 15% Jessie Mueller and Seth Rudetsky - BROADWAY IN WORCESTER PRESENTS JESSIE MUELLER AND SETH RUDETSKY - Prior Performing Arts Center 13% Sarah deLima - THE LADIES WHO LUNCH - Napoleon Room/Club Cafe Boston 12% Yewande Odetoyinbo - UPLIFT CONCERT - Reagle Music Theatre 11% Allison Case - WOMEN IN MUSIC - Firehouse Center for the Arts 10% Paul Rescigno and Robbie Rescigno - THE RESCIGNOS: FRANKLINCENSE - THE BLACK BOX 8% James Jackson Jr - ON BROADWAY... & MORE - Provincetown Theater 6% Jimmy Tingle - JIMMY TINGLE TONIGHT! - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 5% Robert Saoud - MAKE YOUR OWN KIND OF MUSIC - Napoleon Room/Club Cafe Boston 5% Serge Clivio - SERGE CLIVIO: JOY LIVE - Regent Theatre 4% Eden Casteel - KAHN ARTIST - Seaglass Theater Company 2% Maddie Lam - CANDELIGHT CONCERT - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 2% Julia Watkins - ELECTRIFY THE NIGHT - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 2% Natalja Sticco - ECHOES OF MY HEART - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% Natalja Sticco - THE MAESTRO’S CABARET & OPERARIUM (PREVIEW) - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% Tereza Kralova - THE MAESTRO’S CABARET & OPERARIUM (PREVIEW) - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% BK Davis - LIVE - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% Max Dread Minaya - NOMENEE/PERFORMANCE - Performance 1% Ondrej Potucek - THE MAESTRO’S CABARET & OPERARIUM (PREVIEW) - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 0% Best Choreography Of A Play Or Musical (Non-Professional) Sally Ashton Forrest - BORN TO DO THIS - THE JOAN OF ARC ROCK OPERA - The Company Theatre 19% Brad Reinking - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 14% Will Fafard Jr. - THE WEDDING SINGER - Pentucket Players 9% DJ Kostka - OKLAHOMA! - Academy of Performing Arts 8% Jen Bertolino, Susan Chebookjian, Di Longtin, Suzanne Neuman, and Karen Rogers - THE MUSIC MAN - Voices of Hope Boston 7% Sydney T. Grant - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 7% Thayne Jasperson - PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 7% Brad Reinking - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 6% Erin Verina - HEATHERS - Spotlight Music and Theater Academy 5% Lauren Ambrose - FOOTLOOSE - Broken Leg Productions 3% Brad Reinking - GREASE THE MUSICAL - Riverside Theatre Works 3% P.J. Terranova - CABARET - Riverside Theatre Works 3% Teri Shea - THE WORLD GOES ROUND - Cotuit Center for the Arts 3% Jason Hair-Wynn - NUNSENSE - Arlington Friends of the Drama 3% Jason Hair-Wynn - THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY - Burlington players 2% Best Choreography Of A Play Or Musical (Professional) Tyler Hanes - SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 10% Brooklyn Toli - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 10% Dylan Kerr - ROCK OF AGES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 10% Taavon Gamble - THE PROM - SpeakEasy Stage Company 9% Rachel Bertone - OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 9% Taryn Herman - PIPPIN - Firehouse Arts Center 8% Daniel Forest Sullivan - SISTER ACT - Lyric Stage Boston 7% Kenny Ingram - THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 6% Larry Sousa - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - Wheelock Family Theater 6% Connor Gallagher - BEETLEJUICE - Riverside Theatre Works 5% Ilyse Robbins - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 5% Al Blackstone - AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - The Cape Playhouse 4% Julia Deter - RENT - The Umbrella Stage Company 3% Taavon Gamble - THE LITTLE MERMAID - Reagle Music Theatre 3% Patrick O'Neill - WHITE CHRISTMAS - New Bedford Festival Theatre 3% Rick Faugno - JERSEY BOYS - The Cape Playhouse 2% Saxon Pierce - THE MAESTRO’S CABARET & OPERARIUM (PREVIEW) - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 0% Best Costume Design Of A Play Or Musical (Non-Professional) Rachel Padula-Shufelt - BORN TO DO THIS - THE JOAN OF ARC ROCK OPERA - The Company Theatre 26% Paulie Devlin - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 13% Lisa Belsky - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 11% Laura Dillon - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 10% Meg McEvoy-Duane - CINDERELLA - Break a Leg Theater Works 10% Josh Telepman - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 6% Leslie Held - WORKING - Suffolk University Theatre Department 6% Carol Sherry - CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 5% Anna Silva - THE MUSIC MAN - Voices of Hope Boston 5% Kat Lawrence - ROMEO & JULIET - CSC’s Stage2 4% Bridget Austin-Weiss - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 3% Anna Silva - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 3% Best Costume Design Of A Play Or Musical (Professional) Sydney Hawes - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 21% Merrie Whitney - SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 9% Kelly Baker - SISTER ACT - Lyric Stage Boston 9% Emerald City Costumes - THE LITTLE MERMAID - Reagle Music Theatre 8% Rebecca Shannon Butler - RENT - The Umbrella Stage Company 7% Catherine Stramer - RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 6% Rachel Padula-Shufelt - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 5% Kelly Baker - THE FULL MONTY - North Shore Music Theatre 5% Emerald City Theatrical - OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 4% Nancy Leary - MACBETH - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 4% Gail Astrid Buckley - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Boston 4% Jennifer Paar - SENSE & SENSIBILITY - The Cape Playhouse 4% Kat Lawrence - INTO THE BREECHES - Hub Theatre Company 4% Chelsea Kerl Phelps - TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN - Gloucester Stage 3% Jennifer Paar - BASKERVILLE - The Cape Playhouse 2% David R. Gammons - THE GAAGA - Arlekin Players 2% Jimmy Johansmeyer - MARY POPPINS - Penobscot Theatre 2% Seth Bodie - THE GREAT LEAP - Lyric Stage Boston 2% Hunter Gannet - THE MAESTRO’S CABARET & OPERARIUM (PREVIEW) - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% Best Dance Production (Professional) THE PROM - SpeakEasy Stage Company 32% THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 20% JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 18% AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - The Cape Playhouse 15% WHITE CHRISTMAS - New Bedford Festival Theatre 13% FOXY - Kairos Dance Theater 2% Best Direction Of A Musical (Non-Professional) Zoe Bradford & Sally Ashton Forrest - BORN TO DO THIS - The Company Theatre 12% Zoe Bradford - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 8% Alexandra Dietrich - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 8% Brad Reinking & Stefani Wood - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 8% Michael Jay & Josh Telepman - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 6% Vito Abate - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - The