The Boston Fire Department thought they had problems with Mayor Tom Menino when they were resistant to random drug testing. Now the federal government has reason to investigate them. It appears that some firefighters have been making disability claims at higher rates by claiming that they were filling in for a supervisor, hence making more money and getting more in their pensions. The US government is hard up for money, and the FBI wants to......

--The search for the Northeastern student who had been missing since the day after the Super Bowl has ended. BPD detectives tracked him to Paris, France, and he has now contacted his parents to let him know that he is well. He better bring some baguettes back for his parents and the BPD. [BPD News] --A South End woman and her friend allegedly lured a Brockton man back from a nightclub to her apartment,......

--Note to European officials: Next time you think you've got Whitey Bulger on your hands, make sure it's really him. Two people from Germany just announced that they're the people in the video circulated the FBI, which has led to the frequent hassling of innocent tourists. [Boston Globe] --A Green Line train with 70 passengers derailed at Reservoir last night. Of course, all you could hear if you were waiting for a Green Line......

After Randy Moss vigorously defended himself after a woman in Florida served him with a temporary restraining order, the woman's lawyer, David McGill, provided a different story. Where Moss suggested that the woman, whom he has known for some time, was trying to extort money from him, the lawyer said that Moss tried to pay her "hush money" in the six figures. In court documents, the victim checked off a box stating that Moss had......

--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.......

What does one get a missing mobster on the anniversary of his vanishing? A Hallmark card? One that says, "Thanks for leaving"? Today is the 13th anniversary of mobster Whitey Bulger's disappearance, a reminder that old white guys everywhere should be careful while vacationing in Italy. Since Bulger has vanished and is supposedly living the high life somewhere in Europe, police have kept their eyes peeled for men who might resemble him. Unfortunately, a lot......

Ever get the feeling that life is turning into one long "Family Guy" episode? Particularly the episode in which the FBI shoots up Peter's VCR because he tries to tape "Monday Night Football"? The New England Patriots will finish up their regular season against the New York Giants Saturday, December 29, at 8:00 pm. Chances are good that they will win and enjoy a perfect record. But not everyone will be able to see it.......

--George Costanza has been robbing banks in the area. Maybe he's short on cash for Festivus gifts? --Mom saves daughter before being shot herself. --Some public works employees in Brookline's water division might not have a Merry Christmas: they're being subpoenaed by the FBI. --Boston lawyer charged with defrauding his own firm. If they're willing to screw over their own, imagine how much worse the rest of us have it! --Murder charges filed against accused......

--A woman from Blackstone was hit and killed by a snowplow. 50-year-old Rita Plante had to walk on the road after parking her car and heading to her home. According to O'Ryan Johnson, "Plante carried groceries and walked with her back to traffic when authorities said a white Ford extended-cab pick-up truck with a plow struck her from behind about 5:30 p.m." The snowplow hit her and kept going. Another car hit her after the......

Blue Velvet and The Twin Peaks Pilot Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge Monday, December 3 Tickets and showtimes It's not on any wall calendars, but December 3rd is David Lynch Day in Cambridge, at least according to the Brattle Theatre. Last year, Lynch debuted Inland Empire at the Brattle, and the Cambridge city council honored the director by giving him his own day. This year, the Brattle will celebrate by offering theatergoers a pair......

Federal Judge Reginald C. Lindsay is sick of hearing lawsuits from victims of the Bulger gang. Yesterday, Lindsay granted a motion for summary judgment against the FBI in lawsuits filed by widows of Brian Halloran and Michael Donahue, two men killed in 1982 by James "Whitey" Bulger and accomplices. But that's not all. With at least four additional wrongful death lawsuits brought by survivors of Bulger's victims still pending, Lindsay wants the FBI to put......

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2007 Recap from Super!Alright! on Vimeo. Austinist attended a town hall meeting about proposed noise ordinances that could undermine the city's future as the Live Music Capital of the World, and lamented the possible loss of Texas's only feminist bookstore. Throughout the week, they interviewed a bunch of indie fashion designers and D-I-Y websites—Etsy, Ornamental Things, 31 Corn Lane, and Aorta Designs—for the upcoming Stitch Fashion Show. They also did......

Remember the crooked BPD cops who finally got snared by the FBI when they offered to protect a shipment of cocaine? It was clear they weren't nice guys, but one of them is so crooked and so flagrant about it that it's like he came straight out of a clichéd cop television show. And not a good cop show, either. The Herald had a field day once its writers got their mitts on taped phone......

--Don't eat the yellow pills: "Mixing cough syrup, Vicodin or Lipitor with cat litter is the new advice on getting rid of unused medications. Preferably used cat litter." [WCVB] --Another BPD (pardon us, ex-BPD) officer has pled guilty to protecting shipments of cocaine. Unfortunately for him, the people shipping the cocaine were undercover FBI. [Boston Globe] --A boiler explosion in Salem sends three people to the hospital. [WCVB] --A huge sinkhole in the middle of......

BulgerMania seems to have broken out in Italy because police are seeing Whitey Bulger and his girlfriend everywhere. Even if you don't look like Whitey Bulger but happen to be an old white guy, do not go to Italy. The FBI posted an image and video of a distinguished-looking white couple strolling through Italy. And, what do you know, distinguished-looking white guys who don't even look like Bulger are getting hassled. Earlier this month, poor......

