AM Briefing: More Big Dig-Related Repairs; Celtics Seek To Close Out Heat

Good morning. Top local stories and what we're watching this Thursday:

-- Concrete road surfaces in the O’Neill Tunnel that were supposed to last 30 years are failing less than a decade after the Big Dig, forcing $1 million in repairs. [Boston Globe]

-- Already two years behind schedule, the Korean company contracted to build the MBTA’s new commuter rail cars promised to tell the T within a month when the cars will be delivered.

-- The state Senate passed a bill aimed at preventing unnecessary foreclosures in Massachusetts. [Associated Press, via MassLive]

-- Jury selection continues today in a murder trial that police believe was connected to multiple stabbings in downtown Boston yesterday.

-- The Boston City Council today holds a hearing on the long-standing impasse in contract negotiations between city school officials and the teachers union.

-- Opponents of Plymouth's recently re-licensed Pilgrim nuclear plant plan to protest before an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board hearing in Boston.

-- The fire that caused $400 million in damage to a U.S. Navy submarine in Portsmouth, N.H., was caused by a vacuum cleaner. [NPR's Two-Way Blog]

Sports:

-- The Celtics can close out the Heat and move on to the NBA Finals with a Game 6 win tonight. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m.

-- The Red Sox were stymied by starter Wei-Yin Chen as the Orioles won 2-1 at Fenway.