Footlight Club 5% Corey Cadigan - INTO THE WOODS - Colonial Chorus Players 5% Laura Marie Duncan - AS YOU LIKE IT - Boston Conservatory at Berklee 5% Adam Joy - SWEENEY TODD - MMAS 4% Zoe Bradford - THE SECRET GARDEN - The Company Theatre 4% Erin verina and Kristy Errera-solomon - HEATHERS - Spotlight Music and Theater Academy 4% Dana Siegal - THE MUSIC MAN - Voices of Hope Boston 4% Wesley Savick - WORKING - Suffolk University Theatre Department 3% Kyle Wrentz & Healy Sammis - PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 3% Jason Hair-Wynn - NUNSENSE - Arlington Friends of the Drama 3% Steve Ross - NEXT TO NORMAL - Eventide Theatre Company 3% Terry Brady - OKLAHOMA! - Academy of Performing Arts 3% Amy Kaser - AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 3% Art Devine - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 3% John Kennedy - AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 2% P.J. Terranova - CABARET - Riverside Theatre Works 2% Jennifer Hemphill - ROCK OF AGES - Theatre workshop Nantucket 1% Donna Wresinski - COMPANY - Eventide Theatre Company 1% Holly Hansen - GREASE THE MUSICAL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 1% Donna Wresinski - THE WORLD GOES ROUND - Cotuit Center for the Arts 0% Best Direction Of A Musical (Professional) Elizabeth Bettencourt - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 9% Maddie Roth - FUN HOME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 8% Raye Lynn Mercer - THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Franklin Performing Arts Company 8% Julia Deter - RENT - The Umbrella Stage Company 8% Rachel Bertone - OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 7% Alex Timers - BEETLEJUICE - Citizens Opera House 7% Paul Daigneault - THE PROM - SpeakEasy Stage Company 6% Taavon Gamble - THE LITTLE MERMAID - Reagle Music Theatre 5% Megan Blouin-Little - JUNIE B. JONES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 5% Lydia Cochran - THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 4% Leigh Barrett - SISTER ACT - Lyric Stage Company 4% Gerry McIntyre - THE FULL MONTY - North Shore Music Theatre 4% Courtney O'Connor - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 3% Kenny Ingram - THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 3% Art Devine - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 3% David Drake - THE FANTASTICKS: REIMAGINED - Provincetown Theater 3% Courtney O'Connor - PRELUDES - Lyric Stage Boston 2% Al Blackstone - AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - The Cape Playhouse 2% Charles Duke - THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 2% Patrick O' Neill - WHITE CHRISTMAS - New Bedford Festival Theatre 2% Maura Hanlon - ARCHIBALD AVERY - Cape Rep Theatre 1% Joyce Chittick - JERSEY BOYS - The Cape Playhouse 1% James Robinson - AWAKENINGS - Odyssey Opera and BMOP 1% Gino DiCapra - THE MAESTRO’S CABARET & OPERARIUM (PREVIEW) - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% Best Direction Of A Play (Non-Professional) Toni Ruscio - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 27% Michelle Aguillion - DANCING AT LUGHNASA - Arlington Friends of the Drama 13% Bryn Boice - ROMEO & JULIET - CSC’s Stage2 13% Judy Hamer - A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - Academy of Performing Arts 13% Jo Brisbane - THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 10% Celia Couture - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 6% Maren Caulfield - THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND - The Cannon Theatre 4% Eric Butler - SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS - WCLOC Theater Company 4% Donald Sheehan - AUNTIE MAME - True Repertory 3% Kevin Nessman - FARCE OF HABIT - Acme Theatre Company 3% Celia Couture - MAYTAG VIRGIN - The Vokes Players 2% Greg Allen - PULLING IT ALL INTO THE CURRENT - A Revolution of Values Theatre Project 2% Best Direction Of A Play (Professional) Brooke Snow - CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 9% Weylin Symes - THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - Greater Boston Stage Company 9% Ali Funkhouser - THE WOLVES - Franklin Performing Arts Company 6% Dawn M Simmons - K-I-S-S-I-N-G - Huntington Theatre 5% Fred Sullivan, Jr. - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Boston 5% Myriam Cyr - RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 4% Eric Tucker - ANGELS IN AMERICA - Central Square Theater 4% Bryn Boice - ROMEO AND JULIET - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 4% Nick Paone - THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Franklin Performing Arts Company 4% David Drake - CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 4% John Somers - INTO THE BREECHES - Studio Theatre Worcester 4% Joe Couturier - DOUBT, A PARABLE - Firehouse Center for the Arts 4% Taibi Magar - THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL - American Repertory Theatre 4% Steven Maler - MACBETH - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 3% Jessica Holt - SENSE AND SENSIBILTIY - The Cape Playhouse 3% Bryn Boice - TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN - Gloucester Stage 3% Melory Mirashrafi - ENGLISH - SpeakEasy Stage Company 2% Bryn Boice - INTO THE BREECHES - Hub Theatre Company 2% Myriam Cyr - RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 2% Rosalind Bevan - STEW - Gloucester Stage 2% David Drake - THE HUMANS - Provincetown Theater 2% Courtney O'Connor - ROOTED - Lyric Stage Boston 2% Brendan Fox - BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY - The Cape Playhouse 2% Bob Kropf - BETRAYAL - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 1% Sasha Denisova - THE GAAGA - Arlekin Players 1% Best Ensemble (Non-Professional) MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 10% BORN TO DO THIS - The Company Theatre 8% A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 6% THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 6% A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - The Footlight Club 6% THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 4% AS YOU LIKE IT - Boston Conservatory at Berklee 4% THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - The Theatre Institute 4% AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 4% RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 4% SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 4% THE SECRET GARDEN - The Company Theatre 4% INTO THE WOODS - Colonial Chorus Players 3% WORKING - Suffolk University Theatre Department 3% THE WEDDING SINGER - Pentucket Players 3% THE MUSIC MAN - Voices of Hope Boston 3% PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - The Company Theatre 3% PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 2% OKLAHOMA! - Academy of Performing Arts 2% HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 2% CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 2% NEXT TO NORMAL - Eventide Theatre Company 2% A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 