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Boston Zoning Commission Chair Michael Nichols, who heads a downtown advocacy group, said he plans to recuse himself from Wednesday’s vote on a contentious zoning plan that would clear the way for more skyscrapers downtown.
Nichols, president of the Downtown Boston Alliance, said that although he was cleared by the state Ethics Commission to take part in the vote, he ultimately opted not to weigh in on the zoning changes proposed in PLAN: Downtown in his official capacity as chair of the Zoning Commission.
“I was able to get a state ethics opinion that held that I do not actually have any conflicts tomorrow that run afoul of state law, but I nonetheless don’t want it to be a distraction — so I’m opting not to participate,” Nichols told the Herald Tuesday.
Nichols said he sought the ethics opinion based on a potential conflict of interest he may have in voting on the downtown zoning plan due to his advocacy group’s work to “analyze the plan for so long.”
He is the chair and president of the Downtown Boston Alliance, which represents commercial property owners in the city’s core.
Nichols said he is also planning to turn the gavel over to Commission Vice Chair Jill Hatton for the duration of the meeting that pertains to the downtown zoning plan. Ahead of the vote, a public hearing will be held.
The Downtown Boston Alliance submitted a letter in support of the plan — and its proposed creation of new skyline districts that would allow for 500-700 foot towers in parts of the historic downtown — to the Zoning Commission last Friday. It was sent by DBA Chief of Staff Kelsey Pramik.
“The plan’s passage today is critical for completing the neighborhood’s needed transformation such that it can align with a ‘new normal’ that requires a broader mix of uses, a modernized and more predictable zoning code, and a housing-first agenda to welcome a new generation of residents,” the DBA letter states.
The Alliance sent a similar letter of support to the Boston Planning and Development Agency Board last month, ahead of the board’s 4-1 vote in favor of the zoning plan.
If approved by the Zoning Commission, the Wu administration’s downtown plan would go into effect.
The plan would clear the way for new buildings to tower up to 700 feet over the historic downtown.
It has been a source of contention for other stakeholders, particularly the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association, which has described the proposed changes as “destructive,” in that they would alter the character of the city’s core and turn it into Manhattan.
Critics have also flagged potential violations to the state’s shadow law, which was enacted in 1990 and restricts the creation of new shadows on the Boston Common and Public Garden at certain times of the day.
The Association supports additional towering in the Financial District east of Washington Street, where such heights have traditionally been allowed. It opposes new skyscrapers in the historic and increasingly residential Ladder Blocks and Park Plaza neighborhoods to the west of Washington Street and adjacent to the Boston Common.
Tony Ursillo, a downtown resident and member of the Association, said Tuesday that “there are glaring deficiencies in the current proposal’s attempt to achieve key goals” of the plan.
“By giving special treatment allowing 500-foot luxury towers to a few cherry-picked sites in the blocks next to Boston Common, the city will produce hardly any affordable housing, will disrupt a historic neighborhood, and will squeeze out opportunities for small businesses to get created and thrive,” Ursillo told the Herald.
He urged the Zoning Commission to allow time to consider potential changes, such as eliminating special exceptions and keeping lower height limits intact around the Boston Common.
A husband and wife have been arrested after police claim they assaulted and violated the civil rights of people dining at a Colombian restaurant in East Boston.
Authorities arrested Arielle Raso, 37, and her husband Gregory Raso, 39, on Monday evening. Police said the couple called 911 with a noise complaint for the back patio of Tertulias Cafe just before 7 p.m. Officers asked the couple to call back around 11 p.m. if the noise continued, per the city’s ordinance.
Instead, police said the couple took matters into their own hands. Within two hours authorities were called back to the Porter Street address for an assault in progress.
Nearly a dozen people were eating on the back patio which shares a fence with the Raso’s house. Video shows water being sprayed from a hose to the patrons on the other side of the fence. In their police report, authorities said Arielle Raso admitted to doing it. Additionally, prosecutors claim the Raso’s broke a piece of a shared wooden fence and threw it at the victims. One piece hit a 12-year-old.
Police also report that during her arrest, Arielle yelled at the victims, “Get out of this country.” “I will kill you. I don’t give a [expletive].”
Gildardo Preciado has owned Tertulias Cafe for roughly a dozen years. He said he just attained a permit for the outdoor patio last year when he officially purchased the property his restaurant resides in. But he said this aggressive, and in the prosecutor’s view, racist behavior has been going on for years.
“They don’t like Spanish people,” said Preciado. “That’s what they said. But this is a neighborhood full of Latin people. I don’t want to give them a hard time, that is where they live. I understand. It has been almost impossible [to do business] going like this.”
WBZ-TV knocked on the door listed in the police report for the Raso’s. A family member approached and said, “There are two sides to every story,” but would not elaborate.
The Suffolk County District Attorney called the incident, “appalling.” The Raso’s are facing a number of assault and civil rights violation charges. They are due back in court on July 28.
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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