Boston, MA

Source: Patriots placing transition tag on Kyle Dugger; what it means

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

Source: Patriots placing transition tag on Kyle Dugger; what it means

The Patriots are placing the transition tag on impending free-agent safety Kyle Dugger, a source confirmed to the Herald.

The transition tag costs $13.81 million and means the Patriots have right of first refusal if another team offers Dugger a contract. If the Patriots were to lose Dugger to a contract offer from another team, they would receive no compensation, barring a trade.

The Patriots now cannot place a tag on impending free-agent offensive lineman Mike Onwenu, who is expected to represent himself this offseason after firing his agents.

Dugger has been a key cog in the Patriots defense since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Lenoir-Rhyne. He primarily played strong safety in his first three NFL season before splitting his time between the box role he had settled into and free safety when Devin McCourty retired last offseason.

A source told the Herald last week at the NFL Scouting Combine that Dugger was expected to garner an average salary of $12-to-$16 million per year. His $13.81 million salary falls in line with that amount.

Dugger, who will turn 28 later this month, has 343 career tackles with nine interceptions, three touchdowns, 20 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 2.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and nine QB hits in 61 games with 52 starts.

The Patriots also have Jabrill Peppers under contract at safety. Jalen Mills is set to hit free agency next week, and the Patriots released veteran safety Adrian Phillips last month.

Dugger’s tag will reduce the Patriots’ salary cap space from their previous figure of over $100 million. Miguel Benzan, or @PatsCap on X, projects the Patriots to have $87,696,056 million remaining in salary cap room.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf both said last week that keeping Dugger and Onwenu was a priority for the team.

“I would say last year going into the season there were some questions about, ‘can he communicate and all those…’ He squashed all of that this year,” Mayo said of Dugger. “He did a fantastic job in his new role without having Devin there.

“So you definitely want those pieces to stay. You develop through the draft. So if those guys stay, obviously, they’ve been raised here and they can help push the culture forward.”

“We definitely want to keep Mike and Kyle,” Wolf said. “We’re hopeful to continue to work with with Kyle’s agent and Mike to make that happen.”

The Patriots had extended an offer to Dugger, who was expected to test free agency before receiving the transition tag. Now Dugger and the team can continue to work towards agreeing to a contract extension that would keep him with the Patriots long-term.

The Patriots last used a tag in 2020 on guard Joe Thuney. He played the entire season on the franchise tag before departing for the Chiefs in free agency the next season. They also used the franchise tag in 2002 on kicker Adam Vinatieri, 2003 on safety Tebucky Jones, 2005 on Vinatieri, 2007 on cornerback Asante Samuel, 2009 on quarterback Matt Cassel, 2010 on defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, 2011 on guard Logan Mankins, 2012 on wide receiver Wes Welker and 2015 on kicker Stephen Gostkowski.

Dugger is the first NFL player to receive the transition tag since running back Kenyan Drake was tagged in 2020. Only four players have received the transition tag this decade.

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Boston, MA

Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe

Published

12 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe

An inbound stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road will be closed each night through August for tunnel repairs, officials announced.

Starting Monday, the closures will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 5 a.m., state officials said.

Road closures begin at North Harvard Street in Allston and stretch along the Charles River Esplanade to Mugar Way in Boston, near the Hatch Memorial Shell, officials said.

Traffic will be detoured into Cambridge over the Anderson Bridge, along Memorial Drive, and then be routed into Boston over the Longfellow Bridge.

The closures will allow ongoing repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel in the Back Bay. The work is the first phase of a two-stage project to extend the lifespan of the tunnel, which carries roughly 50,000 drivers to and from downtown Boston daily.

The outbound portion of the tunnel and accompanying roadways will not be affected.

State transportation officials said changes to the work schedule will be made when necessary to minimize impacts during major local events at TD Garden, Fenway Park, or during the FIFA World Cup and 250th anniversary celebrations scheduled for this summer.

Additional changes may be made without notice due to weather.

Transportation officials have not specified when the closures will end.

Bryan Hecht can be reached at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism.

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Boston, MA

Ole Miss softball to play Boston in NCAA tournament Lubbock Regional

Published

24 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Ole Miss softball to play Boston in NCAA tournament Lubbock Regional

This story has been updated with new information

OXFORD — Ole Miss softball is back in the NCAA Tournament after making the Women’s College World Series a season ago.

The Rebels (34-24) will play Boston (46-13) on May 15 (1 p.m. CT, ESPNU) in the Lubbock Regional. Ole Miss is the No. 2 seed in the regional, and Boston is the No. 3.

Texas Tech (52-6), the No. 11 overall seed and regional host, will face No. 4 Marist (37-19).

