🏀 The C's new crew

Also: The new, new House speaker nominee; a look at the youngest kids in Mass. shelters [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  October 25, 2023 🏀 A little cloudy, with a high near 73. Good Morning Boston, The Red Sox have [a new general manager]( the Bruins are [still undefeated]( and the Celtics tip off their new season tonight. While the collective opinion of [the C's new cream-white alternate jerseys]( may be low, the expectations for the team are very high. Here's a preview: - Banner #18 or bust: After getting close the last two seasons, the Celtics enter this fall as a [betting favorite]( to win the 2024 NBA Finals. It's a high bar to set, but Boston Globe basketball reporter Gary Washburn told WBUR Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy that it's a reasonable one. "If they stay healthy, they should be able to win the championship," Washburn said. That's because the Celtics retooled in a major way this summer, adding some big names to go along with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and friends: - First, they [traded fan favorite Marcus Smart to get Kristaps Porzingis]( a 7-foot-3 center who can shoot three-pointers as well as he can block opponents' shots. The former top draft pick's career was slightly derailed by injuries, but he bounced back last year and enters this season healthy. (Some added intrigue: Porzingis will make his Celtics debut tonight against the team that first drafted him: the New York Knicks). - Second — and perhaps just as important — is the player replacing Smart: Jrue Holiday. The Celtics [acquired the 2023 All-Star]( after he was traded away by the rival Milwaukee Bucks. The C's gave up Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams, but they get one of the NBA's best defensive guards — and a scary starting five. - That supercharged starting lineup does come a bit at the expense of the team's depth. (Grant Williams also left in free agency.) But the organization is instilling confidence in one player who spent much of last season on the end of the bench: Payton Pritchard. The point guard got a contract extension and [has impressed so far in preseason](. "He hasn't had really a fair shake at times in terms of when he's going to play," Washburn said. "He should step up and be a contributor." - What's next: The Celtics make their way back to Boston to play their first home game this Friday against the Miami Heat, who knocked them out of the playoffs this past spring. [Listen to Rupa's full preview with Washburn here](. - The Boston City Council will vote today on [Mayor Michelle Wu's ordinance to give police more power to remove tents from the Mass. and Cass area](. But what they're voting on perhaps won't look exactly as she proposed it. - Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, who chairs the committee that reviewed the measure, is putting forward an amended version of Wu's plan, with two big changes. (The original version filed by Wu was met with some concerns among progressive like Arroyo.) First, it removes a $25 penalty for people who refuse tent removal. And second, it calls for more involvement by public health professionals. - The MBTA is inching toward a plan to make repairs to the Green Line Extension's [defective tracks]( while avoiding any full-day shutdowns. But that could mean some early nighttime closures. - MBTA General Manager Phil Eng told the T's board that he is reviewing a proposal by the contractors who worked on the GLX to begin overnight work as soon as next week. According to Eng, the proposal would involve closing the GLX early at 9 p.m. for "potentially 10 to 14 nights." Still, nothing is finalized yet. - Big brew news: Braintree's Widowmaker Brewing is opening its new taproom in Boston's [Brighton neighborhood]( today, with a "grand opening" celebration planned for Saturday. Located by that other public radio station, the 190 North Beacon Street brewpub includes a full kitchen, thanks to a partnership with the food truck Bone & Bread. They also plan to have a seasonal outdoor patio beginning next spring. - Take a peek inside: You can[scroll through photos of the new taproom here.]( You can also check out the [Asian-inspired menu]( — which ranges from burgers and wings to Korean street corn dogs and French Onion Ramen. P.S.— The fifth episode of The Gun Machine is [here](. It explores how gun companies court police departments across the country – and how those departments have become some of the biggest customers of gun manufacturers, as well as their "guiding inspiration." Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [The youngest kids in Mass. shelters need more support, advocates warn]( More than 3,000 homeless families are now in hotels and motels that often don’t have toys, books, or play spaces for children.There’s a new push to get these youngsters better access to stimulating environments and activities. Experts say it's key for brain development. [Read more.]( [The youngest kids in Mass. shelters need more support, advocates warn]( More than 3,000 homeless families are now in hotels and motels that often don’t have toys, books, or play spaces for children.There’s a new push to get these youngsters better access to stimulating environments and activities. Experts say it's key for brain development. [Read more.]( [Biden won't appear on New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot]( President Biden won’t file to have his name appear on the 2024 New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot. He is opting to skip a contest that the state plans to hold in defiance of a revamped primary order that the White House has championed. [Read more.]( [Biden won't appear on New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot]( President Biden won’t file to have his name appear on the 2024 New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot. He is opting to skip a contest that the state plans to hold in defiance of a revamped primary order that the White House has championed. [Read more.]( [House to enter 22nd day without a speaker, but with a new nominee for the job]( House Republicans selected Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana to be their latest candidate for speaker. [Read more.]( [House to enter 22nd day without a speaker, but with a new nominee for the job]( House Republicans selected Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana to be their latest candidate for speaker. [Read more.]( [Mass. students are absent from school at 'staggering' rates, says state education official]( Jeff Riley, the state commissioner for K-12 education, says his office will make more regular attendance a top priority in the year ahead and push for "new responses" to fix the issue. [Read more.]( [Mass. students are absent from school at 'staggering' rates, says state education official]( Jeff Riley, the state commissioner for K-12 education, says his office will make more regular attendance a top priority in the year ahead and push for "new responses" to fix the issue. [Read more.]( [Citing youth mental health suffering, Mass. and other states sue Meta]( Massachusetts is among dozens of states suing Meta, saying the company knows its practices on Facebook and Instagram harm the mental health of children. [Read more.]( [Citing youth mental health suffering, Mass. and other states sue Meta]( Massachusetts is among dozens of states suing Meta, saying the company knows its practices on Facebook and Instagram harm the mental health of children. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - It's spooky movie season! With more than two dozen frightening films screening at local theaters (and one museum) in the run-up to Halloween, film critic Sean Burns [picks six of his favorites to get you started](. - Quahogs are iconic to Rhode Island. But now, scientists, lawmakers and others in the Ocean State are [teaming up to hunt for the reason why the hard-shelled clams appear to be declining](. - Local attorney Sarah Sherman-Stoke argues against the recent move to give more money to Boston's police intelligence center in [this Cognoscenti commentary]( "This dramatic expansion comes at the expense of our privacy, and our civil rights."  What We're Reading 📚 - Mike Gorman, the legendary voice of the Celtics. And my dear friend. ([The Boston Globe]( - Inside Poland Spring’s Hidden Attack on Water Rules It Didn’t Like ([The New York Times]( - The media navigates a war of words for reporting on Gaza and Israel ([Washington Post](  Meet the Makers [Szu-Chieh Yun interrogates systems of power through art]( For the 35-year-old painter, her work has provided an avenue to articulate feelings that may have been hard for her to speak or write about. “It’s a way for me to not necessarily escape, but to understand what’s happening around me,” she told WBUR's Arielle Gray. [Read more.]( [Szu-Chieh Yun interrogates systems of power through art]( For the 35-year-old painter, her work has provided an avenue to articulate feelings that may have been hard for her to speak or write about. “It’s a way for me to not necessarily escape, but to understand what’s happening around me,” she told WBUR's Arielle Gray. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common's City Council candidate interview series [kicks off with the two District 6 hopefuls]( running to replace Kendra Lara. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [The official 2023 male Halloween costume of northern New England.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.