--As if it couldn't get any worse for the MBTA. Hackers have been playing with the Charlie Card. [Boston Herald] --The owner of Tai Ho Restaurant, where Boston firefighters Paul Cahill and Warren Payne died, wants to reopen. It's worth remembering that the fire gathered in the ceiling because grease accumulated in the vents. [WBZ] --A task force has decided, after much back and forth, to take down the homemade signs on highways thanking......

Photo by Andy Sternberg/LAist A posthumous tribute wall dedicated to singer/songwriter Elliot Smith sat defaced by graffiti for months on end -- LAist said enough, so did the fans and city council.SFist was surprised to learn that chronic presidential candidate Ralph Nader picked former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonzalez as his running mate.Phillyist explored the possibilities of green cleaning.In the latest edition of Reel Toronto, a bi-weekly feature looking at films shot in Toronto......

--The state owes snow plow operators $69 million for their work. Now that's a way to thank them for keeping our roads clean. The state has already--ahem--plowed through its snow-plow budget due to the abundance of snow this year. Sorry. Couldn't resist. [Boston Globe] --Two fires broke out at the same building in Fitchburg on Thursday, 12 hours apart. [WCVB] --An author from Dudley, Misha Defonseca, has admitted that she made up a best-selling memoir......

Whatever your thoughts on presidential candidate/political rock star Barack Obama borrowing a few points of Deval Patrick's rhetoric, you have to think it's good for the Governor. He's getting nation-wide press and it's not his fault that his speeches are so catchy and profound that Obama can't help copying them. Meanwhile, even a new gubernatorial haircut can lead to a stretch of publicity. In more substantial news, the House and Senate passed Patrick's plan to......

It's not often that a musician can, with one letter, slam both a presidential candidate and an former bandmate. But apparently Tom Scholz is out to remind us that he's not your average longtime bassist rocker. Scholz, of Boston (the band) fame, recently sent a letter to Mike Huckabee to express his "shock" and displeasure over the politician's use of the Boston song "More Than a Feeling." When we began to read the letter, we......

--MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas has received plenty of angry e-mails in his time, and should be able to take some serious heat. But he is furious about an e-mail from a Department of Corrections employee that got way too personal. Grabauskas is gay, and the e-mailer used anti-gay slurs about Grabauskas when describing MBTA service. Now Grabauskas is upset with Deval Patrick and his administration for not doing something about it sooner. The......

The rumors that JFK fathered a love child who is now living in Canada have not gone away. In fact, they seem to be gaining strength, at least up north. The love child went to the press and revealed some information about himself. His first name is "Jack," of course. The Herald has his full name, but the Toronto Globe & Mail does not. "Jack" wants DNA tests, and he says people stop him and......

--Word is out that former House Speaker and current WRKO radio-show host is going to drop his plans to become a lobbyist, finally realizing that lobbying while being a talking head might be a conflict of interest. Adam G. joked, "The WRKO job must pay more." [Boston Globe, Universal Hub] --Former Massachusetts governor and now former presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he won't try to be vice-president. But he's changed his mind before. [WCVB]......

On top of the loss of his chosen presidential candidate, Barack Obama, in the Massachusetts primaries (debate on the "Kennedy Lift" here), Senator Ted Kennedy now has to deal with more rumors about the Kennedy Clan. The Kennedy Clan has always been a magnet for rumors, some sordid, some not, some true, some not. In this case, whether or not it is true, the latest rumor will have a high-profile mouthpiece in the form of......

--If we can't make an event out of a Super Bowl victory, then we'll make one out of Super Tuesday. Get answers to your burning questions, watch McLovin learn to vote, experience the rock-star presence of Barack Obama, and find out where to party. [All links Bostonist] --One of presidential candidate Mitt Romney's fund-raisers, James Sims, has stepped down from his post as a national finance co-chair. It seems that he had trouble paying......

Deval Patrick has been making news lately with the State of the Commonwealth and his public support of presidential candidate Barack Obama. But what of Massachusetts' other top dog, Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi? Bostonist read Paul McMorrow's lengthy Boston Magazine profile of the Speaker of the House and found the article too interesting not to sum up. McMorrow shows how DiMasi's success has been the result of good instincts, understated intelligence, a quick......

Governor Deval Patrick testified this morning at the State House about his plan to create an Executive Office of Education. This would consolidate authority and responsibility for the commonwealth's education system from pre-kindergarten to higher education to one cabinet-level position in the State House. Patrick referenced his recent trip to China, saying that Massachusetts is known throughout the world for its educational institutions. Education is "our calling card." In addition, as home to America's......

We've been sitting on this one for a while, but it's hard to resist. Bostonist is fascinated by the return of H Bomb, Harvard University's sex magazine. So, what are they doing to bring the sexy to the Ivy League? For starters, they took nude photos. And then they brought in the big guns--former presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. Now, when you think of sexy politicians, perhaps John Edwards comes to mind. But don't forget that......

Riding high from his Michigan victory and the continued defeats of rival Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney is on a tear through Florida, and he's trying to connect with the young people. Unfortunately, Romney's pop culture references are stuck as far back in time as his well-preserved face. He buddied up with African-American teens and tried to sling lingo that he thought they would like. In fact, he uttered the immortal line, "Who Let the Dogs......

