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Spring is in the muggy, fetid air on the MBTA

May 3, 2013 03:24 PM

Orange Line approaching Roxbury Crossing March 2013.jpg

Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com

The setting sun shone down as an outbound Orange Line train approached Roxbury Crossing.

Spring is in the muggy, fetid air on the MBTA

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox· Fri, May 03 2013 12:32:56

As April turned into May this week, the weather finally turned warm and sunny, which can only mean one thing: five months of overheated buses, subways, and stations on the MBTA.

Like the first songbirds of spring, already a few commuters have begun to complain about the moving saunas ferrying them home from work:
@mbtagm seriously, it's 65 degrees out and the heat is on on the commuter rail? So brutal. #mbtaannoyMichelle
Should of had a really big drink before starting this commute! #hot #overcrowded #mbtaannoyRed Line Commuter
But don't people always say that it's not just the heat that gets you? With warmer weather come many changes, including a wider array of aromas:
It smells like warm stale subway on this tube where's Febreze when u need it #mbtaannoyTeesh
As the city heats up, everything seems to move just a little bit more slowly, even things you thought couldn't get any slower:
After half an hour of waiting... "The next red line train to braintree does not take passengers..." Passes empty #mbtaannoySweetadelinevt
@mbtaGM If the B stands by at Park for a schedule adjustment EVERY MORNING, shouldn't you just permanently shift the schedule? #MBTAannoyChristopher
The red line made it a whole 8 hours into May before their first major delay! Good job guys! @mbtagm #mbtaannoyMike Tremblay
Also, one of these days, my bus will arrive. #MBTAannoyKathryn Kinzel
. @mbtaGM did you change the orange line schedule? What about the oak grove construction? No notification? WTF! #mbtaannoy #fail #latePatrick Mattson
"We are experiencing delays blahblahblah..." #mbtaannoy @mbtaGMSammy Gorin
You weren't in any hurry were you? Let's hope not, because there's no room for you:
Red line inbound full at N Quincy station. 7-9 minute headway clearly not enough @mbtaGM #mbtaannoyMike Tremblay
At least a few riders lucked out:
Brand new double decker trains for the ride home #winning #mbtabragNatalie Leveille
Thought I was going to be super late but the heavens opened and sent me an on time train right as I was coming up the escalator. #mbtabragRhiannon Gorham
BREAKING NEWS: the 70A is running on time! #mbta #MBTAbragerod
But many weren't so fortunate, and some are too jaded to believe the MBTA's reassurances:
"There's another train right behind me" - best mbta green line lie. Drivera never get tired of saying it. @mbtaGM #mbtaannoyD
In these days of tracking apps why do they continue to say another train is right behind? #mbta #mbtaannoyrev8056
These next few tweets, all posted less than an hour after the one above, may show why the mysterious Twitter user known only as rev8056 has become so jaded:
So @mbtaGM how many 43 yo trains disabled today? 3-4 so far and nothing ordered to replace them #mbta #mbtaannoyrev8056
Parking @ Andrew & next train in Braintree Why? Another disabled of course! #mbta #mbtaannoyrev8056
@mbtaGM sounds like this train will drop the last car at any minute Maybe that would get the T to replace decrepit trains #mbta #mbtaannoyrev8056
Last train got to Braintree 20 mins ago so let's park @ Quincy Adams for a while Let me guess signal system broke again #mbta #mbtaannoyrev8056
Still parked @ Quincy Adams @ mbtaGM will trains actually be moving today? #mbta #mbtaannoyrev8056
This week Christina and Matt stood in the sunshine of their local bus stops, wondering just how they could get the drivers' attention:
