Bostonist knows that crime doesn't pay, but sometimes it sure is funny. Over the last few weeks, it seems a humorous crime-spree has broken out north of the Charles. The crime wave began two weeks ago when a Somerville cop noticed a car pulling into the Foodmaster parking lot in West Somerville for an apparent drug deal. As the cop approached the car, its driver Dwayne Jones became "combative," tried to run down the officer.... [continue]

Municipal elections in Cambridge are not known for being the most easy to understand voting system. To begin with, rather than the traditional winner-takes-all system that dominates U.S. representative democracy, Cambridge is one of the few cities in the country that uses a system of Proportional Representation (PR) where voters rank the candidates in the order they would like to see them elected to the City Council or School Committee. The votes are then counted...... [continue]

Bostonist just ran across an interesting tidbit of news from this past Sunday's Globe City Weekly section. According to the piece, a Fortune Teller who does business in Harvard Square has been accused of extortion by a disgruntled customer. Apparently, Rosalita Stevens -- proprietor of Mystic Rosa -- promised a customer that for the fee of $7,875 she would remove a curse against him. Though the Cambridge Police have launched an investigation and recovered...... [continue]

If you've had the desire to get your groove on with such Cambridge notables as Mayor Mike Sullivan, State Senator Jarrett Barrios, or former Labor Secretary and erstwhile Gubernatorial contender Robert Reich, has the City of Cambridge got an event for you! At 7:00 on Friday, July 29th, the City will be hosting its annual (rescheduled)Dance Party. This is a chance for you to get down with hundreds of other area residents right smack-dab... [continue]

When you think of liberal marijuana culture in the United States, what comes to mind? San Francisco and the rest of Northern California, undoubtedly. Maybe Seattle, Portland (Oregon), or in our region, hippy Vermont. But no. You may be surprised to learn that, according to a new study, our fine city (metro area, actually) has the highest rate of youth and adult marijuana use in the country. While nationally 5 percent of people smoke pot,... [continue]

Yesterday was a big day in town. Former House Speaker Tom Finneran, hands down one of the most powerful politicians in the Commonwealth for nearly a decade, plead not guilty at a preliminary hearing on federal perjury charges. Now, in case you've been living under a rock for the past couple years, Republican U.S. Attorney and possible gubernatorial hopeful Michael Sullivan has accused Finneran of lying about his involvement in the 2001 Massachusetts legislative redistricting...... [continue]

Believe it or not, the town that went nearly 85% for John Kerry last year, has a city-sponsored Commission on Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Education, and is lovingly (or not) refered to as the People's Republic also has some Republicans...or one, at least. Buried in the "Political Notes" section of last week's Cambridge Chronicle is a short blurb about Andre Green, a young Republican who has announced his candidacy for Cambridge City Council: Green...... [continue]

Today was the 15 minutes of fame...no, make that 45 minutes...for Cantabrigian John Lund. Not only was Lund feature prominently in the Globe, but also received front-page stories in the Cambridge Chronicle and the Somerville Journal (granted, as the latter two are owned by the same parent company, the article was the same in both, but that's semantics). So, what's the big deal about this seemingly normal Gentle Giant employee, you ask? Apparently, Lund is...... [continue]

This weekend Boston celebrates the 35th annual Gay Pride Festival -- billed as the largest event of its type in New England. By the organizers' accounts, over 400,000 individuals have participated in Boston Pride events in recent years. Held in many major cities throughout the United States and across the globe, Pride festivals began in the early 70's as a political consciousness raising event as the Gay Rights movement accelerated after the 1969 Stonewall riots... [continue]

Throughout last year's presidential election, media accounts, debate performances, and other appearances led to the establishment of very clear public assumptions about personality of both major-party candidates. While President Bush has for years been seen as a verbally-challenged simpleton, our Senator Kerry developed the reputation for being an intellectual and overly-complex orator. Since the campaign, The Globe has been fighting hard to get Kerry's military and medical records released, the former of which would include... [continue]