The Rebels went 6-18 in SEC play this season, and have a largely new-look roster from the team that made the WCWS last season.

Ole Miss beat South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament to improve its seed.

Freshman Madi George has burst onto the scene in the SEC. The first-year infielder leads Ole Miss with a .385 batting average. She has a team-high 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Seniors Emilee Boyer (3.86 ERA), Kyra Aycock (3.97 ERA) and junior Lily Whitten (3.04 ERA) are the primary options in the circle for coach Jamie Trachsel.

Trachsel is in her sixth season leading the Ole Miss program. She led the Rebels to their first WCWS appearance in program history in 2025.

What to know about Boston, Texas Tech and Marist in Lubbock Regional

Boston entered the Patriot League Tournament as the top seed and the Terriers delivered. Boston beat No. 2 Colgate 12-1, becoming the second team in Patriot League history to four-peat as conference champions. Boston is on a 12-game winning streak. Kylie Doherty leads the team with a .396 batting average and 26 home runs.

Texas Tech made the 2025 WCWS championship series, losing to Texas in three games.

Texas Tech lost just three Big 12 games this season but lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Red Raiders are a strong threat to get to the WCWS again. There are four Texas Tech batters hitting over .400. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady leads the Red Raiders with a 1.24 ERA. She has 209 strikeouts.

Marist plays in the MAAC and won the conference tournament. Marist split a two-game series against South Carolina early in the season. Ava Metzger (12-3, 2.51 ERA) and Peyton Pusey (.404 batting average) lead the team.

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

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Boston, MA

‘This is really just the start of it all’: Mojo Boston makes splashy debut at City Hall Plaza – The Boston Globe

Published

2 days ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

‘This is really just the start of it all’: Mojo Boston makes splashy debut at City Hall Plaza – The Boston Globe

Attendees held umbrellas as The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Mojo, a music brand and concert organizer, was founded in 2021 by Charley Blacker, Alex Parker, and Emily Donovan while they were students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The trio of friends decided to create Mojo out of their shared love for music and house shows.

“We saw there were so many local musicians that were so talented, but they didn’t have the platform we thought they really deserved,” Blacker told the Globe during Saturday’s festivities. “So we thought if we could do the behind-the-scenes work of organizing photographers and [provide] a social media platform, we could give these musicians the platform they deserve.”

Attendees danced as The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Five years later, the team behind Mojo is sticking to their mission, tackling their biggest venue yet with this weekend’s event at City Hall Plaza, which previously served as the original location for Boston Calling before it moved to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston. Boston Calling announced last year that it is taking a one-year hiatus in 2026, with plans to return in 2027.

In addition to getting the chance to work on such a big event with his best friends, Blacker hopes Mojo Boston can help “lead to a lot more opportunities for local music.”

People browsed food vendors at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

There was a wide range of genres represented at Saturday’s event, from the pop-rock stylings of The Bends to house and garage music from DJ AC Slater. Prior to the Boston debut, Mojo brought a festival to Pennsylvania’s Happy Valley in April and returned to Amherst later that month to host another event.

Mojo Boston attendees and former UMass Amherst students Emily Bowler and Max Debeau have been familiar with Mojo since its inception, watching the organization go from hosting basement shows to full scale music festivals. Debeau noted how many of the acts at Saturday’s event have worked with Mojo in the past, performing at UMass and other shows around the Bay State.

“To see it all come together has been great,” Debeau said. “This is the stage that they all deserve.”

“It’s crazy how quickly they were able to erect something so amazing,” Bowler added.

Amanda Giroux danced away from the stage while The Bends performed at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

Formed in New Bedford, the band Autumn Drive was one of 18 acts that performed at Mojo Boston, and they are no strangers to a Mojo show.

“We’ve done, I think, every single Mojo that there is, so we’re very tight with them,” said guitarist and singer Charlie Gamache. “When we found out they were doing a big festival [in Boston], I was like, ‘We want in no matter what.’”

The band emphasized how much their relationship with Mojo has meant to them over the years, with Autumn Drive drummer Joe Gauvin praising the organization for “always putting us in front of a crowd that’s there to see music and hear us.”

Michael Asulin, of Stoughton, and Jackie Ludicke, of Miami, Fla., talked while wearing ponchos at Mojo Boston on Saturday.Andrew Burke-Stevenson/for The Boston Globe

From a makeshift stage out of wooden pallets in his basement to Boston’s City Hall Plaza, Blacker is is proud of Mojo’s success and is already looking ahead at what’s to come.

“This is really just the start of it all,” said Blacker. “We have very lofty ambitions and goals, and we have nothing but confidence in our ability to accomplish everything we set out to do.”

Gitana Savage can be reached at gitana.savage@globe.com. Follow her on X @gitana_savage.

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