🤑 How would you spend $62 billion?

It’s Thursday, Boston.

⚾ Take yourself out to the ball game! ‘Cause Red Sox tickets (including the home opener and Patriots Day) go on sale at 10 a.m. They start at just $20, so grab them here.

🎂 And happy birthday to B-Sider Mary Kuczkowski! Get yourself some Sox tickets. You deserve it.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Local James Beard semifinalists

• White Stadium demo day

• Hasty Pudding is holding space

Up first…

POLITICS

It’s budget season, baby!

If you had over $62 billion to spend on Mass., what would you do? Well, Gov. Maura Healey just dropped her budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, which starts July 1. 

Here are the highlights:

🚇 A HUGE cash infusion for the MBTA. Last week Healey unveiled her massive $8 billion transportation plan, which included a major chunk of change to address the MBTA’s financial crisis (shoutout to the millionaires tax). There’s $687 million for direct operating support to “stabilize MBTA finances,” $400 million to “implement corrective actions” from the Federal Transit Administration’s oversight report, and $300 million to replenish the agency’s budget deficit. 

🍏 Hundreds of millions for education and childcare. Both of which are major priorities for Healey. There’s $67.7 million to increase enrollment and keep Mass. on track to provide universal pre-K, $125 million of millionaires tax money for revamping aging state college buildings, $94 million to keep community college free for all, $170 million to maintain free breakfasts and lunches at school, and a combined $50 million for early literacy development.

🏘️ $325 million for the state’s emergency shelter program. This dough will be used to maintain the state’s emergency shelter system, but she’ll almost certainly need to dip back in for more (last year it was projected to cost over $1 billion). But that figure could shrink given her controversial proposed changes to the state’s right-to-shelter law.

🔑 Priceless: Eliminating tenant-paid broker fees. This isn’t so much of a budget item as it is a provision. But Healey’s plan to shift the burden of broker fees from tenants to landlords is in an outside section of the budget, and could save renters — some of whom are spending thousands of dollars before moving in — a solid hunk of change.

👀 Keep the big picture in mind: Amid some uncertain revenue growth, money is on Beacon Hill’s mind, and that’s reflected in this budget’s modest 2.6% increase (under the current rate of inflation). There are also some sneaky provisions to save and earn extra cash, from subjecting candy to the state sales tax to capping some tax claims on charitable donations.

🤔 So … what now? This is just the beginning for this budget. Next, the House and Senate will propose their own versions, hammer them out, and try (but possibly fail — they’re notorious for missing deadlines) to get the final copy on Healey’s desk by the end of June.

QUICK QUESTION!

🚇 With a (more or less) official plan in place for its financial future, how are you feeling about the T?

TOGETHER WITH THE BOSTON OUTDOOR EXPO AND THE BOSTON RUN SHOW

New year, new gear 

⛰️🥾Kick off 2025 with a fresh start — and even fresher outdoor gear. The Boston Outdoor Expo and The Boston Run Show are back in Beantown with over 200 top brands, fun activities (including free yoga and a paddleboarding simulator), and inspiring speakers like Boston Marathon legend Des Linden and “Alone” TV Personality Jessie Krebs. This event has everything you need to get a head start on your next adventure. Grab your FREE tickets now and head to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center March 1-2. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏆 This year’s James Beard semifinalists just dropped. Spoiler: Greater Boston restaurateurs ATE. To name a few: Douglass Williams of MIDA was nominated for Outstanding Restaurateur; Sarma’s Cassie Piuma for Outstanding Chef; Somaek for Best New Restaurant; both Equal Measure and Merai for Best New Bar. And that’s not even covering all of them (or any other New England noms). The finalists are announced in April, and the award ceremony is in June. We recommend trying out as many as possible in the meantime.

🏒 Wanna know how women’s sports are changing? Look at the Beanpot. On Tuesday, Northeastern took home its second-straight Women’s Beanpot title at TD Garden — that’s BU, BC, Harvard, and Northeastern's annual hockey tourney, BTW — crushing BU, 4-0. But that wasn’t the night’s only W. 13,279 fans attended this year, up 3,000 from last year, making it the fifth-largest crowd for a women’s D1 hockey game in NCAA history. It’s like they say: “Everyone watches women’s sports.”

🚧 White Stadium is officially under construction. Step one of Mayor Michelle Wu’s grand plan to transform Franklin Park’s White Stadium into the fancypants home of BOSNation is officially underway. On Tuesday, the city began a two-month demolition process, but not everyone’s on board. In fact, on Wednesday, the City Council held a hearing to address the backlash the plan is facing, including from councilors themselves. But considering the lease is signed and plans are out, we’re not sure what’ll come of it.

🚉 Need a winter getaway without the winter getaway pricetag? We have just the thing: Amtrak’s Northeast Winter Sale. Through Friday, you can save up to 30% on regular priced fares on coach, Northeast Regional coach, and Acela business class. The sale applies to trips taken between Feb. 1 and March 31, and includes rides between Richmond and New England. Think: $40 from Boston to NYC or $51 from Boston to Philly. Happy travels!

GIVEAWAY

Together with Simple Sips

Enter to win a mixer flight of five 16 ounce bottles of our best-selling Simple Sips flavors and three rimming sugars and salts. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Jan. 23. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

ONE LAST THING

Hasty Pudding is holding space

We’re holding space for the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year. Because it’s “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, y’all! 

ICYMI: Hasty Pudding Theatricals is a Harvard group that nominates celebs as its man and woman of the year. To celebrate, the Pudding king and queen come to Cambridge for a parade, roast, and the group’s annual performance. 

Eviro (who is just one O away from an EGOT, BTW) will be heading to Harvard on Feb. 5 to take part in the festivities, a few days after Man of the Year Jon Hamm gets his crown on Jan 31. Last year’s winner was Oscar-nominated actress Annette Bening.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

👑 Thanks for reading! All we have to say is … this.

💜Special shoutout to today's sponsor, The Boston Outdoor Expo and The Boston Run Show, for supporting local journalism and helping us gear up for epic outdoor experiences. 

🚇 The results are in: 34% of readers want to see us take on the Orange Line in our next MBTA food crawl. Challenge accepted. And BTW, we’ve already done the GLX and the Blue Line, so stop yelling at us. 😭

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