@mbtaGM #mbtaannoy Had to chase down bus # 2178 due to him driving by me, saying bc I was looking at my phone. I was, bc he 10 mins lateChristina M. Smith
Once again - a #1 bus blows by mass ave and beacon without stopping bus #2210 this time. Getting very sick of this!!!!! #mbtaannoyD. Matt Brothers
Natalie opted for the Orange Line but was no happier with the level of service:
Another slow orange line driver #killingme #mbtaannoy #idonothaveallnightNatalie Leveille
At least Sonia found that she and her trolley conductor were on the same page:
My #greenline driver just sounded so annoyed that he had to stand by for a schedule adjustment. We're with you on that. #mbtaannoySonia Rose
And James got a driver who made his commute better, then had another good experience on the same bus line just three hours later:
Tobin traffic sucked but our 111 driver sped up after the tolls to make up for it! #mbtabrag #idontonlymentiongripesJames
Just used my weeky pass to board the 111 via the Rear Door for the first time. And I got a seat. #mbtabragJames
Kyle, though, had a bus ride that veered toward danger:
My bus & a train almost had a head-on collision at Packard's Corner. Don't know who had right of way... @universalhub @mbtaGM #MBTAannoyKyle W. Kerr
And several riders had complaints about broken or malfunctioning equipment:
@mbtaGM Any idea when countdown clocks will work at Harvard Station again? Going on 3+ weeks now of no arrival times. #mbtaannoy #mbtafailSteve
@annnndkim Ih was told my pass exp'd 28(Mar) & went all the way to DWTN Xg only to be told it was fine. #mbtaannoy @mbtagm @universalhubStateless Anima
Hey, @mbtaGM, how much extra cash are you making from people whose May passes didn't reload? #mbtaannoyKatie Hamill
Out of tunnel where you get 5 bars of 4 G & no available data how does the T connect Red Line to Internet ? Dial up? #mbta #mbtaannoyrev8056
What, are Daleks making announcements on the #MBTA now?!? I expected to hear "Destroy!!" on the PA system. #MBTAAnnoyKen Cuffee
Sean pointed out that some equipment just needs a little help:
The T @mbtagm really needs a door closing announcement like @wmata. Took six attempts for Red Line train to close doors. #mbtaannoySean Smyth
While several commuters said their fellow riders needed help with their manners:
Seriously considered asking for the autograph of the guy who thought he was too important to move out of the door. #MBTAannoyMBTA Rider
@RhiannonJulia: People that hug the poles, wear backpacks, have no sense of pers space should have their own train. #mbtaannoyRhiannon Gorham
There should be a sobriety check to ride the train during rush hour. #mbtaannoy.Sean Fahey
Dear Men on Public Transportation: Learn to put your knees together. #MBTAannoysnowgray
love when people stare at me on the T... not #MBTAannoyKyla McCabe-Corrow
At least some fellow passengers are amusing, or fun to be around, or thoughtful:
"The destination of this train is Riverside" // Child on train: "Ugh I HATE Riverside!" #mbtabragArthur Liu
Girl waiting for the bus with me actually told me to go first because she had cash and it would take her longer. #stunned #MBTAbragKyle W. Kerr
To the boy playing air guitar on the green line - I play a mean air bass. Let's jam. #MBTABragJessica Chahanovich
Young people jammin to a street musician at Govt Ctr. So much fun. #mbtabragNeenah Estrella-Luna
Got a compliment about my hair today on the T. Made my morning. We need more complimenting. #mbtabragNeenah Estrella-Luna
But no one was charming out Ellie or Mabel out of their frustration with unspecified issues:
Unreal commute this am. Thanks orange line. #mbtaannoyEllie Rounds
The T is really grinding my gears today #mbtaannoymabel
Are your gears getting ground by the MBTA? A tweet with the hashtag #MBTAannoy could be just the thing to grease those cogs and make you feel better. And the next time someone says, "Hey man, nice bangs," don't forget to #MBTAbrag about it.

