They played. They conquered. They hopped on the duck boats to celebrate their NBA title. Boston pulled out all the stops Friday to celebrate the Celtics' 18th NBA title with a downtown parade. Here are the highlights:Jayson Tatum throws shade at MiamiThe Celtics didn't waste any time celebrating after defeating the Dallas Mavericks Monday night, hopping on a plane to Miami within hours of Game 5."You guys have been on a lot of hard-fought trips to Miami," Celtics TV analyst Brian Scalabrine said, in a pre-parade interview with the team. "Was this one a little sweeter?" "They're always...

Major League Baseball paid tribute on Thursday to the Negro Leagues and San Francisco Giants legend Willie Mays, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 93.Driving the news: MLB honored Mays and the Negro Leagues during the Giants game against the St. Louis Cardinals as the teams played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, where the "Say Hey Kid" got his start. Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the country, was home to the Negro Leagues' Birmingham Black Barons, where Mays began his professional career in 1948.The game had already been planned before Mays' death.Context: Mays was the...

Skilled nursing facility Laguna Honda is able to admit both Medicare and Medicaid patients after being approved for final recertification this week, marking an end to a tumultuous couple of years that entailed patient transfers and a lawsuit from the city attorney.Why it matters: All of Laguna Honda's patients rely on either Medicare or Medicaid, but the facility must be certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to be reimbursed by the government for patient care.Catch up quick: In April 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revoked Laguna Hospital's Medicare and Medicaid certifications after determining the...

Same-sex marriages climbed across California leading up to and following the Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalizing them nationwide.In fact, about 41% of current same-sex couples got married between 2015 and 2019, a new U.S. Census Bureau report finds.State of play: Same-sex marriage has been legal in California since 2013.There were over 162,000 same-sex couple households in California as of 2022, per the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data, compared to about 84,300 in 2008.There were around 103,200 married same-sex couple households as of 2022, up from roughly 23,400 in 2008.Nearly 64% of same-sex couple households were married as of 2022,...

It's your last chance to see Ray of Light's production of "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" this weekend. The show is the perfect way to beat the June gloom, and a heartwarming story for Pride month.Catch up quick: The show follows the story of Jamie New (Romelo Urbi), a teenager in Sheffield, England, who dreams of being a drag queen.The performances are stellar. Urbi shines as the irrepressible Jamie, while solos from Anne Elizabeth Clark (as Jamie's mother, Margaret) and Madelyn Davis-Haddad (Jamie's best friend Pritti) are worth the ticket price alone.Claire's thought bubble: I loved seeing some of SF's best drag talent making musical theater cameos, including Rahni NothingMore and Katya Smirnoff-Skyy.Stop by: "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" runs until Sunday at the Victoria Theatre. Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios San Francisco.

Summer of Music returns this weekend in an expanded format with concerts on Saturday and Sunday afternoons across six neighborhoods.Why it matters: The citywide live music series launched last year as part of an effort to boost economic activity and spotlight local artists, turning Bay Area storefronts into mini-music venues that hosted free concerts every week.Driving the news: Over 175 local Bay Area musicians and 75 business owners have signed up to participate this summer, including Twango SF, Oceanography, Yaadi Erica and more.Performances will take place in the Mission, Castro, Haight, Inner Sunset, Marina and North Beach.The inaugural Summer of...

There's no denying Boston made history with this week's 106-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.Zoom in: We all know by now the Celtics now have the most titles in NBA history, surpassing the Lakers, but the team left its mark in other ways.👶 At 35, Joe Mazzulla is the youngest coach to win an NBA title since coach Bill Russell won in the late 1960s at age 34, per NBC Sports. The last person who held that record is Hall of Famer Pat Riley, who was 37 when he led the Lakers to the championship in 1982, per NBA.com.🇩🇴 Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso, AKA Al Horford, is the first Dominican player to win the NBA title.🔥 The Celts' final record for the regular season and the playoffs was 80-21, the 13th-best record in NBA history, per NBA.com. The Celtics had the most efficient offense in NBA history with 122.2 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.Sign up for Axios Boston for free.

