--Hug a social worker today. If you've ever wondered why the Department of Social Services couldn't stop an act of violence from happening, read this eye-opening article on just how hard it is to be a social worker. According to the piece, "between one-third and three-quarters of all social workers nationwide have been threatened, physically assaulted, or had their property damaged." [Boston Globe] --A Bridgewater State College student and his girlfriend, a student at......

--Graffiti artist Adam Brandt, who may possibly be "Spek," was arrested and "charged with 16 counts of tagging and 16 counts of malicious wanton destruction to property." [Boston Globe] --Two college students, one of them a junior at Bridgewater State College, have been missing since Valentine's Day. 22-year-old Daniel Querzoli, the Bridgewater State student, and his girlfriend, Amy Scott, a Johnson & Wales student, went out in Providence and haven't been seen since. [WBZ]......

--The BPD met a pirate!! Well, kinda. A drunk alleged aspiring pirate broke into a boat on Rowes Wharf. Swashbuckling police officers were more than ready for some watery adventure, so they hopped aboard, searched the boat, and discovered an "intoxicated" man whose drunkenness overwhelmed his pirate dreams. They found the guy sleeping underneath a table. Best of all is the BPD's title for the event: "A-HOY THERE!!!" --Bernard Piscopo's lawyer has offered up a......

--A group of female students at Framingham State College stole 1,000 copies of the student newspaper. What prompted them to do such a thing? They were angry at an editorial? They had passionate feelings about a major issue and were engaged in some kind of protest? No. They thought that a front-page image made them look fat. They painted letters on their stomachs and showed them at a lacrosse game. It wasn't as if......

--The Northeastern News reports that the owner and an employee of Cappy's Pizza and Subs will be arraigned for allegedly attacking two college students who were really unhappy with their pizza. The fight took place on April 16, when a Northeastern student and a Westfield State College student entered the parlor and complained about too much hot sauce on their pizza. The students also accused Cappy's of overcharging. Then it got ugly. The versions of......

Now, Bostonist doesn't like to make light of serious matters that could, potentially, have led to tragedy, but damn, this is amusing. A woman from Brockton, formerly a waitress at a strip club there and another in Stoughton, was so fed up with mistreatment by men that she mailed condoms containing drano and gasoline (an almost-but-not-quite-explosive combination) to various locations she apparently felt were good representatives of male wrongdoing: Bridgewater State College (?!), the Taunton......

Yesterday, a story hit the wire about the location of the Commonwealth’s most hazardous communities. The 59 page report was authored by Northeastern University sociology professor Daniel R. Faber and Eric J. Krieg, a professor at Johnson State College in Vermont and showed that 24 of the 30 most environmentally hazardous sites in the Bay State also had communities that were 25 percent or more non white. Bostonist can’t help but think about a memo......

Boston's adopted son and rock's savior, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are back on the road. Their first show is tonight at Molly's Pub at Wellesley College. Doors are at 8 pm and Mittens is the opener. After returning from their Australian tour, the Pharmacists play Mass three more times before July: >> 05-11-05 Fitchburg, MA Fitchburg State College Campus Quad With: Battle of the Bands Champ; 3PM; FREE; all ages >> 05-14-05 Northampton,......