Massachusetts
Girls’ basketball notebook: As Foxborough eyes third straight title, Kailey Sullivan steps into leadership role – The Boston Globe
“I just remember walking into those gyms at Oliver Ames, and really just wanting that,” Downs said. “I wanted to have the banners on the wall. I wanted to have a program developed with kids who would show up for Foxborough the way I always saw it at Oliver Ames.”
One young player that caught her eye? Kailey Sullivan.
“I remembered her coming to clinics, probably as only a fourth- or fifth-grader, and I know she had goggles back then,” Downs said. “I remember like, the girl with the goggles is going to be really good.”
Sullivan continued to develop her shot. Her work ethic was impressive. From the MetroWest youth program, to Foxborough’s middle school team to Honey Badgers AAU, Sullivan’s stock grew.
“I don’t know a player who can score at the rim, mid-range, and unlimited range behind 3-point land as much as Kailey,” said Matt Forbes, who coaches Sullivan with the Honey Badgers.
As a freshman, Sullivan was an immediate contributor alongside Hannah Blake, Andrea Slattery, and Camryn Collins.
“I watched players like Ashley Sampson, Katelyn Mollica, and I always idolized them,” Sullivan said. “So when I got to high school, I was so excited to finally be like them.”
It took Sullivan less than three seasons to join the 1,000-point club. She passed the threshold last January, as a junior, in a 74-30 win over Canton.
Beyond vying to become a 1,500-point — or even 2,000-point — scorer in her final hurrah under Downs, Sullivan’s dream is to lead eighth-ranked Foxborough (4-1) to a third straight state title.
Sullivan is proof of the model Downs, who won four games in her first season, aspired to create.
“The kid is a winner,” Forbes said. “She’s won two state championships that she’s a vital part of. When we win a big game and she has zero points, she doesn’t care. It’s, ‘Did we win or did we lose?’”
As the centerpiece of the Warriors’ offense, the 5-foot-8-inch guard is averaging 24.2 points per game, while leading the team in assists (4.1 per game). With 6-foot center Addie Ruter returning to the lineup this week after undergoing patellar surgery in the fall, the options for Sullivan become limitless. Ruter’s kick-out game from the post bolsters Sullivan’s shooting.
Sullivan’s leadership style starts with her ability to adapt on the fly. She is soft-spoken; her talking happens between the whistles.
“Whether it’s a different team, different coach, or different teammates, I’m good at being put in a new situation and kind of making the best out of it, figuring things out, and enjoying it too,” Sullivan said.
Downs recalled two moments when Sullivan’s tranquil demeanor paid off.
In Foxborough’s 54-51 win over Franklin in December, the Warriors were down by 12 going into the fourth quarter.
“Kailey just stepped up, grabbed the starting five, and took them aside to calm them down,” Downs said. “I just kind of stood back and watched. . . . You knew that, ‘All right, we got this.’ ”
Despite surrendering a 52-48 loss to Oliver Ames on Friday, Sullivan showed her composure again.
The matchup went back and forth, but Sullivan never got rattled despite constant double teams. She convinced her teammates to play with confidence, embraced the pressure, and finished with 25 points in the loss, which snapped a 38-game Hockomock win streak.
“She hadn’t really done that until this year,” Downs said. “That’s a new version of Kailey.”

Courtside chatter
▪ Every year, Framingham girls’ basketball carves out time to honor Devin Suau, who died of cancer at age 6 in 2017.
Suau was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and nine months later, a week before what would have been his seventh birthday, he lost the battle.
The Flyers (2-3) will don Suau’s Army shirts in his honor this Tuesday, at 6:30 p.m., when they host Brookline. The fundraiser typically yields between $500 to $1,000 per year for the #whynotdevinfoundation, and with help from Cumberland Farms, they’re hoping to bring that number even higher this season.
Framingham coach Kristen Audet-Fucarile said she’s grown close to the family over the years.
“Framingham is a close community,” Audet-Fucarile said. “Even though at first I didn’t know them, we felt like we were fighting along with them.”
Flyers senior Allie Regan eclipsed 1,000 career points in Friday’s 52-31 win over Wellesley.
“Allie’s contributions bring energy and excitement to the court,” Audet-Fucarile said. “She’s a joy to coach.”
▪ No. 20 Natick (6-2), a fellow Bay State-Carey contender, is averaging 62.1 points per game.
