Boston, MA
Boston’s new district map likely to stand, attorneys indicate – The Boston Globe

Boston’s new political map looks most likely to stand, leaving the city on schedule for its elections this fall, after the attorneys who sued to block an earlier set of the boundaries indicated Thursday they are “unlikely” to try to obstruct the latest attempt.
“We don’t want to blow this up,” Glen Hannington, an attorney for the residents and neighborhood groups that sued last year, said in a phone interview Thursday after a status conference in the federal lawsuit. While such a challenge was not “off the table,” Hannington said, “I do think that this is going to come to its conclusion.”
After US District Judge Patti Saris ruled last month that the Boston City Council had likely used race in an improper manner in drawing its new district boundaries, the council had to scramble to redraw the map of city council districts in time to keep this fall’s municipal elections on schedule. Councilors voted 10-2 last month to approve the new map after a rushed, contentious process.
But uncertainty lingered over whether that new version might also face legal challenges, after the plaintiffs who had blocked the earlier version expressed concerns and asked Saris to review the new effort for “constitutional sufficiency.”
In a Zoom status conference Thursday afternoon, Saris said she had observed the council’s latest redistricting process and judged that it “was much more governed by the traditional principles” than last fall’s effort. The election is also looming, she noted, making any further litigation over the map tricky.
As far as the plaintiffs’ request that she review the new district boundaries, Saris said, “I need some clarity.” If their side wants to block the new map, they need to ask formally, she said.
“Unless it’s teed up correctly,” she told them, “I have nothing on the table in front of me.”
Attorneys on both sides of the case said they would meet early next week with the goal of reaching a resolution soon. Hannington said his side would ask the city for attorneys’ fees in the six-figure range.
Jennifer Miller, an attorney for the city, urged a speedy resolution to the case. She said election officials have only until July 21 to finalize ballots and send them to the printer for September’s preliminary election.
Agreement over the new map would resolve a long-running legal and legislative battle. A divided council spent many bitter weeks debating an earlier version of the map last fall, only to be forced to repeat the process in May in the wake of the federal court ruling. And since the judge ruled in early May, this fall’s elections have been cast into question. With the final district boundaries uncertain, it was unclear which districts some council candidates even lived in, complicating the work of election officials and political operatives alike.
“It’s important to bring some closure to this and rebuild some trust,” Saris said, “and just move forward in the democratic process.”
Emma Platoff can be reached at emma.platoff@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmaplatoff.

Boston, MA
Opening statements expected in trial of Irish firefighter charged with raping woman at Boston hotel – The Boston Globe

Superior Court Judge Sarah W. Ellis is presiding.
Seven jurors were chosen on Friday, and on Monday, several more were seated for a total of 15. Opening statements are set to follow later Monday, officials said.
Crosbie is accused of raping a woman while she slept in March 2024, when he was in Boston to participate in St. Patrick’s Day parade with fellow members of the Dublin Fire Brigade.
Crosbie was originally scheduled to leave the United States after the parade on March 19, officials have said. But after Crosbie spoke with police on March 15, he went to Logan International Airport for a 10:10 p.m. flight bound for Ireland, officials said.
He boarded an earlier flight at 7 p.m., but was pulled off the airplane by State Police and arrested, officials said.
Prosecutors allege that Crosbie raped a “female stranger” at the Omni Parker House hotel in downtown Boston on March 14, 2024.
The woman, 28, had gone to dinner with coworkers at The Black Rose, a pub near Faneuil Hall, and met a man, Liam O’Brien, along with his fellow Irish firefighters, according to prosecutors and court records.
The woman told police on March 15 that she agreed to return to O’Brien’s room, which he was sharing with Crosbie, at the Omni Parker House.
Video shows that around 11:30 p.m., the woman left a restaurant with O’Brien and returned to the room, prosecutors said.
The pair had a consensual encounter in the room, according to prosecutors. O’Brien then fell asleep on one of two beds in the hotel room, and the woman went to sleep on the other bed, prosecutors said.
Crosbie left the hotel at 11:55 p.m., according to hotel security video, and swiped his key card back into the room at 1:55 a.m., prosecutors said. At some point in the night, the woman woke up as Crosbie was allegedly raping her, according to a police report.
The woman “tried to push the male off” and she said “What are you doing? Stop!” the report said. Crosbie said “this guy is sleeping, I know you want this. He fell asleep,” the woman told police.
The woman left at 2:15 a.m., 20 minutes after Crosbie entered the room, prosecutors said. She messaged a friend to say she had been assaulted and went to a hospital, where she spoke with police.
At a hearing in August, prosecutors requested a DNA swab from Crosbie for “comparative testing” A genital swab from the woman revealed male DNA, prosecutors said in court documents.
“In this case, a known DNA sample from the defendant will produce evidence relevant to the question of his guilt,” Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy, chief of the domestic violence and sexual assault unit, wrote in court papers.
Crosbie objected to providing a sample on grounds of unreasonable searches and seizures, court filings show.
“My client is not concerned about what the DNA is going to return or say,” Reilly said at the time. “He is adamant that he had no physical contact with her.”
The status of the DNA testing wasn’t immediately clear on Monday.
Material from previous Globe articles was used in this report.
Ava Berger can be reached at ava.berger@globe.com. Follow her @Ava_Berger_.
Boston, MA
Matt Stuart gem lifts Chelmsford past Wellesley in 1-0 thriller

