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Editorial: For Mayor Wu, equal treatment is subjective

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Editorial: For Mayor Wu, equal treatment is subjective


In Boston, you either get on board the Wu train, or get run over by it.

It’s a harsh lesson learned by those who push back on Mayor Michelle Wu’s policies.

For someone who touted equity as a cornerstone of her mayoral campaign, Wu has no problem with excluding children attending public charter schools and METCO students from her “BPS Sundays” pilot program. It allows some BPS students free access to cultural institutions on the first and second Sunday of each month up to August.

Tough luck for charter school kids and METCO students who want equal treatment.

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“We’re not going to reopen those negotiations just in the middle of the agreed-upon pilot,” Wu said.

A pilot program is where you work out the details of a plan — how long it should last, for example. Inclusion should be a given. Wu previously told the Herald there is not funding to expand the program to more students during the pilot period. How about funding for all and a shorter time frame? Or enrolling students based on zip code and not which school they attend?

Wu said the exclusion is not politically motivated.

Of course not.

The kids and families left out of “BPS Sundays” can commiserate with North End restaurateurs. They, too are on the mayor’s D-list.

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During the pandemic, outdoor dining was a lifesaver for restaurants as dining rooms had to limit patrons. For the past two years, however, the city served up bad news for North End eateries.

In 2022, officials forced restaurateurs to pay a $7,500 fee for outdoor dining operations. Last year, Boston banned on-street dining, limiting the al fresco option to “compliant sidewalk patios.” The North End was the only neighborhood that faced the restrictions, as the Herald reported. 

While other restaurants around the city can offer outdoor dining to locals and tourists who want to have dinner while enjoying the breeze on a warm day, the North End, except for a few spots, cannot. An increase in customers, tips for staff, and a chance for a thriving season are off the table.

Restaurants took a fiscal hit in 2022 and 2023, and a group of 21 neighborhood restaurateurs have added the losses they anticipate for  2024, the fees they paid in 2022 and the lost revenue from 2023 to lawsuit filed earlier this year in federal court.

One would think the city would want all of its restaurants to do well, especially as revenue is down thanks to all those empty office buildings. Curtailing outdoor dining in the neighborhood isn’t good for anyone’s bottom line.

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Those opposed cite the neighborhood’s narrow sidewalks and streets, and increase in trash and rodents due to outdoor dining. They also call out traffic and congestion.

Fair enough. But that should prompt a dialogue on how to address those issues, not trigger a “no” from the city.

Boston gets crowded from June to early September. There will be sightseeing trolleys, Duck Tours, and throngs of pedestrians. There will be traffic and congestion, and restaurants who serve patrons outdoors will have to deal with trash and rodents.

Negotiations, whether it’s with restaurateurs over outdoor dining or schools left out of the BPS Sundays program, should be part and parcel of city leadership.

Editorial cartoon by Bob Gorrell (Creators Syndicate)



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Boston, MA

New York Yankees Legend Rips Boston Red Sox for ‘Trash’ Move

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New York Yankees Legend Rips Boston Red Sox for ‘Trash’ Move


Gerrit Cole throws and participates in drills in Tampa | Yankees Spring Training

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Lukas Reichel has goal and assist in Boston debut to help Bruins top Jets 6-1

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Lukas Reichel has goal and assist in Boston debut to help Bruins top Jets 6-1


Boston Bruins

Boston was coming off overtime losses at New Jersey on Monday night and Montreal on Tuesday night.

Boston Bruins left wing Lukas Reichel (75) shoots the puck past Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) for a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) AP

BOSTON (AP) — Lukas Reichel had a goal and an assist in his Boston debut, Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves and the Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-1 on Thursday night to end a two-game losing streak.

David Pastrnak scored his 27th goal of the season and had an assist. Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Vacha also each had a goal and assist, and Fraser Minten and Jonathan Aspirot added late goals.

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Fighting for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, the Bruins finished in regulation for only the second time in seven games. They were coming off overtime losses at New Jersey on Monday night and Montreal on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Toews ended Swayman’s shutout bid on a tip-in at 5:38 of the third. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots for Winnipeg.

Reichel came to Boston from Vancouver at the trade deadline and was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old German winger Reichel made it 2-0 at 6:23 of the second period. Hellebuyck misplayed the puck behind the net on a wraparound, inadvertently knocking it out front for Reichel to swat in.

Pastrnak opened the scoring with 5:08 left in the first. He got the puck back off his own rebound, moved to the front and fired in a wrister.

