North End resident Colleen Daly honored for work with homeless children
Spector Photography
From left to right: Asa Fanelli, president and chief executive officer of Horizons for Homeless Children; Hannah Nersasian, Greater Boston playspace director; PAL of the Year Colleen Daly; Rob Stewart, Greater Boston playspace director; and Matt Epstein, chairman of the organization’s board of directors.
Horizons for Homeless Children has named a North End woman its “PAL of the Year” for Greater Boston in recognition of her volunteerism, the organization announced.
For more than a dozen years, Colleen Daly has volunteered as a Playspace Activity Leader, or a PAL, at Margaret’s House, a family shelter in Dorchester. Horizons announced her award recently at its annual awards dinner.
The organization said Daly is not only one of the longest-serving of its more than 1,000 volunteers but also someone who goes to extraordinary lengths to help the organization and her fellow volunteers.
Daly mentors other volunteers, fills in for them when they need to miss a shift, attends extra shifts to welcome new recruits, and organizes community meetings, the group said.
She has also been a speaker at the organization’s Women’s Breakfast, participated in panel discussions a volunteer trainings, helped out at many events for Margaret’s House families, and been an advocate for the group at the State House, it said.
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
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Buses to replace trains on part of Orange Line on several nights during July
Subway service between the Orange Line’s four most northern stations will be replaced by buses after 9 p.m. on several nights this month, according to the MBTA.
Shuttles will run between Oak Grove Station and Sullivan Square Station from 9 p.m. until the end of service on Monday, July 1, Tuesday, July 2 and from Sunday, July 7 through Thursday, July 11, officials said.
The buses, which are accessible for people with disabilities, will stop at those two stations as well as at the two stations in between: Malden Center Station and Wellington Station, according to the T’s website.
Assembly Square Station Project, officials said.
Meanwhile, T officials said that "the Orange Line may experience some minor delays in service due to the Oak Grove Platform Rehabilitation Project." That project, scheduled to continue into September, includes complete reconstruction of the Oak Grove Station platforms. The station will remain accessible for people with disabilities throughout the project.
For more information, contact the MBTA Customer Communications Department at 617-222-3200, TTY: 617-222-5146.
E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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It's always sunny on the MBTA
Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com
Were these Orange Line passengers tweeting positive thoughts about the MBTA? It could happen.
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.
State again postpones overnight closures of Haymarket, Sumner Tunnel onramps to I-93 North in Boston
This story was updated Friday, June 28, due to the announcement from state officials that the work and related closure would be postponed:
State officials have, again, postponed plans to temporarily close two onramps to Interstate 93 North in downtown Boston.
With rain forecasted for this weekend, officials have cancelled road work that would have involved closing the Haymarket ramp and the Sumner Tunnel ramp Friday night into Saturday morning and again on Saturday night into Sunday morning.
It is the second time in as many weeks that the work and its related closures have been postponed.
No new dates have been announced for the project, which involves milling and paving work, officials said.
E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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City launches “City Hall to Go” truck full time
(Photo courtesy City of Boston)
Getting to City Hall might be easier from some Boston residents this summer as the city launches its City Hall on wheels full time.
Starting July 2, the “City Hall to Go” truck will regularly visit neighborhoods on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to provide certain services to residents, and be stationed by request on Fridays and Saturdays at special events, block parties, and street festivals.
The truck will allow residents to pay or dispute parking tickets, request birth, death or marriage certificates, get a dog license, request a residential parking permit, or pay property and excise taxes without travelling to Government Center.
Residents will also be able to sign up for Renew Boston’s home energy audits and weatherization, request raffle applications, and submit claims to the City Clerk.
The city first held a soft launch of the trunk in December.
“The ‘City Hall to Go’ truck makes personal, timely service from the City of Boston possible for a whole new set of constituents,” Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a statement. “We are constantly trying to push what appear to be the limits of municipal services. The success of the truck’s earliest visits shows that benefits of City Hall can exist far beyond its walls.”
The repurposed Boston Police Department SWAT vehicle will be open until 7 p.m. on weeknights and 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
The truck will also use social media to determine part of its schedule. On the fourth Tuesday of every month residents can tweet @CityHallToGo to tell the city where they want the truck to go that day. The truck will open at the most requested location at 12:30 p.m.
The city provided the following schedule for its mobile City Hall. It is subject to change and residents can follow @CityHalltoGo on Twitter or call 617-635-4500 for updates.
FULL ENTRYMBTA to increase security for July 4
The MBTA will increase security and police patrols around the system on July 4. As in years past, the T will boost subway service and will not charge fares after a certain point at nighttime, officials announced this week.
“We encourage people coming into the city to celebrate to use the MBTA and ask passengers to expect large amounts of people, and as we do every day we ask people to be aware of their surroundings, and if they see something unusual, report it immediately,” said Joseph F. O'Connor, superintendent-in-chief of the Transit Police Department.
He said, that while security is normally heightened on the holiday and for other large public events around Boston, this year there will be even more patrols than on July 4 in years past, including a “significant amount” of both uniformed and plain-clothes officers throughout the public transit system due to the bombing attacks in the city at the Marathon in April.