The Redhawks have eight returners and five seniors, and second-year coach Oryx Cohen highlighted how well the pieces fit together. Natick has turned to an up-tempo and pressure-defense system that’s paid dividends, yielding lopsided wins over Newton North, Andover, and more.
“That’s the style we want to play, pressure and transition,” Cohen said. “The girls are having a lot of fun doing it.”
Senior point guard Olivia Penn is a “stat-sheet stuffer,” providing 7 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 assists per game. Freshman forward Kayla Dunlap is averaging 13 points, sophomore forward Bridget Pole puts up 12, and junior forward Katie McMahon averages 9 points and 7 rebounds. Senior steals machine Kira Henderson typically guards the opposing team’s best player.
▪ Lincoln-Sudbury is off to a 5-1 start and has emerged as a contender in the Dual County League Thorpe Division.
Junior Sarah Poland (15.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game) has shown her versatility. Senior Evie Schwartz, averaging 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2.5 steals, has shined defensively and has a contagious passion, according to coach Howie Landau.
Senior Alani Hoilett (11.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and junior Alice Wallerstein (8.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) have dominated inside. Seniors Claire Gaeta and Melody Sieger, juniors Sydni Savenor, Hayden Plihcik, and Victoria Manocchia, sophomore Georgia Raines, and freshman Maia Nottidge provide depth.
Landau credited the Warriors for using their length, size, and strength to their advantage to control the boards and score in the paint.
“Our leadership has been great, and we’ve been able to pull out some close games with big stops at the end,” Landau said.
Games to watch
Tuesday, No. 3 St. Mary’s at No. 12 Bridgewater-Raynham, 6:30 p.m. — The Trojans’ elite defense will try to slow down Bella Owumi and the Spartans’ high-octane offense in an intriguing nonleague clash.
Tuesday, Newton North at No. 13 Braintree, 6:30 p.m. — The Bay State Conference continues to show off its depth, and this should be another entertaining battle.
Friday, No. 17 Bishop Fenwick at No. 1 Bishop Feehan, 6:30 p.m. — Bishop Fenwick will try to make a major statement against the defending champs.
Friday, Burlington at Wakefield, 5:30 p.m. — Two teams vying for a Middlesex-Freedom title will meet in a key matchup.
Monday, No. 7 Central Catholic at No. 11 Notre Dame (Hingham), 6:30 p.m. — The Raiders and Cougars are both contenders in their respective leagues, and this game should help prepare each for the postseason.
Correspondent Trevor Hass contributed to this story.
Massachusetts
Mass. House votes to set new rules for DiZoglio’s audit
Twenty-eight lawmakers dissented Wednesday as the Massachusetts House voted to set new terms around what state Auditor Diana DiZoglio would be able to review in the legislative audit voters authorized her to carry out in 2024.
Almost all House Democrats voted for the measure, which also proposes to make more state government records accessible to the public. Three Democrats — Cambridge Rep. Mike Connolly, Attleboro Rep. Jim Hawkins and Fall River Rep. Alan Silvia — joined the body’s 25 Republicans in voting no.
Speaker Ron Mariano said the bill responds to an ongoing call from voters for more transparency out of Beacon Hill and provides a path forward in lieu of a what he called “politically motivated audit conducted in violation of the Constitution.”
Leaders of the House and Senate have resisted DiZoglio’s audit push, arguing that a probe by the auditor’s office would run afoul of the separation of powers laid out in the state Constitution, bringing the legislative branch under the review of a piece of the executive branch.
“We are not accountable to any constitutional officer,” said Rep. Mindy Domb, an Amherst Democrat. “We are only accountable to our constituents.”
Taunton Rep. Lisa Field, a Democrat in her first term, said she was among the 72% of Massachusetts voters who backed the audit ballot question in 2024.
“Due to legitimate concerns and questions about constitutional privileges and separation of powers, we have been stuck on this audit issue for more than a year,” Field said. “Let’s not be like Washington, D.C. and accept such gridlock — not about the audit and not about public records. Let’s not let perfect be the enemy of good progress.”
The House’s bill would authorize DiZoglio to review what it defines as the “administrative functions” of the Legislature, going back to the 2021 fiscal year. Those areas include the adoption of annual budgets, official audits of the House and Senate by independent firms, spending by both chambers, and the execution of any financial settlements with lawmakers and employees.
It would also newly apply the state’s public records law to the governor’s office, and create a process by which people could request and receive certain legislative files.
Massachusetts is currently the only state where the Legislature, governor and judiciary all claim to be exempt from the public records law.
