The Globe reports that a former MIT chemist caused an all-out evacuation of her Temple Street brownstone by conducting some freelance science experiments. The woman, who has not been identified by name, had mixed a cocktail of chemicals on the floor of her apartment, directly behind the State House. "Any time you have someone who knows what they're doing with chemicals, it can be a bad situation," Deputy Fire Chief Robert Calobrisi said. No word......

--Mayor Menino has suspended one of his own employees, the head of the Department of Public Works, for letting an employee work from her parent's house in Venezuela, which probably wouldn't have been a big deal if the arrangement hadn't lasted for five months. [Boston Globe] --Neil Entwistle is going to trial for the murders of his wife and baby daughter, and the press, both American and British, is expected to swarm. [Boston Herald]......

--House speaker Sal DiMasi has put the Ethics Committee to the task of investigating the alleged threat against Rep. Jennifer Callahan. The words "State House" and "Ethics Committee" sound funny when put together, don't they? [Boston Globe] --If the counter at the gas pump starts moving before gas comes out, you should complain. [WBZ] --A pug who had been doggie-napped in East Boston has been reunited with its owner. If you kidnap a dog......

If House speaker Sal DiMasi really wants to prove he is up to the task of managing this state and fend off those who want his crown, then he better crack down on the shenanigans at the State House. All ethical shadiness aside, yesterday a state rep said that another rep threatened her during the budget debate. Rep. Jennifer Callahan was behind a nurse staffing amendment, which apparently didn't please the other lawmaker: "He leveled......

Remember how we said yesterday that House speaker Sal DiMasi's free ride might be ending? Well, it came to a screeching halt, just as he was named the 2nd most powerful person in Boston. The Herald came out with a summary of potentially shady dealings in which those with ties to DiMasi benefitted. No politician has clean hands, but it's interesting that Governor Deval Patrick faced relentless scrutiny for relatively silly stuff like Drapegate while......

--Meet the allegedly worst colleague ever: Revere police officer Evan Franklin may be fired because he is accused of running away after Officer Dan Talbot was shot in the head and killed behind Revere High School. He is also accused of lying to investigators after the incident. The officers were off-duty but had been drinking before the incident. [WBZ, background: Bostonist] --Yesterday, a fire broke out in a Brookline home on Harrison Street, and......

--So, Hazmat teams are supposed to be super-serious and careful. But we love the fact that they use a kiddie pool. [Image from Sandcastlematt] --Hazmat Kiddie Pool should be the name of a new band. Seriously. Someone call Have You Heard of My New Band? Now. --The State House was evacuated earlier because of a false alarm resulting from a light bulb that burst. [WBZ] --Students at the Nazarene Christian Academy of New Bedford,......

Despite evidence to the contrary, we know that the State House is bigger than two men, more than just a turf battle between Governor Deval Patrick and Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi. For example: it also includes Speaker Pro Tempore Thomas Petrolati. A day after the House passed Patrick's tax plan (some corporate taxes went up, smokers got another thing to complain about while shivering outside), a key DiMasi legislative ally takes a......

Deval Patrick isn't the first person to get into casino-related trouble, though few of us had to be publicly confronted with our regrettable outcomes the way Deval Patrick did. Eager to move past his failed plan to create much needed revenue for the Commonwealth through gaming, Patrick gave a major economic address yesterday at MIT. Patrick's speech (text here, video here) lists $344 million in budget cuts, a several billion dollar infrastructure improvement plan,......

We feel an illogical sense of pride when our local politicians are covered in the national media. It validates our process somehow. Not to get carried away, but maybe one of these years a Massachusetts leader will even run for President! Perchance to dream. Governor Deval Patrick is the subject of a story in today's New York Times, which contrasts Patrick's growing mainstream profile as a Barack Obama friend, surrogate and rhetorical inspiration with......

--A four-alarm fire broke out in Brookline overnight on Sewall Avenue. The building was vacant, but 120 people were evacuated, and three firefighters were injured. [WCVB] --Heist, heist baby. The Herald pulls out all the stops when anniversary the theft of priceless art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. [Boston Herald] --Whole Foods plus the South End sounds like a perfect storm for satire. [Boston Real Estate Blog] --The priceless line of......

Sean Garballey, 23, a grad student at Suffolk, soundly defeated two opponents yesterday to gain a seat in the commonwealth's House of Representatives. Garballey will represent Arlington and part of Medford. Garballey is a recent graduate of UMass Lowell and has served on the Arlington School Committee. On his campaign website he exclaims, "Public Service is my life!" He credits a volunteer tour guide position at the State House when he was 16 with......

Bostonist can't resist the lingo of the BPD Blotter! Anyway, texting is wonderful, handy ... and addictive. While the State House mulls over banning texting-while-driving, another warning flag is flying for avid texters, especially Sidekick users. It's normal to see someone deeply embroiled in a Sidekick conversation or at least looking like they are embroiled in a conversation while on the T. Some thugs are taking advantage of that distraction and swiping Sidekicks from users.......

--The Massachusetts House voted overwhelmingly in favor of preliminary approval to pour $1 billion into life sciences investment over 10 years. [WBZ Radio] --Of course Manny Ramirez would forget about $10,000 that the state of Massachusetts owes him. And if you think the state owes you some money, too, go to findmassmoney.com. [Boston Herald] --Is it just us, or is Bridget Moynahan looking better and classier than ever? Or is it just extended Super......

