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‘I’ve been fortunate’: Newton North High School Basketball Coach Paul Connolly steps down after 24 years - Newton Beacon

Newton North High School Basketball Coach Paul Connolly, seen in this YouTube clip talking about the team's recent efforts in the MIAA state championships, is retiring after 24 years. Screenshot of video posted by Mukala KabongoOn the basketball court, Paul Connolly has a booming voice. He’s making swift calls and giving players sharp guidance. His native Massachusetts accent bounces off the walls of the gym far louder than all the sneaker screeches and dribbles.   
But when he sits down to spea...

Juliana Pasquarosa, the first Massachusetts-native winner of ‘The Bachelor,’ opens up about the show, family and her new venture - Newton Beacon

On this season of "The Bachelor," Newton's Juliana Pasquarosa won the big prize, the heart of Grant Ellis. The two are shown here during the season's "Hometowns’ episode, in which Ellis met the remaining contestants' families. Photo Courtesy of Disney/ABC“Bachelor Mondays” were a two-year tradition with Newton native Juliana Pasquarosa and her older sister, Dominique. After work, Pasquarosa would bring a bottle of wine to her sister’s house, and they’d watch the show over pasta.
Little did she k...

Passport to DiscovHER highlights Newton’s women-owned small businesses - Newton Beacon

Twenty-eight women-owned businesses in Newton came together to create a passport — visitors earn stamps by stopping by each storefront. Ten stamps gets participants one entry to a drawing for a prize basket filled with gift cards and goodies from each of the businesses—visit all 28, and you get five entries. Many businesses are also running discount programs. The program runs from March 8, International Women’s Day, through March 31.

Selena Gomez announces engagement to record producer Benny Blanco - The Boston Globe

The post’s caption reads: “forever begins now” and features four photos, including a close-up shot of the marquise-shaped ring. On her Instagram story, Gomez, 32, also shared a video of her showing off her ring to loved ones on the phone.Selena Gomez made it clear she loves Benny Blanco like a love song when she announced via Instagram that the couple are now engaged.Blanco, a record producer known for producing pop hits like Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on a Hill” and Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” co...

‘Anora’ takes home top prize from Boston Society of Film Critics - The Boston Globe

The Boston Society of Film Critics on Sunday crowned “Anora” the best film of 2024, after meeting to vote on its annual awards. Currently in theaters, “Anora” was directed by Sean Baker and tells the story of a sex worker from Brooklyn who abruptly marries the son of an oligarch. The film’s star Mikey Madison also took home best actress, and Baker won for best director and best original screenplay.

Who won the big prize on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Tuesday night? Watch highlights from the season finale. - The Boston Globe

“I am strong and powerful, but I also can be graceful,” Maher said during rehearsals. “The mirrorball won’t be so much for me, I think it’ll be for all the girls who’ve been told they’re too big or they’re too muscular, they’re not pretty.”After a fierce night of competition, filled with powerful routines and plenty of growth, “The Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei and his partner Jenna Johnson hoisted the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy on the season 33 finale of “Dancing with the Stars” Tuesday nigh...

Stephen Nedoroscik talks 2028 Olympics, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and getting noticed for the first time in his hometown bar - The Boston Globe

The first time Stephen Nedoroscik was recognized in public was long before he went viral for his glasses at the 2024 Paris Olympic games.

Before the world knew him as “pommel horse guy,” and before he dove into the unknown world of “Dancing with the Stars,” someone tapped him on the shoulder of his hometown bar Ralph’s in Worcester. He had seen Nedoroscik at the 2021 World Championships for men’s gymnastics, and wanted to buy the gymnast a drink. It was 2022 — Nedoroscik’s second time ever at the bar.

The Dance Complex brings ‘Roots and Routes’ showcase to Arrow Street Arts - The Boston Globe

When Peter DiMuro thinks of The Dance Complex, he thinks of it as a “United Nations” of the arts.

This philosophy will be exemplified in the studio’s upcoming showcase, “Roots and Routes.” From Friday through Sunday, dancers from around the world will come together to present their origins and where they plan to go next. The Dance Complex has played host to its “Roots and Routes” in the past, but in its sixth year, the showcase will take place at Arrow Street Arts, the reimagined Harvard Square performance space that previously housed the Oberon Theatre.

Coolidge Corner Theatre among locales in new book from Accidentally Wes Anderson - The Boston Globe

The Kovals just released their second book, “Accidentally Wes Anderson: Adventures,” Tuesday. It features 200 destinations around the globe — from Antarctica to Australia — and a forward from Anderson himself, who nods to the community of “adventurer photographers.”The photo journal became an “overnight success,” with its fanbase growing from just friends and family to strangers soon claiming it as their “favorite account,” he said. It now has 1.9 million followers on Instagram. Their first book...

Free events in Boston this week: A playground for grown-ups, Latin Music & Dance fest returns to Eastie, and more - The Boston Globe

UNLEASH YOUR INNER CHILD The Friends of the Public Garden Backyard Bash returns for its third year — this time, featuring the Lite It Up playground for grown-ups. In addition to the LED-lit playscape by the Boston-based Curation Agency, the evening will feature frozen mocktails and ice cream from Boston Ice Cream Truck. Sept. 17, 5 to 7 p.m. Free. Parkman Bandstand, 139 Tremont St. friendsofthepublicgarden.orgIf you aren’t down with the change-of-the-season cold, we have you covered with this we...

Fins Up! Fenway Park to host Margaritaville Night - The Boston Globe

Moments after the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, Larry Cancro got a call. It wasn’t from a member of his family, not one of his colleagues at Fenway. It was from Jimmy Buffett.During his 2004 Fenway concert, Buffett put together a skit in which he broke the “Curse of the Bambino,” the Red Sox’s 86-year-long World Series championship drought. “I told you we broke the curse,” Buffett had told him.“He was engaging and easy to get to know,” Cancro, the senior vice president of Fenway Concerts...

The 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ Boston show gets the magic treatment - The Boston Globe

Long-time “Breakfast with the Beatles” radio host Cha-Chi Loprete and magician John Logan will celebrate a Boston-Beatles milestone on Sept. 8 during their monthly City Winery show. Sunday’s event — “Come Together: A Multimedia Beatles Experience,” which, on a typical night, consists of Beatles magic, education, trivia, and special guests — honors the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ concert at the Boston Garden in 1964, one of only two times the band made their way to Beantown.

Is your water bottle making you sick? Probably. Here’s how to fix it. - The Boston Globe

School is back in session and chances are you’re packing a backpack with some kind of reusable water bottle in the side pouch. Chances are also that the water bottle is grosser than you think.

If you aren’t sure the last time you checked out what the inside of your water bottle looked like, you’re not alone — especially if you’re a lover of an insulated bottle that keeps your drink cold all day (like we are). The opaque metal makes it hard to tell what’s floating around inside, and the long narrow shape makes the water seem like it came from 20,000 leagues under the sea.
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