If House speaker Sal DiMasi really wants to prove he is up to the task of managing this state and fend off those who want his crown, then he better crack down on the shenanigans at the State House. All ethical shadiness aside, yesterday a state rep said that another rep threatened her during the budget debate. Rep. Jennifer Callahan was behind a nurse staffing amendment, which apparently didn't please the other lawmaker: "He leveled... [continue]

The Milky Way, Jamaica Plain's popular candlepin bowling bar and hangout, will close no later than next year, according to the Jamaica Plain Gazette. Bella Luna, its companion restaurant, will move to the Brewery Complex on Amory Street. The decision comes months after the Milky Way's co-owners spent $80,000 to install a sprinkler system to bring the nightclub up to Boston city code. The decision was motivated by a new lease and an enormous rent... [continue]

The sign was taken down yesterday, the Allston-Brighton TAB reports. The company had planned to take it down because it had become so old, but it's still a little sad. Let us know if you see a replacement. It better look good. Photo by Caroline Roberts.... [continue]

While we were underwhelmed by the Herald article that suggested a plague of groping on the MBTA, the MBTA police have decided to do something about the creeps who can't keep their hands to themselves. Officers are going undercover in the hopes of snagging the baddies. We doubt they will go undercover in the same way Bubba Smith did at the beginning of Police Academy 3, but one can only hope. Of course, if you... [continue]

Fabulously Out There knows the Blue Line like the back of her hand, and she's used to its unusual ways, but she was dismayed at the following scene: Walking down the stairs in the State Street T Stop on your way to the Orange line and realizing the stairs CRUMBLE under you? CHECK. Say what? Uh-huh. Yesterday morning I excited my trusted blue line no hot liquid in sight and I started down the stairs... [continue]

So we weren't the only ones who were ticked at a woman's comment about South End wait staff and how they handle children eating in their restaurant. Let's reflect on what the woman said: Well, the entire article brought The South End Is Over out of hibernation, and the blogger is pissed. As we said before, wait staff are there to serve, but asking them to clean up the Cheerios messy little critters leave behind... [continue]

View Larger Map Update: The Cambridge Chronicle is reporting that the pedestrian died. The Boston Herald added that he was "dragged to his death" and that a bystander ran after the driver trying to get him to stop. If you were wondering why all the bus drivers were taking unusual paths around Central Square today, word got out on b0st0n livejournal that a pedestrian was hit by a Shaw's tractor-trailer at Mass Ave and Prospect... [continue]

For the 99% of us who can't finagle/afford Red Sox tickets, it's nice to remember that the Cape Cod Baseball League exists just an hour or so south of us. A perennial waystation on the way to the big leagues (Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis are among current Sox who spent time there), the league's free admission, volunteer spirit and small-town feel make a great time machine to the fuzzy golden age of... [continue]

Stuart Spina, a 17-year-old student at Commonwealth School, stood before the MBTA Board of Directors yesterday and told them how to fix some of the most sluggish, inefficient routes. Spina produced a 22-page report that was more detailed than what any pricey consulting firm could pull off. Read it, and you might want him in a major transportation leadership position. He studied multiple bus lines, including the notorious bus 23, which another teenager exposed as... [continue]

Update: The DA's Office just sent out confirmation. They say both stabbings happened on the outbound platform and that the stabbing victims are expected to survive. Roxbury Crossing was shut down at about 6:00 pm tonight due to a double stabbing. From the Globe: One victim was stabbed on the train platform; the other was stabbed in the station's parking lot. The incident happened at around 5:45, said MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera. One victim... [continue]

In general, a person should save a little money in case something bad happens. But the MBTA, which General Manager Dan Grabauskas says is broke, has had to deplete its reserves significantly. The Globe reports today that the T's new budget will take $20 million from the emergency fund, bringing the reserves down to $35 million. The reserves are supposed to be $100 million. Now that emergency funds are no longer technically "emergency," the T... [continue]

More reason for cash-starved college students, especially those in the UMass system, to cultivate the taste for ramen. WBZ reports, "The university's trustees finance panel approved a 3.1 percent increase in fees Wednesday." The hike applies to all UMass campuses, including UMass-Boston. However, UMass-Amherst will see the greatest rise in fees. A press release from the school points out that, compared to the private schools, public education is still a bargain: Last year, the average... [continue]

Last night, Bostonist received the unsettling news that the add-value machines at T stops weren't accepting credit or debit cards. On the last day of the month. As in, prime time for adding passes to their Charlie Cards. A tipper said that, after delivering the news, an MBTA employee yelped, "Don't kill the messenger!" The employee had reason to be concerned, as finding out one's card has been denied repeatedly makes people snippy. Real snippy.... [continue]

Well, City Councilor John Tobin has a solution for low voter turnout, and it's not a MoFee Style Public Kvetch-Fest. If Mayor Tom Menino thought he didn't like the idea of Kvetch-Fest 2008, he must have blown his stack when he heard what Councilor Tobin proposed. Tobin wants to limit mayoral and city council terms to 12 years. Menino, who is an institution along the lines of the Old South Meeting House, has already served... [continue]

Ever "Written to the Top" to complain to the MBTA that a bus or train you expected never arrived? And maybe, just maybe, they wrote back in apology? It's likely they did it on purpose, according to a Herald article: Top MBTA officials acknowledge that for years the agency has been secretly cutting thousands of bus and train trips from published schedules to lower costs - a practice that has left legions of customers waiting... [continue]

Photo journalist and former Quincy resident discarted grabbed this stunning shot of a homeless woman named Linda. The portrait being in black and white enhances the years of hard-ship clearly etched on her face. The simple composition and depth of focus further the theme of loneliness and misfortune. A really fantastic shot all around.... [continue]

--Somebody left an Aqua Teen memento at Fenway. Mayor Menino is not amused. [WCVB] --Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so it's six more weeks of winter. [AP/Boston Globe] --As the Super Bowl approaches, people in Arizona are looking for creative ways to make money, such as renting their home on Super Bowl weekend and throwing some strippers into the bargain. [Eye on Foxborough] --Speaking of the Super Bowl, we're plugging our fingers in our... [continue]

It's 8:30 am on a very crowded MBTA subway car. Goof: Excuse me. Ho: Hmph. (Ignores.) Goof: I'd like to sit there. Ho: Excuse me? Goof: I'd like to sit there. (Pantomimes a lame threat to sit on the seat occupied by the ho's huge Louis Vuitton bag.) Ho: Ex-cy-use me! (Dramatically moves the bag, exuding pure hatred.) Goof: (From his seat, gloating) Welcome to the T! Ho: Your bref stinks. Ho: Hmph. 'Welcome... [continue]

The House of Blues has bought the Lansdowne Street clubs, including Avalon and Axis. How is this going to affect the renovations of Avalon and Axis, which has had a negative impact on performers and fans since the venues shut down? The Globe reports: "The only thing that has changed is in place of a sign that says Lansdowne Music Hall, it will say House of Blues," Lyons said yesterday. He will continue to own... [continue]

A Woburn man was arrested and went to court today for allegedly raping an unconscious woman in a bathroom at Felt late Friday night. 21-year-old Nicholas Chiaraluce pled not guilty to a count of aggravated rape. The details of the case, provided by the DA's Office, are beyond disturbing: Club employees told responding Boston Police that a patron had seen Chiaraluce having sex with an unconscious woman when he went to use the establishment’s second-floor... [continue]