2% NUNSENSE - Arlington Friends of the Drama 2% SWEENEY TODD - MMAS 2% Best Ensemble (Professional) MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 9% BEETLEJUICE - Citizens Opera House 6% JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 5% SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 5% ROCK OF AGES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 5% CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 4% THE PROM - SpeakEasy Stage Company 4% THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 4% RENT - The Umbrella Stage Company 3% THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 3% ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 3% INTO THE WOODS - Actors Company of Natick 3% WHITE CHRISTMAS - New Bedford Festival Theatre 3% FAT HAM - Huntington Theatre 3% A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 3% THE FULL MONTY - North Shore Music Theatre 3% RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 3% OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 2% SISTER ACT - Lyric Stage Company 2% MABETH - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 2% DOUBT, A PARABLE - Firehouse Center for the Arts 2% CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 2% THE LITTLE MERMAID - Reagle Music Theatre 2% AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - The Cape Playhouse 1% STEW - Gloucester Stage 1% Best Lighting Design Of A Play Or Musical (Non-Professional) Dean Palmer Jr. - BORN TO DO THIS - THE JOAN OF ARC ROCK OEPRA - The Company Theatre 23% James Gross - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 12% Olivia Sederlund - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - The Footlight Club 10% Erik Fox - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 8% Madison Gentile - THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - The Theatre Institute 8% Mauve Moriarty - AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 8% Mark Sherman - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 6% Jeff Adelberg - WORKING - Suffolk University Theatre Department 6% Jonathan Ryder - OKLAHOMA! - Academy of Performing Arts 5% Kasey Sheehan - PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 5% Matt Guminski - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 4% Eric Jacobsen - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 4% Erin Trainor - THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 3% Best Lighting Design Of A Play Or Musical (Professional) David Plante - THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 10% Matt Guminski - THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 10% Michael Wonson - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 9% Nathaniel Packard - SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 8% Bretton Reis - DOUBT, A PARABLE - Firehouse Center for the Arts 8% Corey Whittemore - THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - Greater Boston Stage Company 7% Amanda Fallon - ROMEO & JULIET - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 5% Stephen Petrilli - THE FANTASTICKS: REIMAGINED - Provincetown Theater 5% Phil Kong - ARCHIBALD AVERY - Cape Rep Theatre 4% Daisy Long - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 4% E. Southern & Maximo Grano De Oro - MACBETH - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 3% Baron E. Pugh - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 3% Frank Meissner Jr. - OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 3% Amanda Fallon - ENGLISH - SpeakEasy Stage Company 3% Patricia M. Nichols - THE PICKLEBALL WARS - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 2% JARON HERMANSON - AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - The Cape Playhouse 2% Karen Perlow - PRELUDES - Lyric Stage Company 2% Michael Clark Wonson - THE GREAT LEAP - Lyric Stage Boston 2% Karen Perlow - ROOTED - Lyric Stage Boston 2% Christopher Ostrom - AWAKENINGS - Odyssey Opera and BMOP 2% Kevin Fulton - THE GAAGA - Arlekin Players 1% JARON HERMANSON - CAMELOT - The Cape Playhouse 1% Kirk Bookman - SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - The Cape Playhouse 1% John Salutz - THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 1% Christopher Ostrom - JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 1% Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance (Non-Professional) Melissa Carubia - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 16% Robert McDonough - BORN TO DO THIS - THE JOAN OF ARC ROCK OPERA - The Company Theatre 13% Bethany Aiken - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - The Footlight Club 8% Eli Bigelow - SWEENEY TODD - MMAS 7% David Flowers - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 6% Amanda Morgan - THE MUSIC MAN - Voices of Hope Boston 6% Robert McDonough - THE SECRET GARDEN - The Company Theatre 6% Stefani Wood - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 6% Chris morris - OKLAHOMA! - Academy of Performing Arts 6% Elias Condakes - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 5% Alan Freedman - INTO THE WOODS - Colonial Chorus Players 5% Pam Wannie - NEXT TO NORMAL - Eventide Theatre Company 5% John Eldridge - THE WEDDING SINGER - Pentucket Players 5% Jenny Tsai - CABARET - Riverside Theatre Works 3% Jeff Kimball - THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY - The Vokes Players 2% Pamela Wannie - COMPANY - Eventide Theatre Company 2% Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance (Professional) Steven Bergman - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 15% Hallie Wetzell - THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Franklin Performing Arts Company 8% Justin Knowlton - ROCK OF AGES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 6% Amanda Morgan - PIPPIN - Firehouse Center For The Arts 6% Dan Rodriguez - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 6% Dan Rodriguez - OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 5% Justin Knowlton - FUN HOME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 5% Kris Layton - THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 5% Milton Granger - THE FULL MONTY - North Shore Music Theatre 5% Jeff Kimball - RENT - The Umbrella Stage Company 5% Scott Storr - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 4% John Thomas - THE FANTASTICKS: REIMAGINED - Provincetown Theater 4% Gio Tio - WHITE CHRISTMAS - New Bedford Festival Theatre 4% David Coleman - SISTER ACT - Lyric Stage Company 3% Luke Molloy - JERSEY BOYS - The Cape Playhouse 3% David Coleman - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - Wheelock Family Theater 3% Dan Rodriguez - PRELUDES - Lyric Stage Company 3% Michael Ellis Ingram - OMAR - Boston Lyric Opera 2% David Coleman - THE LITTLE MERMAID - Reagle Music Theatre 2% Matthew Smedal - AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - The Cape Playhouse 2% David Angus - BLUEBEARDS CASTLE - Boston Lyric Opera 1% Dan Pardo - CAMELOT - The Cape Playhouse 1% Mike Stapleton - SERGE CLIVIO: JOY LIVE - Regent Theatre 1% Marco Borroni - THE MAESTRO’S CABARET & OPERARIUM (PREVIEW) - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% Kenny Smith - AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' - The Cape Playhouse 0% Best Musical (Non-Professional) MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 11% BORN TO DO THIS - The Company Theatre 10% THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 7% A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - The Footlight Club 5% THE SECRET GARDEN - The Company Theatre 5% SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 5% AS YOU LIKE IT - Boston Conservatory at Berklee 5% THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - The Theatre Institute 4% AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 4% THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 4% THE MUSIC MAN - Voices of Hope Boston 4% WORKING - Suffolk University Theatre Department 4% THE WEDDING SINGER - Pentucket Players 3% INTO THE WOODS - Colonial Chorus Players 3% PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 3% A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 3% SWEENEY TODD - MMAS 3% OKLAHOMA! - Academy of Performing Arts 3% THE FANTASTICKS - Provincetown Theater 2% NEXT TO NORMAL - Eventide Theatre Company 2% THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL - Cape Cod Theatre Company 2% NUNSENSE - Arlington Friends of the Drama 2% CABARET - Riverside Theatre Works 2% GREASE THE MUSICAL - Riverside Theatre Works 2% ROCK OF AGES - Theatre workshop Nantucket 1% Best Musical (Professional) BEETLEJUICE - Citizens Opera House 9% ROCK OF AGES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 7% JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 7% SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 6% THE PROM - SpeakEasy Stage Company 6% PIPPIN - Firehouse Center for the Arts 6% THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 5% THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 5% JAGGED LITTLE PILL - Citizens Opera House 5% FUN HOME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 5% INTO THE WOODS - Actors Company of Natick 4% ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 4% THE FULL MONTY - North Shore Music Theatre 4% RENT - The Umbrella Stage Company 4% A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 3% WHITE CHRISTMAS - New Bedford Festival Theatre 3% OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 3% SISTER ACT - Lyric Stage Boston 3% THE FANTASTICKS: REIMAGINED - Provincetown Theater 2% JUNIE B. JONES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 2% ARCHIBALD AVERY - Cape Rep Theatre 2% THE LITTLE MERMAID - Reagle Music Theatre 2% AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - The Cape Playhouse 2% JERSEY BOYS - The Cape Playhouse 1% PRELUDES - Lyric Stage Boston 1% Best New Play Or Musical (Non-Professional) Born To Do This - The Company Theatre 34% THE PONY EXPRESS: A MUSICAL ADVENTURE - Lighthouse Studios: Meehan Family Arts Barn 31% HALLEY’S COMET - Massasoit Theatre Company 13% THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 9% RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 8% SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS - WCLOC Theater Company 5% Best New Play Or Musical (Professional) THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - Greater Boston Stage Company 31% THE PICKLEBALL WARS - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 16% THE FANTASTICKS: REIMAGINED - Provincetown Theater 15% TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN - Gloucester Stage 9% RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 8% ARCHIBALD AVERY - Cape Rep Theatre 7% THE GAAGA - Arlekin Players 7% LIV AT SEA - Harbor Stage Company 4% THE MAESTRO’S CABARET & OPERARIUM (PREVIEW) - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 3% Best Performer In A Musical (Non-Professional) Christie Reading - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 11% Liza Giangrande - BORN TO DO THIS - The Company Theatre 10% Keith Robinson - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 7% Adam Sell - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - The Footlight Club 6% Reese Racicot - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 6% Alex Norton - THE PONY EXPRESS: A MUSICAL ADVENTURE - Lighthouse Studios: Meehan Family Arts Barn 6% Max Ripley - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 4% Kindred Moore - AS YOU LIKE IT - Boston Conservatory at Berklee 4% Zoey Roth - THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - The Theatre Institute 3% Alex Norton - SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS - The Company Theatre 3% Josh Telepman - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 3% Maeve McCluskey - INTO THE WOODS - Colonial Chorus Players 2% Wil Moser - AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 2% Katie Iafolla - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 2% Jodi Edwards - NEXT TO NORMAL - Eventide Theatre Company 2% Kenny Meehan - THE MUSIC MAN - Voices of Hope Boston 2% Denise Page - OKLAHOMA! - Academy of Performing Arts 2% Andrew Olah - THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - The Theatre Institute 2% Emma Walker - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - The Footlight Club 2% Diane Meehan - THE MUSIC MAN - Voices of Hope Boston 1% Janet Pohli - NUNSENSE - Arlington Friends of the Drama 1% Sean Lally - LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS - Quigg Creations 1% Anthony Teixeira - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 1% Zack Johnson - COMPANY - Eventide Theatre Company 1% Marissa Sabella - THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - The Theatre Institute 1% Best Performer In A Musical (Professional) Amanda LoCoco - THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 8% Nicki Abare - ROCK OF AGES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 7% Sara Jean Ford - THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Franklin Performing Arts Company 6% Yewande Odetoyinbo - SISTER ACT - Lyric Stage Company 6% Heidi Blickenstaff - JAGGED LITTLE PILL - Citizens Opera House 5% Eleni Kontzamanys - PIPPIN - Firehouse Center for the Arts 5% Lawrence Flowers - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 5% Jake Siffert - PIPPIN - Firehouse Center for the Arts 5% Ari Schmidt - FUN HOME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 4% Anthony Teixeira - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 4% Justin Collette - BEETLEJUICE - Citizens Opera House 3% Beau Jackett - THE FANTASTICKS: REIMAGINED - Provincetown Theater 3% Liesie Kelly - THE PROM - SpeakEasy Stage Company 3% Emma Robertson - INTO THE WOODS - Actors Company of Natick 3% Kayla Shimizu - THE LITTLE MERMAID - Reagle Music Theatre 2% Andy Cico - THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL - Firehouse Center for the Arts 2% Emily Koch - VIOLET - Franklin Performing Arts Company 2% Kelsey Seaman - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 2% Johnny Kuntz - THE PROM - SpeakEasy Stage Company 2% Jaden Dominque - THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 2% Jared Troilo - OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 2% E.J. Service - RENT - The Umbrella Stage Company 2% Christopher Chew - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 1% Nick Paone - THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Franklin Performing Arts Company 1% Robert St. Laurence - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 1% Best Performer In A Play (Non-Professional) Madeline Bonatti - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 16% Ricky DeSisto - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 9% Aiden O’Neal - INDECENT - Concord Players 8% Missy Potash - STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - Academy of Performing Arts 7% Jennifer Bean - MISS HOLMES - The Footlight Club 7% Josh Telepman - DANCING AT LUGHNASA - Arlington Friends of the Drama 5% Paul Melendy - THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - Greater Boston Stage Company 5% Kenny Lockwood - CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 5% Ryan Van Buskirk - A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - Academy of Performing Arts 4% Sandra Basile - THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 4% Jennifer Shea - MAYTAG VIRGIN - The Vokes Players 4% Scott Salley - BLITHE SPIRIT - TCAN 3% Emma Hennessey - THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 3% Michael Jay - INDECENT - Concord Players 3% Lily Anderson - THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 2% Robin Shropshire - SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS - WCLOC Theater Company 2% David Foster - SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS - WCLOC Theater Company 2% Kimberly Blaise - PERFECT ARRANGEMENT - Quanapowitt Players 2% Kathy Koerwer - FARCE OF HABIT - Acme Theatre Company 2% Craig Chiampa - MAYTAG VIRGIN - The Vokes Players 2% Andrew Rhoades - MOON OVER BUFFALO - TCAN 2% Linnea Lyerly - SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS - WCLOC Theater Company 1% Glenn A. Pierce - FARCE OF HABIT - Acme Theatre Company 1% Best Performer In A Play (Professional) Brayden Toth - CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 8% Elena Doyno - THE WOLVES - Franklin Performing Arts Company 8% Eddie Shields - ANGELS IN AMERICA - Central Square Theater 8% Noah Silverman - THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Franklin Performing Arts Company 6% Lily Ayotte - ROMEO & JULIET - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 6% Noah Greenstein - RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 5% Thomika Bridwell - CHICKEN AND BISCUITS - Front Porch Arts Collective 5% Jack Greenberg - ROMEO & JULIET - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 4% Christina Pierro Biggins - INTO THE BREECHES - Studio Theatre Worcester 4% Tyler Simahk - THE GREAT LEAP - Lyric Stage Boston 4% Cheryl D. Singleton - STEW - Gloucester Stage 3% Paul Melendy - TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN - Gloucester Stage 3% Scott Douglas Cunningham - CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 3% Jim Manclark - DOUBT, A PARABLE - Firehouse Center for the Arts 3% Nora Eschenheimer - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Boston 3% Jenn Gambatese - SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - The Cape Playhouse 2% Sam Brinkley - ONCE - Priscilla Beach Theatre 2% Michael Liebhauser - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Company 2% David Lee Huynh - BASKERVILLE - The Cape Playhouse 2% Kathleen Pickett - INTO THE BREECHES - Hub Theatre Company 2% Marc Pierre - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Boston 2% Brenda Withers - BETRAYAL - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 1% Kathy McCafferty - THE PICKLEBALL WARS - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 1% Pedro Gonzalez - JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 1% Bonniejean Wilbur - DOUBT, A PARABLE - Firehouse Center for the Arts 1% Best Play (Non-Professional) A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 17% INDECENT - Concord Players 12% A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 11% A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - Academy of Performing Arts 9% RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 8% CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 8% THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 6% DANCING AT LUGHNASA - Arlington Friends of the Drama 6% SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS - WCLOC Theater Company 5% ALL MY SONS - Eventide Theatre Company 5% HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 4% BLITHE SPIRIT - TCAN 3% AUNTIE MAME - True Repertory 2% MAYTAG VIRGIN - The Vokes Players 2% FARCE OF HABIT - Acme Theatre Company 2% Best Play (Professional) THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 12% CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 10% WHITE CHRISTMAS - New Bedford Festival Theatre 9% THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Company 8% ANGELS IN AMERICA - Central Square Theater 7% THE WOLVES - Franklin Performing Arts Company 7% MACBETH - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 5% RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 4% DOUBT, A PARABLE - Firehouse Center for the Arts 4% INTO THE BREECHES - Studio Theatre Worcester 4% THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - Greater Boston Stage Company 3% CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 3% CHICKEN AND BISCUITS - Front Porch Arts Collective 3% AS YOU LIKE IT - Actors Shakespeare Project 3% STEW - Gloucester Stage 3% ENGLISH - SpeakEasy Stage Company 2% FAIRVIEW - SpeakEasy Stage Company 2% SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - The Cape Playhouse 2% THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL - American Repertory Theatre 2% BASKERVILLE - The Cape Playhouse 2% THE HUMANS - Provincetown Theater 1% THE GREAT LEAP - Lyric Stage Boston 1% THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 1% ROOTED - Lyric Stage Boston 1% BETRAYAL - WHAT and Harbor Stage 1% Best Production of an Opera (Professional) MADAME BUTTERFLY - Boston Lyric Opera 38% OMAR - Boston Lyric Opera 17% CARMEN- MYSTIC SIDE OPERA - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 11% AWAKENINGS - Odyssey Opera and BMOP 10% LA TRAGÉDIE DE CARMEN - Seaglass Theater Company 6% BLUEBEARDS CASTLE/FOUR SONGS - Boston Lyric Opera 5% VINCERO! - Mystic Side Opera Company 5% TOSCA- MYSTIC SIDE OPERA - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 4% IL TROVATORE- MYSTIC SIDE OPERA - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 3% UN BALLO IN MASCHERA- MYSTIC SIDE OPERA - Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% Best Scenic Design Of A Play Or Musical (Non-Professional) Ryan Barrow - BORN TO DO THIS - THE JOAN OF ARC ROCK OPERA - The Company Theatre 12% Ryan Barrow - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 