All

“Have a Heart” for public transit! Join fellow community members downtown for a special Valentine’s-themed Day of Action on Tuesday, February 14, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A rally will take place outside the Massachusetts State House (24 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108), featuring a 1:00 p.m. Press conference, 1:45 p.m. Candy-gram deliveries, and a 3:45 p.m. Don’t break our hearts die-in action. ACE, along [...]

A man upset over the alleged bum engine a mechanic put in his wife's car admitted today he helped a friend gun the mechanic down in the Dorchester District Court parking lot, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Mario Burns, 39, pleaded guilty to manslaughter a day after his trial for Charles Contave's murder on March 29, 2010. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christine McEvoy sentenced him to 15 years in prison for his change of plea. Cornelius Evans pleaded guilty in November to pulling the trigger.

Prosecutors say Burns, his wife and Contave had just left a small-claims hearing at Dorchester District Court, when Evans arrived, Burns pointed out Contave and Evans shot him to death in the court parking lot, a couple blocks away from the court.

January was a big month for the small business community throughout the Commonwealth and the United States.  Key initiatives were launched at both the federal and state levels and the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business announced plans to continue pursuing an aggressive agenda that will benefit small businesses throughout Massachusetts.  Regarding this [...]

Date:  Fri, 02/10/2012 - 6:00pm

Clap Innovation School will be hosting an evening with world-renowned and champion fiddler Hanneke Cassel at the Carpenters Center, located at 750 Dorchester Ave. The evening will open with a social hour at 7 p.m. and the concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets will be limited for this event, and are $20.00, available through Roger Clap Innovation School. For more information about this event, please call Roger Clap Innovation School at 617.635.8672. All proceeds will benefit the Roger Clap Innovation School and its students!

The times and dates are as follows: Girls semi-finals, Wednesday February 22 at 4:00 and 5:30pm..
Boys semi-finals Thursday February 23 at 4:00 and 5:30pm.
The Championship games will be played on Friday February 24. Girls at 5:00pm and Boys at 6:30pm..
All games will be played at Madison Park High School.
See you there!

Authorities today charged Jean Weevens Janvier, 30, of Dorchester, for the murder of Stephanie and Judith Emile on Harlem Street last Nov. 14.

Boston Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's office are seeking the public's help to find Janvier.

If you know where he is, contact the homicide unit at 617-343-4470 or the anonymous tip line by calling 800-494-TIPS or texting TIP to CRIME (27463).

Innocent, etc.

Come learn from long-time community garden coordinators about how to develop an effective leadership structure for your garden. Whether you are a veteran coordinator or new to the role, you’ll discover tools to build a collective sense of responsibility and action in your garden. All gardeners welcome! For more information contact Karen Chaffee at karen@bostonnatural.org or 617-542-7696. Registration required. Panel takes place [...]

The boys basketball game between New Mission and Brighton High schools on Wednesday, February 8th, will be held at Boston Latin Academy. Starting times will be 4:30 for boys junior varsity,and 6:00pm for the boys varsity game. Both games should be great! When these two teams met earlier in the season at the Tobin Gym,the jv game went into O.T.,and the varsity was decided by only 2 points. Brighton was victorious in both contests.

Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston currently has 2, 3, and 4-bedroom homes/condos under construction in Dorchester!  Habitat is looking for low-income working families to fill these homes. Habitat is looking for  households that have the following characteristics:

• Are low-to moderate-income households (roughly between 50%-80% area median income as established by HUD –for a family of four their gross income should be around $45,000 -$65,000 per year)
• Have steady employment and the ability to afford 0% interest mortgage payments to Habitat (Habitat tries to keep the mortgage payments below $1,000/month –often it is much lower than that);
• Are legal residents;
• Have a current housing need: either housing is overcrowded, unsafe, or too expensive for the family to afford; and
• Are willing to partner with Habitat to work on the home and attend homeownership classes.  Each family is required to invest 300 hours working side-by-side with volunteers to construct their future home.  (This usually takes 7-12 months.) 

 

Attached is a PDF of Habitat for Humanity's application (which needs to be printed double-sided, flipped on the short side to create a booklet), an information sheet, and photos of the condos available in Dorchester. For more information, call 617.423.2223x17 or visit www.habitatboston.org!

Date (SORTER):  Tue, 02/07/2012 - 6:00am Dates Relevant:  Tue, 02/07/2012 - Mon, 03/05/2012

Date:  Sat, 02/11/2012 - 1:00pm

Follow evidence of winter wildlife through the woods on snowshoes in Gladeside Urban Wild, a special Mattapan forest, on February 11, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.! Gladeside Urban Wild is located at 250 Lorna Road in Mattapan (click here to see it on a map). In the event that there is not a good layer of snow on the ground, this will be a walking tour. Dress warmly! Snowshoes for borrow are limited and registration is required. Contact Boston Natural Areas Network at 617.542.7696 or email info [at] bostonnatural.org.