WELLESLEY — In the very back of Chelmsford ace Matt Stuart’s mind is that each of the program’s last three state tournament runs have ended in games he started.
Yet another gem from the senior Gardner-Webb University-commit on Sunday instead has the Lions reaching a new height.
With a complete-game shutout, in which the four-year starter allowed just three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts, Stuart won a true pitchers duel to lift 14th-seeded Chelmsford (17-8) over No. 11 Wellesley, 1-0, in the Div. 1 state quarterfinals to secure the program’s first trip to the Final Four.
Evan Kobrenski’s RBI double in the fifth inning proved the game-winner, getting just enough against Raiders sophomore Max Boehm (complete game, one run, four hits, four strikeouts) in a 74-pitch gem.
“It’s amazing, it’s what we’ve been working for all year,” Stuart said. “Every year so far, we’ve been knocked out when I’ve been pitching. I was 0-for-3 coming into this (tournament). So that first game (in the first round) was a big step for me, and to win this one is just amazing.”
“We’re crazy excited,” added Chelmsford head coach Lou DiStasi. “This team has been building for several years. We challenged ourselves with a really tough schedule because we knew that we wanted to compete for the state title. … To get this, into the Final Four, I think it means so much to the town and to the community.”
Batters had trouble all game producing much of any real opportunities against either pitcher, both of whom each set down seven straight batters at one point. And when chances with runners in scoring position came up, the two combined to force a 1-for-7 mark at the plate.
Boehm efficiently forced a slew of routine plays for his defense by pounding the strike zone, while Stuart’s mix of pitches did the same and produced at least one strikeout in every inning but the third.

“I knew coming in he was a good pitcher,” Stuart said. “But I knew if we got one, I knew I wasn’t going to let up a run. So just get that run, and it was over.”
It wasn’t until the fifth inning that a run was scored, in which Boehm nearly got out of the jam prior. John Latham’s leadoff double was advanced to third on a Keegan Briere (2-for-2) sacrifice bunt. Boehm answered by taking away a squeeze opportunity with a lineout.
On the next pitch, Kobrenski tucked a grounder just inside the first-base line for a two-out double and the 1-0 lead.
“That’s been our team all year,” DiStasi said. “(Kobrenski) has been unbelievable for two consecutive years. … To get that double for us to win, couldn’t have gone to a better kid.”
That’s the only damage Boehm allowed, but Stuart held up his promise.

Will Goggin (2-for-2) and Cole DeFina hit two-out singles to put runners on first and third in the fifth, only for Stuart to force a lineout to shortstop to end the threat. Only one runner reached in the sixth and seventh innings, and it came on a dropped routine fly in the outfield.
Stuart, whopitched well in those three previous state tournament losses, closed the door in the program’s biggest win to date.
“It was like he always does,” said DiStasi. “He pitches every single one of the big games that we ever get. … It’s the way he’s been his entire career. We expect him to do something like that, even though every time he does it, you just smile and say, ‘Wow, you’re an amazement.’ He’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever coached.”
There’s quite a history with this Chelmsford group, as many of the players were on the Cal Ripken 11-year-old team for DiStasi back in 2019, which qualified for the 2020 World Series as 12-year-old representatives.
COVID cancelled it, and they never had the chance for that glory.
“Our 12-year-old team that was destined to go to the World Series … never had the chance to do it,” DiStasi said. “This might be a nice little alternative, so we’ll take it.”

Originally Published:
Boston, MA
Alex Cora gives Boston Red Sox injury updates on Tanner Houck, others

NEW YORK — Injured Red Sox starter Tanner Houck still has not thrown off a mound more than three weeks after landing on the IL.
The 28-year-old righty was placed on the 15-day injured list May 14 with a right flexor pronator strain.
“Playing catch but not on the mound yet,” manager Alex Cora said Saturday before Boston’s game against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Houck has struggled this season with an 8.04 ERA (43 ⅔ innings, 39 earned runs) in nine starts.
Is his progression going slower than initially expected?
“Not really,” Cora said. “When you go on the IL, you never know.
“I’m not saying this is the case but when they (trainers) start working on you, they feel like it’s more time than in the beginning or less time,” Cora said. “So I leave it up to them to see where we’re at but we just gotta be patient.”
Other Red Sox injury updates:
~ Setup man Justin Slaten, who the Red Sox placed on the 15-day injured list June 1 with right shoulder inflammation, has not begun throwing again.
~ Third baseman Alex Bregman (right quad strain) “feels good” after beginning his running progression Thursday, Cora said. “The progression is going well. Let’s see how he feels tomorrow and then we’ll go from there. Obviously we’re still far away from starting the baseball progression,” Cora said.
~ Starter Kutter Crawford (wrist pain) was supposed to throw a bullpen session this weekend. But Cora said it’s now going “to be the end of the (this coming) week.”
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