10% James Gross - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 7% Jeremy Barnett - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 7% Ryan Barrow - SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS - The Company Theatre 7% Corey Cadigan, Rod Chandler, Tim Gregor - INTO THE WOODS - Colonial Chorus Players 7% Aaron Stolicker - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 6% Mark Roderick - AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 6% Cristina Todesco - AS YOU LIKE IT - Boston Conservatory 5% Josh Telepman - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 5% Ryan Barrow - THE SECRET GARDEN - The Company Theatre 5% Nathan Fogg-DeSisto - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 5% Richard Chambers - METAMORPHESES - Suffolk University Theatre Department 3% Jennifer Shea - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 3% Mark Roderick - A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - Academy of Performing Arts 2% Jeffrey Peterson - WORKING - Suffolk University Theatre Department 2% Charles Carr - NUNSENSE - Arlington Friends of the Drama 2% Mark Roderick - OKLAHOMA! - Academy of Performing Arts 1% Andrew Arnault - THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 1% Ed Savage - SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS - WCLOC Theater Company 1% Ed Council - NUNSENSE - Arlington Friends of the Drama 1% Best Scenic Design Of A Play Or Musical (Professional) Trevor Elliott - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 18% Aaron Frongillo - SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 10% David Plante - INTO THE BREECHES - Studio Theatre Worcester 6% Justin Lahue - ROMEO & JULIET - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 6% Kathy Monthei - THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - Greater Boston Stage Company 5% Riw Rakkulchon - MACBETH - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 5% Ellen Rousseau - THE FANTASTICKS: REIMAGINED - Provincetown Theater 4% Ryan McGettigan - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - Cape Rep Theatre 4% David Arsenault - JERSEY BOYS - The Cape Playhouse 4% Peter Colao - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Company 4% Baron E. Pugh - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 4% Shelley Barish - PRELUDES - Lyric Stage Boston 3% Janie Howland - ENGLISH - SpeakEasy Stage Company 3% Janie E. Howland - ROOTED - Lyric Stage Boston 3% Ryan McGettigan - ARCHIBALD AVERY - Cape Rep Theatre 3% Christopher Ostrom - THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 2% Kristen Martino - CAMELOT - The Cape Playhouse 2% Lindsay Fuori - TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN - Gloucester Stage 2% Ryan Howell - AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' - The Cape Playhouse 2% Ellen Rousseau - THE HUMANS - Provincetown Theater 2% Christopher Ostrom - JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 2% Justin Lahue - THE PICKLEBALL WARS - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 2% Allen Moyer - AWAKENINGS - Odyssey Opera and BMOP 1% Irina Kruzhilina - THE GAAGA - Arlekin Players 1% ALEXANDER WOODWARD - SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - The Cape Playhouse 1% Best Sound Design Of A Play Or Musical (Non-Professional) Sally Ashton Forrest - BORN TO DO THIS - THE JOAN OF ARC ROCK OPERA - The Company Theatre 32% Hallie Grace Nowicki - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 12% Greg Dana - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 11% Ethan Steele - AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 9% Michael Jay - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 8% Nick Waterman - PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 7% Pat Dzierak - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 6% Robert Passcucci - MAYTAG VIRGIN - The Vokes Players 4% Erin Trainor and Jo Brisbane - THREE LITTLE GIRLS DOWN A WELL - Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 4% James Gross - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 3% J. Mark Baumhardt - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 3% Ned Bailey-Adams - BLITHE SPIRIT - TCAN 2% Best Sound Design Of A Play Or Musical (Professional) Jason Choquette - THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 12% Derek Pisano - THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Franklin Performing Arts Company 11% Jason Choquette - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 10% Alex Berg - SOUND OF MUSIC - North Shore Music Theatre 9% Tom Powers - THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 7% Jonathan Bell - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 6% David Drake - CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 5% Ted Kearnan - ROMEO & JULIET - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 5% Alex Berg - ASSASSINS - Lyric Stage Boston 4% VICTORIA (TOY) DEIORIO - BASKERVILLE - The Cape Playhouse 4% Dewey Dellay - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Boston 4% David Remedios - THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - Greater Boston Stage Company 4% Ash - ENGLISH - SpeakEasy Stage Company 3% David Remedios - TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN - Gloucester Stage 2% Megan Culley - JESUS HOPPED THE 'A' TRAIN - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 2% Elizabeth Cahill - THE GREAT LEAP - Lyric Stage Boston 2% Grace Oberhofer - THE PICKLEBALL WARS - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 2% Jacob Levitan - SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - The Cape Playhouse 2% Grace Oberhofer - THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) - Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 2% Brendan F. Doyle - THE GAAGA - Arlekin Players 2% Dewey Dellay/Andrew Duncan Will - ROOTED - Lyric Stage Boston 1% Jacob Levitan - JERSEY BOYS - The Cape Playhouse 1% Best Supporting Performer In A Musical (Non-Professional) Christie Reading - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 9% Ana Viveros - BORN TO DO THIS - THE JOAN OF ARC ROCK OPERA - The Company Theatre 7% Dru Daniels - THE SECRET GARDEN - The Company Theatre 7% Alex Norton - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 4% Ben Oehlkers - A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE - The Footlight Club 4% Ts Burnham - INTO THE WOODS - Colonial Chorus Players 4% Savannah Nosek - THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - The Theatre Institute 4% Aaron Swiniuch - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 4% Jennifer Glick - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 4% Mary Mahoney - WORKING - Suffolk Theatre Department 3% Wil Moser - NEXT TO NORMAL - Eventide Theatre Company 3% Sean Lally - LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS - Quigg Creations 3% Ariel Sargent - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 2% Demi DiCarlo - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 2% Anne Vohs - AMERICAN