-- Boston has been ranked the 6th greenest city in the US—behind NYC! WTF? [Sustain Lane] -- Before he becomes annoyed with our local purple food critic, a recent Chicago-transplant reviews the Phantom Gourmet Food Festival. [MenuPages Blog: Boston] -- If you volunteer to plant trees in Mattapan tomorrow, you can go to a Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) concert later in the evening for free. Or you can think about planting a tree and......

-- A car chase and gun battle ended yesterday evening in Cambridge when a man toting a .45-caliber handgun slipped out of his bullet-perforated car and into the waiting arms of police. The man was allegedly involved in a series of shootings that twisted through the streets of East Cambridge, stretching down Pine St. and up Main St. to Bishop Allen Dr. Three different crime scenes were established, and authorities believe that somebody fired upon......

-- Update on the stabbing in Revere. Police have identified the suspect. 23 year-old Cory Roche, of Lynn, allegedly stabbed his mother to death in her home yesterday. Police responding to the incident shot Roche in the torso after he allegedly refused to drop a knife. Roche has a long criminal history and probably suffers from mental illness, according to court papers. A 2004 mental evaluation noted that he claims to hear voices. No motive......

--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......

--A massive fire that started in an abandoned nightclub and eventually destroyed 14 buildings in downtown Lawrence broke into the national news. In a miracle given the size of the fire, no one was hurt. However, 30 families were displaced. Authorities think the fire is suspicious. The owner, who was in the process of turning the spot into a restaurant, says he has no insurance and that someone "jealous of his success" started it.......

--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......

--An 18-month-old baby girl from East Somerville was kidnapped, allegedly by her own aunt. WBZ reports that Somerville police found the baby today. Four people were arrested in the kidnapping of Hayden Augustin-Laurent, and one of them was her aunt, Ketia Valmont. Two detectives were hurt because one of those arrested went after them with a baseball bat. Auditi Guha at the Somerville Journal reports that the kidnapping may have resulted from a fight over......

Kerry Healey may be doing miserably in the polls, but the gubernatorial race is still very much a live issue in this East Somerville home - notice the defiant, handmade Deval Patrick sign in the front window. We like to think that this photo captures the political awakening of the next generation: Although mom and dad are G.O.P. stalwarts and proudly display their allegiance in the front yard, Junior is struggling to make his......

In Bostonist’s experience, the southeast corner of Foss Park, at the corner of Broadway and McGrath Highway in Somerville, serves two purposes: In the afternoons of fair weather days, it is the gathering place for Somervillians of all ages wishing to play team sports on the park’s many fields. In the early mornings of all days, rain and shine, it is the gathering place for immigrant day laborers, who wait to be picked up by......

While the MBTA faces extensive budget slashing and service cuts, the Mitt Romney administration today committed to major T expansion -- commitments originally made nearly two decades ago. In the late 1980's as the Commonwealth sought federal funding for then-fledgling Big Dig, the state was required to commit to a number of mass-transit related projects in order to mitigate the environmental and traffic related impacts of this major undertaking. Among the promised projects was restoration......

After years of suffering from some of the worst air quality in the region, as well as the highest rates of asthma around, Somerville residents can now breathe just a bit easier. According to the Somerville News, the City of Somerville was one of just four municipalities accross the state that received a $20,000 state grant called the Targeted Inner City Planning and Education Grant. This fund is targeted to help cities protect their......