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.

Buses to replace trains on part of Orange Line on five nights per week for one month

May 2, 2013 02:09 PM

Subway service between the Orange Line’s four most northern stations will be replaced by buses after 9 p.m. on five days each week for about one 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 every Sunday through Thursday from May 19 to June 21, officials said. However, there will be no evening diversion on the night of Sunday, May 26, due to the Memorial Day holiday that Monday.

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.

During the times the four subway stations and their connecting tunnels are shut down, MBTA crews plan to perform work on the Assembly Square Station Project, officials said.

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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For more news and stories about the MBTA, follow @LifeontheMBTA on Twitter, here.
For the latest updates about your community, follow some of our local neighborhood, city and town Twitter accounts, here.

Despite city approval, neighbors still oppose Salem Street restaurant expansion

May 2, 2013 12:15 PM
Despite winning approval from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals to add a second floor to the Salem Street restaurant Pulcinella Bar e Ristorante, owner Giovanni Oliva has his work cut out for him. 

A petition with more than two hundred signatures of North End residents will be brought to the ZBA at its next meeting in hopes the board will reconsider its decision approving the restaurant’s expansion.

Many residents of the North End are upset by the news that the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the zoning change for the restaurant at 78-80A Salem St.

 “This means that any restaurant on Salem Street can now add a second floor to their establishment,” said Salem Street resident Darlene Romano. “This street is narrow, and sound is already a burden to us with the college kids and the current restaurant noise. With the option for all restaurants to expand, the noise problem is going to get worse for those who live here.”

Kim Silvano of Salem Street opposes the expansion.

“We here enough noise from Bacco and Goody Glovers,” she said. “Now you’re telling me every restaurant on this busy street has the right to expand? This is absolutely absurd. It’s awful that the resident’s voices are being ignored. We are the people being affected by this extra noise. We need to be heard.”

The North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Councilbacked the proposed expansion, but the North End Waterfront Association opposed the zoning change.

With the North End Waterfront Associationin opposition of the expansion, Oliva hopes to gain support of residents by presenting the idea that this is a unique space and therefore residents won’t face similar noise issues that result from other bars and restaurants located on Salem Street.The North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Councilis putting together a petition of its own, with signatures in favor of the expansion.

North End resident Tom Riccisaid, “I don’t really see the problem in the expansion. If you don’t approve of the loud noise and commotion, don’t live in the city. It’s loud here, but we’re a restaurant-driven community.”

Romano said the petition opposing the zoning change will be brought to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals at its next meeting.

“The North End Waterfront Association speaks on behalf of the residents, and we firmly believe that lifting the zoning will cause distress,” said Romano. “We hope to appeal this and help the board understand our position. Restaurant owners who don’t live on the street don’t understand the commotion. It’s a quality of life issue for the families that live here.”

Boston's New Urban Mechanics initiative named one of top 25 in nation by Harvard

May 1, 2013 06:46 PM

downtown Boston with Custom House Tower.jpg

Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com

Downtown Boston.

A City of Boston initiative has been named one of the top government innovations in the country by an institute at Harvard University.

The Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics is among 25 semifinalists for the Innovations in American Government Award, presented by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

“These top 25 innovations in government offer real, tangible ways to protect our most disadvantaged citizens, educate the next-generation workforce, and utilize data analytics to enhance government performance,” Stephen Goldsmith, director of the center’s Innovations in Government program, said in a statement Wednesday.

“Despite diminishing resources, these government programs have developed model innovations that other struggling agencies should be inspired to replicate and adapt to their own communities,” Goldsmith said.

The Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics works to deliver an array of transformative city services to residents, ranging from enhancing public spaces, to increasing civic participation, to improving educational outcomes, according to Harvard.

The 25 initiatives were selected by a panel of researchers, practitioners, and policy specialists, Harvard said. The Innovations in American Government Award winner and four finalists will be announced in the fall.

In the list released Wednesday, the programs are presented in alphabetical order and are not ranked.

The Ford Foundation created the award in 1985 to draw attention to effective government programs, Harvard said. The awards program has since recognized more than 400 government initiatives at the local, state and federal level, as well as tribal governments, and provided more than $22 million in grants to support efforts to help disseminate those programs.

A full list of the Top 25 programs is available here.

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.

Video | MBTA takes steps to boost safety, security throughout system

May 1, 2013 06:41 PM

(Matt Rocheleau for Boston.com)

The temporary extra patrols of well-armed police officers and soldiers in MBTA stations are gone. But the quest to bolster the long-term safety of the public transit system is far from over.

The T still has $80 million in unspent federal homeland security grants, which have been doled to public transportation systems across the country since 2002.

The $60 million in federal grants spent by the T over the past decade has helped make the agency a national leader in the industry of public transit safety.

“The efforts toward security and policing that the MBTA has had in place for a number of years have really been looked at as a benchmark for the industry,” said Greg Hull, director of operations, safety and security for the American Public Transportation Association.

And, when the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon two weeks ago, officials at the MBTA said that, while shocked and devastated like the rest of the city, they were prepared, largely due to the new equipment and training acquired in recent years.

“It was controlled chaos,” said Randy Clarke, senior director of security and emergency management for the MBTA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

He described the atmosphere of the T’s central hub for dispatch and communications, or Operations Control Center, as officials scrambled to secure stations and stop some service after the explosions at Copley Square, and then again several day later when the system was shut down during a lengthy manhunt.

