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......

--A man and his mother were shot while riding in a car yesterday in Dorchester. The Globe reports that Darnell Ricks Jr., 20, was hit in the arm, and his mother "appeared to have been grazed in the face by a bullet." Police have a detailed description of the alleged perps: "They were looking for three black males who appeared to be in their late teens and about 5 feet 8 inches tall. One wore......

From the "You Do Know There's an Election Today, Right?" department: Tomorrow is the election for the person who replace former State Senate President Robert Travaglini, affectionately known around here as "T-Vag." Anyone who lives in the First Suffolk and Middlesex District (parts of Boston, Cambridge, Revere, and Winthrop) will be interested. So let's get started. The men who want to replace T-Vag in the hearts and minds of Democrats are Dan Rizzo and Anthony......

Photograph of Rick Santorum conceding defeat with his family by Gene J. Puskar/AP The -ists this week had politics on the brain. And what goes better with politics? Partying-- that's two great tastes in one. Oh, and Kevin Federline...can't forget about Kevin Federline. That's three great tastes in one. -Bostonist discussed two big state issues-- what sort of math constitutes a marriage and what kind of alcohol can be sold in most grocery stores.......

Boy oh boy, AG Reilly's campaign for governor gets each day. First, there was the whole brouhaha over his calls to Worcester County DA John Conte to keep the wraps on details of a fatal car crash involving the daughters of one of Reilly's friends. Then Reilly surprised everyone yesterday by jilting Chris Gabrieli and Worcester Mayor Tim Murray and choosing Dorchester State Rep. Marie St. Fleur as his running mate. This morning, Bostonist learns......

Oh, Tom Reilly, what sense can we make of you? First, word trickles down that you want go-to rich Democrat Chris Gabrieli as your running mate. That makes Bostonist think, "Huh. That seems alright, in a picking-running-mates- who-are-just-like-you-and-have-already-been- on-a-losing-ticket sort of way." Then someone in the hardworking Reilly campaign juggernaut must have said, "Hey, what if Boston voters and minority voters really do turn out in droves for the primary? Maybe people who are already......

Bostonist has made little secret of our pro-gay marriage feelings, but we didn't think our daily blathering would have a real effect on the debate. In fact, we still don't think that, but we can't help but notice the how the opposition to gay marriage has faltered lately. First, State Rep. Eugene "Bete Noir of Brian McGrory" O'Flaherty, who was once unapologetically anti-gay marriage, had a change of heart last week, touchingly motivated by attending......

For a while Bostonist had been hoping that El Oriental de Cuba in JP would be open a bit later. After downing some pints at Behan’s a walk over to El Oriental for some mashed plantains is much better than that foreman grilled cheese we end up making after bars close. Alas, they were only open on weekends until 10 p.m. Until yesterday that is, when El Oriental was firebombed overnight. Bostonist loves ethnic food......