Boston, MA

‘The Fourth of July in Boston is the best place to be’: Massachusetts NASA astronaut calls the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from space

Published

2 years ago

July 4, 2024

‘The Fourth of July in Boston is the best place to be’: Massachusetts NASA astronaut calls the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from space

Needham native Suni Williams should have been home from the International Space Station by now, but despite still being in orbit, the NASA astronaut made an early call to the Esplanade for the Fourth.

“Hi, everybody! I’m so happy to be here,” Williams said in a call with Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart. “The Fourth of July in Boston is the best place to be. It’s where it all started.”

The call came in around 12:45 p.m., less than an hour after gates opened for the 50th Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

Thousands of people from near and far – decked out in America’s colors – trickled in throughout the day, packing the oval in front of the Hatch Shell and banks of the Charles River hours before the patriotic concert and display.

Williams called Lockhart alongside her five crewmates – all Americans – on the ISS. And even above the atmosphere, the Fourth of July provided a special meaning for the astronauts.

“We are having a lot of fun, being able to sleep in a little because it’s a holiday. We’re all Americans so …,” Williams said before the crew sang America the Beautiful.

Williams and crewmate Butch Wilmore on Tuesday climbed into Starliner at the ISS and worked with flight controllers and engineers during a power-up of the spacecraft, according to Boeing.

This week marks the fourth that Wiliams and Wilmore have been in orbit. The pair took off on a test drive of Boeing’s new capsule on June 5, and at the time, they expected to head home from the ISS in a week or so.

But equipment problems and helium leaks popped up on their way there, calling off three potential landing dates and putting their return flight on hold.

“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said last week.

Williams and Wilmore can stay docked at the ISS through the end of July, while Boeing continues to test the Starliner.

Despite what could be an uneasy situation, Williams and her crewmates were in good spirits Thursday, with the Needham native looking forward to finding out whether she could see the fireworks from space.

“This is my first Fourth of July up in space so I am excited to stay up a little bit later, take a nap … and try to see them.”

A crewmate added: “Everything looks like fireworks when you’re up here.”

Lockhart, speaking with reporters, called conducting the Boston Pops on the Fourth a “great responsibility and a great honor.” This is his 29th year leading the show.

While Lockhart said he’s looked to “keep traditions alive” such as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, the concert sees slight alterations each year.

“Somehow we try to make it reflective of America,” he said, “which is difficult this year because America is in a very strange place. … But we are trying to keep it light and hopeful and seek commonalities which is what this day is all about.”

Lou Spelios showed up at 3 a.m., nine hours before gates opened at noon – a tradition for the Back Bay resident. After reading about and watching the annual celebration on television since his childhood, he learned showing up before the crack of dawn is required to get a close seat.

“I love this concert,” Spelios told the Herald. “I love what it stands for – choice and our ability to function independently. That’s what we celebrate, just being able to control our own destiny.”

After wet and wild weather interrupted the festivities for several hours before the skies cleared last year, Thursday featured similar muggy conditions with oppressive humidity.

Camilla Erices, a native of Chile, and her boyfriend Adam Provost, of Springfield, came out for their first Fourth at the Esplanade.

“It’s been awesome,” Erices, of Haverhill, said of living in America and celebrating the nation’s 248th birthday in Boston. “I’ve been having a great experience. I’ve been living here for the past three years, but honestly, I have nothing bad to say.”

Provost said he has been trying to visit “all of the nation’s original hotspots” for the holiday including Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia. Being in Boston, he said he felt like he was “reliving history.”

“I just feel proud,” Provost said of being an American. “I feel safe, I go home and feel safe each night, and I know a lot of people don’t get that, and I am glad I do.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams of Needham made an early call to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. (Herald file photo)

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Boston, MA

This Marblehead man is running the Boston Marathon for his pediatric patients

Published

56 minutes ago

March 9, 2026

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Boston Marathon

“Every kid should have access to the best, most cutting edge treatments, and we aim to do that here, regardless of where the kids come from or what resources they have themselves.”

Ben Wishart is running the 2026 Boston Marathon. Brian Wishart

In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.

Name: Brian Wishart

Age: 42

City/State: Marblehead, Mass.

I am running as the Chief of the Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine division at Spaulding Rehab to help support the hospital and adaptive sports programs.

At Spaulding Rehabilitation, we have a full team that is really incredible at what they do. Each staff member, from the physicians, therapists, nurses, case managers, social workers, to the front desk and care assistants, are incredible.

