Some slightly off-the-beaten-path stories you may have missed this past week:

— Doesn’t this make him a non-socialist/progressive  Democrat? It’s not that complicated: “He praises Mamdani, says he’s not a socialist, and wants a ‘big tent’ for Democrats. Where does Dan Koh fit in?” (Globe)

— Of course we’re talking about for-profit youth sports, not ‘school-based’ sports: “New survey find parents feeling strain of keeping kids in sports as costs rise” (GBH)

— Guess which state is the least affordable. One guess: “This is the salary needed to afford childcare across the country” (BBJ)

— In other words, it took this long for them to realize one-third were riding free? “Fare gates at South Station boost MBTA commuter rail ticket activations by 33%” (MassLive)

— It’s not over: “Wells Fargo Forecloses on Boston’s 100 Summer St. Office Tower” (B&T)

— As they auction off office towers in Boston (see above item), I’m not so sure this is a good idea: “Historic Filene’s building pitched as 200,000-sq.-ft. headquarters office” (BBJ)

— They aren’t libertarians. They’re sick: “N.H. Libertarian Party endorses ‘assassination’ of elected Democrats” (WBUR)

— Whining or legitimate concern? A little of both, actually: “Top mathematicians are outraged by OpenAI’s methods” (Economist)

— Academia seems to be going through the motions with all these confessional reports that go nowhere: “In 200-Page Report, Cornell Confronts the Crisis in American Higher Education” (WSJ)

— The fifth season of the hit show brilliantly portrays the harrowing Israeli experience, not the entire harrowing experience: “Can ‘Fauda’ capture the truth of Israel, Gaza and October 7th?” (The Economist)