👋 Welcome back. You missed A LOT.

It’s Monday, Boston.

🥳 Welcome back from vaca! Emily got COVID and Gia went to New Jersey, so it’s safe to say we had a blast.

🚲 Also, important B-Side PSA: We’re hosting a B-Side ride at SoulCycle Seaport at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The class will be taught by one of the city's favorite instructors, Claryssa (and you’ll get to hang out with us!). You can sign up to spin here. Note: You’ll need a SoulCycle account before you can officially sign up, which you can do here. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• COVID cases on the rise

• A(nother) heat wave?

• An extended Fenway stay

Up first…

LOCAL NEWS

Your post-vaca catch up

Generally, summer = a slower news cycle. But last week, the news said: Hold my beer.

So here are the big stories you may have missed while we were off:

KAREN READ TRIAL ENDS IN HUNG JURY

🔍 Get ready for Season 2 of the Karen Read trial. After a months-long trial, days of deliberation, and several last-ditch efforts to help eke out a unanimous decision, the gridlocked jury was unable to reach consensus on Mass.’ high-profile murder case. Ultimately, the judge declared a mistrial, meaning that the trial ended with no verdict.

🤔 What’s next? The Norfolk County DA’s office has said they intend to retry the case with a new jury, and we’ll hear more details about next steps in an update on July 22. In the meantime, John O’Keefe’s brother and a juror each gave interviews to WBZ that are worth a watch.

CELTICS FOR SALE

🍀 The first episode of “Selling Celtics” premiered. The team’s current ownership group announced plans to sell the team (currently valued at $4.7 billion) due to “estate and family planning considerations.” The move surprised many, including JT himself. And there are no shortage of rumors swirling around who might buy it. 

🤑 But on a happier note, all five starters are locked in for next season. The quest for Banner 19 will feature the same cast of Celtics characters from this year’s championship team after Jayson Tatum and Derrick White inked some juicy contract extensions (Tatum’s now being the richest contract in NBA history at five years and $315 million). The investment in the C’s five starters now totals nearly $1 billion. 

💍 Meanwhile … Remember when MVP Jaylen Brown lost his ring at the duck boat parade and promised a big reward to whoever returns it? Well, some eagle-eyed fans actually did it (here’s a video of the handoff), and got some signed swag and courtside ring ceremony seats as a thank-you.

POST-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE DRAMA

🗳️ Gov. Maura Healey had some choice words about President Biden’s campaign. After watching Biden’s pretty cringey debate performance last week, Gov. Healey (who’s usually a major Biden cheerleader) was among the first of the Democratic guvs to weigh in on his campaign’s future. 

💬 Publicly, she said that Biden should “carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump,” which many saw as a nudge out the door, but reportedly, on a private phone call, Healey called Biden’s political position “irretrievable.” And Biden wasn’t too happy about it.

RIDESHARE COMPANIES SETTLE

🚗 Uber and Lyft made a BIG deal with the state. After many attempts to hold rideshare companies accountable for violating wage and labor laws, AG Andrea Campbell announced a major settlement deal. The companies agreed to a $32.50/hour pay standard for drivers, a suite of benefits and protections, and $175 million to the state in order to resolve said allegations. 

❓And that’s also big news on the ballot Q front. This settlement means there’s no longer a need for a state ballot question which would have classified drivers as independent contractors, but a potential question that would allow drivers to unionize may still appear. 

B-SIDE FOODIE’S CHOICE AWARDS SPONSORED BY TOAST

💳 Your parents are visiting town — where do you go for a nice dinner you know they’ll like (and maybe even pay for)?

Poll nominees have been selected by Toast and B-Side’s branded content team

TOGETHER WITH THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM 

Spice up your hot girl walk with some ✨culture✨

🎨🏛️ Looking for a spot to relax after hitting your step count on the Emerald Necklace? Check out the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s free outdoor art exhibition along the Façade at 25 Evans Way. It’s like a pop-up gallery for your daily stroll, showcasing newly commissioned art exhibitions that rotate three times a year. Bring a picnic, admire the public art, and snap the perfect IG story in front of the latest installation, “Hakeem Adewumi: Possession of A Recalcitrant Dream, 2024” — no museum tickets required (unless, of course, you like what you see and want to explore more inside).

