Mail delays in Boston remain a hot topic for city, state and federal officials who’ve been inundated with complaints. They’re now calling on the U.S. Postal Service to act.

Members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation mailed a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy calling for the release of zip code-centered data and whether he will allow USPS staff to speak with congressional members in light of an email chain among USPS management that suggested Boston City Council was “politically motivated” while considering whether Boston Postmaster Joshua Balcunas should testify in response to a subpoena from the city.

“USPS, as a government entity, has a responsibility to come and to testify before Boston City Council to give them answers as to why there’s inadequate mail service across the city,” U.S. Sen. Ed Markey said at an event Wednesday, with the busiest period of the year

Elected officials are seeking answers from the U.S. Postal Service, but multiple requests for testimony have been rejected.

City councilors at the event expressed a similar concern.

“It’s really difficult because that’s the only way we have to have a conversation,” District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon said.

“The fact that they wouldn’t even show us the answers to the questions speaks volumes,” said District 6 Councilor Ben Weber.

USPS has consistently said that mail delivery is within service standards, but did not reply to our requests for comment on Wednesday.

Mail delays are causing frustration for some Boston locals. Neighborhoods like Roxbury and Mission Hill have apparently been dealing with late-arriving postal service for months, causing bills, checks and important safety information to be missed.

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Quelling concerns from the officials and postal union representatives at Wednesday’s event could get more complicated in 2025 with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, under whom DeJoy became postmaster general in 2020.

But Markey said Trump’s return to the White House won’t hinder his efforts for postal accountability.

“Donald Trump will try, with Elon Musk, to privatize the Postal Service,” said Sen. Markey, “That’s going to be inevitable. He’s in for a battle.”

Massachusetts leaders say they’re ready for the fights to come.

“For too many communities, the consequences of unreliable mail delivery aren’t just an inconvenience, they’re life-altering,” Markey said.

Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said it “just depends on keeping our foot on the gas.”

BOSTON — NESN announced Wednesday its broadcast schedule for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) 2024-25 season, featuring coverage of every Boston Fleet regular-season game. The season begins with the Fleet hitting the road against the Toronto Sceptres on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m. ET.

In an unprecedented partnership, Bauer has been named the presenting sponsor of NESN’s PWHL broadcast coverage. This marks Bauer’s first integrated sponsorship with a regional sports network around PWHL programming, granting the company exclusive sponsorship rights to all PWHL games airing on NESN throughout the season.

Along with the 30 regular-season Fleet games, which will be broadcast on NESN or NESN+, the network will also air 31 other PWHL games throughout the year.

“At NESN, we are committed to becoming the home for women’s sports in New England, and we’re excited to continue our partnership with the PWHL to showcase the passion and energy of professional women’s hockey,” said Cosmina Schulman, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at NESN. “This season we’re thrilled to welcome Bauer as the presenting sponsor of our PWHL coverage, adding a dynamic partner to help elevate the visibility and impact of women’s hockey. The PWHL captured the attention of the sports world with an electrifying inaugural season last year, and we’re excited to play a part in building on that momentum.”

“NESN is not only a strategic partner because of its impactful platform, but also because our values are aligned,” said Mary-Kay Messier, VP of Global Marketing at Bauer Hockey. “A key priority for our team at Bauer has been investing in and elevating the women’s game. This includes expanding our PWHL partnership, introducing new authentic and replica jerseys for this season, and a campaign to celebrate both the players and fans that will launch with this new media agreement. Through our collaboration with NESN, we will further elevate the women’s game and provide well-earned exposure to the athletes and the league. We can’t wait for the puck to drop.”

“NESN is the premier destination for sports in New England, and we’re thrilled to continue our partnership as the Boston Fleet return for Season Two of the PWHL,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL Senior Vice President of Business Operations. “In our inaugural season, NESN played a vital role in connecting fans to the league. Looking ahead, their coverage will provide outstanding visibility for our teams and players, and it’s fitting to have our Official Jersey Partner, Bauer, included as part of the broadcasts.”

The Fleet’s home opener will take place Dec. 4 against the Minnesota Frost at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass., in a rematch of last season’s PWHL Finals. The regular-season finale for the Fleet will also feature the Frost on May 3 at Tsongas Center, and the PWHL playoffs are scheduled to begin May 6.

