On Tuesday we wrote about how Governor Deval Patrick's intellectually lazy casino job creation numbers gave ammunition to the skeptical of gambling Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi. Yesterday, however, Patrick got some good news from the Chamber of Commerce, who released numbers much more helpful to his cause. The previous criticism was related to Patrick's projection that the three proposed casinos would create 30,000 new construction jobs, while a more balanced analysis in......

-- The Bridgewater man being sought by police for the murder of his ex-wife was found dead last night, an apparent suicide. Andrew Boisvert was found hanging in an Iredell County, North Carolina rest stop. He was fleeing Friday's warrant for his arrest in the murder of Medford resident Margaret Ninos, who was found beaten to death in her home on Wednesday. A North Carolina rest stop worker discovered Boisvert's body hanging from a tree.......

Worcester's American Sanitary Plumbing Museum has decided to flush itself out of the city, but it's not going into the crapper just yet. The museum will relocate to the more appropriately named Watertown. Worcester might consider this development perfectly potty, but at least the collection is staying in Massachusetts. The owners of the museum, the Manoogs, are retiring and have donated everything to the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors of Greater Boston, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.......

The assassination of Pakistan's former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has left many aghast at the chaos that is tearing Pakistan apart. Wonkette set up a "snark free zone" in response, writing of pictures taken at the scene: "… it makes all the backstabbing and machinations of our candidates trying to plant stupid rumors about drug use and out-of-wedlock babies and all the rest of it seem that much more nauseating and petty......

Boudoir photography is normal. Boudoir photography being leaked to the masses is somewhat normal (thanks, Pam Anderson and Paris Hilton, for sharing). But Greater Boston's sex blogger, Lena Chen of Sex and the Ivy, is facing an unpleasant twist on the bedroom snapshot. A 35-year-old grad student Chen used to go out with has been spreading images of her on the web and buzzed IvyGate that he had nude photos of her. (FYI, Bostonist is......

Just when we got our hopes up that Mayor Thomas Menino had forgotten about his plans to move City Hall to South Boston, he declared yesterday that the move is still very much on his mind. Jay Fitzgerald reported that Menino spoke at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast yesterday, and he said that he'd like to sell the current City Hall space at Government Center and then use the money to move.......

--Ah, Beauty & the Geek, how do we love thee? This week, the show threw a twist into the proceedings and allowed the nation to vote for either Somerville LARPer Dave & Jasmine or Tufts grad student Nicole & Sam. How could Bostonist possibly decide between the two locals? As an added bonus, the show sent each of the finalists back to their hometowns so they could show their respective friends how much they've changed.......

826 Boston Housewarming Party Saturday, December 1, 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm Free 3035 Washington Street, Roxbury (T: 10-minute walk from Jackson Square or Stony Brook) Official Site 826 Boston, the center for writing that recently opened in Egleston Square, knows how to have a good time. The center serves two purposes: it provides writing tutoring for local students and it offers the latest information about cryptozoology through The Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute. For......

--Yesterday, Tofucken was born! [Sushiesque] --The Greater Boston Food Bank distributed 38,000 turkeys for Thanksgiving. [Boston Globe] --A man was convicted for attempting to kill Derek Hopson, the stepfather of Boston Celtic Ray Allen, back in 2002 and 2003 in Connecticut. [Boston Globe] --The BU profs who let students bring beer to an advertising class are under investigation. [Daily Free Press] Image of Tofucken from Sushiesque.......

Two of the big car-sharing companies are joining forces. Zipcar, which is based in Cambridge, and its competitor, Flexcar announced today that they will merge. Mark D. Norman, who is listed as the current CEO for Flexcar, will become Zipcar's new president and Chief Operating Officer. Scott Griffith will remain as Zipcar's CEO. In a conference call yesterday, Norman and Griffith talked up their companies' new WonderTwin powers. As is the case in any press......

Chris Marstall, the founder of Tourfilter, decided he wasn't satisfied with helping people track their favorite bands. He realized something was missing when it came to local movie schedules. As Boston movie connoisseurs are aware, Greater Boston is always on top of the film scene. The Brattle Theatre, Coolidge Corner Theatre, the Harvard Film Archive, and the Museum of Fine Arts could keep you in a theatre seat every single night with current arthouse hits,......

MIT has gotten a bad rap in the press lately after sodium that may have come from the school burned volunteers cleaning up the Charles. It only got worse when MIT student Star Simpson spaced out, forgot to take off a sweatshirt with a circuit board on it, and freaked out Logan Airport staff. Right after Simpson was arrested and hauled to court, the MIT brass put out a statement calling Simpson's actions "reckless." That......

Bostonist would like to congratulate Heather for winning our contest for two free tickets to the Revenge of the Book Eaters show at the Berklee Performance Center. 826 Boston just sent word that tickets are still available. Not only will the show be a blast, but the money also goes to a good cause - the new 826 Boston writing center/Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute. Revenge of the Book Eaters Wednesday, September 26, 7:00 pm,......

WRKO announcer/Herald columnist/hated Bostonian Howie Carr was scheduled to start his radio show at WTKK (96.9 FM) on Thursday morning. He was going to get a gargantuan bonus option, and he could talk to his heart's content. WTKK gave him an office and everything. But a judge told Carr not so fast. WRKO wanted to hang on to Carr, even though he plainly did not want to work for him. So WRKO and the massive......

Revenge of the Book Eaters will take place on Wednesday, September 26th, at the Berklee Performance Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For ticket info, visit 826 Boston's website. This fall, the latest branch of 826 National, the series of fantasy stores/writing centers created by author Dave Eggers and Nínive Calegari, will open in Egleston Square. Students will be able to explore the wonders of cryptozoology at the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute, and then......