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

😷 You might want to think twice about that summer cold. According to DPH data, COVID cases are on the rise in Mass., thanks in part to a new family of variants called “FLiRT” (yes, seriously) that are more easily transmissible. It’s hard to know exactly how many cases are here in Mass. since regular testing is mostly a thing of the past, but indicators of severity like hospitalizations and mortality numbers haven’t budged much. That said, officials say precautions like masking in large indoor crowds, especially if you’re immunocompromised, aren’t a bad idea.

✈️ No more overnights at Logan. Yet another major announcement from last week: Migrants will no longer be allowed to sleep overnight at Logan Airport starting July 9, per Gov. Healey’s administration. Logan has become a popular place for families to crash in the face of the state’s overburdened shelter system. State staff will inform families and individuals of the news, and help coordinate travel to alternative locations. Those who are on the state’s shelter waitlist will be offered a transfer to the state’s safety-net system, including a new Norfolk site. 

🌡️ This week’s weather is giving wet hot Boston summer. While we wouldn’t blame you for wondering if the last heat wave ever truly ended, another spicy stretch looks to be on the way, with temps in the high 80s/low 90s projected through Wednesday, plus high humidity and sun. The temps should cool off a little afterwards, but the tradeoff looks to be worse weather, with Wednesday through the weekend bringing scattered storms. To help you stay cool, here’s the state’s list of pools, splash pads, and cooling centers.

🍽️ Your summer dinner game just leveled up. Whether you’re looking to eat out or dine in, new dinner offerings are sure to spice up your evenings. First up: The Seaport’s Tatte location is now offering dinner service from 5 to 8 p.m. (or 7 p.m. on Sundays), with an all-new menu including apps, (zero-proof) drinks, and mains. But if you’d rather dine at home, Boston’s viral supper club, The Aperitivo Society, just opened a brick-and-mortar store in the North End meant to be a one-stop-shop for all your dinner party needs, from gifts to bites.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🎶 Groove to some neighborhood tunes. Boston’s free neighborhood concert series is off to the races with performances in Dorchester, Allston/Brighton, and the South End this week. 

🍷 Say cheers with your new DIY wine glass. That’s what’s going down at Trident Booksellers on Tuesday, where you’ll use paint pens to design your own wine glass while watching a classic 2000’s flick.

🦈 Celebrate Shark Week with a cult classic. The New England Aquarium is showing three performances of “Jaws” this week for only $10 a pop. 

😋 Enjoy a sunset dinner with a side of yoga. Your Thursday night plans are looking pretty sweet with a rooftop yoga class at the Church Park Apartments followed by a round of salads, smoothies, and bevs.

😹 Laugh off the work week. Friends + Family vintage store in Cambridge is doubling as a comedy club on Thursday for a comedy show featuring local all-femme troupe Men in Comedy (ha!). 

🥵 Add a little spice to your week. And by spice, we mean the Boston JerkFest Caribbean Rum & Brew Tasting on Friday. Prepare for the holy trinity of food fests: Mouth-watering jerk dishes, rum, and live Caribbean music.

🦋 Bust out your butterfly clips. It’s Y2K night at The Greatest Bar on Friday, where they’ll be turning back the clock to when life was simpler and the music was everything. 

🇻🇳 Take a trip to Vietnam. Boston’s Little Saigon Night Market returns to Dorchester on Saturday. You can get a taste of the city’s Vietnamese cultural district via food vendors, entertainment, and more.

ONE LAST THING

An extended stay at Fenway

After nine long innings, most people are ready to leave Fenway ASAP. But for TikTok creator @gfedgocrazy, the end of the game was just the beginning of his experience. 

This TikToker’s niche is basically testing his limits by going to places he’s not allowed in sports venues across the country. He recently took his talents to Fenway to see how long he could stay in the stadium — and where he could get to — after the game ended without anyone stopping him. 

The answer? About an hour, and … pretty much everywhere (including private lounges and the Green Monster). Check out the full video here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

⚾ Thanks for reading! My anxiety would absolutely not allow me to try this, but if you can stomach a potential confrontation … why not see the Green Monster for free?

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, for supporting local journalism and making art accessible to all in Boston.

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