Bostonist never thought of Bill Belichick as cover material, unless one counts the awesomeness of the Sports Illustrated cover with Belichick as Santa. But a few gay males might get a surprise when they pick up the latest issue of Spirit Magazine, "Boston's Premier Magazine for the Gay and Lesbian Community." Because there's Bill Belichick's mug and hoodie alternative on the cover. Fabulous it is not. First off, Belichick is a cougar-sexual. Second, "Belichick" and......

--The Executive Director of the Turnpike Authority wants to CharlieCard everything so that you can use your card at the tolls. While we're all for not having to save spare change, automation might make it easier to miss fare hikes. [Boston Herald] --Massachusetts Bay Community College has been accused of spending money like a drunken sailor. While $450,000 may sound like peanuts in a city whose private schools roll in money, some staff aren't......

--Are you freaking out over the fact that the St. Patrick's Day parade falls on the same day as Palm Sunday, March 16? 'Cause the press sure seems to be making a fuss. [Boston Herald, Boston Globe] --The local papers are bombarding us with Foreclosure Doom. Foreclosures in Massachusetts are up 128% in January. Bus tours of foreclosed homes might reflect a corresponding increase. [Boston Globe] --A Globe blog post headlined "Suburbs, the future......

--A brawler went crackers at 10 City Square in Charlestown--yes, that's Olives, owned by celebrity chef Todd English. This perp gave employees a hard time by "starting fights with several patrons and urinating in the bar area." People pee in public all the time, but at Olives? Did he not like the squab and chanterelle mushroom risotto with corn foam? Alleged disrespectful foodie urination wasn't enough for this guy, and he perp grew increasingly bold.......

--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......

Last year, at his annual State of the City address, Mayor Thomas Menino sought to prove the thesis of the recently released Nas album entitled "Hip Hop is Dead" by declaring that the rap community had given him the name "T-Mizzy." He might need some credibility and political capital with minority Bostonians after unveiling at last night's speech that he wants to save on school transportation costs by dismantling part of the city's busing......

Movies Two-Lane Blacktop is one of the best underground movies you've probably never seen. Even though the 1971 movie about drag racers looks like a star vehicle for "Sweet Baby James" Taylor, the images and general restless atmosphere make it seem more like Godard than anything else. Throw in a performance by another one of Hollywoods unsung heroes, Warren Oates, and a haunting final scene, and you have a classic. Showtimes from the Brattle Theatre.......

--Representative Ed "Biz" Markey is going to Bali--in Second Life. Way to be hip to the Internets, but does that avatar look like him? Discuss. [Boston Globe] --Boston got dumped by CNN. A debate that was supposed to be in Boston next week has been knocked off the schedule because of the early caucus dates this year. And we were hoping for a look at Wolf Blitzer. [Boston Globe] --The jury in the trial of......

--Another snowstorm is on its way and is expected to have its greatest impact tonight. [WCVB] --Speaking of snow, Bostonist has the temperature and weather-condition icons at the top left of the home page. If you click on that icon, you'll get all the latest weather news. --People got cold in order to protest the heat of global warming during yesterday's Polar Bear Plunge in Concord. [AP/Globe] --Patriots owner Robert Kraft is partnering with......

During a dustup over illegal immigration at the CNN/YouTube Republican debate, Rudy Giuliani said of former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney: "There was even a sanctuary mansion. At his own home, illegal immigrants were being employed." Turns out he wasn't just being bitchy. He was right. Not only did Romney employ illegal immigrants in the past, but the Globe broke the news that he employed them right up to this day. The......

Last Saturday, a group of wallflowers, mostly in their twenties, lined the auditorium of Allston's International Community Church (ICC). The event had all the markings of an awkward youth group mixer, from the empty checkerboard floor to the folk singer on stage. But the attendees weren't there to pray. They were there to eat. It was the Launch Party for the Boston Vegan Association (BVA), and tables sat covered with food donations from members and......

While most colleges live and die by US News & World Report, the Washington Monthly is offering competition with what's really important--how much the students help the community when they get their diplomas. Here are the three criteria from the Monthly: The first is social mobility: does the school do a good job recruiting and graduating poorer students? The second is research: is the school supporting the scientific and humanistic study that is key to......

Democrat Niki Tsongas won today's race to replace Rep. Marty Meehan in the Fifth Congressional District. Tsongas, who was backed by some serious Democrat firepower, defeated Republican Jim Ogonowski. Ogonowski put up a fight when it came to percentages. Tsongas had 51 percent of the vote, while Ogonowski had 45 percent. Tsongas is the widow of the late Senator and one-time presidential candidate Paul Tsongas and a dean at Middlesex Community College. She is the......

We're a day late on Authorial Intent, our wrap-up of the week's readings. That's largely because we were talking to two of the authors who will be in town tomorrow night, which seems to be the night that the stars aligned and all writers thought it would be a good idea to visit Boston. So, without further adieu … Thursday, October 11--Today, Super Thursday! Robert Reich, 6:00 pm, Swedenborg Chapel (via Harvard Book Store), 50......

--Meet the best state trooper ever and the dumbest truck driver ever over at Other People's Emergencies. --Spatch lists the many reasons why you should stay the hell away from High School Musical. We appreciate his bravery in watching it for us. --Jeff at the Boston Community Live Journal page has some helpful tips for those who are new to Boston, including a template for ordering at Dunkies: "(size), (type), (extras) and (food)." --Beantown Bloggery......

