--The Department of Social Services, whose name has come up more than once in investigations of the deaths of children in this state, received a D minus from the watchdog group the Children's Advocacy Institute. [Boston Herald, DSS in Bostonist] --Bad: A water main broke on Devonshire Street. Worse: The damage was so bad that repairs will continue through the summer. Worst: No hot water or heat until THURSDAY. [WBZ, Boston Globe] --Pour one out......

--Former Boston mayor Kevin White, who has since relocated to the warmer climate of Florida, injured himself in a fall and is now in stable condition. He is 78 years old. [Boston Herald] --Speaking of mayors, Mayor Tom Menino has one less contender in his next mayoral race. (Yes, he is elected. No, it is not a lifetime position.) [Boston Herald] --A fire at Spartan Brake and Muffler in West Springfield yesterday left two people......

--Dr. Judah Folkman, who found a new way of fighting cancer by cutting off blood supply to tumors, died yesterday. [Boston Globe] --After one meeting ended unsuccessfully, the Cambridge City Council decided that Denise Simmons would be mayor. [Cambridge Chronicle] --The judge in a Florida case involving former FBI agent/Friend-of-Whitey-Bulger John J. Connolly has recused herself. [Boston Herald] --Coyote ugly: An injured coyote was spotted and rounded up last night in the North End.......

--Three firefighters were injured in a blaze in Weymouth. At first, officials suspected arson because the home was about to be sold, but they've since declared it accidental. [WBZ] --Firefighters could use a dose of good PR, but it's not coming. On the heels of cheating accusations, some firefighters are under suspicion of boosting their disability pensions by claiming their injuries took place when they were filling in for higher-paid superiors. [Boston Globe] --In a......

After a brief flash of clarity in which City Councilor Marjorie Decker suggested things might be getting a bit out of hand, Cambridge has up and banned the leafblowers, for five months of the year, anyway. Here's the details from the Cambridge Chronicle: According to the ordinance, residents are permitted to use leaf blowers from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, from March 16 to June 14, and from Sept. 16 to Dec.......

Boston City Council: The four winners in the at-large race were incumbents Michael Flaherty, Stephen Murphy, Sam Yoon, and new arrival John Connolly. Incumbent Felix Arroyo didn't make the cut. Now Murphy and Connolly will need to figure out how to live with each other after Connolly's anonymous mailers, which accused Murphy of always looking for other jobs. Michael Pahre at Brighton Centered reports that Mark Ciommo defeated Greg Glennon for the District 9 slot......

--The Cambridge City Council has decided to name intersections after Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The Track Girls write that the council plans "to dedicate the intersections of Pearl and Cottage streets to Affleck and the corner of Pearl and Auburn streets to Damon." Once this is accomplished, wait for the college students to start defacing Affleck's corner and shouting, "And that's what I think of Gigli!" And then wait for someone to launch a......

--No, it's not what you think. David Chacon of Somerville took suckage seriously when he threw a vacuum cleaner at his roommate. The two got into a tiff, the victim went out, and, when he returned, Chacon had blocked the door. The victim busted inside, and that's when Chacon threw a knife, followed by the vacuum cleaner. Chacon was also an alleged pain in the ass when police showed up. He resisted arrest, "deliberately hit......

--Cookie Monster would be very, very sad. An employee of the Bon Appetit restaurant inside Lesley University lost his mind on Saturday morning and told his boss exactly how he felt. Jose Arevalo's boss told him to plate some cookies. He didn't feel like plating any damn cookies, so he said he "wasn't listening to her because she was a woman," shoved her, squeezed her neck, and threw her into the door of the walk-in......

Wasn't Cambridge supposed to be the city that welcomed everyone of all shapes and sizes? Well, the Cambridge Water Department has changed its mind when it comes to dogs. No, it isn't a pit bull ban. It's much weirder. The Globe reported this week that the Cambridge Water Department wants to keep dogs that aren't Cambridge away from the Fresh Pond Reservation. Why has Cambridge gone all country-club where dogs are concerned? The Water Department......

--A restaurant owner was attacked in his own establishment yesterday afternoon in Jamaica Plain. Was it a holdup? A robbery? A grudge? No. He got in a fight with a customer over the remote control. The customer somehow got the remote control and began to "mess around" with the channels and wouldn't stop. Maybe he was looking for the spelling bee finals. Anyway, the owner told him to cut it out, and "the suspect......

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......

In an never-ending quest to clearly distinguish itself from Boston, the Cambridge City Council has taken steps to quash a business that has netted thousands of dollars for their neighbor to the south. This past Monday, the Council denied a request from Melrose resident Erroll Tyler who hopes to launch a Cambridge alternative to the popular Boston Duck Tours. For months, Tyler has been working through city red-tape to win the proper licensing to launch......