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Boston, pro soccer team sued over White Stadium redevelopment

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Boston, pro soccer team sued over White Stadium redevelopment


Neighbors and park advocates have filed a lawsuit against the city and a professional women’s soccer team planning to restore and use Franklin Park’s White Stadium, stating that such a use would unconstitutionally privatize the land.

Mayor Michelle Wu pushed back on that claim, however, stating that any attempts to paint the redevelopment project as a privatization of White Stadium was “either a misunderstanding or a misrepresentation.”

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court, the plaintiffs also allege that redevelopment plans would largely displace Boston Public School student-athletes and community members who regularly use the park and stadium, and were made hastily by the city and Boston Unity Soccer Partners without public input.

“We have heard from many members of the community who are deeply concerned about the proposal by Boston Unity Soccer Partners to redevelop and privatize White Stadium and 1.5 acres of surrounding public parkland in order to support the unique needs of a profit-driven professional sports team,” Karen Mauney-Brodek, president of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, said on a Wednesday press call.

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Mauney-Brodek said the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, a nonprofit park advocacy group joined by 15 city residents in filing the lawsuit, “shares their concerns over the unconstitutional privatization of public land.”

“We support the renovation of White Stadium and Franklin Park, but we do not support the required involvement of a professional sports team that would displace the local community for the next 30 years while privatizing and profiting from this public resource,” she said. “This major redevelopment is being fast-tracked without adequate community input or proper environmental review.”

In filing the lawsuit, Mauney-Brodek said, the plaintiffs are “asking the city to slow down and respect the public process.”

The 22-page court filing lays out a number of grievances with the plan, which, according to the plaintiffs, calls for White Stadium to be reserved exclusively for use by the new professional women’s soccer team for 20 weekend days from April to November, roughly 77% of Saturdays during the warmer months.

The lawsuit also states that the pitch will be reserved as pro soccer practice sessions for 20 Friday evenings, and that Boston Public School football games traditionally held at the stadium will be displaced.

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It also alleges several legal violations on the city and state level.

The project, according to the lawsuit, would “illegally transfer the public trust lands” held by the beneficiaries of the White Fund Trust “to private parties, ensuring extensive, exclusive use” of those lands by a private party for the operation of a professional sports team.

The city has “failed to consider any alternatives to the project,” the lawsuit states, “all while rapidly ignoring the terms of the White Fund Trust and the requirements of Article 97,” which requires two-thirds approval from the state Legislature for other uses for land or easements taken or acquired for conservation purposes.

It also lists concerns with how the project was handled in city zoning review.

Mayor Wu pushed back on those claims, which included making a point to dispute assertions of privatization, stating, “To say that this would be privatizing White Stadium is either a misunderstanding or a misrepresentation.”

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“It’s true that if this were any other park we couldn’t just build a stadium out of nowhere without any special process for that,” Wu told reporters at an unrelated event on Wednesday. “But this is an existing stadium. It’s been used by and dedicated to Boston Public School student-athletes. It will continue to be used that way so these legal claims are without merit.”

Renovations at the dilapidated park and stadium — where half of the grandstands are burned out from a recent fire — would triple the number of hours the stadium could be used, 90% of which would be dedicated to Boston Public School student-athletes and the community, the mayor said.

According to the lawsuit, Boston Unity will contribute $30 million and the city will put in roughly $50 million.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity this represents, bringing in a pro team, to help invest in and renovate an existing stadium,” Wu said.

Boston Unity Soccer Partners, an all-female ownership group, was the only respondent to the city’s request for proposals for White Stadium and won an expansion bid in September to become the National Women’s Soccer League’s 15th team.

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It plans to start playing at the renovated stadium in the spring of 2026. Boston Unity pointed to its efforts to include the community in the restoration process, and emphasized its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

About 95% of the team will be invested by women and 40% by people of color, Boston Globe CEO Linda Pizzuti Henry is one of the investors. Boston Unity has said that construction, which includes adding 1,000 seats to the 10,000-seat stadium, would generate 500 jobs and that 300 jobs will be created permanently.

“Community collaboration is a core value of Boston Unity Soccer Partners because sports teams and stadiums by their very nature are community assets,” Boston Unity said in a statement, adding that it plans to continue that comprehensive engagement process to listen, address concerns and ensure input is reflected.

“Together we will continue this process to realize our shared vision to develop a beautiful facility that positively impacts the neighborhoods around Franklin Park, provides opportunities for Boston Public School student-athletes and greater access for surrounding communities,” the statement said.



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Boston, MA

Man stabbed 5 times as argument spills out of Boston concert hall, DA says

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Man stabbed 5 times as argument spills out of Boston concert hall, DA says


A man is facing charges for stabbing someone five times outside a Boston music venue this month, prosecutors said.

Witnesses told investigators the fight that led to the stabbing early Dec. 1 near the Roadrunner in Brighton began when Collin Hullum’s sister was confronted for cutting a line at the bar, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday. A TikTok video showing part of the ensuing incident depicts Hullum with a knife, they said.