"Authorial Intent" is Bostonist's fledgling attempt to wrap up all the readings in Greater Boston. Steve Almond, Thursday, September 13, 7:00 pm, Brookline Booksmith. Read Bostonist's interview with Steve Almond. His latest book is named (Not that You Asked). Rest assured, if you ask, Almond will answer. In great and glorious detail. Brookline Booksmith's latest e-mail blast warns that, if you plan on attending, you better bring candy if you know what's good for you.......

Swedish indie act Peter Bjorn and John's song "Young Folks" sure is catchy, light, and charming. Since the song includes Victoria Bergsman, formerly of the equally catchy The Concretes, the tune is sure to stick in one's head. In fact, when a DJ played "Young Folks" at River Gods the other night, the eyes of everyone in the bar lit up. People swayed. People smiled. The song set a perfect tone for the end of......

--Not every day is a crimefighting day, at least not in Methuen last week. A sergeant for the Methuen PD was on duty - while watching the Patriots play a preseason game on TV. One could argue that it was fine if nothing was happening, but other officers joined him, and only two officers were left on duty. They must have been rookies. The scene could have come right out of Super Troopers - the......

Outside.in has been tracking local blog action for 3,500 neighborhoods in 60 cities across the country. They came out with the top ten blogging neighborhoods back in April. Newton and Watertown made that list (4 and 7, respectively.) Today Chris Reidy at the Globe posts up an item that Outside.in has named Boston the Bloggiest City in the nation. During March and April the Boston area chalked up 89 posts per 100,000 people (we're trying......

During Restaurant Week, which runs from now to August 17 (skipping Saturday, August 11), you can eat three-course lunches for $20.07 and three-course dinners for $33.07 all over town. You still have to pay for tips, tax, and beverages alcoholic and otherwise, but that's still not a bad deal. You can see a full list of participating restaurants here, and you can make reservations through OpenTable. From there, it's beg, borrow, or steal to get......

Hate Love?! Oooh, We're all mixed up inside today. HATE! : One year ago TO-DAY, the Mass. Turnpike Authority, a.k.a. The Big Dig, killed a woman. Remember? Milena Del Valle was killed on July 10 2006 as she and her husband drove through the Big Dig's I-90 Connector. The zillion-dollar ceiling panels collapsed, crushing Angel Del Valle's wife beside him before he was able to crawl to safety. Today the National Transportation Safety Board......

Serenity will screen at midnight on Saturday, June 23. Proceeds go to Equality Now, and the Coolidge will be accepting food for the Greater Boston Food Bank. Tickets are $10. Joss Whedon fans will have chance to rejoice thanks to Coolidge Corner's midnight screening of Serenity, the full-length movie born after the 2002 cancellation of Whedon's short-lived but much-loved show "Firefly." The screening is on Whedon's birthday and will benefit his charity of choice,......

AutoVantage gave rude drivers across the United States a huge middle finger when it released its rankings of cities with the most obnoxious drivers. Boston was well represented with the number three spot, but Miami topped the list for the second year in a row. Miami? We're a little disappointed. Boston has its eyes on the prize. There's nothing quite like a Boston driver thanks to the lack of street signs and ongoing battles among......

Major hat tip to Bradley's Almanac for this one. Thank you, thank you. Robin Williams will be doing stand-up at the Comedy Connection at 10:00 pm this Wednesday and Thursday night. Tickets are $25. The money goes to the Greater Boston Food Bank and the USO Operation Care Package. You can get the tickets from the Comedy Connection website or by calling (617) 248-9700. You can't get tickets at the box office. Tickets will go......

This morning Bob Oakes started reading copy on wbur's Morning Edition reporting on Menino's idea to sell City Hall and City Hall Plaza. The plan was outlined at a breakfast meeting today (and missed the print dailies deadlines) with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. It would be excellent to see the brick and concrete wasteland that is City Hall and the Plaza disappear – but what then would Boston residents have to complain about?......

Living here in the Hub, we are faced with daily indignities, from the complications of an ill-administered public transportation system to the risk of completely random death in the most poorly planned and implemented public works project ever. But the struggle that unifies us more than any other must surely be that scourge of sidewalk strolling, the dreaded MassPirg canvassers. How heartless these innocent-looking youngsters are, accosting us in the midst of our important business......

We all know Bostonians love to brunch. This weekend, put that mid-morning appetite to good use and participate in The Greater Boston Food Bank's Super Hunger Brunch. On Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26, a delicious bevy of local restaurants will serve brunch, with all proceeds going to the GBFB. A few establishments that caught Bostonist's eye include Sel de la Terre and Spire in Boston, Chez Henri in Cambridge, and EVOO in......

We knew it was that time of the year when we saw them all huddled together at the Hynes Convention Center T stop, shouting something about “Thin Mints.” Of course our ears perked up and before we knew it, we had shelled out $16.00 for two boxes of Shortbreads and two boxes of “Caramel Delites” (which used to be called “Samoas” back in the day). Yes, we are currently in full swing for the three......

Restaurant Week, that wonderful time in late summer when Bostonist plans ahead so that we don’t break the bank eating $30 tasting menu dinners all week long. This year the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau has set up another Restaurant Week – Winter Restaurant Week 2006, March 5-10 (this URL was the one reported in multiple places including the press release but appears to be out of comission today) . Prices have gone up,......

While Monday is the holiday, Sunday is the actual birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Bostonist realizes we don't really need a Boston connection to talk about him, what with the effect he had on the national stage (including the Commonwealth, of course), but it always bears mentioning that he did a Ph.D. at Boston University, which is cool (as is the memorial statue dedicated to him at BU, shown at right - it has......