Boston will launch a new health equity initiative to address improve and address disparities in life expectancy across the city, Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Public Health Commission announced.
“Boston is a city that is rich with high quality health care resources,” said Commissioner of Public Health Bisola Ojikutu. “Yet, we have long-standing gaps in life expectancy and other health outcomes by race, ethnicity and neighborhood. In order to close these gaps, we need to focus on drivers of poor health that exist outside the walls of health care institutions, like poverty and economic inequality.”
City officials announced the start of the Live Long and Well agenda at a press conference at Vine Street Community Center in Roxbury. The agenda, kicking off with $10 million in funding from the Atrius Health Equity Foundation, will facilitate community partnerships and focus on Boston’s three leading causes of premature mortality: cardiometabolic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, cancers of the breast, cervix, colon, prostate, and lung, and drug overdoses.
While overall average life expectancy in Boston rebounded to 82 years since the pandemic and remains high for the country, stark disparities remain, speakers noted.
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A BPHC’s Health of Boston 2023 report found that the average life expectancy in the Nubian Square area of Roxbury is 69 years old. Two miles over in Back Bay, the average life expectancy rises to 92 years old, 23 more years.
“The difference between Back Bay and Roxbury isn’t just distance — it’s income, it’s parks and green spaces, it’s access to healthy affordable food, education and opportunity,” Wu said. “And so our health equity agenda is designed to take these gaps on directly and to build on all the work that’s already happening in the community, across every department in the city, every neighborhood across Boston.”
The same 2023 report found that the racial gap in life expectancy in Boston has widened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic in 2019 Black residents of Boston lived until 77 on average, four years less than white residents. In 2023, Black residents lived until 76 years on average, six years less than white residents.
In terms of cardiometabolic diseases, Black residents died of diabetes at a 220% higher rate than white residents, the Health of Boston 2023 report found, and of heart disease at a 37% higher rate. Latino residents died of diabetes at an 80% higher rate than white residents.
The $10 million from Atrius Health Equity Foundation will support “community-led coalitions to improve financial wellbeing in communities with poor cardiometabolic health outcomes” as part of a strategy developed by the Boston Community Health Collaborative, the city said.
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The city will be seeking proposals to work with organizations on this initiative helping at-risk residents “meet basic needs, have more access to financial supports and wealth-building opportunities, and navigate complex healthcare and social support systems.”
The agenda includes several existing programs and initiatives to prevent cardiometabolic diseases. Further details are listed on the Live Long and Well agenda on boston.gov/live-long.
Indiana Pacers (15-17, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (23-8, second in the Eastern Conference)
Boston; Sunday, 6 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Boston takes on the Indiana Pacers after Jaylen Brown scored 44 points in the Boston Celtics’ 142-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
The Celtics are 21-6 in conference matchups. Boston has a 3-2 record in one-possession games.
The Pacers are 8-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Indiana gives up 116.8 points to opponents while being outscored by 2.4 points per game.
The Celtics are shooting 45.8% from the field this season, 1.8 percentage points lower than the 47.6% the Pacers allow to opponents. The Pacers average 12.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, the same that the Celtics give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jayson Tatum is averaging 28.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the Celtics.
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Pascal Siakam is scoring 19.9 points per game and averaging 7.2 rebounds for the Pacers.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 6-4, averaging 118.8 points, 49.0 rebounds, 25.9 assists, 7.8 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.5 points per game.
Pacers: 6-4, averaging 114.3 points, 42.8 rebounds, 29.1 assists, 7.2 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.9 points.
INJURIES: Celtics: Jrue Holiday: day to day (shoulder), Kristaps Porzingis: day to day (ankle).
Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf), Andrew Nembhard: day to day (knee), James Wiseman: out for season (calf), Obi Toppin: day to day (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Bruins will kickstart a home-and-home series with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, with the first leg coming at Nationwide Arena.
Boston will keep its lineup from before Christmas.
Charlie Coyle will remain on the same line as Elias Lindholm and Brad Marchand, while Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak will remain together. Cole Koepke is expected to remain in the lineup in place of Marc McLaughlin, though Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco hadn’t made a final decision following morning skate.
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“The start is going to be important for us tonight,” Sacco said, per team-provided video. “I would imagine they’re going to come out with some pace tonight in their game and we have to be ready to respond to that.”
Joonas Korpisalo will get the start over Jeremy Swayman.