We work everyday in inpatient, in the clinic, in the therapy gym, and doing research to bring these types of outcomes to all our patients. Though we see wonderful outcomes, there is always work to be done.

One of our goals is to really integrate the amazing research being done at Spaulding into clinical care.

Every kid should have access to the best, most cutting edge treatments, and we aim to do that here, regardless of where the kids come from or what resources they have themselves.

We also want to make sure we are thinking about some of those less flashy innovations in terms of how we are educating or empowering our patients, or how we are supporting and helping them cope with a new reality.

Pediatric care is resource intensive, from needing a lot of expertise to just needing multiple sizes of each piece of equipment.

I am working to raise funds and support to really think broadly and expansively about what we are doing and how we provide care everyday for every patient.

That may mean bringing meaningful research to the clinical setting or ensuring there are enough child life specialists available with the resources they need to make these children comfortable in the hospital.

It is a privilege what I get to do every day and I thank you all sincerely for any support!

Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.

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Boston, MA

Boston’s season stays alive with dramatic buzzer-beater to advance to conference title game

Published

13 hours ago

March 9, 2026

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Boston’s season stays alive with dramatic buzzer-beater to advance to conference title game

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The Boston Terriers men’s basketball team advanced to the Patriot League finals on Sunday with a nail-biting victory over the Navy Midshipmen, 73-72.

And it couldn’t have come closer than what took place at the end of the second half.

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Boston University Terriers guard Michael McNair (20) drives to the basket against Northwestern Wildcats forward Arrinten Page (22) during the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Nov. 7, 2025. (David Banks/Imagn Images)

Chance Gladden #2 of the Boston University Terriers is defended by Ben Eisendrath #5 of the Harvard Crimson during the 2025 college Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase game between Harvard Crimson and Boston University Terriers on Nov. 22, 2025, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Terriers came into the game as the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. The Midshipmen had the best record in the conference and were the No. 1 seed. The game was tied at 70 apiece with Navy inbounding the ball from the other side of the court with about 8.4 seconds left in the game.

Navy’s Austin Benigni received the pass and took the ball coast-to-coast for the go-ahead layup.

Boston’s Chance Gladden received the ball quickly in a last-ditch effort to try to put the Terriers back up. He dribbled up the court, went behind his back as he crossed mid-court and threw up a prayer from well beyond the 3-point line. It went in.

Navy Midshipmen’s mascot, Bill the Goat, in the stand during the Army/Navy basketball game on Feb. 21, 2026, at Christl Arena in West Point, New York. (David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The Terriers improved to 17-16 on the season and still have hopes that they could punch their ticket to the dance with a win in the Patriot League Championship. Navy, with a record of 26-7, may be on the outside looking into the NCAA Tournament this season.

Gladden finished with 26 points on 8-of-12 from the field. He made three 3-pointers and had four assists to his credit. Michael McNair added 22 points.

Navy’s Aidan Kehoe had 26 points, 12 rebounds and five steals in the loss. Benigni added 17 points.

A detailed view of the Patriot League conference logo shown on the floor before a college basketball game between the American Eagles and the Navy Midshipmen at Bender Arena on Jan. 12, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

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Boston will play Lehigh in the Patriot League Championship on Wednesday.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

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Boston, MA

Flights to and from Middle East keep getting canceled at Boston Logan

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

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Flights to and from Middle East keep getting canceled at Boston Logan

As tensions remain high in the Middle East, travel continues to be impacted across the globe.

Flights to and from the Middle East keep getting canceled at Boston Logan International Airport, and there were no signs of improvement Sunday as Americans are left scrambling to get to safety. The Trump administration has promised to help but getting out isn’t easy.

Several flights from Dubai to Boston were canceled Sunday, and aviation experts say about 3,000 seats per day go through Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Without them, people are trying to get home through Europe or Asia.

When not in use by the team during the NFL season, the Patriots team plane is operated by a charter company for various flights.

Meanwhile, Iran’s busiest airport was hit by strikes with Israel later saying it was being used to transfer weapons to regime allies in the region.

The Iranian foreign minister spoke on Meet the Press Sunday about what it would take to agree to a ceasefire and ultimately end the war.

“Nobody wants to continue this war. This is not our war. This is not a war of our choice. This is imposed on us by the United States, by Israelis…” Abbas Araghchi said. “People have been killed. Places have been destroyed and now they want to ask for a ceasefire again? This doesn’t work like this.”

With no clear end to this conflict and airlines backed up as it is, experts say it will take a while to get people where they need to go, though the State Department says it has chartered many flights to bring Americans home, including chartering the Patriots plane.

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