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The bad news is last night was our last post-6 p.m. sunset until March. The good news is it’s Friday — and there’s lots of sun in the forecast this weekend.
On the Charles: The world’s largest rowing competition splashes back into the water between Boston and Cambridge today. It’s the 60th anniversary of the first Head of the Charles Regatta. And as WBUR’s Amy Sokolow reports, nearly 12,000 athletes from age 11 to 90 will row down the Charles River over the course of the three-day competition. Organizers expect around 325,000 spectators to movie from the banks.
- All clear: The unusually big cyanobacteria bloom in the Charles has receded just enough — and just in time. After additional testing this week, the state’s Department of Public Health announced yesterday that it is rescinding its warning for areas upstream of the MIT Boathouse, meaning the bloom no longer threatens the regatta course. (An advisory for the algae — which can cause skin and respiratory irritation for people who come in contact with the water — is still in effect between the Mass. Ave. Bridge and the Zakim Bridge.)
- What’s new: Tori Stevens, the regatta’s executive director, says this year’s event includes new fan experiences, like live musical performances from Berklee students, family-friendly activities featuring Boston’s sports teams and cameras inside certain boats that will livestream races from rowers’ points of view. “We’ve been really leaning into fan engagement and trying to bring more people into the sport and making it more accessible and easier to view,” Stevens said.
- Bucking the trend: Despite a drop in global tourism to the U.S., the number of international competitors is up since last year — with 25 countries represented. “It really speaks to the importance of this event to the global rowing community,” Stevens said. “It is the annual homecoming and reunion for the sport.”
- Know before you go: Click here for the best places (i.e. bridges) to movie the regatta. As always, parking near the course will be tough, and Memorial Drive in Cambridge will be closed from Western Avenue to the Eliot Bridge during the day Saturday and Sunday. Stevens suggests taking an Uber or Lyft, or the Red Line to Harvard Square: “It’s a really nice walk and, the weather is going to be fantastic.”
- What’s that word mean? From coxswain to bow ball, here’s a mini-glossary of all the rowing terms you might overhear people saying (also explained with LEGOs).
From rowing to running: It didn’t take long for the race for Rep. Seth Moulton’s seat to get off the starting blocks. Within 24 hours of Moulton announcing his campaign to unseat Sen. Ed Markey, the field of Democrats running for his North Shore-based 6th District congressional seat had jumped to three. Here’s who’s confirmed in:
- Dan Koh, a former Biden administration aide and chief of staff for Marty Walsh. Koh narrowly lost the 2018 primary for the 3rd District seat to Rep. Lori Trahan. (His hometown of Andover moved fully into the 6th District in 2021 redistricting.) Since leaving the Biden administration, he’s been hosting a podcast.
- Jamie Belsito, a former state representative who immediately serves as Topfield’s town moderator. Belsito unsuccessfully challenged Moulton in the 2020 primary. She also founded a nonprofit focused on maternal mental health.
- Beth Andres-Beck, a software engineer from Middleton, who originally announced their primary campaign in July — before Moulton said he would seek higher office. Andres-Beck told WBUR at the time that Moulton’s comments last fall about transgender children and sports spurred their run.
- Go deeper: WBUR’s Roberto Scalese has more here on other potential candidates who are considering a run for the seat, plus the big names who say they won’t.
Phil speed ahead: T General Manager Phil Eng is immediately in charge of Massachusetts’ entire transportation department. Gov. Maura Healey appointed Eng to the position yesterday on an interim basis, while announcing that MassDOT’s current leader, Monica Tibbits-Nutt, was stepping down immediately. Eng, who will continue to serve as the T’s general manager, told reporters yesterday he plans to treat the additional role as if it’s his permanently. “I’m not worried about the ‘interim’ tag,” he said.
Former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson is set to report to federal prison today. It’s the start of her one-month sentence for pleading guilty to charges related to orchestrating a bonus kickback scheme within her City Hall office. The sentence also includes three years of supervised release and $13,000 in restitution.
- Meanwhile, the two general election finalists in the race for Fernandes Anderson’s old District 7 council seat debated last night in Roxbury. CBS News has more here on where they stand on housing, Mass. and Cass, and more.
Move over, pumpkin spice: The opening of Boston’s annual Snowport Holiday Market is just a few weeks away. Organizers announced yesterday that the outdoor European-style holiday market in the Seaport will run from Nov. 7 through Dec. 28.
P.S.— Who did the Boston Celtics coaching staff trounce in a pickup basketball game this week? Take our Boston News Quiz and see if you can trounce fellow WBUR readers when it comes to knowing this week’s stories.
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