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It’s Wednesday, Boston.
🚨 PSA: Unlike the kids meal deal at the 99, when the Red Sox lose, you win this week. Tickets to tonight’s Red Sox v. Yankees game are only $16. This season, it pays to stink!
👀 What’s on tap today:
Flood risk on the rise
Make way for construction
Date night ideas
Up first …
CITY HALL
Boston’s biggest upsets
Image: Globe Staff. Illustration: Emily Schario.
The City Council primary election results are in … and boy, there were some HUGE and historic upsets. Spoiler: Arroyo and Lara.
Reminder, the top two winners in each district will now advance to a run-off in November, where Bostonians will also elect four at-large councilors and councilors from the other five districts (they just didn’t have enough candidates to trigger a primary).
Here’s who made the cut, according to the unofficial results:
DISTRICT 3: DORCHESTER
🏆 John Fitzgerald and Joel Richards. Councilor Frank Baker’s decision to not run for reelection created a seven-way race for a rare, wide open seat in the Dorchester district. Longtime city official and Baker-backed Fitzgerald came in first by a mile with 43% of the vote, with Joel Richards, a Boston Public Schools teacher, barely squeaking into second place with around 19% of the vote. Read more about Fitzgerald and Richards here.
DISTRICT 5: HYDE PARK, ROSLINDALE, PARTS OF MATTAPAN
🏆 Enrique Pepén and Jose Ruiz. Councilor Ricardo Arroyo’s scandals clearly caught up with him, as his incumbency came to an end after placing third with 19% of the vote. Arroyo choked up several times during his concession speech. “It’s been a tough 12 months,” he said. Pepen, a progressive with Wu’s backing, came in first with 40% of the vote, and Ruiz, a former Boston cop, came in second with 31%. Read more about them here.
DISTRICT 6: JP, WEST ROXBURY, AND ROSLINDALE
🏆 Benjamin Weber and William King. Lara’s car crash did her dirty, as her fight to protect her political career came to a screeching halt after placing third with 20% of the vote. “What a two years it’s been,” Lara said at her election night party. “When you fight the system, sometimes the system fights back, and today we lost the battle.” Weber, billing himself as politically identical to Lara sans drama, came in first with 43%, with King, who’s more moderate, coming in with 37%. Read more about Weber and King here.
Note: Lara and Arroyo are the first incumbent councilors in at least 40 years to be eliminated in the first round of voting.
DISTRICT 7: ROXBURY
🏆 Tania Fernandes Anderson and Althea Garrison. Despite coming under fire after admitting to an ethics violation for hiring and giving raises to her sister and son, the progressive Fernandes Anderson came in first with 57% of the vote, a nearly 40% margin over perennial candidate Althea Garrison, who came in second. You can read more about Fernandes Anderson and Garrison here.
TOGETHER WITH CELEBRITY SERIES
Discounted tickets? Say less.
Image courtesy of Celebrity Series
🎟️ Assemble the group chat. Your October plans are here. Sales for the Celebrity Series of Boston are officially underway — which means if you’re 35 or under, you can now snag tickets to upcoming events for just $35. With this deal, you’ll not only secure prime seats for exciting performances all season long, but you’ll also get ultimate bragging rights to show your friends just how cultured you are. Don’t wait too long, though — these exclusive tickets are in high demand. Secure your access by signing up online today for discounted rates to all of next month’s performances, including:
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines
Image: Michael Casey/AP
🌊 Home prices in Mass. are up, and so is the flood risk. We generally associate Florida with flood insurance, but more Mass. homeowners are having to consider it now that summer brings frequent deluges (see: Leominster being underwater this week with eight-plus inches of rain). According to one model, there are over 100,000 properties in Mass. at risk for a 100-year flood that aren’t labeled in a FEMA flood zone, which determines if you need flood insurance and how much it costs. With climate change creating wetter weather, that risk (and insurance cost) is only going up.
🚧 Make way for Boston Public Garden construction. As one heavily trafficked Boston artery opens, another closes. Thankfully, this one shouldn’t ruin your morning commute. Starting today through next spring, the Arlington Street entrance of the Public Garden and areas surrounding the iconic George Washington statue and two child fountains will be closed for redesign and restoration. The good news? Once they reopen, you should be able to get closer to the art compared to before, there will be more benches, and better lighting.
🚇 It’s time to emotionally prepare for the Red Line shutdown. The MBTA is pregaming for its 16-day closure of the Ashmont Branch in October with four public meetings that kick off Thursday, giving riders the chance to ask questions about the project. And Braintree branch riders are already getting a taste of what’s to come as service between Braintree and North Quincy will be replaced with shuttle buses on weekdays through Thursday this and next week.
👟 Your sneaker game just got stronger. The lineup of businesses at The Current in the Seaport just dropped, and Converse is making an appearance. The Boston-based sneaker brand is offering a “Converse by You” experience where shoppers can customize Converse sneakers and apparel with embellishments, charms, lace, and more. And to celebrate the kick-off of The Current’s fall season, the Seaport will be hosting a free grand opening party with Girlfriends Boston with a DJ, activities, treats, a shopping scavenger hunt, and more.
QUICK QUESTION!
🥲 Which is worse?
Let us know below! |
TOGETHER WITH TRIDENT BOOKSELLERS & CAFE
Giveaway alert!
📚🍁 Embrace the cozy vibes of fall with a chance to win a $50 gift card to Trident Booksellers & Cafe in Boston! Trident Booksellers & Cafe has been a cherished family business since 1984, offering a wide selection of books, along with an adorable cafe. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*
ONE LAST THING
Spice up date night
Video: Ayanna Moise. GIF: Emily Schario.
Dinner and drinks are so 2022.
From swing dancing to lantern lurking, Boston-based creator Ayanna Moise tried three unique date night spots around Boston to break you out of your normal go-tos.
And as someone who has also tried all three spots mentioned, I can confirm that any one of them will impress your boo … But swing dancing was definitely my favorite.
You can watch the full video on IG here.
💃 Thanks for reading! And eight years later, the boyfriend and I are still together. There’s magic in those rock steps!
💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, Celebrity Series, for supporting local journalism and fostering a vibrant Boston arts community.
🏃 The results are in: You couldn’t pay nearly 60% of B-Side readers enough to run the Boston Marathon, with one writing, “the second hand runners high I get from watching is enough for me.” Looks like running for a charity team is off the table then.
💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].