Update: We spoke to a patient MBTA customer-service rep who said that she didn't know how long Park Street Station would be closed. She said that the decision to reopen it was entirely up to the fire department. Update to the Update: A tipper going from downtown to Cambridge let us know that a red line train actually made it through, and the doors opened at Park Street, so the T appears to be functional......

--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......

It's Miller Time, but you might not be getting to the bar as quickly as you'd like. We heard from a tipper at 4:45 pm that trains were dumping all their passengers off at Park Street and that it was mighty hot and mighty crowded. In a Boston Community Live Journal post that appeared at noon, littlestarletta noted that a communications center at High Street lost the ability to communicate with all trains and buses.......

Films at the Gate will be shown at the vacant lot on Hudson Street between Beech and Kneeland. For more information, go to the official Films at the Gate website. Thanks to the Asian Community Development Center, Films at the Gate has been showing Kung Fu movies for free all this week. The event is BYOTO - Bring Your Own Take Out. Each night, Films at the Gate will run short films between 7 and......

Friday at Back Bay station: it's hot, it's midnight, and the crowd on the platform is ever deepening. Low-level panic set in when the MBTA's dreaded Mr. Roboto Voice of Sorrow (as opposed to the Worf Voice of Normalcy) comes over the intercom and says, "Due to a trespasser on the right of way, Orange Line service between Haymarket and Wellington Station is being diverted to shuttle buses." Everyone knew that it was going......

The archive of today's NewsroomNOW video is now available on the Web. Well, the first six minutes or so is available in the archive version (we're not sure if there's more that we're missing). The editorial meeting for the BostonNOW free daily tab has been open to the public and available on the Web since the paper's launch. They've touted it as an innovative way to connect with their readers and potential blogging contributors. This......

Update: Good Blotter news! Thank you, tipsters, for spreading the word. Police found Starsha Tupper through bank records, and she is safe, according to the Gloucester Times. --If you're a robber, and you're looking for the big bucks, where are you gonna go? Isn't it obvious? The Yankee Candle store! Some robber dressed all in black held up the Yankee Candle at Quincy Market yesterday afternoon. Boy, he must be a thug – he wears......

--In Marblehead, a headmaster is accused of shoving a female student, which earned him an "A" for assault. The assault charge is bad enough, but the headmaster allegedly did this after she caught him drinking booze in the principal's office. Thomas Commeret is still headmaster of Marblehead Community Charter School – for now. He's on paid leave, but he doesn't exactly have a lot of support. One board former member said, "I believe [the student]......

Another sexual assault took place in early yesterday morning in Medford, prompting police to send out warnings to local residents. The victim of the second assault got lucky - the suspect grabbed her, but a car passed, and he ran off. Tufts sent out a notice saying that three attacks of that nature have happened before April 23. Here is the police's description of this individual: "The attacker is described as white, heavy set, in......

Ed Davis probably slept soundly last night. The House has decided to rescue the antigang Shannon Community Safety Initiative with funding, and they are giving $2.5 million for more police. Given the rise in homicides, the timing couldn't be better. The program also makes sense because it is more than just adding police presence – it also fosters gang prevention efforts. The money isn't just for Boston. New Bedford received $1 million this year for......

--The BPD has instituted a "Party Line" against improper after-hours parties. Chiara Levin died after one of those parties, but loud parties don't kill people. Guns and the people who shoot them kill people. Maybe the people who hold those parties should be more selective when it comes to their guest list. But, if you think your neighbor is "Keeping a Disorderly House" in BPD lingo, and you're fed up by the racket, call......

Woman-child food/lifestyle guru Rachael Ray and Dunkin' Donuts have proudly announced their partnership, and Ray will soon begin appearing in Dunkin' Donuts ads. The press release also declares, "Besides starring in TV spots, Ray will also lend her culinary perspective to the Dunkin' Donuts culinary team in the development of new, healthier options for food and beverages." One commenter on the Rachael Ray Sux Community message board shot back, "Is she going to change the......

Today the Globe ran a piece on Jackson Square. Void from the coverage was any mention of "cultural center," ample coverage was given to "crime stricken area." Jackson Square a precarious area between Roxbury and Jamaica Plain has been discussed as the anchor to the stretch of Centre Street to be renamed "Avenue de las Americas." Though we haven't heard much about the renaming initiative since it was first floated back in August. Avenue de......

At least the Whole Foods stores in Cambridge. Today, Tuesday, January 9 the Whole Foods Markets in the three Cambridge locations will be donating 5% of their sales to Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund. Whole Foods runs these five percent giving days (they call them CommUnity Giving Days) to benefit local charities from time to time, but it's great when the benefit helps to even the playing field a little bit. Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund (CHAF)......

In a world where there's nothing to do but watch movies. In a city full of theaters, museums, and libraries. One moviegoer who can be in three places at once. Friday 9/15 Chuck Norris Film Festival The action starts with 1985's Invasion USA, and culminates in Saturday's midnight screening of the early Norris classic Breaker! Breaker! Somerville Theatre Starts at 8 pm (see schedule) Chuck Norris: web site (warning: plays "Hi, this is Chuck Norris"......