-- Boston police arrested a woman for setting the fire that killed two young girls, Acia Johnson, 14, and her 3-year-old sister, Sophia, in South Boston last month. Nicole Chuminski, 25, will be arraigned Monday on two counts of murder and one count of arson. Chuminski was reportedly the girlfriend of the victims' mother, and the alleged arson may have been the outcome of a vicious spat. [Globe; Herald] -- The truck driver whose careering......

-- The story of Haleigh Poutre, the 14-year-old girl who, in 2005, was brought by her parents to a Westfield hospital in a vegetative state could not be more crushing. The girl has finally emerged from her coma, defying predictions that she would never reawake. (The Massachusetts Department of Social Services, for one, wanted to shut off her feeding tube.) Police interviewed her from her pediatric unit bed yesterday and have revealed a story of......

--Police put out a BOLO ("Be on the lookout") for a recent immigrant from Haiti who speaks no English and who has been missing since Wednesday. His name is Roc Sanon, he is 43 years old, and his photo is to the left. [BPD News] --Early this morning in Jamaica Plain on Gayhead Street, a woman was stabbed eight times and sustained life-threatening injuries. The BPD report indicates that the victim knew her attacker and......

-- A man killed himself after shooting a co-worker at the Alloy Fabricators of New England in Randolph this morning. Howard Trang, 48 of Dorchester, allegedly barged into the factory with a .45 caliber pistol, shot 52 year-old Gene Dure in the arm and abdomen, and turned the weapon on himself. Police have not advanced a motive. Dure was taken to Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton. No word on his condition. [Herald; Globe] --......

--A 25-year-old man was shot to death while sitting in his car early this morning in Allston. An image of the shot-out window and info on WBZ indicates that whoever killed him walked to the rear passenger window and fired. [WBZ] --The alleged child rapist who escaped from police in New Bedford was sighted at a YMCA. [WBZ] --In Brighton early this morning, a 22-year-old fell off a second-story porch. His injuries were not life-threatening......

Update: The BU Free Press has a piece today entitled "Frat Brothers Try to Dispel Myths." Although we were expecting them to say they actually trash Radissons, not Days Inns, some of the nicer fraternity brothers explained that a few of them engage in philanthropy. Allegedly a national convention for the Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity turned into National-Lampoon-esque chaos at the Days Inn on Soldier's Field Road. The Allston-Brighton Tab reports that 100 people were......

--We were looking at the weekend crime stats provided by the Boston Police Department and were surprised to see that there were eight non-fatal stabbings over the Easter weekend. Call us ignorant, but that seemed like a lot of stabbings. But last weekend's report also listed eight non-fatal stabbings (the report itself is confusing: the headline suggests that the numbers are for a 96 hour period, while the first paragraph says it covers 24......

--The thought of Massachusetts drivers plus a U-Turn that's open to the public makes us skittish. [WBZ] --The National Transportation Safety Board released a report saying that the crash between a train and a truck that killed two maintenance employees last January happened because "several employees of the railroad failed to do a very important part of their job." [Boston Globe] --Remember that toll increase? Well, that money might to go pay off debt. And......

Bostonist tends not to eat at places with the word “junkyard” in their name, but when the food is as good as at Spike’s Junkyard Dogs, rules can be broken. Spike’s offers up hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, subs, salads, and wings (plus burgers at the Somerville and Boylston branches) that are quick, inventive, and delicious. The obvious order is a hot dog, but there are so many toppings to choose from. You can order......

Say hello to new columnist Ol' Scratch, who is posting on all things retro in Boston. Here's how he describes "Retroville" to us: "Amongst Boston's many underground scenes and small, quirky social groups, a segment who are passionate about the 'classic' lifestyle has arisen. Whether it's the greasers who love rockabilly, the classy cabaret kids, the swing dancers, or the bodacious burlesquers, they've all got one thing in common: They all live in Retroville." With......

