We meant it as a joke when we said that former Romney aide Jay Garrity was the only one on the team having a good week. But it might be true. WBZ is reporting that Romney is "suspending" his campaign. Leave it to Romney to use the euphemism "suspend" instead of "drop out." WBZ explains that he can keep his delegates "if something happened to front-runner John McCain's campaign." The language makes the situation sound......

After much fanfare, Bechtel Parsons/Brinckerhoff has agreed to settle a lawsuit from the state and will pay $407 million. Smaller companies involved with the Big Dig will pay $51 million. $400 million seems small given the cost overruns of the Big Dig, but the state won't be turning that kind of money down. The AP report on WBZ notes that Bechtel Parsons/Brinckerhoff received $2 billion for consulting on the project, so this is a partial......

Peter Berdovsky--VJ, artist, and one of the men behind last year's "Mooninite Menace"--and the city of Boston better learn to live with each other because Berdovsky isn't going away anytime soon. The AP interviewed Berdovsky about his post-Aqua Teen life, which Bostonist has covered before. Berdovsky has been working steadily as an artist and was voted a top "VJ" in his chosen art medium. He certainly hasn't been shunned by the art community. However, as......

--The Boston Police Department and the DA's Office are investigating the death of an inmate at the Suffolk County House of Correction. 41-year-old Darryl Lee Leslie died on New Year's Eve while being moved to maximum security because he was, according to a jail spokesman, "planning a violent attack." An autopsy is being performed. [Boston Globe] --A 15-year-old who was shot in the stomach at a New Year's Eve party in New Bedford has since......

The Big Dig began in 1991. 14.8 billion dollars, hundreds of besmirched reputations, and one casualty later, the Big Dig is finally wrapped up. Well, at least officially. We'll be feeling the repercussions for a long time. To borrow a phrase from Rob Corddry's visit to Boston, we've earned our merit badge for corruption. The AP has provided a full timeline of the Big Dig. Bostonist was born in 2005, but we have our fair......

Those responsible for giving two students skin-shocks--one 77 times and another 29 times--at the request of a prank caller at the Judge Rotenberg Education Center (JRC) in August have been fired. The AP reports that seven people are out, including a video surveillance worker. The Globe did a lengthy story yesterday on how the employees at the home, which was in Stoughton, had plenty of reasons to stop before giving the skin-shocks, which are used......

An outbound Green Line trolley struck an MBTA supervisor this morning. The AP reports that the supervisor was there to check out an unauthorized tree-cutting near Reservoir on the D line. The incident happened at about 10:20 am, the Globe reports. Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA said the supervisor hurt his left arm. Bostonist isn't superstitious, nor do we believe in ghosts, but today's incident gives rise to the question--what is happening on the Green......

Donald Trump might be serious about putting a casino in Massachusetts after all. The Globe is reporting that Donald Trump and Charles Sarkis, who owns Wonderland, are talking. Matt Viser points out that this could touch off a battle between Trump Wonderland and Suffolk Downs. Sarkis and Suffolk Downs owner Richard Fields had been in talks in the past to join forces, but Trump could drive a wedge in that relationship. Viser writes, Fields and......

Update: Our anonymous commenter is likely correct! The substance that burned the crew was solid sodium, which MIT pranksters like to drop into the Charles for orientation. Members of a Charles River cleanup crew were burned when they picked up a "taffy-like substance." When they put it into their boat, the substance ignited upon contact with water. The cleanup crew consisted of volunteers who were cleaning up the river along the Mass Ave Bridge. Three......

Former Massachusetts governor and current presidential aspirant Mitt Romney has been pumping his campaign coffers with his own cash since he's fallen short of his fundraising goals. To rub Romney's nose in it even further, Rudy Giuliani raised more money in the second quarter, $15 million to Romney's $14 million. The AP reported that Romney wound up giving his own campaign $6.5 million dollars. The money spent might have paid off, as more people......

-- Some people just won't take no for an answer: after police ordered three people to leave an apartment in South Boston at about 3 a.m. Sunday morning, all three were back about an hour later. So were police. The suspects assured police that the leasee, "Rick," had given them permission to be there. Turns out that "Rick" doesn't live there - or, at least, isn't on the lease. David McCarthy, 40, and Pauline Zukowski,......

Massachusetts might make it illegal to discriminate against heavy people and short people. The AP interviewed two women - one short, one large - about what they go through each day. And, if the measure passes, they'll have some legal ammunition if anyone gives them a hard time. Representative Byron Rushing is the force behind the proposed legislation. He tried it 10 years ago, but it didn't work out. Studies show that people who are......

Yesterday, employees at a fishery in Turners Falls fell into an 18-foot tank of fish feces - barramundi feces, to be exact. How does that happen? The AP explains, "The workers became trapped for 45 minutes after a bracket holding a plastic filtration pad collapsed as workers stood on it to clean the fiberglass tank at the Australis Aquaculture fish farm." That's a lot of fish feces. A rescuer called the excrement "slimy and heavy."......

The nation is still reeling from the massacre that left, according to DCist, 33 people dead at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg. Local news reported this morning that one of the people killed was a student from Saugus named Ross Alameddine. Many people are still puzzled about what exactly happened between the first shooting, which happened in a dormitory, and the second shooting, which happened in a classroom building. An inordinate amount of time -......