On Tuesday, Hullum, 36, was ordered held without bail on charges of assault to kill and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, prosecutors said. He’s due back in court Thursday.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Hullum had an attorney who could speak to his arrest.

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The incident was reported about 2:34 a.m., where a 26-year-old man was being treated after being stabbed five times in the back, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage showed him and his friends arguing with three people inside the entrance to the neighboring Warrior Ice Arena.

One of the three people, later identified as Hullum, can be seen striking the man who was wounded in the back, prosecutors said. He was tracked down through eyewitness accounts and surveillance video showing him walking to his car and driving away.

Prosecutors said the man who was stabbed appeared to have been trying to break the fight up.

“What was supposed to be an evening out enjoying a show quickly turned into a violent altercation that resulted in one man facing serious injuries and another man facing serious charges. The victim here seemed to be attempting to stop the violence. I thank him for that and I wish him a full recovery,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.

Another person seen with a knife in the fight tried stabbing two people inside the Warrior Ice Arena’s foyer as well, and will face charges later, according to prosecutors.

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Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest coming to Boston

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Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest coming to Boston


Neighborhoods

Dust off your yellow sweater, blue jeans, and wide circle glasses. Oh, don’t forget your ears.

Beloved (and locally produced) cartoon aardvark Arthur Read celebrated his 20th birthday in 2018. Produced by WGBH, the series holds the title of TV’s longest-running children’s animated series. PBS Kids

Missed the viral Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in New York? Couldn’t make it to the Tom Holland lookalike contest on Boston Common? GBH Kids and Boston Children’s Museum has the event for you.

The two groups are joining forces to host an Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest on Dec. 20 in honor of the longtime PBS Kids show produced by GBH. The contest is set to take place at noon, rain or shine, in front of the Hood Milk Bottle, a representative from GBH said. 

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The representative said fans of  “all ages” are encouraged to dress up as Arthur to compete in the contest. Participants may win prizes like Boston Children’s Museum tickets and the opportunity to have a photo of them dressed as the aardvark featured as Arthur’s official TikTok and Instagram profile picture.

GBH said attendees will have the chance to pick up some Arthur-themed swag at the event, and Arthur himself may even be around to snap some selfies.

Why a lookalike contest? Why Arthur?

The show, aptly named Arthur, was created in Boston for GBH in 1996 based on books by author Mike Brown. The anthropomorphic aardvark is known for his “signature look,” GBH said, which consists of a yellow sweater, blue jeans, and big, round glasses. 

The Boston’s Children’s Museum even has an exhibit dedicated to the cartoon called “Arthur and Friends,” intended to encourage skills like “reading, understanding feelings, creative problem solving, and connecting with friends and family,” the museum’s website said. According to the GBH spokesperson, their “longstanding partnership” with the museum, and the exhibit, made the perfect recipe for a lookalike contest.

Doppelganger face-offs have had their share of viral moments lately, starting off with the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in November. Since then, multiple similar contests have sprung up around the country, including a Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest in Chicago, and yes, even a JFK lookalike contest here in Boston.

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Eva Levin is a general assignment co-op for Boston.com. She covers breaking and local news in Boston and beyond.





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Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Brings $19 Million Astros 2-Time All-Star To Boston

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Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Idea Brings  Million Astros 2-Time All-Star To Boston


The Boston Red Sox still have a long way to go before they can consider themselves World Series contenders.

It may be a harsh dose of reality, but it needs to be said. The Red Sox made a big-time trade last week, bringing in Garrett Crochet to be their new ace, but behind Crochet, the rest of the rotation still looks a bit iffy.

Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito could all give the Red Sox strong seasons if things break right. But in today’s game, things almost never break right, especially with the constant injury risks pitchers are facing.

Should the Red Sox, then, make one more blockbuster trade?

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Drew Koch of FanSided recently named the Red Sox as a possible trade destination for Houston Astros two-time All-Star Framber Valdez, who is entering his walk year at age 31. Houston already traded Kyle Tucker this winter, signaling that Valdez is likely available.

“The Boston Red Sox already emptied the farm system to land Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, but the cupboard is not bare,” Koch said.

“Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are probably off limits, but a young shortstop prospect like Franklin Arias —ranked in the top 100 according to MLB Pipeline— could be the headliner of a trade package heading back to Houston. The Astros need to beef up their farm system, and Boston could help facilitate that.”

Valdez is projected to make $18.8 million in arbitration this season (via Spotrac) thanks to his excellent career to this point. He’ll likely command even more than that in free agency for several years to come, so this will be the cheapest opportunity Boston has to get him, even for one year.

This could be Boston’s opportunity to go all-in on the 2025 season. If Houston commands a reasonable price, which they should, considering there’s only one year of control left on Valdez’s deal, they should look at this situation as a true rental.

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Sure, there’s potential for an extension if Valdez truly loves pitching in Boston. But why not put some chips on the table for the short term in a wide-open American League?

More MLB: Why Red Sox Insider ‘Would Be Shocked’ If Boston Doesn’t Sign Another Star Free Agent



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