“I hate to say we’re used to crises and trained for them, but we are,” Clarke said.

On Monday, two weeks after the Marathon bombings, MBTA officials gave a tour of the control center, which includes some of the transit industry’s most sophisticated technology for daily operations and security.

FULL ENTRY

Some pay phones in Boston to offer free Wi-Fi Internet hotspots this summer

April 30, 2013 12:05 PM

Free Wi-Fi Internet access will soon be broadcast from 16 existing pay phones in Boston.

And officials from companies leading the effort hope to, pending city approval, rapidly expand the service so that a total of about 100 existing pay phones across Boston will offer free wireless Internet hotspots by the end of this summer. By the end of next summer, they hope they will have reached a total of about 400 payphones citywide.

The effort, called “FreeBostonWiFi,” is being carried out on a trial basis, company officials said.

So far, the city’s Department of Innovation and Technology has approved Wi-Fi installations at 16 pay phones, located around City Hall, Faneuil Hall, Downtown Crossing and Long Wharf, according to Tyler Kratz, president of DAS Communications, which is one of four private companies partnering on the effort.

RCN Business Services, LCC International Inc., Pacific Telemanagement Services and DAS Communications announced their plan at a conference in Boston last week.

Four temporary demo sites were set up at pay phones near the Hyatt Regency hotel where the conference was held, the companies said.

One site at Cambridge and Court streets near City Hall Plaza was heavily used even though nothing was done at the site to advertise that the Wi-Fi signal was there.

“People had no idea it was there unless they saw it on their phone,” or other mobile device, said Kratz. “People were using it quite a bit. It blew my mind.”

Over about a 24-hour span last week, about 18,000 mobile devices “noticed” the Wi-Fi. About 2,000 devices connected and more than 200 people spent and average of 17 minutes using the Internet connection, he said.

“There’s a demand for this,” said Kratz.

He said the Wi-Fi service at that payphone by City Hall was supposed to be permanent. But, last week it was struck by some bad luck. A vehicle rammed into and damaged the booth. But, Kratz said the companies plan to have it replaced and restore Wi-Fi service within a couple of weeks.

The other 15 pay phones in line to get Internet hotspots are also located in downtown Boston and in areas that draw a high number of pedestrians, including commuters, business professionals and tourists.

Kratz said another focus will be to add the service to pay phones in low-income areas of Boston where some people cannot afford their own Internet access.

“Boston is a great city. With all of the college students and the young people it’s perfect demographically,” he said. “And we really want to make sure this is not just clustered in one spot.”

The Wi-Fi hotspots will offer around-the-clock Internet access for an unlimited amount of time at no cost to users or taxpayers.

The signal is usually accessible within 100 to 200 feet of the kiosk, though range can vary depending on whether there are objects or structures around the kiosk that could interfere with the signal.

To connect to the Wi-Fi hotspots, users need to select FreeBostonWiFiSSID on their mobile device and then accept the connection’s terms and conditions. No password is needed and no personal information gathered.

The companies that own the kiosks and run the service pay for installing and maintaining the new infrastructure at the payphone stations.

Some of the kiosks themselves have advertisements on them to generate revenue for the companies, but Kratz said the Internet service will not display ads on users devices.

"The partnership is giving new life to telephone booths that have almost become extinct due to the evolution of the cell phone," said a statement from Jeff Carlson, vice president and general manager of RCN Boston. “Small cell and Wi-Fi technology deployed through this partnership is another step toward delivering high quality wireless by lighting up hotspots in Boston using RCN's unparalleled fiber network."

The payphone kiosks will broadcast Wi-Fi in part by using small cell technology, which allows mobile devices, such as cell phones, to work.

"It's interesting and a little ironic that capacity demands from the cellular market has allowed for the repurposing of existing phone infrastructure, like payphone kiosks,” said a statement from E.J. von Schaumburg , vice president of Advanced Mobility Solutions at LCC International. “Utilizing small cell technology, we can take advantage of the excellent kiosk locations throughout an urban area and deliver high quality cellular capacity at the street level."

Last summer, a pilot program launched in New York City in which free public Wi-Fi Internet hotspots were emitted from routers installed at about 10 payphones.

Kratz said his company has been involved with the efforts in New York City and that his company now runs Wi-Fi from about 20 payphones there and plans to soon add the service to about 40 more payphones.

