A Boston pharmaceutical sales rep who is on this season's cycle of "Big Brother" went to the hospital after having an allergic reaction to "slop." Allison Nichols had to eat the aforementioned "slop" as a punishment. (As far as Bostonist is concerned, being on or watching "Big Brother" is punishment enough.) Her lips swelled and she said her throat closed up. Meanwhile, another contestant had a seizure, Reality TV World and the New York Daily......

--A Boston judge sentenced three cocaine dealers yesterday and then told them that, after they serve their time, they will not be allowed to move back to the city for 12 years. According to the Herald, 19-year-old Amos Carasquillo of Mattapan, 26-year-old Nathan Garrasteguy of Roxbury, and 21-year-old Louis Garcia Jr. of Roxbury have 60 arrests among them. Besides those guys, eleven gang members have been rounded up in the past few weeks. --Last night,......

Boston Comedy Festival Semi-Finals Friday, October 12, 8:30 p.m. @ Nick's Comedy Stop (100 Warrenton), $15 [Tickets] Boston Comedy Festival Finals (with Lewis Black! woo!) Saturday, October 13, 8:15 p.m., Cutler Majestic Theatre, $45-$65 [Tickets] Look out, kids, the big guns are here--it’s the Boston Comedy Festival semi-finals! And wouldn’t you know, it’s an all-boys’ club (because women aren’t funny, except when they are). Besides a penis, something that everyone on stage shared was......

Ann Patchett, Wednesday, September 26, 6:00 pm, Coolidge Corner (via Brookline Booksmith) The author of Bel Canto situates her latest book in Boston, and the plot should seem awfully familiar - the head of a political family tries to perpetuate a political dynasty. A Boston mayor steps down and tries to drive two of his adopted sons into politics. In the span of one day, events unfold that might change those plans. Vincent Lam, Wednesday,......

--Word is out that some boneheaded morons knocked over a 160-year-old bust of Jesus that is displayed at the Boston Public Library. It happened on September 12 in the afternoon, and the man and woman who did it got caught on videotape. The pair didn't go after the bust of Lucifer. Apparently they were trying to make a point, but it was obscured in the sheer amount of dumbassery displayed by their behavior. It still......

--A Boston police officer got hit during a shoot-out with alleged gang members in Dorchester last night. Stephen Romano, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was hit in the chest but will survive. The shooting started when police interfaced with Antonio Franklin and Durrell Curry. Franklin shot Romano, and then a state trooper on the scene returned fire and hit Franklin, leaving him in critical condition, but Curry escaped. The Herald had a disturbing detail.......

Snowplows are supposed to be helpful, right? That all depends on who is behind the wheel. Yesterday morning, in the daytime, one of Boston's snowplows hit a 64-year-old woman who was standing in the crosswalk at I Street and East Broadway. Then the snowplow left the scene. The Globe called the incident a "hit-and-run" but a more accurate description would be "hit-and-plow-away-very-slowly." Strip joint - oops, "Gentlemen's Club" - Centerfolds saw the wrong kind of......

Mix the headline "State House full of leaks after water pipe bursts" follow that up with the lead paragraph "Some say politicians are all wet - and at the State House yesterday even the pols agreed" and what do you get? A Boston Herald article about the frozen water pipe in the State House yesterday. The flood damaged office walls and office equipment of several legislators located on the fourth floor of the historic building,......

BPD News: "Sometimes, It Pays to Be Quiet." Hear that, silly lawbreakers? An underage drinker got busted because he and his friends were making noise. Maybe the headline should have read, "Sometimes, It Pays to Drink Quietly." Also in the maybe-you-should've-been-more-subtle department, residents helped the police break a male prostitution ring in Roxbury. If it's loud enough for the neighbors to hear you, then you're gonna get caught. However, the roommate of the guy running......

The cover of today's Boston Herald showcases the hottest dog in town - Ajax, the K-9 cop who sniffed out a perp who tried to hide himself in the brick shaft of a warehouse. The Herald writes up Ajax as if he were Boston's latest eligible bachelor: "A Boston police rookie with four legs and a fully loaded nose likes long walks on the beach, fondue, and poodles …" (Okay, okay, the last three bits......

When the last of Boston's famous "banned in Boston" city censors died in April of 2003, and Sunday liquor sales were finally allowed in November of that year, Bostonist thought our town's reputation for prudishness might not be long for this earth. But a story in today's Globe reminds us that there are still plenty of folks in this Commonwealth who have the time and energy to get worked up over excessive naughtiness. It seems......

Today Massachusetts observes Patriots Day, memorializing the shots heard around the world in the battle at Lexington. Last night in the Providence, R.I. police headquarters Detective James Allen was shot and killed by his own weapon. A Boston man has been blamed for the crime. Bostonist sends our sympathy to the Providence police force even if we’re still mad for that speeding ticket we got last September. Esteban Carpio who doesn’t seem to have a......