Itβs Thursday, Boston.
π Does the Green Line wheel squeal feel like Hozierβs yell? Maybe not exactly, but per this IG video, we can tell you that the two harmonize surprisingly well.
π Whatβs on tap today:
Tania Fernandes Anderson is OUT
Northeasternβs AI addition
The pileated pillager
Up firstβ¦
SPORTS
Rugby is for the girlies

Image: Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Ilona Maher stans, this oneβs for you. The Boston Banshees, the cityβs new professional womenβs rugby team, just kicked off their inaugural season as part of the newly founded Womenβs Elite Rugby (WER) league.Β
Hereβs what to know:
πββοΈ Womenβs sports in Boston are popping OFF. And itβs not just rugby: Boston has gained at least four new womenβs pro teams over the past few years. Why? For one thing, when leagues are picking team sites, cities with a strong existing fan culture (like Boston) tend to win out, said Emerson sports communications professor Dr. Lauren Anderson. Funny though, Boston also already had a βbuilt-in rugby community,β said Kittery Ruiz, the head coach of the Banshees, with lots of established semi-pro, club, college, and youth teams.
π Rugby has been ready for its time in the sun. Folks like Maher and the U.S.β first-ever womenβs medal at the 2024 Olympics have caused a surge of rugby interest, Ruiz said. But before the WER, the options for most players after college were to head overseas or βpay to playβ in a semi-pro or club league, which were hard to do. βWe as a country with our national team want to be able to compete on the world stage,β Ruiz said. βIn order for us to do that, we have to develop our homegrown talent.βΒ
π Being part of a pro team can be game-changing. Banshee Akweley βQβ Okine has been playing high-level rugby since college. But being in a pro league allows her to βjust get to focus on the rugbyβ for the first time. In her semi-pro league, she had to pay for everything from flights to hotels to rental cars, plus do some administrative work. Ruiz shares a similar sense of relief. She doesnβt have to worry about little things like putting together travel documents or organizing equipment. βI get to just show up and coach rugby,β she said.
πΈ But thereβs still a ways to go. Though sheβs playing pro, Okine and most of her teammates still hold down a 9-to-5, squeezing in conditioning before work, practicing after work, and sometimes getting home at one or two in the morning. Okine hopes the new league can help players feel like βif they're coming to play WER rugby, they are having all of the resources that they need to be the best rugby player that they can be.β
π Ready to hit the pitch? The Banshees are killing the game with a league-best 3-0 record, and play their final game in Quincy on April 19 before finishing out the season in Pawtucket. Grab tickets here! You can also watch games for FREE here.
TOGETHER WITH TOAST
The best race views? Right next to the snacks.
π πββοΈMarathon Monday is a full-day event, and standing around hungry is not the move. Luckily, some of the best spots to grab a bite also happen to be the best places to watch the action. Whether youβre kicking things off near the starting line with a slice of Detroit-style pizza, grabbing farm-to-table bites mid-route, or posted up on Boylston with a burger and a beer, weβve mapped out three stops along the route for great spectating and snacking. Check out the full video and celebrate the Boston Marathon with Toast.
QUICK QUESTION!
πΊ Have you jumped on the womenβs sports bandwagon?
Let us know below!
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe
π¬ Boston is about to be down one City Councilor. This is not a drill: District 7βs Tania Fernandes Anderson announced her plans to resign. ICYMI: Fernandes Anderson was arrested in December for allegedly orchestrating a kickback scheme involving her staff. And this week, she agreed to plead guilty to two of the six(!) federal corruption charges. As if that werenβt news enough, this means Bostonβs in for a special election soon. Want allll the tea? Boston mag has a juicy profile of the councilor.
ππ»ββοΈ Mayor Michelle Wuβs blasting student visa cancellations. She said theyβre βwreaking havoc on our economy and our global relationshipsβ on GBHβs Boston Public Radio. Wuβs thoughts came shortly after yet another school β this time, M.I.T. β dropped news that multiple students had their visas revoked by President Trumpβs admin. βWe shouldnβt just think of this as βthe problem for international students,ββ she said. βWeβre not sure if constitutional rights are being respected.β
π€ The latest addition to Northeasternβs curriculum: AI. You read that right. The local university is one of three U.S. schools to incorporate Claude, an AI tool similar to Chat GPT, into its curriculum by giving access to all students, faculty, and staff. But thereβs an academic twist: Theyβll only get access to Claudeβs βlearning mode,β which, instead of straight-up answering prompts, asks users how theyβd answer the questions, making users prove their claims. So, god willing, this wonβt mean the end of society β or term papers β as we know them.
βΎ The new Red Sox doc is making headlines for some heavy news. βThe Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox,β recently dropped on Netflix, and one major revelation is dominating the news: Outfielder Jarren Duran shared that he attempted suicide during the 2022 season. Durran, whoβs faced controversy in the past, said the pressure that came from playing with the Red Sox βfelt like a dark cloud over me.β Since then, tons of Red Sox staff β from GM Alex Cora to president Sam Kennedy to players β have come out in support of Duran.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, here are some resources: Crisis Text Line β Free 24/7 support for anyone in crisis. Text βMLBβ to 741-741. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline β Free 24/7 support for anyone in suicidal crisis. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
MEDIA PARTNERSHIP
A βSimple Favor?β Itβs never so simple.
Love Letters, your favorite advice column and podcast, is hosting a special free preview screening of βAnother Simple Favorβ in Boston on April 24.Β
Want to win your way in with a plus-one? Do us a simple favor: Send an anonymous question to Love Letters about whatever relationship issue is on your mind (it can be about dating, complicated friendships, marriage, getting over breakups, etc.). The letter gets you entered. If you win, youβll get two seats and a night of fun/more free stuff ... plus, Blake Lively on the big screen in all of the outfits. Click to get all the details and win your way in.
ONE LAST THING
The pileated pillager

Images: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix, Debee Tlumacki. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Tired: A turkey keying your car. Wired: A woodpecker shattering your sideview mirrors.Β
Thatβs whatβs been happening in Rockport, Mass. lately. One pesky pileated woodpecker has single-handedly destroyed nine mirrors in the last few weeks, earning himself the moniker βthe pileated pillager.β
According to NBC10, the pileated pillager doesnβt mean to shatter the glass. He simply climbs onto the cars, thinks he sees another male woodpecker in the mirror, and starts going at it. But we have to say, after NINE attacks in a row, this bird is either way too into cars β¦ or thereβs something more sinister going on.
β Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
π¦ Thanks for reading! Weβd still rather go toe-to-toe with a woodpecker than a turkey any day.
π Members: Hereβs the link to your April perks, including our upcoming events!
π Special shoutout to todayβs sponsor, Toast, for supporting local journalism and helping local restaurants run smoothly on Bostonβs busiest day.Β
π€© The results are in: 36% of readers guessed that Taylor Swiftβs new worth is $2.1 billion β itβs actually $1.6 billion. But as one reader said: βCompared to real humans, these are all pretend numbers anyway.βΒ
π Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].