City officials in New York have said they plan to have Internet service added to all 12,000 payphones there.

Several weeks later after the program debuted in New York, two at-large City Councilors in Boston – Felix G. Arroyo and Ayanna Pressley – proposed doing something similar here.

Kratz said he has since met with Arroyo to discuss replicating the service in Boston and that he and other city officials have been instrumental in helping it launch.

Use of payphones has become rare because of cell phones. Some payphones no longer function to make calls. Others have been removed entirely.

Wi-Fi hotspots will help restore some use to the old payphone kiosks, officials have said.

The first-ever payphone was installed at a bank in Hartford in the late 1800s.

Since 1997, the number of payphones nationwide has dropped from an estimated peak of about 2.2 million to about 400,000, according to a petition that the American Public Communications Council, which advocates for payphone use, sent to the Federal Communications Commission last spring.

Kratz said the roughly 400 payphones in Boston his company hopes to bring Wi-Fi to are all owned by Pacific Telemanagement Services. He said there are few others in the city.

Kratz said his company is also in talks with city officials about the possibility of having free wireless Internet access broadcast from key municipal buildings, like police and fire stations, as well as from old-fashioned fire alarm boxes around Boston. But, Kratz said, no agreement has been reached and other companies are pitching similar ideas to the city.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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For the latest updates about your community, follow some of our local neighborhood, city and town Twitter accounts, here.

Armenian Heritage Park to participate Saturday in World Labyrinth Day

April 29, 2013 02:21 PM

Armenian Heritage Park.jpg

Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com

Children played in the Armenian Heritage Park during a heat wave on June 20, 2012.

The Armenian Heritage Park on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway will participate Saturday in World Labyrinth Day, an event promoted by the Labyrinth Society in an effort to heal the Earth, the Armenian Heritage Foundation announced.

At 1 p.m. in downtown Boston, and upon the same hour in other time zones around the world, people will walk labyrinths as a gesture of solidarity and peace, the foundation said in a statement.

Countries expected to participate in the global event include Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, China, France, Ireland, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The event is held each year on the first Saturday in May.

The Armenian Heritage Park is a gift from local Armenian Americans to the city and the state, the foundation said, and is designed to celebrate the experiences of Armenian immigrants and their contributions to American society, and also to commemorate those killed in the 1915 – 1923 Armenian Genocide and other mass killings.

Its labyrinth is made up of inlaid stone surrounded by strips of grass and symbolizes life’s journey, the foundation said. “A single jet of water and the symbol of eternity mark its center, representing hope and rebirth. Art, Service, Science, and Commerce are etched around its circle in tribute to accomplishments and contributions made,” it said.

The labyrinth walk will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 4. For more information about the park, visit www.ArmenianHeritagePark.org.

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.
Follow the North End on Twitter: @YourNorthEnd.

A Twitter tribute to MBTA Officer Richard Donohue

April 26, 2013 04:09 PM

Donohue and Collier.jpg

AP Photo/Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

In this 2010 photo provided by the MBTA, Richard Donohue Jr., left, and Sean Collier pose together at their graduation from the Municipal Police Officers' Academy.

A Twitter tribute to MBTA Officer Richard Donohue

Storified by Jeremy C. Fox· Fri, Apr 26 2013 13:26:34

Each week in this space, Twitter users respond to the joys -- and, more often, the frustrations -- of riding the T.

But the events of the past 11 days have shifted many perspectives, and it seems in bad taste to mock the MBTA for running a few minutes late while a Transit Police officer lies in Mount Auburn Hospital, struggling to recover from a bullet wound incurred as he pursued two men suspected of murdering a colleague and friend. 

This week's column will feature no complaints, only messages of thanks, support, and of the joy of being alive and safe in a great city. 

It is dedicated to Officer Richard "Dic" Donohue Jr. and his fellow Transit Police and MBTA staff, who work harder than they get credit for. It is also dedicated to the other law enforcement officers who risk their lives to make all residents of Greater Boston safer, and to Donohue's police academy classmate and friend, MIT police Officer Sean Collier, killed in the line of duty.

