Itβs Tuesday, Boston.
π And itβs free cone day! Which means Ben & Jerryβs is slinging free scoops from 12 to 8 p.m. Find your closest scoop shop here! Emily and Gia met some very sweet B-Siders at the Faneuil Hall location at the last free cone day, and you KNOW weβll be running it back after work. So β¦ see you there <3
π Whatβs on tap today:
Student visas are dropping like flies
Gov. Maura Healeyβs first challenger
The world of FKR-ers
Up firstβ¦
Β LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Boston datingβs reality-tv twist

Image courtesy of Julz Radley. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
We canβt scroll our FYPs for more than five minutes without bumping into a made-for-social-media dating show (see: Street Hearts, Pop the Balloon or Find Love).Β
And now, Boston has its own version:
π©ββ€οΈβπ© Enter: Stoop Dating. Julz Radley created the new IG and TikTok show where she and her team match two singles based on their applications, and set them up on an on-camera blind date on a stoop in Southie. Radley guides the couple through games and questions, and at the end of the date, they clink their drinks if itβs a match, or sip if it's a no.Β
β€οΈ The mission? Making dating authentic again. The inauthenticity of online dating has caught up to us, said Adam Cohen-Aslatei, Three Day Rule CEO (and former managing director at Chappy, Bumbleβs gay dating app). βOn these mobile apps, people develop personas that are very much not like how they act in the real world.β Radley said the stoop is meant to be a space where daters are forced to drop the βtoo cool for schoolβ personas theyβve built online and just be themselves. The on-camera, in-the-moment nature of Stoop Dating doesnβt give folks the opportunity to put up walls.
π Think of it as matchmaking with a Gen Z twist. Sure, it makes great content,Β but curated, in-person dating experiences are a legitimate solution to many of Gen Zβs dating problems, Cohen-Aslatei said. βIt feels like a derivative of matchmaking.β These shows provide young daters with free matchmaking and vetting, a guaranteed date, a charismatic host to quell the awkwardness, all wrapped in cute, reality TV-style branding. Compared to the work of finding, romancing, and managing an awkward first date yourself, it βsaves a lot of time.β
π³ The results speak for themselves. Stoop Dating has over 600 applications, and so far, βall of our couples either exchanged numbers or went on a date immediately after the stoop date,β Radley said.Β
πΉ And it's not just the TV-show format that works: The Southie Bachelor, an IRL, application-only dating event hosted by local influencers, received 800 applications for 44 spots at its most recent event β which resulted in over 90 matches. According to host Krissy, a.k.a. @narcolepsybetsy (who requested to not share her last name for privacy concerns), βso many peopleβ told her after the events that their connections were people they βnever would have matched withβ on the apps.
π Interested? You can apply for Stoop Dating here, or keep your eyes peeled for the next Southie Bachelor event here.
QUICK QUESTION!
Let us know below!
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Sophie Park/NYT
π§βπ Local student visas are dropping like flies. Over the weekend, the Trump administration revoked at least 17 student visas from international students or recent grads of local colleges like Harvard, UMass Amherst, and UMass Boston. And on Monday, even more were announced. It's unclear why exactly these schools and students were targeted, but it's all part of the adminβs nationwide effort to punish students who have allegedly engaged in criminal activities β some officials say even traffic violations count β or pro-Palestinian activism.Β
π« Is Boston still Boston without its colleges? Itβs actually a great question. President Trumpβs recent cuts to higher ed funding pose a high risk to Mass., where our colleges power everything from our state identity to our tourism $$$. And with billions of federal funding dollars in limbo, Mass. schools are having to cut jobs, rescind acceptances, and scale back research. Combine that with local businesses already feeling the vibecession β not to mention this weekβs stock market crash β and we have a problem on our hands.
π³οΈ Next yearβs gubernatorial race is already taking shape. Mike Kennealy became the first Republican to officially throw his hat in the ring for next yearβs Governorβs race β 16 months before election day. Kennealy worked under Gov. Charlie Baker, and is likely looking to get his name out there early in what could be a crowded ballot for GOP candidates. Per his campaign video, heβs concerned about Mass. heading in the βwrong direction,β from the MBTA to Beacon Hill to our shelter crisis, and wants to restore βcommon sense.β
π The (March) Madness is finally over. And New England came out with a huge W! The UConn Huskies won this yearβs womenβs tourney despite entering as a No. 2 seed. And it wasnβt even close. Meanwhile, the No. 1 seed Florida Gators took home the menβs title, while Duke (and Maine hometown hero Cooper Flagg) got booted in the Final Four. Congrats to B-Side bracket challenge winners biancajs and r.janczy who fell into the 97.2 and 99.9 percentile of brackets (omg). Shoot us an email and weβll send you your prize. <3
GIVEAWAY!
Together with Rock Spot Climbing
Enter to win a five-pack of climbing passes. To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on April 9, 2025. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and theyβve 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
The world of Karen Read fandom

Image: Erin Clark/The Boston Globe
A Globe reporter tried to write a story about Karen Read diehards who changed their tune. What could go wrong? Turns out, a LOT.
A few hours after posting an inquiry in a pro-Karen Read Facebook group, she was met with 863 angry responses that maligned her status as a journalist, her looks, and more. And when she decided to delete it, Turtleboy himself got involved. Yeah.
But amidst all the anger, she did hear from a number of ex-Karen Read fans β who were, for the most part, completely terrified to let the word get out that theyβd changed their minds. You can dive into the full, juicy story here.
β Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
βοΈ Thanks for reading! Weβre not saying we could have predicted this, but β¦ itβs not exactly surprising.Β
π― The results are in: Looks like Phat Thaiger is getting the B-Side Certified treatment next month, with 29% of the vote. One reader said: βMalden is low key the best food spot outside of Boston. COME AT ME!!!β
π Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].