IDIOT - Academy of Performing Arts 2% Cadie Holbrook - THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - The Theatre Institute 2% Amanda Vazquez - COMPANY - Academy of Performing Arts 2% Eowyn Young - SPRING AWAKENING - Riverside Theatre Works 2% Timothy Bevens - THE SECRET GARDEN - The Company Theatre 2% Susan Wentworth Austin - NUNSENSE - Arlington Friends of the Drama 2% Erin Anderson - THE GREAT GATSBY - Marblehead Little Theatre 2% Bradley Boutcher - THE TRAIL TO OREGON - Yorick Ensemble 2% Dani Masterpolo - PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 2% Janet Ferreri - CABARET - Riverside Theatre Works 1% Harry Ohlson - PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 1% Best Supporting Performer In A Musical (Professional) Quinn Kearney - MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 8% Jesse Luttrell - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 5% Chris Bradley - PIPPIN - Firehouse Center for the Arts 4% Allison Sheppard - JAGGED LITTLE PILL - Boston Opera House 4% Isabella Esler - BEETLEJUICE - Citizens Opera House 4% Tori Heinlein - SOUND OF MUSIC - North Shore Music Theatre 4% Jack Mullen - OKLAHOMA! - Reagle Music Theatre 3% Kathy St. George - THE FULL MONTY - North Shore Music Theatre 3% Jen Stearns - FUN HOME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 3% David Livingston - THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 3% Aimee Doherty - PRELUDES - Lyric Stage Company 3% Dan Kelly - PIPPIN - Firehouse Center for the Arts 3% Anthony Pires, Jr - PRELUDES - Lyric Stage Company 3% Jared Troilo - THE PROM - SpeakEasy Stage Company 3% Gavin Davis - ROCK OF AGES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 2% Patrick Falk - ROCK OF AGES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 2% Gracin Wilkins - INTO THE WOODS - Actors Company of Natick 2% Ali Funkhouser - SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 2% Christopher Rice-Thomson - SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 2% Katie Gray - SOMETHING ROTTEN! - Franklin Performing Arts Company 2% Brian Demar Jones - RENT - The Umbrella Stage Company 2% Neil Jeronimo - JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT - New Bedford Festival Theatre 2% Lawrence Flowers - THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 2% Julia Anthon - THE MAD ONES - Studio Theatre Worcester 2% Kenneth Lonergan - THE FANTASTICKS: REIMAGINED - Provincetown Theater 2% Best Supporting Performer In A Play (Non-Professional) Scotty Kippenhan - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 14% Suzy Cosgrove - A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 11% Noah Greenstein - RITE OF PASSAGE - Punctuate4 Productions 10% Josh Telepman - DANCING AT LUGHNASA - Arlington Friends of the Drama 10% Mike barry - A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - Academy of Performing Arts 8% Rama Rodriguez - MEASURE FOR MEASURE - Mass Arts Center 6% Allison Rudmann Putnam - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 6% Will Dalley - FARCE OF HABIT - Acme Theatre Company 4% Lauren Elias - LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE - Hub Theatre Company 4% Nik Kubek - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 3% George Kippenhan - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 3% Erin Thomas-Lopatosky - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 3% Gail Bishop Nessman - FARCE OF HABIT - Acme Theatre Company 3% Ian Law - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 3% Nancy Finn - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 3% JoAnn Kaplan - BLITHE SPIRIT - TCAN 3% Kyle Kashgagian - A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 2% Gordon Ellis - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 1% Adam Heroux - HANDBAGGED - The Hovey Players 1% Best Supporting Performer In A Play (Professional) Kim Frigon - THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Franklin Performing Arts Company 11% Dan Kelly - CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Firehouse Center for the Arts 8% Zaven Ovian - ENGLISH - SpeakEasy Stage Company 8% Anjie Parker - DOUBT, A PARABLE - Firehouse Center for the Arts 7% Jessica Golden - MACBETH - Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 6% Charley Eastman - THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - Franklin Performing Arts Company 6% Mary Sapp - DOUBT, A PARABLE - Firehouse Center for the Arts 6% June Dever - INTO THE BREECHES - Studio Theatre Worcester 4% JJ Hernández - TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN - Gloucester Stage 4% Alexander Platt - ANGELS IN AMERICA - Central Square Theater 4% Bobbie Steinbach - AS YOU LIKE IT - Actors Shakespeare Project 3% Kari Buckley - ANGELS IN AMERICA - Central Square Theater 3% Barlow Adamson - ANGELS IN AMERICA - Central Square Theater 2% Dan Whelton - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Company 2% Kelby T. Akin - THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG - Lyric Stage Company 2% Debra Wise - ANGELS IN AMERICA - Central Square Theater 2% CHRISTOPHER TRAMANTANA - SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - The Cape Playhouse 2% Jadah Carroll - THE HUMANS - Provincetown Theater 2% Josephine Moshiri Elwood - ENGLISH - SpeakEasy Stage Company 2% Kenneth Lockwood - CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 2% Jihan Haddad - THE GREAT LEAP - Lyric Stage Boston 2% Laura Scribner - CASA VALENTINA - Provincetown Theater 2% Brian Owens - BASKERVILLE - The Cape Playhouse 1% Robert Walsh - THE GAAGA - Arlekin Players 1% Nisi Sturgis - BASKERVILLE - The Cape Playhouse 1% Best Theatre For Young Audiences Production (Non-Professional) MATILDA THE MUSICAL - The Company Theatre 22% SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS - The Company Theatre 16% CHICAGO - The Company Theatre 14% A WRINKLE IN TIME - Triad Theatre Company 12% WINNIE THE POOH - Academy of Performing Arts 11% DRAGONS LOVE TACOS - Cape Cod Theatre Company 8% CINDERELLA - Break a Leg Theater Works 5% PIPPIN - Break a Leg Theater Works 5% FOOTLOOSE - Broken Leg Productions 4% A CHRISTMAS STORY - Massasoit Theatre Company 4% Best Theatre For Young Audiences Production (Professional) CHICAGO - The Company Theatre 37% THE WIZ - New Bedford Festival Theatre 24% JUNIE B. JONES THE MUSICAL - Firehouse Center for the Arts 15% JUNIE B. JONES - Firehouse Center for the Arts 10% CINDERELLA - Tanglewood Marionettes 10% ROOTS A FARM TO FARM TO CIRCUS SHOW - Payomet 4% Favorite Local Theatre (Non-Professional) The Company Theatre 23% Marblehead Little Theatre 9% The Footlight Club 6% New Bedford Festival Theatre 6% Academy of Performing Arts 5% Triad Theatre Company 5% Quigg Creations 4% The Theatre Institute 4% Yorick Ensemble 4% Concord Players 3% Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cotuit MA 3% Riverside Theatre Works 3% Cape Cod Theatre Company 3% Break a Leg Theater Works 3% Provincetown Theater 2% Massasoit Theatre Company 2% Spotlight Music and Theater Academy 2% Hub Theatre Company 2% Cape Rep Theatre 2% WCLOC Theater Company 2% The Hovey Players 2% The Vokes Players 1% TCAN 1% Arlekin Players 1% Theatre III 1% Favorite Local Theatre (Professional) North Shore Music Theatre 13% New Bedford Festival Theatre 12% Lyric Stage Company 7% Franklin Performing Arts Company 7% Riverside Theatre Works 7% SpeakEasy Stage Company 6% The Umbrella Stage Company 5% Studio Theatre Worcester 5% Reagle Music Theatre 4% Cape Rep Theatre 4% Provincetown Theater 4% The Cape Playhouse 4% Moonbox Productions 3% Actors Company of Natick 3% Priscilla Beach Theatre 3% Punctuate4 Productions 3% Commonwealth Shakespeare Company 3% Front Porch Arts Collective 3% Hub Theatre Company 1% Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater 1% Arlekin Players 1% Wilbur Fiske Haven House 1% Seaglass Theater Company 0% WHAT and Harbor Stage 0%