To begin, here is just a sampling of many messages of appreciation and support for Officer Donohue, who graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and served in the Navy before joining the Transit Police:
picture of cadets at VMI signing a flag for MBTA officer Richard Donohue, '02 VMI grad, injured in Boston shootout. pic.twitter.com/YA3oI5gDZKAnne McNamara
Dic Donahue, one of VMI my classmates, was seriously wounded by suspect. Pls RT this site to support Dic's family: indiegogo.com/projects/injur…John Noonan
Our thoughts & prayers are with MBTA Transit Police Officer Richard Donohue Jr. who was shot last night in Watertown, MA. #bostonmarathonbretmichaels
Send prayers toward #MBTA Officer Richard Donohue who was shot and seriously injured last night. Get well, brother pic.twitter.com/OKgBgFxpj8Brian Austin
Thank you to everyone who has sent us well wishes from around the world! Please keep Officer Donohue in your prayers! #BostonStrong #MBTAMBTA Transit Police
Please pray for our hero Officer Richard H. Donohue's recovery #MBTACamille Collins
Thinking about MBTA Transit Officer Richard H. Donohue Jr., who was shot and critically injured Thurs. night by Marathon bombers. @nleomfCraig Floyd
#BostonStrong Honor a hero - Boston MBTA officer indiegogo.com/projects/injur…Conor Evans
Officer Donohue and Officer Collier... Graduation day at the MBTA Police Academy. Please keep both in your prayers pic.twitter.com/Aii90KrJZOBraintree Police
Wishing for a full recovery for wounded MBTA Transit Police Officer Richard Donohue, Jr. @MBTATransitPDMiddlesex Sheriff
Praying for MBTA Officer Richard Donohue to make a full recoveryMegan
Please help a fellow #VMI grad and wounded #boston hero! indiegogo.com/projects/injur…Matt Howard
Here is me with MBTA Officer Richard Donohue who is in critical, but stable condition. Hopes he makes a full recovery pic.twitter.com/LrLndc0mGUAdolfo Gonzalez
Police Officer & Navy Veteran Dic Donahue and his family are in need of support after he was critically wounded... fb.me/NEGT2vgSFenix281
Here's a name that should be remembered: Richard Donohue. latimes.com/news/nation/na…StarFortress
@NHLBruins thank you, shirt to be presented to #MBTA TPD Officer Donohue & his family. #bostonstrong pic.twitter.com/gr4sFL0U3qMBTA Transit Police
Please take a moment today to remember MBTA Officer Richard Donohue and all those recovering from last week's terrorist attack in Boston.Greenfield Police
Please consider supporting Boston hero and VMI graduate Dic Donahue Jr. All proceeds go to him and his family: indiegogo.com/projects/injur…Taylor S. Evans
Virginia Military Inst. honor TPD Officer Donohue for his heroic actions. #MBTA #bostonstrongtpdnews411.com/2013/04/virgin…MBTA Transit Police
Just made donation to new fund for wounded Officer Donohue (MBTA) @ officerricharddonohue.comMichael DeGrosky
Please keep MBTA OFFICER RICHARD DONOHUE in your prayers as he continues to recover in the hospital after being shot in BostonMike Brooks
Please support Injured MBTA Officer Dic Donohue #VMI '02 Grad & all around great guy! igg.me/p/injured-mbta… #indiegogo via @indiegogoKayla Lane
@vmialumni hero and fallen brother. indiegogo.com/projects/injur…David Dixon
MBTA Transit Officer "Dic" Donohue needs our help; he is gravely injured from the shootout with the Boston... fb.me/2335fuOm3David Smith
Dic Donohue is a hero who put his life in danger to stop the bad guys! Hope he makes a full and quick recovery. Best #MBTABrag ever.Sara F.
@YTDowntown thank you to all our officers in Blue and our first responders! R?I?P Sean Collier #MBTABragDiana Hill
All around Boston this week, there were signs of a resilient city recovering from the horrors of the Marathon bombings and the subsequent pursuit of the alleged bombers, during which Collier was killed and Donohue wounded:
#bostonstrong #CT2 #MBTAbrag pic.twitter.com/UMJJUSPh69Rachel Heaton (Ryan)
Took a ride down Boylston on the 39. Crowded with gawkers and pilgrims alike. Glad I was on the bus. #mbtabragNeenah Estrella-Luna
And there were simple acts of kindness:
I was running for the #OrangeLine at Back Bay and a guy put his hand out to make sure the door didn't close. Boston is the best. #MBTAbragJeremy C. Fox
Thank you to the sweet bus driver on the #66 who waited for me to cross the street to catch the bus & w a smile! #mbtabrag Little things..._veritaserum
Got a moth dying to get out of my red line train today, out. Gratitudes. #mbtabragJules Wang
Slowly, here and there, life began to return to normal:
A dude on my train is eating something called "perky jerky." Is that caffeinated jerky? #mbtabrag? #dontevenwanttoknowSara F.
And sometimes even better than normal:
All connections made, no disabled trains, air conditioning, & not too cramped. A good day for sure. #MBTAbragAndrea Still Gray
There’s a puppy on my train! #MBTAbragMelinda
Donations to Donohue and his family can be made at www.officerricharddonohue.com, or by mailing checks payable to the “MBTA Police Association Benevolent Fund Inc.” to MBTA Police Department, c/o Officer Donohue Fund, 240 South Hampton St., Boston, MA, 02118.


