Itβs Tuesday, Boston.
Dunkinβ π€ fashion girlies. The home of your favorite iced coffee just released these iconic phone cases that are designed to look like youβre carrying an iced medium regular at all times β ice cubes and everything β for just $15.Β
π Whatβs on tap today:
Karen Readβs trial comes to an end
Abortion care is here to stay
A smelly surpriseΒ
Up firstβ¦
DATING
Will run for love

Illustration: Gia Orsino.
The only swiping youβll be doing on this dating app is the sweat off your brow. Enter: Running clubs (seriously).
π₯΅ According to TikTok, running clubs arenβt just for running these days. A quick search on the app will lead you to a slew of running-clubs-as-dating-apps videos, including everything from testimonies as to why it works, to discourse on why it defeats the purpose of running clubs altogether. And then there are videos that say it all without saying anything, see: this group of gorgeous, chiseled, young people running together.Β
π Running clubs have become some young adultsβ social hours. βWhen I was a teenager, the watering hole was the mall. We would just link up and hang out,β said Jeremy Guevara, running captain of Bostonβs PIONEERS Run Crew. But with the decline of third spaces and more young people hopping on the marathon quarter-life crisis bandwagon, running clubs give them a chance to get in a workout while hanging out with like-minded people. A win-win.Β
π But endorphins arenβt the only chemicals flowing. Guevara admits heβs seen plenty of running club flings. After all, when you gets a bunch of active, single, and pretty people together, βitβs inevitable,β he said.Β
π± The IRL nature of running club certainly doesnβt hurt oneβs dating game. βThe best way to find true love is to meet lots of people,β said Paul English, CEO of Lola Dating, a new Boston-based dating app all about getting folks on an in-person date STAT. It really is βa numbers game of interactions IRL so you can best evaluate chemistry,β English said.
π Running clubs can offer first date energy sans first date pressures. Questions like, βwhat do you do for work, where are you from, and what do you for fun?β are the same questions people generally ask when meeting a new friend at a run club that they do on a first date, said Emily Putzig, who actually met her husband while running with The Most Informal Running Club in Boston.Β
π± But donβt be so quick to delete your dating apps. Especially if you donβt actually like running. If someone is just showing up as a way to meet someone romantically, βit can feel a little intense all of a sudden,β Putzig said, and they donβt often last as long because theyβre not getting what they want (and shocker, some people are just looking to run!). βThe people who genuinely want to run and would like to meet someone stick around longer.β
QUICK QUESTION
π Would you go to a running club to try and find love?
Let us know below!
TOGETHER WITH BOSTON SEAPORT
Out: π π¨ β½οΈ In: β΄οΈ πβοΈ

π This is your sign to text your travel buddy, because Seaport is your launching pad for summer fun. With plenty of options for on-the-go munching like Stubbys breakfast sandwiches or Cardulloβs charcuterie boards and canned cocktails, youβll never run out of fuel for your next adventures. Skip the plastic bag and pack your picnic in a tote from L.L.Bean or a backpack from Filson, then hop on the Seaport Ferry for a trip to Spectacle Island or P-Town. Donβt let Sumner Tunnel closures ruin your vibe β plan your next ferry trip today and enjoy the scenic route.Β
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe
π Bostonβs IRL true crime saga is almost over. Closing arguments in the infamous, nearly two-and-a-half-month long Karen Read trial are scheduled for today, meaning we could be just days away from a verdict. The jury will decide if Read is guilty of murdering her boyfriend, Boston cop John OβKeefe, who she is accused of hitting with her car and leaving to die after a night of drinking. Meanwhile, her attorneys say she was framed in a police cover-up. Long story short: Itβs extremely juicy and is keeping Greater Boston at the edge of its seat. Catch up on the trial here.Β
π ββοΈ Gov. Maura Healey is putting her foot down on emergency abortion access. Healey signed an executive order on Monday to protect emergency abortion care in Mass. days before a Supreme Court decision could jeopardize it. The order doubles down on both Mass. residentsβ right to abortion care in emergencies, and on protections for providers and out-of-state patients who come here to receive care. And whatβs more, the Department of Public Health has also issued a reminder to healthcare providers that theyβre obligated to provide such care under threat of losing their license. Go off!
π’ Working from home is taking on a whole new meaning. Gov. Healey just shelled out $15 million to Mayor Michelle Wuβs new program that offers major tax breaks for converting underused office buildings into housing. The program, which kicked off in October, is meant to help bring more foot traffic to the emptier post-COVID downtown landscape, and has so far spurred plans for about 412 new units. Thanks to this cash, itβll keep running through the end of 2025, and officials expect an additional 300 to 500 planned units in that time.
π The Celtics parade wasnβt all rainbows and butterflies. Hearing that the parade alone mightβve boosted the local economy by up to 20% might sound wild. But if you were five-people deep outside of Government Center Friday morning, it probably doesnβt. And neither would the fact that some parade-goers got a little too rowdy, deciding to use local firefightersβ cars as stepping stools to see the action, damaging them in the process and getting some officials seriously peeved.
MEDIA SPONSORSHIP
Want to help shape Bostonβs future for young people? This is your sign.
B-Side is a proud supporter of SPARK Boston Council, the leadership and civic engagement force thatβs giving 20 to 35-year-olds a seat at Mayor Wuβs table β meaning you have a huge opportunity to advocate for your demographic (Bostonβs largest demographic at 39% of the city!) and make a noticeable impact. Apply here by July 5 at 11:59 p.m.
GIVEAWAY
Together with Brave DaughtersΒ
Enter to win two complimentary solid 14k gold Forever Bracelets from Brave Daughters! If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and theyβve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below* To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on June 27, 2024. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and theyβve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*
ONE LAST THING
A smelly surpriseΒ

Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Have you ever looked at a flower and thought: βItβs nice, but I wish it smelled like rotting meat?β Well, we have great news for you.
A rare corpse plant (yes, thatβs the real name) is in bloom at the Arnold Arboretum, a phenomenon that can take up to 10 years to occur, only lasts about two days, and yes, smells pungently of rotting meat.Β
This particular corpse plant, which is affectionately named βDame Judi Stenchβ by the Arboretum staff, began blooming on Sunday, which means itβll probably close up again by the end of today, and wonβt bloom again for another two or so years.
And while only Arboretum members are able to get tickets to see the plant in person (all the better for your nose), you can check out a livestream of the bloom here.
β Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
π Thanks for reading! Gia has actually seen (and smelled) one of these plants in bloom before, and she can confirm that the experience is β¦ truly unique.
π Special shoutout to todayβs sponsor, @seaportbos, for supporting local journalism and offering Bostonians the perfect spot for food, fun, and easy summer travel.Β
π Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].