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Arvidsson knocked in a backhander off a scramble with 1:44 remaining in the second, and Zacha scored at 3:15 of the third.

After Toews put Winnipeg on the board, Minten had a tip-in with 4:08 left and Aspirot capped the scoring with 1:42 to go.

The Jets opened a three-game trip after an eight-game homestand.

Jets: At Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Bruins: At Detroit on Saturday night.

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Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wins 2026 Red Smith Award – The Boston Globe

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Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wins 2026 Red Smith Award – The Boston Globe


Few columnists can say their words triggered that kind of reaction. Shaughnessy could and often did.

It’s work like that and much more over a 53-year career that has earned Shaughnessy the 2026 Red Smith Award. The award is presented by the Associated Press Sports Editors each year to a writer or editor who has made major contributions to sports journalism.

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Shaughnessy grew up in Groton, Mass., about 35 miles west of Fenway Park. His love of Boston sports comes naturally. His knowledge and experience are unquestioned. But as a sports columnist, he has long been a polarizing figure.

“He views himself as the ombudsman for the fans,’’ said Bob Ryan, his fellow Globe columnist and a Red Smith Award winner, too. “He definitely feels that his job as a columnist is to afflict the comfortable. He inherently challenges authority. He knows there’s going to be pushback. He doesn’t mind it; he can take it. He is fearless in that regard.’’

There has certainly been pushback in sublime and ridiculous ways.

At Fenway Park, Shaughnessy likes to position himself on the suite level during games. People with information they want to share are constantly parading past. Unhappy with this, Red Sox management instructed a security guard to escort him back to the press box. Undaunted, Shaughnessy solved the problem by getting a ticket from a suite owner he knew.

Then there was the man in full clown regalia on the streets of New Orleans before the Super Bowl in 1997 who recognized him.

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“Shaughnessy, you suck,’’ he yelled.

Dan’s response: “Well, you’re a clown.’’

None of it ever stopped him from writing what he believed needed to be said. He is known for biting criticism, but he is a gifted writer when crafting a poignant, touching tale.

“Whatever he was doing, whether as a beat writer or a columnist, he would always know what story was the most important one to write,’’ said Don Skwar, the Globe sports editor who named Shaughnessy a columnist. “He’s a really good reporter and he knew what people wanted to read about. He had a bead on what was most important.’’

Despite his reputation, not every reader, fan, athlete or coach dislikes Dan. In fact, perhaps the grumpiest of all, Bill Belichick, likes him. During one Super Bowl week, Belichick agreed to take a survey Dan devised, featuring questions of incredible importance, such as Coke or Pepsi? Mary Ann or Ginger?

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That may seem trivial; Dan’s work mostly wasn’t.

He has been named the Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year 14 times and has earned APSE Top 10 columnist honors in the large-circulation category 15 times, including this year. He is the author of 13 books, most notably “The Curse of the Bambino,’’ which chronicled the tribulations of the Red Sox as they failed to win the World Series from 1918 until 2004.

Despite his great love of sports, Dan himself would acknowledge he was not a great athlete. It makes it all the more remarkable that he and his wife of 44 years, Marilou, have had three Division 1 athletes – daughters Sarah and Kate, and son Sam. With five grandchildren, there may be more big-time athletes on the way.

Despite a career forged in print journalism (and Dan has never forsaken his beloved print readers), he clearly discerned the best way to acquire readers was to adapt to the changes in how his column was delivered. He adapted his habits to make sure his column was in front of online readers at the best time of day.

His columnist persona is also balanced by his charitable work, notably with The Jimmy Fund and UNICEF. His connection to The Jimmy Fund is especially personal – his daughter Kate is a leukemia survivor. His co-workers will tell you he is a great teammate, someone willing to assist colleagues from the sports department’s high school writers to its managers, and even the Globe’s “Love Letters’’ columnist.

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Shaughnessy was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award in 2016. He is the ninth person to win that award and the Red Smith, joining Red Smith, Shirley Povich, Jim Murray, Joe McGuff, Wendell Smith, Sam Lacey, Jerome Holtzman, and Thomas Boswell.

He is the sixth person associated with the Boston Globe to receive the Red Smith Award, joining Bud Collins, Dave Smith, Vince Doria, Leigh Montville, and Ryan.

Garry D. Howard, Hal Bodley, Mark Whicker, Michael Wilbon, and Gary Smith were the next five candidates receiving the highest totals in this year’s Red Smith voting and will automatically return to the ballot in 2027.

Joe Sullivan was sports editor of the Boston Globe from 2004 to 2018.





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