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Honoring the ‘Guardians of the Republic’
Memorial Day preparations at Cedar Grove Cemetery: JROTC Cadets from TechBoston Academy assisted World War II veteran First Sgt. John Scannell in decorating graves with flags this week. Pictured above are Scannell and Cadet Cathiana Ladouceur.
“To whom much is given, much is expected. We have a tremendous debt of gratitude owed to our fallen heroes. However, simply being gracious is not enough. We must memorialize them. We must remember them. We must honor their sacrifice by living by the example they have set.”
Lt. Greg Kelly, Cedar Grove Cemetery remarks, 2012
Dorchester Day is just two weeks off and the excitement is building for the June 2 parade. Dot Day is an occasion to celebrate our community’s remarkable history and its vibrant present – a chance to showcase and revel in all the things we love about this place.
But — with all due respect— the most important gathering of the year in our neighborhood takes place this coming Monday (May 27) when a smaller, but still strong crowd will gather at Cedar Grove Cemetery for the annual observance of Memorial Day. Read more
Potential candidates scramble to clear signature hurdle
Ramon Soto stood outside the Election Department on Tuesday, with his father on the phone, as the clock ticked toward the 5 p.m. deadline to get the last-minute lists of nomination signatures into the hands of elections officials. Read more
Final State Senate vote set for Tuesday
State Reps. Linda Dorcena Forry and Nick Collins, former rivals who faced off in the April 30 Democratic primary, lunched on Beacon Hill this week, ahead of the general election to replace Jack Hart. Photo courtesy Dorcena Forry’s office.
Election season isn’t over yet: Voters will again go to the polls next week, this time to choose the person who will take over for former state Sen. Jack Hart.
Long viewed as the “Southie seat,” the First Suffolk District, which includes South Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan and a portion of Hyde Park, will see two Dorchester candidates squaring off on the ballot: state Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, a Democrat, and political activist Joseph Ureneck, a Republican.
Dorcena Forry won an April 30 Democratic primary with 10,214 votes. State Rep. Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat, picked up 9,836 votes, while Maureen Dahill, a blogger from South Boston, received nearly 1,600 votes. Read more
UMass Boston builds support for on-campus housing
At UMass Boston, support for on-campus dorms is growing, according to preliminary data released by the university. A survey, conducted by the firm Brailsford and Dunlavey, showed 75 percent of students who responded said they were very interested or interested in student housing, up from 67 percent in 2010.
The university has been steadily building support for a 2,000-bed plan, and held a pair of meetings last week on the preliminary results of the survey. Read more
Clayton Street to close this weekend as bridge work continues
Clayton Street — a busy sidestreet between Park and Freeport Streets near Fields Corner— will be closed to traffic this weekend as workers prepare to replace an aging bridge that carries trains on the Dorchester leg of the Red Line.
There will be no interruption to train service this weekend, although service will be halted — and replaced with buses—for three consecutive weekends in July and again in October’s Columbus Day weekend when a new span is scheduled to be installed. Clayton Street will be closed to thru traffic from May 25-27 while abutment tiebacks are installed. The existing steel bridge dates to 1911. Read more
Reporter's Notebook: Senate hopefuls weigh in on budget deliberations
State senators this week dove into a debate over their $33.9 billion version of the fiscal 2014 budget. The lawmakers were starting to rip through the hundreds of amendments as the Reporter went to press.
According to the State House News Service, the budget includes “$430 million in new taxes, $800 million in revenue growth and $627 million in reserves and one-time funding to support a $1.4 billion increase in year-to-year spending.” Read more
Featured Stories
Memorial Day committee plans May 27th ceremonies
Memorial Day committee 2013: First row, from left to right, Mike McLoud, John O. Scannell, Donald Newell; back row: Frank Cahill, Mike Hegarty and Steve Bickerton.Dorchester veterans are planning to honor the city’s war dead— and victims of the Marathon bombings— at this year’s Memorial Day observances at Cedar Grove Cemetery. The ceremonies at Cedar Grove — which date back to the 1870s— draw thousands of people to the historic cemetery on Adams Street.
This year’s keynote speaker on May 27 will be Sergeant Major Kellyane O’Neil, a Boston native who is currently assigned to Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg as the Patient Services Sergeant Major. The McKeon Post is the “host post” for this year’s ceremonies with Frank Cahill of Saint Mark’s VFW serving as officer of the day. Read more
Dot youth leader meets First Lady Michelle Obama
Dorchester’s Tayquan Pomare-Taylor, 14, left, joined First Lady Michelle Obama, right, and Boston Children’s Museum President and CEO Carole Charnow at a White House ceremony last Wednesday. The First Lady presented the National Medal for Museum and Library Service to Boston Children’s Museum.
In a White House ceremony in the East Room, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Director Susan Hildreth to present the 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service to Boston Children’s Museum. The nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community, the National Medal celebrates institutions that make a difference for individuals, families, and communities. Carole Charnow, President & CEO of Boston Children’s Museum, and Dorchester resident Tayquan Pomare-Taylor accepted the National Medal. Read more
US Marshals hunt for Harlem St. murder suspect
Jean Weevens Janvier: Wanted for murder of Emile sisters in Nov. 2011.US Marshals are teaming up with Boston Police to find a Dorchester man who has been on the run since he allegedly murdered two sisters in their Harlem Street apartment in Nov. 2011. The United States Marshals Service is offering a reward for tips that will lead to the capture and successful prosecution of 32 year-old Jean Weevens Janvier, a naturalized US citizen who was born in Haiti and who is the only suspect in the killings of Stephanie and Judith Emile.
Janvier was indicted in the double murder by a Suffolk County Grand Jury last April. Prosecutors said that Janvier had been in a previous romantic relationship with Stephanie Emile, 21, who was found shot to death alongside her sister, Judith, 23, in their Harlem Street apartment on Nov. 14, 2011. When police responded, a toddler was found in the apartment with the two deceased sisters. Read more
Richard Family: Jane is making progress after 11 surgeries
The Richard familyThe Richard family issued the following statement this morning:
Last evening, just 23 days after the bombing attack on Boston, our seven year old daughter Jane underwent her eleventh surgery. While she has more trips to the O.R. ahead of her, last night's operation marked an important milestone, as doctors were finally able to close the wound created when the bomb took her left leg below the knee. Part of the procedure involved preparing Jane's injured leg to eventually be fitted for a prosthesis.
By closing the wound, the incredible medical team at Boston Children's Hospital laid the groundwork for Jane to take an important step forward on the long and difficult road ahead of her. One of the things we have learned through all of this is to not get too high or too low. We take today's development as positive news and look ahead with guarded optimism. If things go well, Jane could be ready to transition to the rehabilitation stage of her recovery in the next few weeks. Read more
Boxing takes hold at St. Peter’s: Former pros, cops teach kids the ropes
St. Peter's Boxing duo: Boxing coach and former DEA agent Paul Doyle, right, with 15 year-old Jose Pires. Photo by Eoin Cannon After almost disappearing from the youth sports landscape, boxing has made something of a comeback in Dorchester. More gyms are opening their doors to young people, whether they are looking for serious competition or just the skills boxing teaches: discipline, composure, self-defense.
In places where the youth need those skills the most, though, instead of commercial gyms it sometimes takes the old, familiar networks of priests, police, youth workers, and ex-fighters and the commitment they make to passing those values on.
Paul Doyle knows both the before and the after phases of this phenomenon. Read more
