💩 It’s time to talk about your poop

It’s Thursday, Boston.

🫰 Calling all college students! Tonight, the MFA is hosting a college night inspired by their new exhibit, Hallyu! The Korean Wave. The celebration of Korean art and culture (think: lots of K-pop) will include performances, guided tours, a photo booth, and more. Bonus: It’s free with a college ID. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Local budgets big and small

• Cisco’s opening day

• Fenway gets emo

Up first…

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Poop talk

It’s time to start talking about your bowel movements. And no, this isn’t a poop joke.

🚨 Doctors are sounding the alarm bells about colorectal cancer in young people. The American Cancer society recently released an eye-opening report revealing that colorectal cancer (cancer that starts in one’s colon and/or rectum) is now the primary cause of cancer-related deaths among men under 50 and the second among women under 50.

📈 And those numbers are rising sharply among 20 and 30 year-olds. Taking care of younger patients wasn’t originally part of Dr. Aparna Parikh plan (she now focuses young adults with colorectal cancers at MGH). But when she started noticing younger and younger patients coming into the clinic, “It was very stunning and alarming,” she said (think: folks in their 20s, 30s, and 40s). And we’re seeing a disproportionate impact on the Black and Latinx community, with folks diagnosed at younger ages and further along with the illness. 

🤷 The jury’s still out on why we’re seeing this increase. But data shows a person born in 1990 compared to a person of the same age born in 1949 has quadruple the risk of developing rectal cancer and double the risk of developing colon cancer, said Dr. Kimmie Ng, founding director of Dana-Farber’s Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center, which “usually suggests it's a recent environmental exposure that's leading to that change.” And while diet and lifestyle are often linked to colorectal cancer, Ng still sees many young, healthy patients getting diagnosed. 

👶 One thing preventing young folks from getting diagnosed? Their age. Generally, colon cancer screenings (colonoscopies) don't start until you turn 45 (insurance often won’t cover it before that). In theory, if you’re having bloody stool, sudden bowel movements changes, or any other colorectal cancer symptoms, a doctor should offer you a colonoscopy, said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, head of the Boston Public Health Commission, but “that doesn't always happen because they're looking at it as a young person.” 

💩 The silver lining? More diagnoses might = more awareness, less stigma. Let’s be real, talking about your bowel movements is awkward with anyone. But the more people the disease impacts, be it a close friend or the late “Black Panther'' star Chadwick Boseman, “I think people [will] start paying a little bit more attention,” she said, and become more comfortable seeking care. 

🤔 Words of advice: If something seems off, go see a doctor. 36-year-old Waltham resident Stefania Frost noticed a bizarre pain in her hip that, thankfully, her doctor took seriously, and led her to her stage three diagnosis. “The whole, ‘it’s not gonna happen to me,’ I mean, it is,” Frost said. And if your doc won’t give you a colonoscopy? Get another opinion. 

TOGETHER WITH BOCH CENTER

Hadestown in Beantown  

🌹🎵 Wait for me, I’m coming (to the Boch Center). The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Hadestown” is bringing its epic saga of love, hope, and haunting melodies to the Wang Theater from April 23-28. Follow Orpheus as he embarks on a journey to the underworld — set in an industrial, post-apocalyptic hellscape — to rescue his love Eurydice. Whether you’re a fan of musical theater, Greek mythology, or just a hopeless romantic, this is a tale you’ll want to experience live (just remember to bring tissues). Get your tickets, which start at $39, today. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💸 The penny pinching continues on Beacon Hill. Despite record investments in the MBTA, the Mass. House's FY25 budget proposal is otherwise conservative, with a 3.3% growth rate over last year (about $150 million below what Healey had proposed in January). One area that may cause some tension: The state’s strained emergency shelter system, which the house allocated only $500 million to, about half of what Healey says the program will need to stay afloat in the next fiscal year. But they’ll still have to work with the Senate on a final proposal before anything gets to Healey’s desk. You can see what else is in the House’s proposed budget here.

🤑 Meanwhile, Boston’s FY25 budget is juicer than last year’s. Despite declining downtown office building values threatening budget cuts or raised property taxes, Mayor Michelle Wu proposed a city budget of $344 million, an 8% increase over last year’s. Most of the budget is focused on reinvesting in existing programs, with the biggest funding increases to the cabinets of worker empowerment, innovation and technology, and community engagement. But there are a few interesting new investments in rental assistance, decarbonization, and inclusive BPS programming. This visual offers a helpful breakdown of where the money is going. 

✈️ Now might be the perfect time to take a vacation … Because budget airline Spirit just added ten new daily flights out of Logan, including to Charleston, South Carolina; Houston, Texas; and Norfolk, Virginia (for less than $70 one-way!). Plus, they’ve added a daily flight to Dallas, Texas and are beefing up existing routes to Florida, including Orlando and Tampa. And if you do buy a ticket, make sure to thank the judge who recently blocked their planned merger with JetBlue on the grounds that it would drive up prices.

🍺 (Another) official sign of spring has arrived. We’re talking about the season opening of Cisco Brewery, which is back in the Seaport for its seventh year as of today. The pop-up, which will be open seven days a week, will feature its iconic beer garden, daily live music from local artists, and an expanded food menu featuring an all-new pizza truck, tacos, quesadillas, fried clam rolls, lobster rolls, and burgers. Plus, of course, a lot of beer and brews. You can find all the food and booze details here.

QUICK QUESTION!

✈️ What’s your favorite domestic airline out of Logan?

GIVEAWAY

Together with Tutuland

Enter to win two small tufting experiences from Tutuland! Tutuland Studio is a crafting store located in Boston, which provides the best experience of tufting, pouring arts, and decoden arts to customers. Tufting is an art form using yarn and fabric to create rugs. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

ONE LAST THING

Fenway’s emo moment

Fenway’s opening day has come and gone, but this one was a little extra special. 

This year’s festivities took time to honor the curse-reversing 2004 World Series-winning team, including legendary Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who passed away from brain cancer in October. His wife, Stacey, followed less than five months after. 

The couple were honored with a seriously touching tribute, and the number 49 (Wakefield’s jersey number) could be found on pins, the Green Monster, and the Sox’s jerseys alike.

But the highlight of the day? The honorary first pitch, thrown by Brianna, Wakefield’s daughter. And in case that alone wasn’t enough to get the tears flowing, it was followed by a big hug from catcher Jason Varitek before her and her brother, Trevor, hoisted the 2004 World Series trophy in front of their Dad’s former teammates. You have to watch the video for the full effect.

Good luck keeping it together.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

⚾ Thanks for reading! Bonus: This video of Briana teaching Gov. Healey how to throw a knuckleball will keep those tears flowing.

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, Boch Center, for supporting local journalism and bringing the magic of Broadway to Boston. 

💰 The results are in: Whew! Thank you so much for all the write-ins about the ways you’re making it work financially in order to stay in Boston. They were all super insightful, including this one: “I'm trying to move into the city in September and I've actually contemplated selling feet pics to make some extra money.” 

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