There's no denying Boston made history with this week's 106-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.Zoom in: We all know by now the Celtics now have the most titles in NBA history, surpassing the Lakers, but the team left its mark in other ways.👶 At 35, Joe Mazzulla is the youngest coach to win an NBA title since coach Bill Russell won in the late 1960s at age 34, per NBC Sports. The last person who held that record is Hall of Famer Pat Riley, who was 37 when he led the Lakers to the championship in 1982, per NBA.com.🇩🇴 Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso, AKA Al Horford, is the first Dominican player to win the NBA title.🔥 The Celts' final record for the regular season and the playoffs was 80-21, the 13th-best record in NBA history, per NBA.com. The Celtics had the most efficient offense in NBA history with 122.2 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.Sign up for Axios Boston for free.

There's no denying Boston made history with this week's 106-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.Zoom in: We all know by now the Celtics now have the most titles in NBA history, surpassing the Lakers, but the team left its mark in other ways.👶 At 35, Joe Mazzulla is the youngest coach to win an NBA title since coach Bill Russell won in the late 1960s at age 34, per NBC Sports. The last person who held that record is Hall of Famer Pat Riley, who was 37 when he led the Lakers to the championship in 1982, per NBA.com.🇩🇴 Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso, AKA Al Horford, is the first Dominican player to win the NBA title.🔥 The Celts' final record for the regular season and the playoffs was 80-21, the 13th-best record in NBA history, per NBA.com. The Celtics had the most efficient offense in NBA history with 122.2 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.Sign up for Axios Boston for free.

Bob's Donuts, a beloved San Francisco institution, could expand to a bigger space if a proposal before the Board of Supervisors is approved.Why it matters: The doughnut shop, which has been a staple in Nob Hill since the 1960s and was nominated as a legacy business in April, was unable to reach a lease agreement with its current landlord, according to its owners.The legislation, proposed by District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, would enable Bob's Donuts to move to a larger location in the same neighborhood.Driving the news: The legislation, which would amend the city's planning code to allow legacy businesses...

When Mona's opened in North Beach in 1936, owners and married couple Mona and Jimmie Sargeant imagined it as a bohemian space for writers and artists. But as their business grew, so did the club's dynamics. Why it matters: It became the first openly lesbian club in San Francisco and paved the way for more lesbian clubs to flourish both in the Bay and across the U.S.How it happened: The couple began hiring singing waitresses, some of whom dressed as men, and styled the bar as an impersonation cabaret with drag performances by lesbians and genderfluid people.Gladys Bentley, a blues...

We've got a full schedule for you this weekend. Buckle up and get ready to take your pick.Thursday🎨 Gather for an evening of exhibition-inspired art projects, featuring activations that explore creative reuse, mixed media aesthetics, collaborative robot art and more.5:30–9pm at the Museum of Craft and Design. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for students and seniors and free for MCD members.🎉 Swing by some of the pop-up drag shows in downtown San Francisco as part of the city's "Drag Me Downtown" initiative. Performers include Tyson Check-in and Kipper Snacks.5–7pm at the Third Floor at the Jay Hotel. Free.Friday🎪...

What do you do when you're offered a private tour of San Francisco's second-tallest building? You climb to the top — and film the entire thing for Axios!The big picture: The Transamerica Pyramid and surrounding area were sold for $650 million in 2020 and have been undergoing renovations for 18 months. The $400 million project is the biggest single investment in downtown SF since COVID. Fun fact: The architectural firm behind the renovations, Foster + Partners, also designed Apple's "spaceship" headquarters in Cupertino.State of play: While the renovated lobby is open to visitors, the metal spire at the top (all...

Boston's getting the duck boats ready to celebrate the Celtics' 18th NBA title.The big picture: Officials are hoping the heat wave will have subsided in time for locals to safely celebrate on Friday.What they're saying: "Win a championship, we throw you a parade," Mayor Michelle Wu said Tuesday.State of play: Wu predicted the duck boat parade will draw more than 1 million people downtown Friday morning.When it starts: The parade kicks off at 11am Friday in front of TD Garden.It will pass City Hall Plaza and Boston Common before ending on Boylston Street in front of the Hynes Convention Center.Zoom...

