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The WNBA is back in town. The Connecticut Sun are hosting Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever tonight at the TD Garden. It’s the Sun’s second-ever game in Boston, after selling out the arena last August. And as the interest in women’s basketball grows, an increasing number of local leaders are pushing for the Sun (or any WNBA team) to play more than one game a year here.
WNBA fever: Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell says it should be “an easy layup.” Boston is, if nothing, a sports town. There’s clear interest from local fans, with tickets for tonight’s game currently going for a minimum of $100. Local investors are interested, too. The effort has support from the area’s top elected officials, from Gov. Maura Healey to the Boston City Council, which unanimously passed Worrell’s resolution calling for a team last week. In theory, the team could also play its games at TD Garden, since the WNBA season takes place almost entirely during the offseason for the Celtics and Bruins. “We will not be needing to build additional facilities here in the city of Boston to support the actual games,” Worrell told WBUR’s John Bender. “ It’s more of a seamless incorporation of a team, opposed to any other efforts.”
- Worrell’s resolution specifically targets the Sun, which play at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut and are owned by the Mohegan Tribe. In May, news broke that the tribe was considering selling — and maybe relocating — the Sun. According to Worrell, relocating to Boston would be the “ best deal,” because “you’re keeping them in New England” (as opposed to, say, North Carolina).
- However, even that may be too far a move for the Sun’s owners. A spokesperson for Boston Women’s Basketball Partners, the celebrity-backed group trying to get a WNBA team in Boston, recently told The Boston Globe they’ve talked with the Mohegan Tribe and learned they’re seeking owners to keep the Sun in Connecticut. (Meanwhile, WPRI reported this past Friday that officials in Rhode Island are also discussing an effort to lure the Sun to Providence.) “In terms of the path forward for us, it looks more and more like it’s going to be expansion,” AJ Gerritson, the spokesperson for the Boston group, told the Globe.
- The WNBA announced late last month it will add three more teams through 2030. But Boston didn’t make the cut. Gerritson told the Globe their group came together too late and wasn’t able to submit a bid in time. Their hope is to be part of the next round of expansion, whenever that is.
In other news:
Fall River fire: An investigation is underway into what caused the fire that killed nine people and injured at least 30 others at an assisted living facility in Fall River. Healey, who toured the scene yesterday, said it was hard for first responders to rescue everyone quickly. “ All of these people needed assistance,” Healey said. “Many were in wheelchairs. Many were immobile. Many had oxygen tanks. They were severely compromised individuals in this assisted living facility, which made it all the more challenging.” You can read more witness accounts of the frantic rescue here.
- Some firefighters are blaming low staffing levels in Fall River’s fire department for the death toll. Ed Kelly, the president of the International Association of Firefighters (and a former Boston firefighter) said only two of Fall River’s 10 firetrucks were staffed by four firefighters, the minimum recommended by the National Fire Protection Association. “Had they been staffed properly up to national standards, there would’ve been eight more firefighters affecting rescues here last night,” Kelly said. “There’s no doubt that would’ve made a difference.”
- WBUR’s Lisa Mullins asked Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan about Kelly’s claims. You can listen to the full interview here.
Markey 🤝 Wu: Sen. Ed Markey is endorsing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection, as she faces a well-funded challenge from Josh Kraft. As WBUR’s Eve Zuckoff reports, Markey proclaimed Wu the “greenest” mayor in America during an event yesterday at Jamaica Pond. “I’m on the Wu train,” Markey said. “I’m part of the Wu-niverse. I’m ready to work to make sure that we have this great mayor continuing to serve for the next four years.” (For those counting, we’re still waiting to hear from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who was an early endorser of her former student’s first mayoral campaign.)
- Wu also hinted at new goals for her potential second term during the event, including to extend and expand Boston’s fare-free MBTA bus pilot and to “cut in half” the number of city residents burdened by energy costs.
Heads up: The Callahan Tunnel is closing again tonight from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. due to bridge work. Drivers headed across the harbor to East Boston will be detoured through the Ted Williams Tunnel eastbound.
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