Morning Updates: Olympic support still weak, To Kill a Mockingbird sequel debuts
Good morning, Boston. Support for hosting the Olympics remains underwhelming, famed author Harper Lee’s sequel debuts, and the rest of the news you need to know today.
In terms of support, the new and improved Boston 2024 Olympic bid changed nothing: “Statewide, 42 percent of those surveyed said they support hosting the games in the Boston area, with 50 percent opposed. In June, it was 39 percent in favor and 49 percent opposed. … ‘So if [Boston 2024 leaders] were hoping that bid 2.0 was going to change a lot of minds, there’s a lot of people who don’t know about it and don’t know it happened,’ [said Steve Koczela, with The MassINC Polling Group, which conducted the survey].’’ (WBUR)
A sense of where you are: “If you’ve been following Boston 2024’s quest to bring the Olympics to town, you know one thing: A lot is riding on Widett Circle, the 83-acre parcel where organizers want to build the stadium that would be the centerpiece of the Olympiad. But even as Widett Circle stands on the brink of global fame, mystery reigns at home. … ‘Never heard of it,’ said Rick Franson, a veteran truck driver, shouting to be heard over his 18-wheeler as it idled on … Widett Circle.’’ (The Boston Globe)
Selfies save lives: “A father and daughter caught in a riptide off Nantucket this week were helped by an unlikely tool — a selfie stick — and a stranger in an orange swimsuit. Derrick Johns, 45, of Austin, Texas, went for a swim at Nobadeer Beach Tuesday afternoon with his 16-year-old, daughter, Erynn, who had a GoPro camcorder on a selfie stick attached to her wrist and managed to capture the ordeal on video.’’ (The Boston Globe)
Connecticut’s cursed sports legacy: “The team that will be known as the Hartford Yard Goats in 2016 is currently known as the New Britain Rock Cats. Last summer, the team announced that it was dumping New Britain for Hartford and a brand-new, city-financed $56 million stadium. This, despite assurances from co-owner (and Boston native) Josh Solomon when he bought the team in 2012 that New Britain would be its home for years and years to come. … Embarrassing, but well within the fine Connecticut tradition of being screwed over by sports teams. There was the Whalers’ departure and, of course, the Hartford Patriots that never were.’’ (Boston.com)
Have some decency, people: “If you’re headed to the World Naked Bike Ride this weekend, you might want to remember to BYOB—bring your own bike, that is. Hubway, Boston’s bike sharing program, issued a statement on Wednesday asking that riders refrain from using the company’s bikes in the absence of clothing on Saturday night, or any other night, for that matter.’’ (Boston.com)
Read an excerpt from Harper Lee’s sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird: “The first chapter of Go Set a Watchman introduces Ms. Lee’s beloved character, Scout, as a sexually liberated woman in her twenties, traveling from New York to Alabama to visit her ailing father and weigh a marriage proposal from a childhood friend. It also includes a bombshell about Scout’s brother.’’ (The Wall Street Journal)
The Goodbye: Where to swim in Massachusetts.
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