Boston mayor apologizes for city response to 1989 Carol Stuart murder
Boston’s mayor apologized to two Black men wrongfully accused of murder in 1989, as well as the city’s Black community for the harassment afterward.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has shared some exciting personal news: she’s expecting.
Wu is pregnant with her third child, she said in an interview with The Boston Globe Monday. A campaign representative confirmed the news in an email statement to the USA Today Network Tuesday.
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The 39-year-old, who is already a mom to two sons, is due in January. Wu, who has been the city’s mayor since 2021, told the Globe she’s expecting a girl.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu pregnancy announcement
In her statement, Wu said that the demands of motherhood motivate her career.
“I’ve been a mom and caregiver as long as I have been in public service,” Wu said. “It’s that daily juggle—and the struggle and dreams of families across our neighborhoods—that keep me grounded in the work and moving with urgency.”
Wu has long championed working parenthood.
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As a city councilor in 2015, she created an ordinance to give city employees six weeks of paid parental leave. She was also the first city councilor in Boston’s history to give birth while serving on the council.
How many kids does Boston Mayor Michelle Wu have?
Wu has two sons with husband with husband Conor Pewarski.
She gave birth to son Blaise, 9, in 2014 while serving on the Boston City Council.
In 2017, she gave birth to her second son, Cass, 7, while she was the Council’s president.
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What to know about Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s family
Wu is the daughter of immigrants from Taiwan.
She is the first person of color to be elected Boston’s mayor. She was also the first Asian American woman to serve on Boston City Council.
She has been open about her mother’s struggle with mental illness, which led her to become a caregiver for her siblings in her early twenties.
Is Boston Mayor Michelle Wu running for reelection?
While Wu has not officially launched a reelection campaign for mayor, she told the Globe she plans to run.
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The next Boston mayoral election will take place in November 2025.
Boston is among 16 U.S. cities hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
Courtesy of Meet Boston
Boston is among the 16 host cities across North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Beantown is full of activities catering to visiting ticket holders. While seven matches will happen at Boston Stadium—the temporary name change for Gillette Stadium being used during the tournament—the city itself will offer much to see and do.
Where In Boston To Watch FIFA World Cup
A press conference announcing that Boston City Hall Plaza will host a fan event during the 2026 FIFA World Cup happened this past February.
Boston Globe via Getty Images
As an alternative to trekking out to this stadium in Foxborough, Boston City Hall Plaza will become the location for Boston’s FIFA World Cup Fan Festival. This plaza will be equipped with large outdoor viewing screens, interactive games, live performances and many global food and beverage vendors.
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From June 12 through June 27, festival attendees can experience these happenings at this plaza located at 1 City Hall Square. A complete schedule can be found here.
Where In Boston To Stay During FIFA World Cup
Raffles Boston, which is offering a 2026 FIFA World Cup package, is the first North American property from the Raffles Hotels & Resorts brand.
Courtesy of Meet Boston
Hotels in Boston are offering unique packages in timing with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In the Back Bay neighborhood, Raffles Boston is offering The Sky to Stadium Presidential Experience that helps overnight guests skip area traffic and arrive in style. At the cost of $75,000, this luxe package presents a three-night stay in the hotel’s Presidential Suite, with chef-curated welcome bites, and a 90-minute Equilibrium Ritual at Guerlain Spa.
This package also offers VIP access to game day via private helicopter transfer, a dedicated Match Day Butler, premium stadium seating and all-inclusive hospitality. While at Raffles Boston, get a reservation for their swank speakeasy, Blind Duck.
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The XV Beacon Hotel is among hotels in Boston offering FIFA World Cup related packages.
Courtesy of Meet Boston
XV Beacon Hotel in Beacon Hill has launched theWorld Cup Hotel Package at XV Beacon. It includes an elevated multi-night stay for two guests, featuring curated experiences and starting at $12,000.
The Dagny in downtown Boston has a World Football Fan 2026 Savings offer. Enjoy on-property match screenings at Fin Point and Tradesman with elevated game-day food and drinks, and turn to the concierge expertise of the Les Clefs d’Or team for transportation timing, dining reservations and curated itineraries.
A designated Boston Stadium Express pickup location, The Dagny will offer direct scheduled service to and from Boston Stadium on match days.
The lobby of The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Boston will become a major FIFA World Cup watching spot.
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Courtesy of Meet Boston
On Boston match days, the lobby of The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Boston will turn into a social viewing hub with large-scale projections, complimentary entry, and rotating country-inspired cocktails and bites.
Trillium Garden at Boston Harbor Hotel will be home to outdoor viewing parties, as well as feature live music Tuesdays through Fridays in June, July and August from 6 to 10 p.m.
Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport’s All Access Pass makes any local sporting event, concert, or activation to be booked for overnight guests by hotel staff possible.
The recently-opened Atlas Hotel Boston in Allston made news for having 311 Omakase, the only restaurant in Boston with a Michelin star.
Where To Eat In Boston During FIFA World Cup
Boston’s Chinatown is one of many neighborhoods offering dining options amid the FIFA World Cup.
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Courtesy of Meet Boston
The MICHELIN Guide was introduced to Greater Boston in 2025 but Boston’s culinary landscape is quite stellar. Its richness is reflected in Boston’s minority- and immigrant-owned culinary institutions across its diverse neighborhoods.