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Boston and Columbus are set to drop the puck at 7 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
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We have the projected lines and defensive pairings for both sides:
BOSTON BRUINS (19-13-4) Brad Marchand — Elias Lindholm — Charlie Coyle Morgan Geekie — Pavel Zacha — David Pastrnak Justin Brazeau — Trent Frederic — Oliver Wahlstrom John Beecher — Mark Kastelic — Cole Koepke
Nikita Zadorov — Charlie McAvoy Jordan Oesterle — Brandon Carlo Mason Lohrei — Andrew Peeke
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Joonas Korpisalo
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (14-15-6) Dmitri Voronkov — Sean Monahan — Kirill Marchenko James van Riemsdyk — Adam Fantilli — Zach Aston-Reese Kent Johnson — Cole Sillinger — Mathieu Olivier Mikael Pyyhtia — Sean Kuraly — Jack Johnson
A restaurant ruckus. A topless march. A Market Basket brouhaha. These were among the weirdest developments of the year, readers say — but they weren’t the only ones.
The Tom Brady roast, a topless protest, Tom Holland and Zendaya visits, Ayo Edebiri’s favorite dessert, Jen Royle’s reservation ruckus, Dave Portnoy’s misadventures, and the Joro spider all got way too much attention in 2024. Design by Kelly Chan/Boston.com. Photos by: Adam Rose/Netflix; Joseph Prezioso/AFP; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images; Boston Globe file photo; Boston Globe file photo; Kayla Bartkowski for the Boston Globe; @drdavecoyle, Clemson University
There’s news that makes you go “Hmmm…” And then there’s news that makes you go “Whaaa?” These are the second kind.
We asked Boston.com readers which weird, wacky, and offbeat Boston-area stories garnered their attention most during 2024, and they didn’t hold back. We received about 400 responses mentioning any number of local developments that you’d be tempted to think somebody made up, if you didn’t know they were true.
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Below we count down the top five, along with some others readers found worthy of note. And meanwhile, who knows: 2025 might be even weirder.
5. The great North End dining reservation battle (9%)
Restaurateurs everywhere must wish they had the faccia tostaof Jen Royle, the Boston restaurant owner who doesn’t take guff from anybody — especially customers who try to get out of their reservations. When a tourist (from New York!) did an end-run around Royle’s reservation policy at her North End TABLE restaurant in February, using his credit card insurance to avoid paying a $250 cancellation fee, she allegedly tracked him down on social media and let him have it. “I just wanted to personally thank you for screwing over my restaurant and my staff when you disputed your cancellation fee,” she wrote in a message that the man screen-shotted and shared on social media, where it was viewed by tens of millions. “Pathetic,” Royle added, for good measure.
Tracking down would-be customers to give them a flogging may not be the best business decision, but anybody who’s ever dealt with a tough customer in their line of work has got to appreciate Royle’s gumption. “Heroine archetype that you ultimately cannot help but root for,” wrote Mink S. from Dorchester, citing both Royle and a certain other 2024 standout you’ll see mentioned in No. 1, below. “Flawed but fascinating!” We concur, Mink.
4. Dave Portnoy, in general (10%)
Is it just us, or is Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy suddenly, well, everywhere? The man gets within whiffing distance of a pizza place and the entire world stops turning as people await his latest “One Bite” review. (Even if he doesn’t always get them right, once the New York Times has dubbed you a “pizza influencer” you can basically say whatever you want.)
As if that weren’t enough, back in July he had to go and get himself stranded at sea off the coast of Nantucket when his boat’s engine and breakers died, necessitating a Coast Guard rescue. He chronicled the whole ordeal (where else?) on TikTok, declaring that “Captain Dave lives to tell another tale.” Not everybody is a fan — “Only follow the Portnoy stories to see what moronic thing he’s said lately,” wrote Mark M. from Danvers — but there’s no denying that the lucky owner of a new $42 million Nantucket mansion is riding pretty high.
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3. The Boston topless protest (11%)
“It’s not about the top; it’s about oppression,” Katrina Brees, the co-organizer of a topless protest in Boston last August, told Boston.com. And now that we’ve cleared that up you can all get your minds out of the gutter, the 11% of you who mentioned this as your favorite off-beat story of the year. We know you’re mostly men, because a subsequent survey we did showed that men overwhelmingly wanted women to be able to take their shirts off in public. Women, on the other hand, tended to be more in favor of men keeping their own shirts ON, because they’ve been to a beach and have seen things. Enough said.
