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Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick will sit for a second head-coaching interview with the Falcons this weekend, according to the NFL Network.
Belichick, 71, reportedly met with Atlanta owner Arthur Blank one-on-one earlier this week. Belichick is the only candidate among the seven the Falcons have interviewed to earn a second meeting. He is expected to soon meet with a contingent including general manager Terry Fontenot and CEO Rich McKay.
Atlanta is the only franchise with a head-coaching vacancy known to have interest in Belichick, who parted with the Patriots last week after a legendary 24-year run. Under his leadership, the Patriots enjoyed unprecedented success highlighted by six Super Bowl titles. Owner Robert Kraft introduced Jerod Mayo as Belichick’s successor during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
The Falcons fired ex-coach Arthur Smith last week after three consecutive 7-10 seasons. The other coaches who have interviewed to replace him include Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald among others.
Unless the Falcons hold an in-person interview with an external, minority candidate not currently employed by an NFL team in the coming days, the earliest they can hire Belichick is Monday, Jan. 22. Franchises with head-coaching vacancies must interview at least two external minority candidates during their searches and hold one in-person interview, per league rules. In-person interviews with coaches employed by NFL teams cannot be held until Jan. 22, and thus far, Belichick and Harbaugh are Atlanta’s only candidates not currently working in the league.
If Belichick is hired, it’s expected he will recruit assistant coaches from a candidate pool that Mayo will also be targeting. Most Patriots assistants have been on vacation the past two weeks and are due to report back to Foxboro on Monday. According to reports, Mayo has already initiated coaching searches for his next defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator.
BOSTON, MA — An iconic Massachusetts bakery is opening inside Boston Logan Airport later this year.
Mike’s Pastry, the longtime North End bakery known for its cannoli, cookies and other Italian desserts, will open a new location in Terminal C at Boston Logan International Airport later this year, according to MarketPlace Development and Massport.
The new shop will offer signature Mike’s Pastry items along with travel-ready selections, including filled-to-order cannoli in multiple flavors, cheesecake slices, lobster tails and a full espresso bar.
Mike’s Pastry was founded in Boston’s North End in 1946 and has grown into one of the city’s best-known bakeries, with several locations across Greater Boston. The new location is expected to be open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“We’re thrilled to bring iconic North End favorite Mike’s Pastry to Boston Logan, giving visitors even more variety of Boston flavors,” Massport CEO Rich Davey said in the announcement. “This addition reflects our continued commitment to elevating the passenger experience by bringing local culture to the terminals through live entertainment, classic culinary favorites and more.”
Mike’s Pastry owner Angelo Papa said the airport opening will give travelers a chance to pick up a familiar Boston staple before departure or after landing.
“Mike’s Pastry has always been about sharing a piece of Boston with everyone who walks through our doors,” Papa said. “Bringing that experience to Boston Logan is special for us.”
The Terminal C shop will pair Mike’s Pastry’s North End identity with a more modern airport design, featuring the bakery’s gold tones along with blue and white accents, solid-surface countertops and illuminated pastry display cases.
This is just one of several new food and beverage outlets expected to open at Boston Logan Airport this year.
Earlier this year, a modern-day fish shack with counter service and seating, Roger’s Fish Co. , officially opened in Terminal A at the airport.
Meanwhile, CAVA and Berkshire Farm to Flight were some othere new arrivals in the airport’s Terminal B.
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Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics was asked a couple months ago about the possibility of winning the Coach of the Year award this season, and his answer was succinct.
“I don’t need it,” he said back in March. “I think it’s a stupid award.”
On Tuesday, Mazzulla won a stupid award.
Mazzulla was announced as the NBA’s top coach for 2025-26, after the Celtics earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference — despite playing most of the year without Jayson Tatum while he recovered from Achilles surgery and amid rebuilding expectations from many following the departures of players like Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
To be very clear, Mazzulla’s dismissal of the award in March was for one reason — he thinks it should be more of a “coaching staff of the year” than a “coach of the year” award, and that is a noble approach. He repeated that during Tuesday night’s announcement of his win, beginning his remarks on NBC by thanking those who made it possible.
“The long nights, the trips, game plans, the video guys that are clipping up the film and coding it, the assistants who are putting in the game plan, I think there’s so much that goes into winning one game,” Mazzulla said. “It starts with the players, but it goes to our staff. I feel bad that they’re not here — but forever indebted to the guys that we have that give up time with their families and their time to give us a chance to win every day.”
The 37-year-old Mazzulla is the youngest winner of the award since Phil Johnson in 1975, the NBA said.
Fittingly, the Celtics coach will get the Red Auerbach Trophy — which is named for the legendary Celtics coach. Mazzulla becomes the fourth Boston coach to win the award, following Auerbach in 1965, Tom Heisohn in 1973 and Bill Fitch in 1980. Auerbach, a Hall of Famer, guided the Celtics to nine NBA championships, including eight in a row from 1959 through 1966.
“This is well deserved recognition and a testament to both Joe and his staff,” Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens said. “With all of our unknowns entering the season, Joe did a fantastic job building and growing a team. He pours everything he has into competing at a high level, while helping players find the best versions of themselves within the framework of a team.”
Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff — for the second consecutive year — finished second, and San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson placed third.
The award is based on regular-season results only. Votes from the panel of 100 reporters and broadcasters who cover the NBA were turned in during the play-in tournament, which was more than a month ago.
The Coach of the Year award — the one handed out Tuesday is separate from the one presented earlier this spring by the National Basketball Coaches Association, which Bickerstaff won — is the last of the major awards given out by the NBA to commemorate the best of the 2025-26 season.
The rundown of awards:
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Crime
A Boston man was arrested in relation to a Dorchester shooting that left one injured earlier this month, police announced Friday.
Chivaugn Nettles, 21, faces multiple felony charges, including assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and carrying a loaded firearm without a license, according to a statement from the Boston Police Department.
Nettles was taken into custody at his home “without incident” following an investigation that involved the review of surveillance footage and the execution of search warrants on both a Huntington Avenue home and a suspect vehicle, police said.
The shooting occurred around 1:20 a.m. on May 13 near 25 Dacia St. During an investigation, officers located shell casings, projectile fragments, and “two small blood trails” along a building, according to a police report.
Residents at both 25 and 33 Dacia St. were found to be not hurt, though one person sustained “nonlife-threatening injuries,” police said.
During his arraignment Friday in the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court, Nettles entered a plea of not guilty to all charges, according to court records. He is being held without bail until a dangerousness hearing set for Wednesday morning.
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