Roxbury boasts African-influenced culinary roots and Cape Verdean specialties, anchored by local favorites such as Restaurante Cesaria. One of the city’s first Cape Verdean restaurants, this restaurant reflects Cape Verdean diet along with contemporary and American-influenced alternatives.
Jamaica Plain is the go-to neighborhood for authentic Caribbean and Latin American eateries. Among others, Santia’s Bakery is a beloved for their Dominican baked goods.
In Chinatown, find many restaurants, bakeries, and cafes. For dim sum, Hei La Moon is home to a bi-level, hall-style emporium while Winsor Dim Sum Café presents an expansive menu and outstanding congee. Taiwan Café offers delicious fish hot pots and soup dumplings, while Shabu-Zen is great for shabu-shabu (Japanese-style hot pot).
Boston’s North End neighborhood is also referred to as “Little Italy.”
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Boston Globe via Getty Images
Boston’s North End is the city’s “Little Italy,” with Italian bakeries, restaurants and eateries. Modern Pastry Shop is for buying sfogliatella (lobster tails). Mike’s Pastry has customers lining up to buy their jumbo-sized cannoli and Bova’s Bakery is a city institution. Be sure to get Italian breads from Parziale’s Bakery, a longtime hole-in-the-wall.
With restaurants, Carmelina’s offers strong Sicilian flavors amid an open-kitchen format. For a romantic mood, the upscale Mamma Mia is set within a historic townhouse with popular choices such as osso buco. Galleria Umberto is a cash-only favorite for Sicilian-style pizza and arancini.
Irish heritage is also entwined with Boston’s history through pubs ranging from The Druid and Banshee, to Mr. Dooley’s, The Druid and Sly Fox.
What to Do In Boston During FIFA World Cup
In honoring America’s 250th, Boston will host Sail Boston 2026.
Courtesy of Meet Boaton
Along with partly hosting the FIFA World Cup, Boston is among the U.S. cities linked historically to America’s 250th. As the birthplace of the American Revolution, Boston will become a centerpiece of this year’s semiquincentennial.
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Families can walk the Freedom Trail to 16 iconic sites, from the Paul Revere House to Bunker Hill Monument; the trail turns 75 this year. Follow along the Boston Irish Heritage Trail, which pays tribute to Bostonians of Irish ancestry, as well.
The city will also host Sail Boston 2026, a global maritime spectacular filling Boston Harbor with historic and modern vessels. Dates are July 11-16.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is one of Boston’s must-visit attractions.
Courtesy of Meet Boson
Cultural institutions are joining in the festivities, too. The Museum of Fine Arts reopens its 18th-century Art of the Americas galleries on June 19, spotlighting how artists shaped the Revolutionary era.
Year-round, the USS Constitution Museum and Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Boston show many sides of the American Revolution.
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The JFK Library & Museum celebrates our 35th U.S. President and Boston native. Other Boston favorites include the New England Aquarium, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Boston Common.
View Boston provides overhead city views from this 360-degree observation deck.
How To Get Around Boston During FIFA World Cup
While Boston is a walkable city, visitors can get around via the “T” subway system, bus, ferry, or bike rental.
Courtesy of Meet Boaton
Boston has many options for getting around town.
As an alternative to driving, take Amtrak via their Northeast Regional route, stopping at South Station and Back Bay Station. Their Downeaster route also services North Station.
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Riding the “T” subway system involves using its tap-and-pay method or purchasing a reloadable Charlie Card at fare gates and bus validators.
Four color-coded lines (Red, Orange, Blue and Green) connect downtown Boston to surrounding neighborhoods. The Green Line operates more so as a streetcar with four branching routes (B, C, D and E).
The Silver Line (SL) is a bus rapid transit system operating in dedicated tunnels. It’s free for passengers traveling from Logan Airport into Boston.
Bluebikes, Boston’s regional bike-share system, has docking stations across the city, along with in Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline.
Cruise around Boston Harbor via the MBTA ferry or flag down private water taxis, such as Rowes Wharf Water Transport, to travel between the Seaport District, Charlestown and Logan Airport.
The city of Boston is officially adopting a new Massachusetts law that lets restaurants and bars serve alcohol until 3 a.m. amid World Cup celebrations this summer.
Mayor Michelle Wu said businesses that are currently licensed to stay open until 2 a.m. can now apply through the city’s Licensing Board to extend alcohol and entertainment hours through 3 a.m. Places that usually close earlier than 2 a.m. can also apply to push back their operating times by another hour.
The new law gives cities and towns the power to decide whether or not to allow a later “last call” through July 31. It also authorizes municipalities to designate outdoor spaces on streets or at parks where public drinking is allowed if drinks are bought from licensed establishments within the special zones.
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Boston said Wednesday it will also soon reveal “a designated social district where public consumption of alcohol will be permitted.”
According to Wu, applicants for a later last call can get same-day approval to push back closing hours.
“We’re eager for Boston’s small businesses to share in the economic opportunities created by this summer’s special events, building on our recent progress expanding nightlife and late-hour activity,” the mayor said in a statement.
While the prospect of keeping the party going later in Boston is exciting for soccer fans, some restaurants and bars have told WBZ-TV they aren’t sure it will work for their business.
The first World Cup match at “Boston Stadium” in Foxboro is scheduled for Saturday when Haiti plays Scotland. Boston is hosting a FIFA Fan Festival on City Hall Plaza, as well as six free neighborhood watch parties around the city.