Political junkies have divided the last few months between obsessing over Iowa and New Hampshire and complaining about how much energy is wasted obsessing over Iowa and New Hampshire. Those states, the argument goes, are too white and too small and too rural to represent the country at large. But, while true, it always seems dismissive and elitist (possibly because we're writing this on a iPhone while stopped at a light in a Prius Zipcar.)......

Former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Romney is putting his New England Spanking behind him and focusing entirely on winning the Michigan primary. He has pulled advertising from South Carolina and Florida and is going whole hog. Michigan seems to be loving the attention, at least according to the AP. Writer Glen Johnson declared that Romney received a "Hero's Welcome." But it's still not the kind of welcome Romney was expecting only a few weeks......

The Track Girls are spreading the word from Us Magazine that Katie Holmes has received a special exemption to run this year's Boston Marathon, which will be on April 21. If true, she will be joining another newly minted national celebrity--the slimmed-down Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. He's training, and he will likely be running while flipping the bird toward Romney's Belmont manse. Holmes is going to get smoked. The Boston Marathon is nothing to......

Today Republican presidential candidate/Iowa caucus winner/Romney rival Mike Huckabee faced a heckler who clearly forgot that where there's Huckabee, there's Chuck Norris. The man had a right to speak, but, as Charlie Savage writes, he wouldn't shut up and kept yelling, "Why is Richard Haass, the president of the Council of Foreign Relations, your political adviser?" Then Huckabee unveiled his not-so-secret weapon and said, "Don't make me send Chuck back there!" Chuck Norris still......

Let's be honest. We've long known that Boston is at least on the short list for Sports City of the United States. The passion felt by Boston sports fans has long been either heralded or chastised, depending on your point of view. But if you'd told us at the dawn of 2007 that we were entering one of the best years Boston sports teams and fans would ever experience, we would have laughed. Long. Hard.......

Recently, the world learned that Ann Romney, former First Lady of Massachusetts, is an equestrienne and that one of the Five Brothers gave presidential candidate Mitt Romney a horse mask so Momma Romney would give Daddy Romney a little more attention. Riding the ponies has also helped Ann better manage Mitt, as shown in a public exchange in Rochester, New Hampshire: The evening opened, though, with Romney introducing his wife, who said she could tell......

There's so much to say about former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential aspirant Mitt Romney's looks. His political views may be ever-changing, but one things for certain--some people find him attractive. And some people like to get a little closer. First, an Iowa tweenager probably just becoming acquainted with her hormones got close enough to Romney to ask to touch his hair. Romney took her hand and placed it, probably to make sure that she......

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is gaining appeal among Republicans thanks to his hard-right views, his ability to lose weight, and Chuck Norris. Obviously, this has former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney thoroughly freaked out because Romney has spent boodles of money and has less to show for it. All Huckabee had to do was lose weight and gain an action star. Hence, Romney has unleashed an attack ad. However, we think Romney......

Republican presidential candidate and Internet sensation Ron Paul doesn't need Oprah. He doesn't need connections to the hot-shot politicians. He just needs a blimp. Ron Paul's supporters are sending up a blimp for an East Coast tour from North Carolina, through DC and New York, to Boston. According to the flight plan on the Ron Paul Blimp site, the balloon will launch Wednesday in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and then travels north, flying over......

Oprah Winfrey was in Manchester, New Hampshire, last night as part of her very public endorsement of presidential candidate Barack Obama, and 8,500 people showed up to hear her. The Herald sent Jessica Heslam and Mike Underwood up there. They interviewed several people who seemed to be more swayed by the celebrity endorsement than by Barack Obama's record. One woman said, "Just because Oprah believes in him, maybe there's more to him." While that surely......

Rally for Barack Obama Parkman Bandstand Boston Common Tuesday, October 23, 6:30 pm Now that Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick has made the difficult choice of whom to endorse for president, he's ready to celebrate. Patrick's pick for Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, will stop in Boston for a little party for the people tonight. However, Obama is traveling with Secret Service, so security will be tight. Rally participants can't bring bags, signs, or banners. If......

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......

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice......

As Hillary Clinton hogs all the airtime, Barack Obama fans flames with his fashion choices, and John Edwards ducks for cover under rumors of infidelity, what is a less-recognized Democratic presidential candidate to do? Offer the public Red Sox tickets. In a clear appeal to New England residents, particularly those in New Hampshire, candidate and Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd is holding a "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" contest. If you donate $20.04 to......

A man is as good as the company he keeps, right? If so, then former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney needs to make some new friends as soon as possible. Last week, someone linked to Team Romney was accused of putting up a website called "Phoney Fred." The website criticized fellow presidential candidate/TV actor Fred Thompson, who is already smoking Romney in the polls. The site offers the many moods of Thompson, including......

First there was Obama Girl. Then there was Giuliani Girl. It seemed like former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney was going to be left out when it came to merging the political discourse with old-fashioned T&A. But now, there are the Romney Girls, as in triplets, which makes a leering statement about Mormons and multiple wives. The Girls are Cynthia, Christine and Caroline Barbadoro, aspiring singer-songwriters. Their first move is to release......