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❤️ Donate Thursday, February 5, 2026

☀️ Sunny, with a high near 30. Good Morning Boston, It's Thursday. The opening ceremony of the Olympics in Italy isn't until tomorrow, but some of our Massachusetts-grown Olympians are already hitting the ice today. Here's when and how to watch: Up first: Southborough native Korey Dropkin already made his Olympics debut this morning in mixed doubles curling round-robin play with an 8-6 comeback win against 2022 silver medalists Norway. Dropkin grew up learning to curl at Broomstones Curling Club in Wayland. He and his (not-from-Massachusetts) teammate Cory Thiesse play again today at 8:35 a.m. ET against Switzerland. You can watch live on Peacock and the USA TV channel. After that: The Team USA women's hockey team plays a preliminary round game at 10:40 a.m. ET against Czechia. The American squad includes North Reading's Alex Carpenter, plus several members of the Boston Fleet (Team Czechia has a Fleet player, too). That game will also be televised live on USA and streamable on Peacock. What's next: The women's hockey team has another game Saturday, but the action doesn't really ramp up until next week. Read our full roundup of the 12 Bay Staters in this year's Olympics for more details on when to tune in. Also: WBUR's Lisa Mullins spoke to Chelmsford native Chevonne Forgan, whose event, women's doubles luge, is part of the Olympics for the first time this year. But how does someone get into luge in the first place? And how exactly does it work? Click here to listen to or read the highlights of the interview Follow: Here's an overview of how to watch the games over the next two-plus weeks, from the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony. What's it like inside this year's Olympic village? Here's a peek. (Also, they're eating so much pizza.) What to watch: Here are 19 Olympics storylines to know — not all about sports. In other news: Cue The Standells: The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is proposing a new plan to curtail sewage discharge into rivers like the Charles. As WBUR's Barbara Moran reports, the revised approach comes after a backlash by environmental advocates against the previous plan, which would have allowed untreated sewage to continue to be released into the Charles and Mystic rivers, as well as Alewife Brook, when heavy rain overwhelms local wastewater and stormwater systems. Under the new plan, that practice would be eliminated in "typical" years by 2050 — even with an expected increase in precipitation due to climate change. What will it take? The new plan is expected to cost about $1.3 billion over the coming decades to upgrade and prepare old stormwater and wastewater systems for the heavier rain climate change is expected to bring. MWRA advisory board chair Richard Raiche said the plan is the "first in the nation that looks forward at the impacts of climate change rather than backwards at records of rainfall." What do the critics say? Emily Norton, the head of the Charles River Watershed Association (which led the charge against the previous plan), said the new plan is better, but not ideal. "It will still result in millions of gallons of sewage entering the Charles on a regular basis, making people sick, making it impossible for people to swim, or in those days, even boat in the river," she told Barb. Why are we releasing sewage into the Charles anyways? It's a byproduct of a time (the 1800s, to be specific) when wastewater systems and stormwater systems were built to flow into the same pipes. WBUR's Miriam Wasser explains more here. On ICE: Worcester is moving to ban federal immigration agents from using city-owned property for their operations. City officials announced yesterday that they're expanding an executive order prohibiting ICE agents from entering non-public areas of municipal buildings. The amended order bans ICE agents from using city-owned open space, parking lots, garages, parks or any other buildings for staging. The order also requires Worcester police officers responding to reports of ICE activity to verify that the individuals are actually federal agents. City Manager Eric Batista told WBUR's John Bender the changes are in response to ICE's recent aggressive tactics across the country. "What it's doing is undermining our ability to work with the community," Batista said. "They're using tactics that are challenging the trust that we as a community have built for many years." Death, taxes... Bill Galvin is officially running for a ninth term as Massachusetts secretary of state. He announced his decision yesterday, aiming to extend his record as Massachusetts' longest-serving statewide elected official. Since taking office in 1995, he's never received less than 63% of the vote. Why run again? The 75-year-old had previously hinted that his eighth term may be his last. But he said his decision to run again is largely due to concerns about the Trump administration's handling of the 2028 election and 2030 census. State House News Service has more on Galvin's reelection plans here. P.S.—  Valentine's Day is coming up quickly. You can send a bouquet almost anywhere in New England (and support independent journalism) when you order Winston Flowers through WBUR. Check out the options here, and save if you order by Feb. 10. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters The Rundown Lock it down or let it be: MIT students mull campus security after professor's killing, Brown shooting After the off-campus murder of a professor last semester, some MIT students returned to classes with thoughts on whether the school can protect them. Read more. Newly released court records reveal misconduct inquiry into federal judge A federal judge in Massachusetts said he retired to speak out about threats to the rule of law. Newly released court orders suggest his exit coincided with a misconduct inquiry that ended when he stepped down. Read more. For the first time in decades, the U.S. and Russia have no limits on nuclear weapons Experts warn the expiration of a long-standing nuclear arms control treaty between the two superpowers could mark the start of a new nuclear rivalry. Read more. Savannah Guthrie shares emotional video asking for proof her missing mother is alive Police in Arizona believe Nancy Guthrie, 84, was taken by force from her Tucson area home this weekend. So far, no suspect or person of interest has been identified. Read more. Trump's border czar announces 700 immigration officers to immediately leave Minnesota President Donald Trump's border czar says the number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota will be seriously reduced after state and local officials agreed to cooperate by turning over arrested immigrants. Read more. Anything Else? At the behest of owner Jeff Bezos, the Washington Post laid off a third of its entire workforce yesterday. The cuts include shuttering its sports desk and book section, shrinking the paper's international team and restructuring its Metro section. Former editor Marty Baron called it one of "the darkest days" in the paper's history. In this Cognoscenti essay, Massachusetts writer Annemarie Whilton reflects on the extreme heartache — and unexpected love — she witnessed in her daughter's battle with addiction. A new exhibit at Brandeis University features 10 female artists and their work depicting life during and after the Holocaust. This year's Olympics feature eight new events, including its first new sport in decades: ski mountaineering, aka "skimo." What We're Reading 📚 One-third of BPS seniors risk not graduating high school in June (The Boston Globe) How a Black fossil digger became a superstar in the very white world of paleontology (NPR) This Hasidic Reporter Has a Few Questions for Mayor Mamdani (The New York Times) Tell Me Something Good Patriots fan who's been to every Super Bowl says this is his last. "Time to let somebody younger have the seat." (CBS Boston) For New England Patriots fan Don Crisman, Super Bowl LX with be his 60th and final trip to the biggest game of the year. Read more. Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: And now to Veronica's dad, with sports. 😎 Forward to a friend. 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