…maybe because he is your average elderly tourist! Back when the FBI was posting pictures of an old white guy on its website because they thought it was Whitey Bulger, Bostonist wrote, "The particular pair in the photo look like any other upper-class retired couple looking for a European wine-tasting. If it isn't Whitey Bulger, then the retired couple mistaken for Bulger and Grieg are in for quite a surprise." And guess what? An old......

Someone thought they saw gangster-fugitive-ghost Whitey Bulger in Italy in May. Then a few months pass, people get bored, another old white guy shows up in Italy, and it's time for "Where's Whitey?" in which the media tries to spot its favorite shady criminal. This time around, the FBI thinks that it spotted Whitey Bulger and his girlfriend, Catherine Grieg. Unfortunately, the particular pair in the photo look like any other upper-class retired couple looking......

--Yesterday afternoon, a person was shot in the chest and side in Roxbury on Langdon Street. The Globe noted that the incident was a block away from a playground. That's bad enough, but the Herald connected more dots and noted that the shooting was in front of the same house where a standoff between Cape Verdean gang members and police took place. --A homeless man died in an accident yesterday at the Pine Street Inn.......

--Yesterday in Boston, a federal judge declared the government must pay $101 million to Joseph Salvati, Peter Limone, and the families of Louis Greco and Henry Tameleo for a wrongful conviction with a Goodfellas-worthy storyline. Here's the gist of the story. Someone killed Edward "Teddy" Deegan in 1965. Joseph "The Animal" Barboza said these four men did it – to protect an FBI informant, Vincent "Jimmy" Flemmi. So Barboza lied – and the FBI knew......

Summer had officially come to Fenwarts, but the mood was anything but cheery. Professor Schillbedore was still missing and presumed in rehab. Harry Potter still dreaded his potions class, but now wasn't pleased with Defense Against the Dark Arts, either. The new teacher, Professor Matsuzaka, started the term with much promise, but lately had struggled in class, unable to cast even a simple Chicagous spell to stop a pair of animated white socks. And Voldemort......

--Yet another attack happened on the Esplanade, only this time the perp got caught. a creep attacked a woman and a child at the playground yesterday afternoon. The report says that they were sexually assaulted. WBZ specified that they were "groped." Police arrested 23-year-old Rearlimgigeazr Eshiesycapilla, a New Yorker, for the crime. Wait. Rearlimgigeazr Eshiesycapilla??? Yeah, that's the name this individual gave at first. Police were understandably dubious (so were we - come on). His......

The Boston wing of the FBI met with leaders of local schools because they think spies might try to steal research. The Herald writes, "Boston FBI Special Agent in Charge Warren Bamford recently met with officials at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, among other schools, to train academics on what sort of research could be used by terrorists." The FBI wants academics to watch their laptops and note any overenthusiastic......

We're starting to think gangster-turned-fugitive Whitey Bulger is kind of like the Neti, or UFOs, or Bat Boy. He shows up when the moon aligns with Saturn or when movies about him hit the big screen. He's turned up again, this time in Italy. Someone photographed an old guy and his girlfriend, and computer software indicated that the girlfriend may have been Bulger's girlfriend. That was enough to get the Bulger Task Force to fly......

A BPD officer has been arrested on drug-related charges. The officer, Jose Ortiz, has been on the force since 1986 and worked in the Back Bay and the South End. Details on the arrest were murky at first, but Ed Davis' opinion on Ortiz was clear. His statement is chock-full of irate zingers, such as "Ortiz disgraced his badge and dishonored his brother and sister officers" and "Good cops don’t like bad cops." And, if......

--Someone must've really wanted to get caught while robbing Central Variety convenience store in Somerville. While he was awkwardly diving over the counter, he shoved an 8-year-old girl and stole the money she was spending for milk. The perp received only a box of cigars for his troubles. And the surveillance camera captured all the gory details. We say, "Amateur!" This behavior splashed the perp all over last night's news, even beating out the fire......

We're not quite sure why Attorney General Alberto Gonzales keeps trying to find love in Boston. He came up here once to try to distract people from the whole fired-prosecutors scandal with something about online predators, and then he showed up at his Harvard Law reunion. Only Harvard hecklers were ready for him, and they were already warmed up. They had FBI director Robert Mueller as an appetizer, and Gonzales was the main course. The......

--It's nice to see happy police news. The BPD had a very public Seniors Ball on Friday, and they posted the images on BPD News. --Police were probably even happier yesterday after they took down a guy who was toting a gun and steroids - now that's a dangerous cocktail! Police pulled over the 4-foot-2 criminal on Westland Street because he stole a friend's handgun, and they discovered not only the handgun but also the......

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has a lot to worry about. His former chief of staff testified that Gonzales played a part in firing federal prosecutors because they leaned too hard on Republicans and weren't sufficiently supportive of President George W. Bush. We thought we lived in a democracy, not a kingdom where you have to lick the boots of the emperor to keep your job. But that's another matter entirely. While all this scandal was......

Last night the Golden Globes were awarded in California. We would have watched but 24 was on with hours 3 and 4 of season 6. If Scarlett was going to get groped again surely it'd be up on the internets in a matter of minutes (she didn't and it isn't). This morning we checked out the coverage of some of our favorite nominees. The Departed brought Southie to the big screen this year, and......

Reports have been circulating for over a week now that James "Whitey" Bulger was spotted at a screening of The Departed playing in San Diego. An FBI agent may or may not have seen him, and the man in question may or may not have slipped onto a bus to Mexico shortly after the conclusion of the film. Investigators on the Bulger Fugitive Task Force told the Boston Globe that they can't substantiate the sighting......