To donate to The One Fund Boston, established by Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino to benefit those injured in the bombings and the families of those killed, visit onefundboston.org or send a check to One Fund Boston Inc., 800 Bolyston St. #990009, Boston, MA 02199. 

Next week, this page will return to its usual purpose of cataloging your frustrating, exciting, and just plan confusing experiences on the T, so keep using #MBTAbrag and #MBTAannoy to let everyone know how you feel. And stay safe.

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.

Zoning Board removes supermarket requirement for One Canal project

April 23, 2013 03:03 PM

The $175 million One Canal project planned for the Bulfinch Triangle is no longer required to find a much-desired supermarket for its ground floor in order to move forward.

The Boston Zoning Board of Appeal voted Tuesday to amend the provisions requiring developer Trinity Financial to lease 20,000 square feet of its 12-story apartment building’s ground floor to a supermarket in order to move forward with the development.

The firm’s attorney, Katharine Bachman, told the board it has been difficult to secure an operator for the space, especially as Delaware North Cos., owner of the TD Garden, moves forward with plans for a high-rise development on the old site of the Boston Garden near North Station.

Those plans call for two towers with hundreds of residences, a hotel, offices, a multilevel Target, and a 45,000-square-foot supermarket on an underground level with a prominent entrance on Causeway Street.

Trinity Financial's search for a supermarket operator has been “complicated by the North Station development,” Bachman said, noting that the proposed space is larger and more centrally located.

Under the agreement established last year, Trinity Financial is freed the supermarket requirement if an alternative supermarket was open and operating in the immediate area.

Downtown neighborhood residents have worked for more than a decade to bring an affordable supermarket to the area, and Bachman said Trinity Financial “is committed to do its best to bring a supermarket to this site.”

The request to remove the requirement and allow the project to move forward was supported by the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services and city councilors Felix Arroyo, Sal LaMattina, Stephen Murphy, Ayanna Pressley, Mike Ross, and Charles Yancey.

The North End/West End/Beacon Hill Supermarket Committee and the Downtown North Association also submitted letters of support, according to Bachman.

“This will allow us hopefully to get to the final stage,” Robert O’Brien, executive director of the Downtown North Association, told the board.

E-mail Kaiser at Johanna.yourtown@gmail.com. For more news about your city, town, neighborhood, or campus, visit boston.com’s Your Town homepage.

Friends of Christopher Columbus Park plans cleanup, seeks sandbox toys

April 23, 2013 02:29 PM

Christopher Columbus Park tot lot.jpg

Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com

The Christopher Columbus Park playground.

The Friends of Christopher Columbus Park will celebrate spring with a playground cleanup and pizza party and is asking for donations of new sandbox toys, the group announced.

Neighborhood families are invited to participate in the annual cleanup of the play area and the placement of fresh sand in the sandbox, along with a celebration that includes food and entertainment for the children. It will take place Saturday, May 4, from noon to 2 p.m., and will include free pizza, children’s games, face-painting, and a performance by Big Joe the Storyteller.

Each year, the friends group supplies fresh sand for the sandbox, it said, but many of the toys in the box are showing their wear. It is asking for donations of plastic trucks, shovels, buckets, brooms, and other sandbox-appropriate toys.

New toys can be dropped off until May 4 with the front-desk concierge at 300 Commercial St., directed to the attention of Ruth Gonzalez Vega.

For more information about 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.


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