One of the more frustrating aspects of modern urban living undoubtedly is parking. If you live in Boston and own a car you've probably been towed, maybe more than once, and certainly faced the wrath of those roaming parking cops. Hence the creation of the resident parking permit -- a tool used by most densely populated municipalities in our region to regulate parking patterns. Every car owner has one, but most pay it very little... [continue]

The Cambridge Chronicle reports today that The Western Front -- a popular bar and music venue in Cambridgeport -- has been slapped with a five-day suspension of its operating license, forcing management to close the club during that time. The action was taken in response to a March incident when Cambridge Police responding to reports of gun shots in the area were denied entry to the bar. Though owner Marvin Gillmore had closed the bar...... [continue]

The Globe reports today on moves taken by the Boston Licensing commission to put the kibosh on an "ultimate fighting" event scheduled for this Saturday at the Roxy. Apparently, the sport -- in which fighters in caged rings face off kicking and punching each other -- "is not something the city of Boston is going to sanction" according to the Globe: Patricia Malone, head of Boston's licensing department, told the Boston Herald on Tuesday. "The... [continue]

Today is a sad day in Red Sox nation -- J.P. Villamen, the Spanish-language voice of the Sox died in a car crash yesterday on his way home to Lawrence from Yankee Stadium. One of the first Spanish language broadcasters in the Majors, Villamen had been with the team since the 1995 season. His announcing was broadcast throughout the Spanish-speaking world, across the United States and Latin America in places like Nicaragua and his native... [continue]

Bostonist wrote a while back about a mysterious boat that turned up in an empty city-owned property near Somerville City Hall. Turns out the yacht belonged to Frankie Santangelo, a city employee who violated ethics rules by using city property for personal use. Santangelo was reprimanded by the city, and the brief scandal subsided for the time being. Until this weekend, that is. According to the Somerville News, during Sunday's Memorial Day parade through... [continue]

While the MBTA faces extensive budget slashing and service cuts, the Mitt Romney administration today committed to major T expansion -- commitments originally made nearly two decades ago. In the late 1980's as the Commonwealth sought federal funding for then-fledgling Big Dig, the state was required to commit to a number of mass-transit related projects in order to mitigate the environmental and traffic related impacts of this major undertaking. Among the promised projects was restoration...... [continue]

If you have a pulse and have lived in the Boston area for any significant period of time, it's hard to miss the fact that things are changing. As the powers-that-be taut "New Boston" initiatives, revitalization efforts have been focused on our urban centers with the effect of -- whether intentionally or not -- accelerating gentrification in once neglected neighborhoods like Roxbury, Charlestown, or Dorchester. Perhaps one of the most effected has been Somerville --... [continue]

It seems the U.S. Navy is a little short-handed these days for viable training grounds to simulate Iraq-like combat. According to a report in today's Herald, the Pentagon is considering the South Boston waterfront as an arena for war-game exercises later this summer. Apparently the narrow street and proximity to water makes Southie the ideal location to prepare for real danger in Fallujah or Baghdad: The Navy hopes to take over Drydock and Kennedy avenues... [continue]

In his 12 years of service to the people of Boston, Mayor Tom Menino has made technological advancement a cornerstone of his administration. Under his leadership Boston became the first U.S. city to completely wire every public classroom, and was one of the first to introduce free internet access in public libraries. On May 19th, Menino and City Councilor John Tobin are leading a public summit to: ...discuss how the City of Boston could use... [continue]

The Cambridge Chronicle reports today on the re-emergence of an old tradition at the Baker House Dorm at MIT. Apparently, every few years since the early 1970's students in the building have relieved their mid-semester stress through the traditional "Piano Drop" -- coinciding with the last official day to drop classes. The concept is quite simple, the Chronicle points out: A group of students throw a 700-pound piano off the building's roof just to watch...... [continue]