The Commomwealth's Speaker of the House, Sal DiMasi, is well-known for his opposition to Governor Deval Patrick's casino plan. There's no turning back now. The Globe reports today that DiMasi played golf at exclusive South Florida clubs with Joe O'Donnell, owner of Eastie's Suffolk Downs horse track, who wants a gaming license. They also report that DiMasi met the famously rich casino magnate Donald Trump "...at a cocktail party at the Mar-a-Lago Club, an......

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......

--Flu isn't just prevalent in Boston right now. It's "raging." Don't leave home without the Purell. [Boston Globe] --Comm Ave is getting a 5-foot-wide bike lane on both sides between Kenmore Square and the BU Bridge by summer. [Boston Herald] --Chinatown continues to evolve into Condo Central. [Boston Herald] --GateHouse Media is cutting about 60 staff positions. Brighton Centered analyzes how that will impact one of GateHouse's local papers. [Brighton Centered] --Enjoy a slideshow of......

Massachusetts' legendary senior Senator and national liberal icon, Ted Kennedy. Massachusetts' junior Senator and the 2004 Democratic nominee, John Kerry. Massachusetts' precedent-shattering Governor, Deval Patrick. None of the endorsements were enough for Barack Obama to win the Massachusetts primary. While we gave a lot of attention yesterday to Senator Obama's epic Boston rally, Seth Gitell was reminding people that--press attention and celebrity status aside--the two strongest political machines in the state belong to Boston's......

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......

Another week, another political clapfest. Governor Deval Patrick's State of the Commonwealth may have lacked the drama (what are the firefighters going to do?) and surprise (dismantling busing) of Mayor Menino's State of the City, but it did showcase Patrick's trademark optimism and plans for progress. Now how are we going to pay for it? Bostonist arrived unfashionably early, and with no idea of where to go. Thankfully, after three or four consultations with......

--A new bill that limits--but doesn't ban--skin-shock treatments at the Judge Rotenberg Center was under discussion yesterday at the State House. The bill would "allow shocks to stop students from hurting themselves or others, but would prohibit shocks for more "minor" acts such as swearing, shouting, or failing to complete a task." And maybe employees could be a little more questioning instead of serving shocks whenever anyone calls up and asks for one. [Boston......

State legislators are busy people. Once elected, they have to figure out how to keep their jobs, how to get re-elected, how to advance, and how to keep their peers from stabbing them in the back. (Presumably, they govern in the midst of all that. Oh, who are we kidding?) Such is the case of House speaker Sal DiMasi, who, according to Casey Ross at the Herald, informed two underlings yesterday to pretty please stop......

The Joint Committee on Transportation has approved a bill that bans the use of using a handheld gadget while driving, and the Massachusetts House of Representatives will vote on the bill next, the Globe reports. If the bill passes, drivers will be fined $100 if they are caught with a handheld gadget for the first time, $250 for the second, and $500 for the third. Theoretically, the police should confiscate the handheld gadget and make......

--This week, legislators will consider banning all hand-held gadgets while driving. [Boston Globe] --You may have noticed that Cape Wind received good news today, but don't expect a wind turbine at City Hall. The idea of the turbine blowing over on the plaza effectively ended the mayor's plan. [Boston Globe] --How to build an igloo in eight easy steps. Was the weather today really that bad? [Boston Globe] --One of NESN's most familiar faces......

State House staffer and Allston resident Dan Pawson hasn't lost yet! We told you about his success last week, and as of last night he is still going strong. Dan has won on his eighth straight appearance, bring his total winnings to a whopping $151,301. His impressive total puts Dan at number 3 on the Jeopardy Hall of Fame winners list. The Jeopardy website lists only two contestants that have ever cleared the $200,000 mark......

The Globe is reporting that State House staffer, and apparent intellectual whiz, Dan Pawson is on quite the winning streak on Jeopardy. He has won an impressive $86,100 so far and looks to continue his good fortune tonight. Although the show was taped a few months ago, Dan is tight-lipped about the outcome - tune in to the show at 7:30 tonight to see if this Allston native can keep it up! Oh, and......

Governor Deval Patrick pitched his casino proposal yesterday at the State House. In his full speech, the text of which is available here, Patrick painted a "softening revenue picture." Enter the casinos, which he believes can bring in new jobs and a steady revenue stream. Patrick's speech was largely reassuring and addressed the major counterarguments--that casinos would be demeaning and tacky and that the maintenance costs would wipe out the new revenue. He said they......

The forces behind the Ron Paul Blimp suffered many delays. For a while, it seemed like the blimp promoting the campaign of Republican candidate/Internet sensation Ron Paul might not launch. But they launched their blimp this morning at 9:00 am from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather, the Ron Paul Blimp won't be making it up to Boston in time for the Ron Paul Rally and the Boston Tea Party......

People are taking the incoming snow seriously. Bostonist heard word that state employees are leaving work early, at 1:00 pm, because of the weather. Adam's French Toast Alert is on high. And he's selling T shirts. The weather guy on NECN said several times that he wasn't messing around and that people should stay off the roads. The National Weather Service advises: "It is recommended that if possible all travel be completed by 1:00 pm......