Green Jobs Update! A new hybrid auto program is currently recruiting in Boston. This 22-week course is free for low-moderate income participants and includes: Automotive Repair and Maintenance, Hybrid/Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Job Shadowing, Resume Development and Interview Practice, Vocational English & Math and Job Placement Assistance. College Credits are available. Classes start on February 21st, see the attached flyer for details or contact Vicky [...]

The Dorchester House Multi-Service Center is temporarily closing their food pantry for the month of March in order to reorganize their service delivery model. As of February 1st, notifications of this closure are being included in food pantry bags during their distribution hours and clients are being given a list of other food pantry sites in Dorchester. >> Read More

Date (SORTER):  Wed, 02/08/2012 - 12:15pm Dates Relevant:  Mon, 02/06/2012 - Thu, 03/15/2012

Remains of a room at 101 Maxwell St. Photo by BFD.

A bedroom short circuit caused a two-alarm fire this morning at 101 Maxwell St., the Boston Fire Department reports.

No residents were injured, but one firefighter was taken to Carney Hospital with a head injury, the department says. Damage was estimated at $200,000.

2/4/12 - 9:40 am

Date:  Thu, 02/09/2012 - 5:00pm

Labouré College and Carney Hospital, In partnership with the Boston African American National Historic Site, will present "Men of Color To Arms! The Story of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment." On February 9th, 2012, see the event at Carney Hospital Riseman Lecture Hall, 2100 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester 02124. There will be refreshments at 5:30 p.m. and a presentation at 6:00 p.m. This presentation will be jointly led by Lt. Col. David Hencke, Executive Officer, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment; Sgt. Emmett Bell-Sykes, President, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Company A; and Ryan McNabb, Acting Site Manager, Boston African American National Historic Site. See flyer attached below:

Date:  Mon, 02/06/2012 - 6:30pm

St. Joseph Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Center in collaboration with The Boston Police Neighborhood Watch Unit cordially invite you to attend a neighborhood meeting that will feature: Neighbors getting to know Neighbors, a discussion of important trends, issues, and the most recent break-ins to homes. Share your ideas and concerns to make a better and safer neighborhood. Get connected and learn what's going on! Contact Lauren Scherer at 617.825.6320x1631 or lscherer [at] stjosephrehab.com. St. Joseph's is located at 321 Centre Street in Dorchester.

Hasn't the poor guy suffered enough indignities in his life in Franklin Park? The Globe reports the gorilla was unable to pick between the Patriots and Giants so the zoo had to swap in some substitute gorilla for the dumb stunt.

Date:  Tue, 02/07/2012 - 6:00pm

On February 7 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. attend the first Dot Grows Garden Council meeting of 2012! The February meeting will be held at 305 Talbot Ave. Dorchester (site of the Mt. Washington Bank Community Room located in Codman Square). Local gardeners and garden advocates will share updates on: renovations in Dorchester community gardens, Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market, Boston Is Growing Gardens, and the ongoing 2012 Master Urban Gardener series, among other items. Mathew Cahill of BNAN will be on hand to announce Grow Boston Greener, a competitive grant program that will provide funding for community tree plantings in the City of Boston. For more information, or if you would like to be added to the agenda, please feel free to contact Grantley at grantley@bostonnatural.org.

On Tues. Feb 7, 2012, the Adams Street Branch of the Boston Public Library is hosting a free workshop for adults on Strategic Volunteering and how it can eventually lead to paid employment. Presented by Operation A.B.L.E., the workshop will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This free workshop is for individuals wishing to give back to the community and/or who are unemployed and looking to bridge the gap between jobs by working in a skills-based volunteer position. To register, please call Operation A.B.L.E. 617.542.4180 x122.

The Adams Street Branch of the Boston Public Library is located at 690 Adams Street, 02122.

Date (SORTER):  Tue, 02/07/2012 - 2:30pm Dates Relevant:  Tue, 02/07/2012

Date:  Sat, 02/11/2012 - 1:00pm

To commemorate Black History Month, our friends at Discover Roxbury have some fun and informative events lined up. On February 11, Roxbury's Black History Trolley Tour will be taking off from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Take an informative trolley tour through three centuries of Boston's historic Black neighborhoods! Follow the progression of the Black churches of Boston, the importance of the arts, the struggles during the civil rights movement, and become more familiar with the movers, shakers, and strivers in Roxbury's Black history! The trolley departs at:

12:30 p.m. from Roxbury Heritage State Park / DCR, 183 Roxbury St., in Roxbury.
12:50 p.m. from Hotel 140, 140 Clarendon Street, Back Bay.

Tickets are $25! To reserve a space, please click here.