Warren Republican Rep. Todd Smola described the process that led up to Wednesday’s vote as opaque in and of itself. Mariano last week said the House would take up what he called comprehensive transparency legislation, but did not say when or what, specifically, the bill would do.
The bill was circulated to members of the House Ways and Means Committee around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, and committee members had a little over a half hour to vote on whether to advance it. Smola, the ranking Republican on the committee, said during that 34-minute window, “we had members on both sides of the political aisle that were calling each other back and forth to say, ‘Can you explain this portion to me?’”
“We are so much better than the process that has unfolded,” he said. “And for the sake of people that are asking us for transparency, that is not transparency. That’s the opposite of transparency.”
Rep. Michael Soter, a Bellingham Republican, said he was particularly concerned with a part of the bill that removes the courts from settling disputes between the auditor and the Legislature.
He said that by setting its own rules around an audit, the House would be “ensuring the auditor can only see exactly what we allow her to see and nothing more.”
It’s not clear yet if the Senate will pass the bill. Last week, state senators voted to turn over a limited set of documents to DiZoglio. The documents the Senate plans to provide mirror the records she would be allowed to review under the House bill.
Asked if he expected the Senate to agree to the legislation, Mariano on Tuesday said only, “I talked to the Senate.”
Massachusetts
French-Mediterranean Eatery Charts Opening In Boston
BOSTON, MA — An international restaurant group with locations across the globe is preparing to open its first Massachusetts restaurant this year.
LPM Restaurant & Bar, a French Riviera-inspired restaurant founded in London, is set to open on the second floor of the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street in Back Bay, according to Four Seasons. The hotel lists the restaurant as “Opening Summer 2026,” while the Boston Business Journal reported the restaurant plans to open in September.
The Boston restaurant will mark LPM’s debut in the Northeast and its third U.S. outpost, following locations in Miami and Las Vegas, according to a Four Seasons announcement.
LPM, also known as La Petite Maison, was founded in London in 2007 and is known for French-Mediterranean food, Mediterranean ingredients and dining rooms influenced by Belle Époque design.
The business operates locations in London, Dubai, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Riyadh, Limassol, Doha, Mykonos, Kuwait, Boston, Maldives and Bangkok.
Four Seasons said LPM will take over the space that formerly housed One Dalton’s breakfast concept, One + One. The restaurant will join other dining options at the hotel, including Zuma and Trifecta.
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Massachusetts
Massachusetts high school under investigation after teachers diagnosed with breast cancer
A Massachusetts high school is under investigation after “several” teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions.
The state Department of Public Health is set to visit Uxbridge High School on Thursday to “conduct a series of air quality tests,” to determine whether the multiple cases are potentially connected.
Superintendent David Ljungberg and Principal Michael Rubin alerted families and district staff on Monday of the “sombering news,” after Uxbridge High School’s graduation over the weekend.
“We are writing to inform you about a concern we are investigating at Uxbridge High School,” Ljungberg and Rubin stated in the letter. “Several female teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions over the past few years.”
“It is, of course, possible that these multiple cases are not connected to one another,” the leaders added, “but out of abundance of caution, we are looking into any environmental factors at the school that may be a factor in their diagnoses.”
The 123,000-square-foot school, with an enrollment of roughly 600, was constructed in 2012 at a cost of $45 million, including a $22-million state reimbursement.
Uxbridge school leaders say they notified the state Department of Health and local health board as soon as they became aware of the cases, seeking “counsel about how best to proceed.”
“Massachusetts DPH officials have indicated that there is no evidence of immediate danger in the building and no reason to limit access to or use of the facility at this time,” they wrote in their letter. “In fact, the public health officials have commended our decision to approach them with these concerns, our readiness to partner with them in support of the evaluation process.”
Health officials are assessing the school’s interior and exterior to “ensure there are no issues with the infrastructure that would present risks (including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, and other systems)” and the indoor and outdoor air quality on campus.
The superintendent and principal said that state officials have ruled out water supply as a “risk factor” after “thorough testing.”
“The team has reached out to the women who have been diagnosed, requesting data to evaluate whether there may be a connection among their cases,” Ljungberg and Rubin wrote. “We are grateful for their cooperation.”
They added that the state has said discovering an environmental “smoking gun” is “rare” in workplace investigations.
“However, even if a direct causal link is not established,” the leaders wrote, “the administration is utilizing this process to rigorously test the building and guarantee that it meets all safety standards moving forward.”
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