And in case you were wondering, about six women wound up going topless at the protest, and about 100 people showed up to ogle them. We’re not sure if that’s progress, but we do know that it proved a challenge for news photographers.
2. The Tom Brady Roast (20%)
Tom Brady may have long since moved on from the Patriots to greener pastures — i.e. a Super Bowl win with Tampa Bay and a zillion-dollar contract with Fox Sports — but that didn’t stop Bostonites from lapping up every minute of Netlfix’s roast of the quarterback last May. (And there were a lot of minutes — the thing actually hit the three-hour mark.)
“I’m still aghast at the Brady roast,” wrote Bob from Stoughton, but just because people were aghast (or perhaps even agog), that didn’t mean they could turn away. This outlet alone did close to a dozen stories on it, and you just kept reading them! Never let it be said we don’t give the people what they want.
For Brady’s part, it became increasingly obvious over the course of the evening that he may not have really understood what a roast was — that’s one of those things you might miss if you spend every waking moment of your life for two decades studying play calls and eating kale. And he said afterwards he wouldn’t do it again, mainly so his kids wouldn’t have to hear people quoting Nikki Glaser lines back to them. That’s not good for anybody.
Madison Murray in her natural habitat, Saugus. – Courtesy Photo
The world has a new folk hero, and no, we don’t mean Luigi Mangione. We’re talking about Madison Murray: When her spoof of the Market Basket logo to promote her erotic art and poetry book prompted a cease-and-desist from the beloved local supermarket, she wound up ceasing-and-desisting her way right into our hearts.
“Madison Murray is an amazing artist doing hilarious, wonderful niche work of representing us working class kids on the North Shore,” wrote Desiree D. of Medford, echoing dozens of other readers singing Murray’s praises. “Her feud with Market Basket will be one of my top Boston moments of all time.” Did you hear that? Of all time!
For her part, Murray says she never meant to offend the grocery chain with her “Wh*** For Your Dollar” merchandise or the pictures of her wearing a bikini made out of Market Basket plastic bags (the old, un-environmentally friendly kind). “Like, I love Market Basket,” she told Boston.com. “I would never, ever try to tarnish their brand. If anything, I created it to try to pay homage and show my love for Market Basket even more.” Meanwhile, Boston.com readers have shown their love for you, Madison! That and 99 cents will get you a bottle of Chelmsford soda.
Honorable mentions:
The New Hampshire Diaper Spa: Let’s face it, calling your business “The Diaper Spa” — a nursery-like business for adults who role play as children and [checks notes] wear diapers — is probably going to get you into trouble with the neighbors, which is exactly what happened in Atkinson, New Hampshire, this year. Not that we can think of anything better … “Babies R Us,” maybe? (On second thought, never mind.) “The diaper thing was funny, but not my top choice — seems like more of a bottom,” wrote Alison from New Hampshire.
The Bourne Rotary stealth camper: There are probably worse ways to get YouTube famous than by sleeping out in the iconic rotary at the entrance to Cape Cod, cooking up a lobster roll, and waking up covered in pine sap. But there are probably better ways too.
Celebrities take over Boston: We’ve had our share in Boston and the surrounding area this year, including the likes of Jason Momoa, Channing Tatum, Larry David, and Renee Rapp and Ed Sheeran, not to mention local fixtures like Matt Damon and John Krasinski. And most recently, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya sightings have become so common that the TV news doesn’t even notice them anymore. Bonus: Where goeth Zendaya also goeth Tom Holland, and/or his lookalikes.
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Joro spider hits Beacon Hill: The arrival of the Joro spider — you know, that invasive, bright yellow-and-blue arachnid that can grow to about the size of your palm — in Boston in September caused, well, just about the amount of panic you’d expect. “Grab the flamethrowers!” exclaimed Christine M. of Westboro in response to our poll on the matter, which found that 41% of readers classified the spider’s arrival as among their “worst nightmares.”
Ayo Edebiri reveals her favorite dessert: The Boston-born star of “The Bear” told Seth Meyers about The Cool Dog — the frozen treat remembered only by dyed-in-the-wool New Englanders — and the rest was history. “Cool Dogs forever!” wrote Em P. from Cambridge.
Stay tuned for a full list of the most-read stories on Boston.com in 2024 next week.
Peter Chianca
General Assignment Editor
Peter Chianca, Boston.com’s general assignment editor since 2019, is a longtime news editor, columnist, and music writer in the Greater Boston area.
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