🤩🗳️ Meet your NEW city councilors

🔥 BREAKING: This year’s “Sexiest Man Alive” isn’t from New England. The region’s three-year (!) streak of producing People magazine’s most drool-worthy dude ended this week with this hottie claiming the 2025 crown. But TBH, we can’t say we blame them.

🥡 Also … it’s National Chinese Takeout Day! Our friends at COJE are giving one lucky B-Side Member a $200 DoorDash gift card to celebrate — how ‘bout some grub from Mr. H? Join here before we drop the email between 4 and 5 p.m. TODAY.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

The votes have been tallied, and the (unofficial) results are IN! Introducing: Boston’s next crop of City Councilors … and Mayor Wu.

Let’s meet the crew:

👑 DISTRICT 7: Miniard Culpepper. This pastor-turned-politician used the juice from his multiple big-name endorsements (see: The Globe, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Sen. Elizabeth Warren) to knock out competitor Said Ahmed for Tania Fernandes Anderson’s old seat. He’ll rep parts of Roxbury, the South End, and Dorchester. And … that’s where the new faces end.

👑 MAYOR: Michelle Wu. *pretends to be shocked* No surprises here as she ran unopposed. Back on the Wu train we go!

👑 AT-LARGE COUNCILORS: It was a good night to be an at-large incumbent. What had potential to be the spiciest race of the night … just wasn’t that spicy. Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Erin Murphy, and Henry Santana navigated a crowded field to secure another term. 

👑 DISTRICT 1: Gabriela Coletta Zapata. Another election day, another win for an incumbent.. Zapata will rep Charlestown, Eastie, and the North End. 

👑 DISTRICT 2: Ed Flynn. The longtime councilor handily beat Charles Delaney to secure his fifth term. He represents Chinatown, Downtown, South Boston, and parts of the South End. 

👑 DISTRICT 3: John FitzGerald. And it wasn’t even a contest. Literally — he ran unopposed for his seat repping parts of Dorchester and the South End. 

👑 DISTRICT 4: Brian Worrell. Worrell easily staved off challenger Helen Cameron to secure himself a third term on the council, where he represents parts of Mattapan, Dorchester, JP, and Roslindale.

👑 DISTRICT 5: Enrique Pepén. While closer than most of the other races, incumbent Pepén still easily beat competitor Winston Pierre to earn himself another term representing Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Roslindale. 

👑 DISTRICT 6: Benjamin Weber. Weber joined the club of freshmen councilors returning for another term. He beat out challenger Steven Berry for the seat in JP, West Roxbury, and Roslindale.

👑 DISTRICT 8: Sharon Durkan. Another unopposed race = another term for Durkan repping Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway-Kenmore, Mission Hill, and the West End. 

👑 DISTRICT 9: Liz Breadon. Despite a challenge from Pilar Ortiz, who pitched herself as a fresh new face, voters gave longtime councilor Breadon another term repping Allston and Brighton.

🤔 So … what does this mean for Boston? Well, with 12 out of 13 councilors returning, we think it’s safe to expect more of the same.  Which is also a big W for Wu — she successfully flexed her political muscles to keep her allies on the council (*cough* Henry Santana), and we can expect they’ll return the favor.

💃🏽🖼️ Skip the usual happy hour. Go where the art flows. For just $5 after 5 p.m., the MFA’s Third Thursdays series turns the museum into Boston’s most creative night out — with new art, performances, and activities each month. On Nov. 20, explore “Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor,” get a personalized portrait by local artist Nick Shea, and enjoy live music from BoCoCelli. Grab drinks and a bite to eat at New American Café or Taste, make some art, and start your weekend a little early.

🧑‍🎓 Boston is taking Trump to court over student loan forgiveness. The current system goes something like this: If you work in a public service job (think: nurses, police, teachers) and make student loan payments for 10 years, the feds will cover the rest of your loans as a thank-you. But Trump wants to allow the secretary of education to exclude employers who they say engage in “illegal” activities. Translation: They could hamper service work they don’t like, according to the suit.

🧓 Mass. voters really said age doesn’t matter. A new poll from UMass/WCVB found that if the 2026 senate race were held tomorrow, 51% of Democratic primary voters would pick Sen. Ed Markey compared to Rep. Seth Moulton’s 28%. Markey’s age (he’s 79) has been a hot campaign topic (just watch Moulton’s launch video), but this could be an early sign voters think it’s just a number. In fact, when asked to describe Markey in one word, “old” was the clear winner. That said, depending on who else enters the race (*cough* Ayanna Pressley), Markey’s odds could change.

🚘 Driving down Morrissey Blvd. this week? Bring a life jacket. State officials are warning drivers of potential road closures this week due to high tide flooding. Morrissey is no stranger to these types of floods (see: this dude kayaking down the road), but this time, they’re possible now through Sunday during high tide, which falls between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., depending on the day. If it does flood, expect closures near UMass Boston and potentially the off-ramp to I-93. Keep up with the latest here.

🚨 Free hot cocoa and pastry alert! Faneuil Hall’s Holiday Tree is coming to town today, and yes, it’s bringing a few foodie freebies along with it. The massive tree hails from Cadillac, Michigan, and will be zhuzhed up with branches from two additional trees to achieve its picture-perfect body-ody-ody. You can stop by the market from 10 to 11 a.m. to watch the spectacle, and grab free cocoa and pastries, courtesy of Bakey. <3

Below are some of the hottest local things to do. This month, B-Side Members can save more than $150 across our events, in addition to over 60 other awesome perks. 

🍕 Bardo’s Pizza Making | Nov. 18 | 6 p.m. | $25 regular, $15 member | Castle Island Southie | We’re running it back with Bardo’s! We have 45 spots available for pizza making (and crafts!). Members get $10 off and a complimentary drink! Grab a ticket here.

⚡ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Nov. 19 | 7p.m. | Emerson Colonial Theater | $70+ regular, $49 member | Emerson Colonial Theater is hosting B-Side Night on Nov. 19 for the 7 p.m. show. Use the direct link on your perks sheet for a $49 all-in ticket that comes with any drink at the bar.

🎊 Boston.com’s Birthday Party | Nov. 6 | 6:00 p.m. | PLAY Boston | Invite-only | It’s Boston.com’s 30th birthday this year, and we’re opening 50 B-Side member spots at our invite-only celebration complete with an open bar, free food, and arcade games. 

👀 Want to feature your upcoming event above? Click here.

New besties alert: Cardi B and … Robert Kraft? Yeah, we can’t believe it either, but on Sunday, it happened. 

ICYMI: A few weeks ago, the rapper announced she’s having a baby with Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (it’s a boy!), and Pats nation welcomed her with open arms (see: The WAGs inviting her to their tailgate). But it still seemed unlikely Cardi would actually show up in Foxborough … until Sunday.

Not only did she show up, she watched the game from Pats owner Robert Kraft’s suite (where she chatted it up with the 84-year-old), and even hit Diggs’ touchdown dance.

Let’s just say: The internet loved it, and so, it seems, did Diggs. 

— Written by Gia Orsino, Emily Schario and Claire Nicholas

🏈 Thanks for reading! So … what’s the over/under on whether Robert Kraft has ever heard “WAP”?

💜Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, MFA Boston, for supporting local journalism and bringing culturally rich experiences to our city. 

🗳️ The results are in: 91% of B-Siders said they voted in the election. Slay! One early-voting reader said: “Voted so long ago this feels like a different election today.” Now THAT’s B-Side’s sexiest person alive.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].