“We want people to feel safe,” O’Connor said. “We want to reassure the public for people who may be concerned because of the events that happened at the Marathon and in the week after.”
There will be no special restrictions on what items passengers can carry while riding the T, but O’Connor reminded riders that some items will be prohibited within a secure perimeter that will be established around the Esplanade.
He said random bag inspections, which are performed daily at strategically-chosen parts of the T, will be performed on the holiday. O’Connor also encouraged riders to download the agency’s free smartphone application which allows users to report suspicious activity by sending text and photos directly to Transit Police.
He said that Transit Police will, as they do regularly, work closely with federal, state and city law enforcement throughout the holiday.
The T also plans to institute schedule-related changes similar to what the agency has done on Independence Day in years past.
On Thursday, July 4, fares will not be collected after 9:30 p.m., subway service will run at “rush hour levels” after 2 p.m. and the last outbound commuter rail trains scheduled to leave Boston will delay their departure to allow passengers more time to board after the fireworks display at the Esplanade.
“Customers are urged to take public transportation to and from Fourth of July events and advised to check T-Alerts and mbta.com for the most up-to-date service information during the holiday,” the agency said on its website.
Officials also reminded riders that bicycles are not allowed on any subway lines on July 4. Bikes are also not allowed on inbound commuter rail trains from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on outbound trains after 4 p.m.
Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule. Before 2 p.m., the T’s four subway lines – the Red, Blue, Orange and Green – will operate on a Sunday schedule.
The commuter rail will operate on a Saturday schedule, until the day’s final outbound commuter rail trains, all but one of which will delay their departures from Boston until 11:45 p.m. – about 45 minutes after the city’s fireworks display usually ends. The #1173 to Newburyport is scheduled to depart at 11:15 p.m.
Quincy and Hull boats will run on a weekday schedule. Charlestown boats will operate on a Saturday schedule. Hingham boats will not run.
Passengers who use The RIDE service are asked to check directly with their contractors for specific schedule changes.
For more information, visit the T’s website, www.mbta.com.
E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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North End Music and Performing Arts Center to mount 'Cosi fan tutte' at Faneuil Hall
After a successful production last summer of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen,” the North End Music and Performing Arts Center is preparing to mount its second opera this Thursday and Friday, with an outdoor community outreach performance on Sunday at Christopher Columbus Park.
A live orchestra and a troupe of singers, several of them NEMPAC instructors, will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1790 opera buffa “Così fan tutte” as the center moves its production for the first time to Faneuil Hall.
“This opera is a model of the offerings that we provide,” said Sherri Snow, executive director of NEMPAC.
Snow said the production highlights the center’s music programs, musical theater program, Italian language offerings, and efforts to bring the arts to residents of the North End and all over Boston.
FULL ENTRYThe MBTA can't be all bad. Can it?
Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com
These Green Line riders had a not-bad wait at Kenmore Station on Thursday night.
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.
Officials postpone closure of Haymarket, Sumner Tunnel onramps to I-93 North in Boston
This story was updated Thursday, June 20, due to the announcement from state officials that the work and related closure would be postponed:
State officials have postponed the planned overnight closure of two onramps to Interstate 93 North in downtown Boston.
Earlier this week, state officials announced the Haymarket ramp to I-93 North, located on Cross Street, and the Sumner Tunnel ramp to I-93 North would be closed Friday night and Saturday morning so milling and paving work can be done. On Thursday, officials announced the work and closure had been postponed.
No new dates have been announced for when the work and closure will take place.
E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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Friends of Christopher Columbus Park announce upcoming events
Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com
The grand trellis at Christopher Columbus Park.
The Friends of Christopher Columbus Park have announced three upcoming events, including the group’s second annual Independence Day Celebration.
On Saturday, June 22, the Friends group and the North End Waterfront Health and Beauty Alliance will host the park’s first annual NEWHBA-Fest, a health and beauty expo that will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Andrew Ference, defenseman for the Boston Bruins, will discuss his citywide recycling initiative at the event, and former professional snowboarder Krista Ference will share her health and beauty advice.
The event will include free exercise classes from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., health and beauty consultations from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and live music from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.nehealthandbeautyalliance.com.
On Saturday, June 29, the Friends group will hold its second annual Independence Day Celebration from 10:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.
To help celebrate, the group invites children to decorate their bikes, strollers, scooters, and themselves for an 11 a.m. parade through the park.
The family-friendly entertainment will include Big Joe the Storyteller and T-Bone, marionettes, a magician, and a musical performance by the North End Music & Performing Arts Center.
Performers from NEMPAC will return on Sunday, June 30, for a fully staged production of Mozart's opera “Cosi Fan Tutte” from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The opera will be performed in Italian with English supertitles. It is directed by Brent Wilson and conducted by Tiffany Chang.
The group will also perform the opera at Faneuil Hall on Thursday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m., and Friday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.nempacboston.org.
For more information on the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, visit www.foccp.org.
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow the North End on Twitter: @YourNorthEnd.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.
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