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How Trump, DeSantis and Haleys Teams Are Thinking About Turnout in Iowa

Follow for live updates on the Iowa caucuses. Nikki Haley’s team predicts Iowans will brave brutal weather to caucus for her. Aides to Ron DeSantis say the subzero temperatures give their candidate an edge because he has the biggest team knocking on doors. And the Trump team says they don’t worry about the cold — former President Donald J. Trump’s supporters will “walk through glass” to caucus for him. The truth: No one really knows what to expect on Monday night when Iowans become the first to weigh in on the 2024 presidential election. An already unpredictable and quirky process is even more so this year, thanks to dangerously cold weather and an unusually uncompetitive contest. Until recently, both the Trump and DeSantis teams had been privately preparing for an enormous turnout of more than 200,000 caucusgoers, a figure that would eclipse the party’s previous record of 187,000 in 2016. But as the winter storm blew in last week, nobody from any of the leading campaigns wanted to attach their names to a firm prediction. The National Weather Service forecast subzero temperatures in Des Moines, with wind chills dropping to as low as minus 30 degrees on Monday.

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Burundis President Says Gay People Should Be Stoned

Burundi’s president said that gay people in his country should be stoned, amid a widening crackdown against L.G.B.T.Q. people in the East African nation that is adding to the anti-gay sentiments sweeping across the region and the wider African continent. While President Evariste Ndayishimiye’s remarks do not have the force of law, they are an escalation of provocative statements directed at L.G.B.T.Q. people elsewhere by African government officials. Mr. Ndayishimiye said that gay people should not be accepted in Burundi, a conservative nation where consensual same-sex intimacy among adults can already be penalized with up to two years in prison. “I think that if we find these kinds of people in Burundi, it is better to take them to a stadium and stone them,” Mr. Ndayishimiye said on Friday during an event in the country’s eastern Cankuzo Province, where he answered questions from journalists and members of the public. “That’s what they deserve.”

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Springfield to collect Christmas trees in January; plus a post-holiday recycling advisory

SPRINGFIELD — The Department of Public Works will collect Christmas trees on residents’ regular recycling days for most of January. The tree pickup program runs from Jan. 2 to 26. Trees should be placed on the curb, free of all decorations. They should not be placed in plastic bags, and trees that are covered in snow or buried in snowbanks will not be collected, city officials said. Residents also can drop their trees off at Bondi’s Island at no charge. For more information about holiday collections, people can call the city’s landfill at 413-787-7840. In other holiday refuse requirements, the following should be recycled: flattened, corrugated, cardboard boxes with no tape, and paperboard gift boxes; greeting cards with no metallic inks or glitter; gift wrap, gift bags and tissue wrap, free of foil or glitter; paper shopping bags regardless of handle; paperbacks and phone books; junk mail; and aluminum cans and foil. The following should not be recycled: ribbons, bows and tinsel; packing peanuts and any type of plastic foam; holiday lights; glass, such as light bulbs, dishes, glasses, Pyrex, ceramics and any broken glass; plastic bags, pizza boxes and used paper plates, cups, napkins and toilet tissue.

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Price Increases Cooled in November as Inflation Falls Toward Fed Target

A closely watched measure of inflation cooled notably in November, good news for the Federal Reserve as officials move toward the next phase in their fight against rapid price increases and a positive for the White House as voters see relief from rising costs. The Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation measure, which the Fed cites when it says it aims for 2 percent inflation on average over time, climbed 2.6 percent in the year through November. That was down from 2.9 percent the previous month, and was less than what economists had forecast. Compared with the previous month, prices overall even fell slightly for the first time in years. That decline — a 0.1 percent drop, and the first negative reading since April 2020 — came as gas prices dropped. After volatile food and fuel prices were stripped out for a clearer look at underlying price pressures, inflation climbed modestly on a monthly basis and 3.2 percent over the year. That was down from 3.4 percent previously. While that is still faster than the Fed’s goal, the report provided the latest evidence that price increases are swiftly slowing back toward the central bank’s target. After more than two years of rapid inflation that has burdened American shoppers and bedeviled policymakers, several months of solid progress have helped to convince policymakers that they may be turning a corner.

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The Escape Game opening first Mass. location at Legacy Place in Dedham

The country’s top escape room provider is giving New Englanders a chance to put their game-solving skills to the test for the first time by bringing a new location to Massachusetts Saturday. With five themed-rooms to choose from, The Escape Game is opening its 4,364-square-foot facility at Legacy Place in Dedham on Saturday, Dec. 16. Crack codes, uncover clues and solve puzzles while taking on the “Timeliner,” “The Depths,” “Prison Break,” “Gold Rush” or “The Heist.” The rooms are for all skill levels and can be booked by going online. With 38 locations nationwide, The Escape Game has served more than 7 million players since 2014, according to its website. The entertainment company has built its reputation on providing memorable experiences for guests through immersive 60-minute, story-driven missions. More information about The Escape Game can be found online.