In the ongoing game we imagine going on between Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, Dunkin' Donuts just scored a point. At least their local employees aren't suing them. A Starbucks employee in Chestnut Hill is suing because he feels the company didn't give him his due from the tip jar. Specifically, the employee claims that the managers, who were already getting paid more, were getting a cut from the tips: "In a class-action suit filed yesterday......

--More fire department turmoil: A panel of union firefighters determined that the alcohol and drugs found in the bodies of firefighters Paul Cahill and Warren Payne in August's Tai Ho Restaurant blaze did not cause their deaths. But the fire commissioner begs to differ. [Boston Globe, background: Bostonist] --While it's good that the mayor is throwing his efforts behind saving Hendry Street from the foreclosure crisis, the housing problems in Dorchester aren't limited to......

Two men were arrested for allegedly assaulting two female BU students in their own dorm rooms on Sunday, and the university is cracking down on those who sign strangers into the dorms. The alleged attackers, one from Brookline and one from Chestnut Hill, convinced two female BU students to sign them into Claflin Hall--even though the students didn't recognize them, the Globe reports. The BU Free Press interviewed one of the victims, who described what......

Pollock Matters Through December 9 McMullen Museum of Art Boston College 140 Commonwealth, Devlin Hall 108, Chestnut Hill (T: Boston College. Directions by car.) Boston College is running an art exhibit addressing the relationship between painter Jackson Pollock and his friend Herbert Matter. The exhibit is national news because the paintings, which were discovered by Matter's son Alex, may or may not be original Pollocks. Numerous experts have evaluated these paintings to discover the truth,......

A somewhat abbreviated Redux, since we're preparing for our live-blog of NFL Armageddon this afternoon. Let's start with the bad and end on a high note. First, the Bruins. They went to Ottawa last night to play the Senators, who are 11-1 and running away with the Northeast Division. So now the Bruins know how it feels to play any of the other teams from Boston. It was close, and the B's even led at......

"That's not the way we drew it up," said Colorado manager Clint Hurdle. "Obviously we have to change our game plan," added Todd Helton. "You can't make any mistakes," chimed in shellshocked starting pitcher Jeff Francis. If you're Colorado, what else can you say? The team that charged through September and most of October, and held Arizona to eight total runs in their mockery of an NLCS, looked like they hadn't played baseball in eight......

--Lowe's Home Improvement stores have been getting a heap of negative publicity. First, their banner on the Boston Globe website's home page obscured the big news that legislators voted down the gay marriage ban. (See Adam and Spatch's appropriate sarcasm regarding these obtrusive Internet ads.) But it gets worse. The Lowe's brass is probably cringing at the news that a shootout erupted at the Danvers Lowe's last night. Imagine, you're at Lowe's, you're picking up......

If you take the D-line, all we can say is - sorry, you’re kinda screwed until August. But, don’t despair. We’re here to help you. If you’re crafty and lucky, you’re only a little bit screwed! That’s right! Remember when the new Charlie cards came out and everyone was all, "This sucks! I never take a bus. Why do I am I forced to pay for a service that I never use?" Now you can......

We've seen teenagers sneaking beer out of neighbors' garage fridges. We've seen people stealing the equipment used to brew beer. But we've never heard of a beer holdup. The BPD reports that a guy was walking out of a convenience store in East Boston with a 12-pack when another guy told him "to hand over the beer or something bad was going to happen." The victim figured a 12-pack of beer wasn't worth dying over,......

Rachael Ray will be at the Barnes & Noble at Prudential Center for a book signing at noon tomorrow - Wednesday, December 20. Then she'll be at the Sur La Table in the Mall at Chestnut Hill on the same day from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. A Globe article named "Hatred of Rachael Ray Can Be a Powerful Uniting Force" became one of the most popular articles on globe.com (not as popular as "Flatulence......

The Boston Globe had a little sidebar note in the morning paper today that the revised, now three instead of the initial four floors, Apple Store plans for the 815 Boylston St. address had been approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals. Apple still has to go through the process of applying for the necessary demolition and building permits to turn the building into the three story glass façade building it is currently planning. This......

Doug Flutie, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL Pro-Bowler, CFL legend, and the man who put Boston College football on the map, has retired after 21 years (yes, twenty-one) of professional football. Flutie is best known for his "Hail Mary" to Gerard Phelan to defeat the Miami Hurricanes back in 1984. If you have ever watched sports at all, even as a casual viewer, it is very likely that Flutie to Phelan was something that you......

No longer is Bostonist's passion for cartography, especially on the interweb, a closely held secret. We could go ahead and link to all those times we've talked about Google Maps in past posts, but that would be a long list and we'd rather point you towards our new search tool, Rollyo, at the bottom of the page. Mapquest used to be the standard for online mapping, yahoo encroached, but Microsoft was slow to the......

Dear Bostonist, I’m got a some holiday parties this month and I always show up with a random bottle of wine in hand for the party host. Do you have any creative, inexpensive gifts that aren’t alcoholic and not completely lame, to give to the party-throwers? Thanks! Sick of Chardonnay Bostonist has definitely been in that situation as recently as this past weekend when we showed up to a friend’s soiree with a 12 pack......

State Senator Jarrett Barrios seems to have some magic political mojo that makes things go his way. As though it weren’t enough that Tom Reilly’s shot at governor will allow Middlesex DA Martha Coakley to run for Attorney General, which will, in turn, allow Barrios a chance to run for DA in his home county, Barrios, being gay, married, and eloquent, has obtained quite a high profile as the (oh-so-handsome) face of gay marriage in......

Although the population of greater Boston probably doesn't think much about Assembly Square ("That's off 93, right?" "No, wait, it's off 28, isn't it?" Yes and yes), in Somerville it is ever on residents' lips and minds: "With but a few anchor mega-retailers," Somervillians muse, "a gleaming shopping Mecca might arise, nestled among humming highways and reaching into the wallets of Boston, Cambridge, Woburn, and - dare we say it - even Winchester!" It's......

Boston College officials just released the tuition costs for next year's 2005-06 students and some have started to question if this Chestnut Hill college scene is actually worth it. BC hiked it's current tuition of $39,642 to $42,268 for next year, a 6.6% increase, blaming the high prices of New England. While Boston University used to take the cake of having the most expensive undergraduate sticker price, Boston College has definitely outdone BU, which now......