--Bye-bye, Filene. The legendary store saw some "major destruction" today. [More photos at On Common Ground] --The Department of Social Services (DSS) is on the hot seat because they removed Acia Johnson and Sophia Johnson, the children who died in a fire in their South Boston home, from the home and their mother--Anna Reisopoulos, who had a record with DSS--a while ago. Yet the children still lived with their mother when the deadly fire......

Maybe the commonwealth could take the Toscanini's approach and pass the hat to cover our deficit? Anyone have a hat big enough for 1.3 billion dollars? The battle for our scarce fiscal year 2009 resources begins tomorrow when Governor Deval Patrick releases his budget. This could get interesting--well, relatively interesting--as two notable critics of Patrick's agenda have already been identified, and they happen to be the first two steps on the flowchart that is......

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......