Music Atlas Sound, featuring Bradford Cox going solo during Deerhunter's hiatus, hits the Middle East tonight, riding a wave of praise for his new project. Cox's hometown weekly, Atlanta's Creative Loafing, raves, "Let the Blind contains Cox's most haunting and sad songs to date. It throbs with delirious depression, and is bursting with powerful, barely contained emotions." For those of you who can handle strong emotions in the bleak winter, Cox is your fella.......

When a fast-food restaurant has a name like UBurger, the first choice is, obviously, to order a hamburger. And UBurger definitely has plenty of choices when it comes to burger toppings. But the hidden delicacy on the menu is the chicken. The marinated, grilled chicken breast is a fast-food of dreams. While most chain burger places use chicken that doesn’t always look like chicken, the meat at UBurger is always a whole chicken breast,......

Dancing Hipsters Probably most famous for dating producing transatlantic hipster heartthrob MIA, Diplo made his name DJing. He's a dance music polymath who introduced the world to Brazilian Funk Carioca and Baltimore Club while inspiring a legion of white guys in skinny jeans to invest in Serato Scratch Live. He spins in Allston tonight. Great Scott, 1222 Comm. Ave, Allston. 9:00 pm. $15. Music --Darkbuster's Hometown Throwup continues with Hub City Stompers, The Allstonians,......

We just read Boston.com's update on our developing snow situation, and, honestly? We're more confused than we had been before. Read the following two quotes to see if you can spot a snow emergency plan: Point: "Governor Deval Patrick sent home all nonemergency state employees, and officials urged private businesses to do the same so snow crews can safely clear the roads." Counterpoint: "Mass Highway officials were recommending commuters leave later and keep the roads......

Is this photo by BehindDarkEyes a bit crass? Yes, yes it is. But the strategically placed sticker on the crotch of a Will Ferrell poster in Allston made us laugh, and who can't use a nice laugh on a Tuesday afternoon?......

Typically, a nice dinner out does not translate into being served raw meat and cooking it yourself--but at Shabu Zen it's a different story. Shabu-Shabu, the Asian hot pot cuisine, is said to have originated with Genghis Khan to feed his massive army. Today, it translates into good, healthy food served relatively cheap. Located in Allston, Shabu Zen offers a cool, almost hip atmosphere with its open layout and black sparkly bar. With the exception......

--With this winter's especially foul weather, we have entered a new level of pothole hell. [Boston Globe] --Although some local figures might be gearing up to run against Mayor Menino, the mayor might be earning votes by working to help Hendry Street residents floored by the mortgage foreclosure crisis. [Boston Herald] --Despite all that planning, construction on the new Harvard Allston Science Complex has already pissed off Allston residents. Neighbors had been told construction......

Manchildren Founder of K Records and former member of Beat Happening, Calvin Johnson mastered precious naivete decades before it became the default indie mode. His off-kilter baritone is what sold it, and he's bringing his voice and an acoustic guitar to Cambridge tonight. Teenbeat Records founder Mark Robinson also performs as Cotton Candy. Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, 7:00pm, $10. Men With Children Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers is returning to......

Awkward Lectures Cory Arcangel's best known artwork Super Mario Clouds turns the world's first scrolling video game into a digital environment of placid repetition. It percolated on the internet and spilled into the Whitney's Biennial, making Arcangel a digital art superstar. But his true calling may have been as a lecturer. Whether the topic is hacking old electronics or copyright; his willful ignorance of art history or his place in it, Arcangel always entertains.......

Music --The Willows bring to the Middle East Upstairs a brand of Americana country rock inspired by the seasonal carnival scene up in Salem. Alas, no salt water taffy is included in the price of admission. With The Vic Morrows, The Resonance, The Giant Melons. Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, doors 9:00, 18+, $8. --While the show has been sold out for weeks, if there's any way you can get in we......

