The 30th annual Wake up the Earth Festival and parade took place May 3 in Jamaica Plain and Southwest Corridor Park next to the Stony Brook MBTA Station. The festival was sponsored by Spontaneous Celebrations whose goal is to create and sustain a community cultural life that unites and empowers people for positive change through the arts; to produce seasonal celebrations in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods; and to maintain a Community Cultural center for all.
A new state law is looking to stem the increasing number of foreclosure related evictions.
The law, which took effect last week, aims to give borrowers some breathing room, requiring that lenders give borrowers 90 days after notice of delinquency to resolve their debt. The previous time allowance was 30 days.
Gov. Deval Patrick has said he hopes the new laws will allow more people to stay in their homes. He is asking lenders to use the 90-day period to restructure as many loans as possible. [readmore]
If any indication was needed as to the outcome a May 1 ruling on alleged open meeting law violations by Boston City Council, it was found in the Superior Court ruling’s very first sentence.
"The City Council of Boston finds itself, not for the first time, on the losing end of a determination that it has improperly excluded the public from its deliberations," reads the Superior Court decision. [read more]
It was announced on Monday that VA facilities in West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain will remain open and not merge with other hospitals, as had been considered over the past few years.
The Department of Veterans Affair’s (VA’s) decided to preserve the VA medical facilities in Bedford, Brockton, Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury. The decision signals the end of the multi-year Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process. Various proposals had been discussed to reorganize the hospital system, including mergers and closures. The proposals were harshly greeted by veterans who felt much needed services would be more difficult to obtain. [read more]
A former nursing home on VFW Parkway remains an eyesore.
Scott Wachtler 08.MAY.08
Old nursing home remains an eyesore on VFW Parkway
The site of the former Star of David Nursing Home at 1100 VFW Parkway has surely seen happier days.
Currently, the site — which is easily visible from the parkway — brings to mind nightly news war zone footage or, at least, the damage after a natural disaster.
Behind the chain-link fence, the windows of the two-story building are mostly open to the elements. Some windows have been boarded up, but with little rhyme or reason. Tables, chairs and assorted patio furniture litter the top floor patio. [read more]
Sidewalk Sam shows Stephany Trinidad, Genesis Pena and Ada Baez from the Hyde Square Task Force how to paint the Peace Doves on the sidewalk in front of the Mary E. Curley Middle School.
Scott Wachtler 01.MAY.08
Last week’s tragic shooting of a 20-year-old on a basketball court at Southwest Corridor Park in Jamaica Plain underscored the message of the Hyde Square Task Force’s (HSTF) Paint for Peace project.
Under the guidance of the iconic Boston Street Painter, Sidewalk Sam, the youth of the HSTF have been painting doves of peace at places in the community that have been affected by youth violence or where peace needs to be affirmed.
"The idea for this came before the recent violence," Ashley Cotton, Community organizer for HSTF said. "We’ve been planning the project since February and have intensified our efforts since the recent violence." [read more]
Talking about the proposed city budget recently, Mayor Thomas Menino was asked about the city’s frequently controversial PILOT program.
Is it fair that non-profits, in particular universities are allowed to take advantage of the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program, an effort that designates a lump sum far below the assessed value of their property.
The Mayor, indicating his support for PILOT payments, stressed the jobs these institutions create and other benefits they bring to both Boston’s population and reputation. [read more]
Dan McDonough, Tori Milano and Billy Stewart from the West Roxbury Community Center pitch in to help make Boston shine!
Scott Wachtler 01.MAY.08
Ah, the smell of mulch in the morning. It smells like . . . Boston Shines. The sixth annual citywide neighborhood clean-up took place last Friday and Saturday.
During the two-day spring cleaning, approximately 6,000 volunteers in every Boston neighborhood took to the streets armed with shovels, rakes, plastic bags and brooms. They swept leaves from under bushes, poured new mulch around trees and got rid of litter clogging the streets.
In total, 11,431 bags of trash were picked up by the City of Boston. When it was all over, 257 new trees were planted throughout the city. [read more]
The Nominating Panel for the Boston School Committee will begin the search process for a new Boston School committee member to complete the term of Michele Brooks who submitted her resignation earlier this month. On April 9, School Supt. Carol Johnson announced the appointment of Brooks as Assistant Supt. for Family and Student Engagement for the Boston Public Schools. Her School Committee term will expire on January 5, 2009. [read more]