Update: The 911 system came back online around 4pm Tuesday, per state officials.911 is down across Massachusetts, officials say. The big picture: The outage comes as Boston and several surrounding cities experience a heat wave, which can lead to heat exhaustion and other medical emergencies. In Boston, officials shared district numbers that locals can call to report police, fire or medical emergencies. Boston fire: 617-343-2880 or pull a fire box.Boston EMS: 617-343-1400.For Boston police, residents can pick up a phone and call the district station. Downtown A-1: 617-343-4240 Charlestown A-15: 617-343-4888 East Boston A-7: 617-343-4220 Roxbury B-2: 617-343-4270 Mattapan B-3: 617-343-4700 South Boston C-6: 617-343-4730 Dorchester C-11: 617-343-4330 South End D-4: 617-343-4250157 Allston/Brighton D-14: 617-343-4260 Roslindale/ West Roxbury E-5: 617-343-4560 Jamaica Plain E-13: 617-343-5630 Hyde Park E-18: 617-343-5600Outside of BostonBrookline police: 617-730-2222Brookline fire: 617-730-2263 or pull your nearest fire bo.Cambridge police: 617-349-3300Somerville police: 617-625-1600Chelsea police: 617-884-2064Winthrop police: 617-846-1212Newton police: 617-796-2123Newton fire: 617-796-2200Medford police: 781-395-1212Arlington police: 781-643-1212Belmont police: 617-484-1212Waltham police: 781-893-3700Watertown police: 617-972-6500Dedham police: 781-326-1212Quincy police: 617-479-1212Quincy fire: 617-376-1011Braintree police: 781-794-8600Weymouth: 781-335-1212 ext. 8Sign up for Axios Boston for free.

California's extreme weather season is underway, with a fire in Sonoma County burning over 1,200 acres since Sunday.Why it matters: Several hundred residents were ordered to evacuate, and the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a red flag warning for high elevation parts of the inner North Bay yesterday.Driving the news: The Point Fire, which broke out around noon on Sunday near Lake Sonoma is one of a dozen that broke out across the state in the past few days.While the Point Fire is now at least 20% contained, low humidity and gusty winds of up to 40 mph continue to...

Black 2 San Francisco, an education program designed to bring students from historically Black colleges and universities to study and live in the city, began its inaugural summer program this month.Why it matters: It is part of Mayor London Breed's bigger plan to launch an HBCU satellite campus in San Francisco, as well as bring 30,000 residents and students to the downtown area by 2030.Driving the news: Black2SF's first group comprises 60 HBCU students, who will spend six weeks working in paid internships across city offices, including district attorney, city attorney, and recreation and parks.Students will work on various projects...

Fifty-nine years ago this month, Jonathan Kozol was fired from his substitute teaching job at the Christopher Gibson School in Boston.The reason? He shared some Langston Hughes poems with students that weren’t in the curriculum.The intrigue: Boston’s history of racism illustrates tactics that are used to this day in other parts of the country to remove stories by and about Black and brown people.Far-right leaders in Florida, Texas and other states have removed books about Black fiction and history, conflating them with critical race theory.Zoom in: One of the poems Kozol recalled sharing is Hughes’ “The Ballad of the Landlord.”...

Fifty-nine years ago this month, Jonathan Kozol was fired from his substitute teaching job at the Christopher Gibson School in Boston.The reason? He shared some Langston Hughes poems with students that weren’t in the curriculum.The intrigue: Boston’s history of racism illustrates tactics that are used to this day in other parts of the country to remove stories by and about Black and brown people.Far-right leaders in Florida, Texas and other states have removed books about Black fiction and history, conflating them with critical race theory.Zoom in: One of the poems Kozol recalled sharing is Hughes’ “The Ballad of the Landlord.”...

The Boston Celtics will soon raise a record 18th championship banner into the rafters of TD Garden. The Cs' stifling defense and a combined 52 points from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the team to a 106-88 win over the Dallas Mavericks to cap off the NBA Finals. Why...