--The Patrick administration is working on stopping the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's attempt to get approval for a casino through the federal government. The administration would prefer that the tribe bid for one of the three casino licenses Patrick hopes to auction off. [Boston Herald] --A plane on its way to Paris from New York City had to make an emergency landing at Logan Airport after a passenger attempted to attack a flight attendant. [Boston......

Music Few acts in hip-hop's young guard come more correct than Berkeley, CA crew The Pack. Roiling, minimalist beats, raps about partying and sneakers, and a whispered menace that keeps you off guard: it's like degree zero of the art form. Sounds great on record (or Myspace), but can they rock an audience? Harper's Ferry, 158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 7:00 pm, $12/$14. Could your music options for tonight be any different? "Lady rapper" Leslie......

--Cambridge was the scene of a violent attack on a homeless man. Early on January 29, the man was walking with his girlfriend in Central Square on Norfolk when three men attacked him, and one of them stabbed him in the back. [Cambridge Chronicle] --Although the incident happened in June, Dorchester is still reeling from an online video showing local Vietnamese American teens and young adults brutally beating a teenage boy and a teenage girl......

--DA Dan Conley has announced a suspect in the murder of Jeffrey Santiago at King Arthur's Lounge in Chelsea--19-year-old Jesse Camacho. Conley has authorized a warrant and wants the public's help in finding him. Here's a description: Camacho goes by the street names of ‘Fat Jesse,’ ‘Baby Jay,’ and ‘Syke.’ He is described as a heavyset Latin male standing between 5’5” and 5’7” tall, weighing about 280 lbs. He is believed to be armed and......

Governor Deval Patrick testified this morning at the State House about his plan to create an Executive Office of Education. This would consolidate authority and responsibility for the commonwealth's education system from pre-kindergarten to higher education to one cabinet-level position in the State House. Patrick referenced his recent trip to China, saying that Massachusetts is known throughout the world for its educational institutions. Education is "our calling card." In addition, as home to America's......

After much wrangling and justifiable concern, Boston has approved Harvard University's plans to build what the Allston-Brighton TAB calls a "$1 billion science complex." The complex was in doubt because the community wasn't happy with a benefits package that Harvard was going to give to the community. A massive science complex will bring plenty of change, not to mention traffic, and Allston wanted something in return. Here's what Harvard offered that met with the city's......

Wrestling The Boston League of Women Wrestlers (BLOWW) will clobber each other tonight at Church. The Allston-Brighton TAB has a great profile of BLOWW that will give you an idea of what to expect. Let's just put it this way--don't go expecting to see Stacy Keibler. (For the record, Bostonist is rooting for Green Line Greta.) Midnight, $8. Music Editors, with Louis XIV and Hot Hot Heat, will be at the Orpheum, 7:30 pm. Get......

Update to the Update: Green C is back to normal. (12:30 pm) Update: Just received a T alert about a problem on the Green C Line: "Subway Green "C" Line - is being diverted due to weather related problem - tree fallen on overhead at Fairbanks/Beacon street. A Shuttle bus will run in both directions between Coolidge Corner and Cleveland Circle." Drivers are already spinning out on the roads this morning, and pedestrians are walking......

--A BPD officer allegedly held up the Best of Boston gas station in Roslindale. You read that right. A BPD officer held up a gas station yesterday afternoon. The officer, 44-year-old Michael T. Jones, wasn't in uniform, nor was he driving his cruiser, but he used his police gun in the robbery. Police Commish Ed Davis, who has dealt with headache after headache in this job, called it "reprehensible," and that's an understatement. Jones has......

--In Suffolk Superior Court today, Masha Badinter testified against Eliezer Falcon, who allegedly set her on fire after she was bullied at a 2005 party in Allston. The case is baffling and gruesome. According to a release from the DA's Office, Badinter had "second- and third-degree burns from the base of her spine to the nape of her neck," and Falcon may have threatened her to keep her from talking to police. The Herald adds......