See the full Boston Fleet schedule below (all times Eastern):

Saturday, Nov. 30: at Toronto Sceptres (2 p.m., NESN)
Wednesday, Dec. 4: vs. Minnesota Frost (7 p.m., NESN)
Sunday, Dec. 8: vs. New York Sirens (4 p.m., NESN)
Tuesday, Dec. 17: vs. Ottawa Charge (7 p.m., NESN+)
Friday, Dec. 27: at Toronto Sceptres (7 p.m., NESN+)
Monday, Dec. 30: at Montreal Victoire (7 p.m., NESN)
Thursday, Jan. 2: at Minnesota Frost (7:30 p.m., NESN+)
Sunday, Jan. 5: vs. Montreal Victoire in Seattle (4 p.m., NESN+)
Wednesday, Jan. 8: at Minnesota Frost (7:30 p.m., NESN)
Saturday, Jan. 11: at Ottawa Charge (2 p.m., NESN)
Wednesday, Jan. 22: vs. Toronto Sceptres (7 p.m., NESN+)
Sunday, Jan. 26: at Minnesota Frost (3 p.m., NESN)
Friday, Jan. 31: vs. New York Sirens (7 p.m., NESN)
Wednesday, Feb. 12: at New York Sirens (7 p.m., NESN)
Friday, Feb. 14: at Toronto Sceptres (7 p.m., NESN)
Sunday, Feb. 16: vs. Minnesota Frost (1 p.m., NESN)
Monday, Feb. 17: at New York Sirens (4 p.m., NESN)
Thursday, Feb. 20: at Ottawa Charge (7 p.m., NESN)
Sunday, Feb. 23: at New York Sirens in Buffalo (4 p.m., NESN)
Saturday, March 1: at Montreal Victoire (TBA, NESN+)
Wednesday, March 5: vs. New York Sirens (7 p.m., NESN+)
Saturday, March 8: vs. Montreal Victoire (TBA, NESN+)
Saturday, March 15: at Ottawa Charge (2 p.m., NESN+)
Tuesday, March 18: vs. Montreal Victoire (7 p.m., NESN)
Wednesday, March 26: vs. Toronto Sceptres (TBA, NESN)
Saturday, March 29: vs. Ottawa Charge in St. Louis (2 p.m., NESN)
Wednesday, April 2: vs. Ottawa Charge (7 p.m., NESN+)
Saturday, April 26: vs. Toronto Sceptres (TBA, TBA)
Monday, April 28: at Montreal Victoire (TBA, NESN)
Saturday, May 3: vs. Minnesota Frost (TBA, TBA)

Presented by Bauer Hockey: Proudly supporting greatness in women’s hockey.

The Boston College Eagles (6-1) men’s basketball team defeated the Boise State Broncos (5-2) 63-61 on Tuesday night to win the Cayman Islands Classic Championship.

The Eagles played three games in three days and recorded wins over Old Dominion and Missouri State as well as the Broncos. 

Some parts weren’t pretty, but Boston College found a way to come out on top and showed a lot about itself as a team. 

Below are three takeaways from the classic. 

Team Can Handle Adversity

Boston College’s road to a title wasn’t the easiest by any means. After a dominant 82-52 win over Old Dominion on Sunday night, the team was put to the test against Missouri State in the semifinals on Monday which took two three-pointers in the final seconds of the second half and overtime to come out on top. The Eagles found themselves down two points with 1:39 left in the regulation and down as many as six in overtime but found a way to come back and win. 

In the championship game against Boise State, Boston College did not have a lead until the final 2:07 of the first half. As much as the Broncos fought back, the Eagles proved they could handle themselves. They went on two big runs in the contest, one in each half, battled back anytime they got behind, and made a clutch shot in a high pressure moment.  Boston College’s pair of come from behind wins at a neutral site showed that it can handle any adversity brought its way. 

Still Have a Lot to Work On

Like the beginning of the young season, the Eagles time in the tournament was not pretty. Even though Boston College came out victorious, there are a lot of things the team needs to work on. Some of the biggest include not giving up leads, fouls, and turnovers. In their final two games, the Eagles had to battle back from adversity because they blew leads in both contests. 

In the semifinals, Boston College recorded 14 turnovers and 19 fouls which included forward Elijah Strong’s foul with 29 seconds to go in regulation that gave Missouri State a 64-61 lead and made the Eagles need a three. The finals were worse as they recorded 18 turnovers and 20 fouls. 

Boston College’s schedule gets harder as the team hosts Dartmouth on Friday and South Carolina on Dec. 3, then opens ACC play with a road game against Wake Forest on Dec. 7. The Eagles showed they have the talent to potentially be conference contenders this year, but have a lot to work on to get to that point. 

This Team is Better Than Expected 

After only retaining seven players from last season’s roster, there were a lot of questions surrounding how this Boston College team would look this season. Eight new players joined the program, four out of the transfer portal and four freshmen, so the predictions weren’t promising. The Eagles were projected to finish in last place in the ACC men’s preseason poll. Now, they are sitting at 6-1 and although they have yet to play a Power 6 team, no one could’ve asked for a better start from them.