The B-Side
Plus: đ€°đ» Mayor Wuâs BIG news
Itâs Wednesday, Boston.
đ„ We all know Snoop Doggâs Olympic Games commentary is fire. But this year, his ability to light up will also be put to the test as he helps carry the Olympic torch ahead of the opening ceremonies. Weâre sure heâll do just fine.
đWhatâs on tap today:
- Mayor Wuâs BIG news
- Overflow shelter crack downs
- Fluffy coke
Up firstâŠ
OLYMPICS
These locals are going for gold
Image: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games kick off Friday. And of this yearâs approximately 10,500 Olympic athletes, 55 of them have New England ties *flips hair.*
So if you need an athlete to stan, here are a few hometown heroes to root for:
đJayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White, menâs basketball. Not to flex (jk, weâre totally flexing), but three of the 12 players on Team USA are Celtics this year. And after a 5-0 hot streak in their exhibition games, the teamâs run for their fifth straight gold medal looks promising. The first official game against Serbia is on Sunday, so keep your eyes on the full schedule here.
đ€žđżââïžÂ Frederick Richard, menâs gymnastics. Simone Biles may be the GOAT, but Stoughton native and Millis-based Richard is shaping up to be gymnasticsâ next big thing. At 20, his resume already includes being the youngest ever medal-earning individual at Worlds, a slew of NCAA titles, and a massive social media following to boot. Catch him (alongside Worcester native Stephen Nedoroscik) on their quest for a medal starting Saturday.Â
đ Ilona Maher, womenâs rugby. If youâre on TikTok, youâve probably seen Maher, sharing her behind-the-scenes rugby content, or her plan to treat the Olympic Village like Love Island. But did you know sheâs originally from Burlington, Vermont? Maher and Team USA will look to improve on their sixth-place performance in Tokyo this go around, starting with a game against Japan on Sunday.
đđżââïžÂ Zuri Ferguson, swimming. On this episode of âteenagers who are already more impressive than Iâll ever be:â Ferguson, a rising senior at Attleboro High School, will represent Trinidad and Tobago in the 100-meter backstroke at just 17 years old. We just feel bad for her high school rivals, as sheâs set just about every local record possible this year. Her first heat is slated for Monday.
đAlly Hammel, womenâs field hockey. After failing to qualify for the games in 2021, BU-grad and Duxbury-native Ally Hammel had a major hand in Team USAâs Cinderella-story rise to qualifying for the 2024 games. You can watch them try to do it all over again starting on Saturday against Argentina.
đđŸââïžÂ Gabby Thomas and Alexis Holmes, track and field. Five New Englanders are taking the line at this yearâs track and field events (shoutout Emily Mackay, Emily Sisson, and Elle Purrier St. Pierre!). If youâre looking to see a podium finish, your best chances may be to watch Connecticut native Holmes in the 400-meter or 4Ă400-meter relay (Team USA hasnât lost the latter since 1992), or Harvard grad Thomas in the 200-meter, where sheâll try to improve on her bronze medal in Tokyo. Check out the track and field schedule here.
đ  Looking for more? The Globe put together an interactive guide to all of the athletes with New England ties here.
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TOGETHER WITH OMNI BOSTON HOTEL AT THE SEAPORT
Hot take: Staycation > vacationÂ
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CITY
Quick & dirty headlines
Image: Erin Schaff/Getty
đ€°đ» Mayor Michelle Wu has BIG news. First off: Sheâs pregnant! Her family is expecting a bundle of joy in January, and itâs a girl. In sharing the news with the Globe, Wu also spoke for the first time publicly about the two miscarriages sheâs had since the birth of her second son. And if all that werenât news enough, in the same interview, she also confirmed sheâs planning to run for reelection next year, although the hard launch of her campaign wonât come until the âtime is right.â
đïž Gov. Maura Healey is cracking down on overflow shelters. In the latest attempt to get a handle on the stateâs emergency shelter system crisis, on Aug. 1, Healeyâs admin is limiting stays in overflow sites â which house those on the shelter waitlist â to just five days with no options to extend their stay (although theyâll have the option fly out for free or apply for a rent voucher). Theyâll also be tweaking the rules to prioritize Mass. residents in the shelters, adding families displaced by no-fault evictions and veterans to the top of the priority list for longer-term stays.
đŽÂ Is Boston a bike-friendly city? Yes and no. You donât have to be a routine rider to know that biking in Boston isnât for the faint of heart. The good news? The cityâs Safe Streets Initiative has been successful in getting some new bikers on the streets by adding bike lanes and other safety initiatives â bike numbers are up 50% on the Mass. Ave Bridge since 2021. But the bad news ⊠the dangers that remain in areas without those lanes are still significant. And getting real estate developers to agree to more lanes ainât easy either.Â
â These local chefs are rising stars. We already know Bostonâs restaurant scene is hot, but now others are starting to figure it out. StarChefsâ Rising Star Awards are back in Boston for the first time since 2020, with this yearâs awards recognizing 17 local industry pros who are shaking up Bostonâs hospitality scene, from sommeliers, to chefs, to restaurateurs, including some of our faves from spots like Southern Pines Diner Car, Good Company, Tonino, and Sarma. Check out the whole list here.
ONE LAST THING
Fluffy Coke
Illustration: Gia Orsino
Introducing the new drink of the summer:Â Fluffy Coke.Â
According to a recipe by foodie influencer Anna Maria Arriaga a.k.a. @forkdacalories, a Fluffy Coke is essentially a glass coated in our beloved Marshmallow Fluff, filled with Coca-Cola, and topped with a vanilla creamer of your choice.Â
In the recipe, Arriaga positions a Fluffy Coke as a sort of alternative to our daily coffee drinks. Which, at first, we thought sounded like a wild sugar bomb that has no place replacing our morning coffee, until we realized ⊠a large caramel swirl from Dunkinâ probably has a similar sugar content.
â Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
đ„€Â Thanks for reading! Donât worry Dunks, we still love ya.Â
đ Special shoutout to todayâs sponsor, Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, for supporting local journalism and offering Bostonians a little slice of paradise thatâs close to home.Â
đłïž The results are in:Â 52% of B-Siders are fully onboard the Kamala train, while another 25% are about 50/50, and 17% wish they had other options. Thank you to the many, many readers wrote in to tell us their nuanced thoughts about the situation, but this one took the cake: âWould love a kamalanomenom đ â.
đ Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].