The wet weather didn't deter marathon runners earlier today as they started their journey in Hopkinton. Suni Williams, as promised, hopped on the treadmill in the International Space Station and began her run to complete the 26.2 miles while circling the Earth. At about 9.5 miles she had already circled the globe once. Her pace was approximately 6 miles per-hour as she ran - but it's all relative. The space station was orbiting the......

--More information has emerged about one of the victim's during one of last Friday's many shootings. James Jacobs was an Army veteran who was shot and killed not in Iraq, where he fought, but in Dorchester. He was also going to school for an engineering degree. This is the kind of thing that makes you sick - someone who was making a contribution, who was fighting for us, was likely gunned down by some stupid,......

We were asking if Doc Rivers needed his head checked after letting the Celtics bench finish out the game against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Celtics were winning, but Paul Pierce got hit in the eye. Doc took him out, and then he let Big Al Jefferson rest a while. He says he wasn't trying to throw the game. If Doc were impersonating Kevin Nealon's "Subliminal Man" character on Saturday Night Live, he could have grunted......

It seemed as if the Celtics were riding high when they finally beat the San Antonio Spurs this weekend and gave the Dallas Mavericks a run for their money. St. Patrick's Day had been kind to the Celtics, especially with anything regarding the state of Texas. However, the good luck was only on the court. News also emerged this weekend that the Celtics organization had "excessive contact" with a Texas VIP - University of Texas......

The AP released a short blurb on a fire at the MFA earlier today. The fire was ignited by construction workers who were preparing for the demolition phase before construction can begin. The bad news is that emergency response was called to the scene to extinguish the fire and one construction worker was taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation. The good news is that the MFA didn't have to evacuate any part of......

--A man blew up himself and his estranged girlfriend in an elevator in Lynn. It was a terrible, senseless act. The woman took out a restraining order, but then she had it lifted. But, given this guy's extreme behavior, who knows if it would have made a difference? The AP reports through the Daily Item: "Court records showed a restraining order had been issued against Echevairria [the alleged attacker] on Jan. 8 after his girlfriend,......

Then again, don't answer that because that picture looks like a mugshot. This guy is renowned history professor Felipe Fernandez-Armesto of Tufts University. He has published academic books through Simon & Schuster, not just University of Eastern Podunk Press. But, after today, he'll be better known as the prof who somehow managed to get arrested in Atlanta. The AP reports that Atlanta police arrested Professor Fernandez-Armesto for jaywalking. That wasn't a problem, but Fernandez-Armesto......

A man set a woman on fire in Springfield. The AP reports, "A man doused a woman with flammable liquid then set her ablaze, burning her over 90 percent of her body and injuring himself after the two had an argument, authorities said Monday." The woman had taken out a restraining order against the man. She's in critical condition. All he got was burns on his hands. An even bleaker story unfolded last night......

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative that was born from the mind of Nicholas Negroponte when he was heading up the MIT Media Lab is nearing a significant milestone – shipment of the first machines to their intended recipients. Back in the end of November it was reported that the prototypes had come off the production line and had already been loaded up and played Doom. The AP reports today that the program is......

Manny Being…Just Wishy-Washy: Manny Ramirez tops the news this morning as he claims that he’s going to continue playing with the Sox. “I’m staying in Boston, where I’m familiar with the system and where I have a lot of friends, especially David Ortiz.” In other Sox Nation news, Manny’s B.F.F., Big Papi, is expected to also stay with the team. State Dems Playing Hard Ball: Senator John Kerry is talking a tough game this morning......

A story hit the wire about a maternity chain that may be guilty of discriminating against a pregnant woman. US District Court in Boston began jury selection today in the case of discrimination in which Cynthia Papageorge is suing Mothers Work Inc. Papageorge looks to collect compensation for damages incurred in the form of emotional distress and lost wages after she was fired after May 2000. Mothers Work Inc. operates a number of maternity stores......

Bostonist awoke this morning to breaking news of the latest terrorist attack hitting the London transportation system. Beginning in the height of rush hour traffic, the bombs exploded in several different areas of the Underground, as well as one double-decker bus; officials say that at least 10 people have died with over 90 casualities thus far. The entire London transporation system has been shut down and government officials have told city residents to stay where......

Republicans aren't the only thing to watch out for in Cambridge today. Apparently it's the season for exploding manholes, too. We're not really sure what constitutes an "exploding manhole", but we're pretty sure it's bad. The AP is reporting that an NStar equipment failure led to an underground fire around 3pm. Police closed Mass Ave. in Central Square and the Red Line is slow as molasses. Let's just hope you aren't one of the......

When Filene's was bought by Federated Department Stores, Inc. this past February for $17 billion, many anticipated changes to Downtown Crossing. After already going through an identity crisis (changing from Boston's own Jordan Marsh to Macy's), the Macy's storefront has always remained a competitor with Filene's and her basement across the street. This recent buyout of Filene's now leaves Federated, who happens to own Macy's too, with two stores across the street from one another.......

No, the "Puffer Machine" is not what you’re thinking. It was announced today that Logan Airport had installed the GE EntryScan3 which Bostonist has been told is commonly refered to as the "Puffer Machine." These scanners, installed at the newly revamped Terminal A, are able to detect explosives as people walk through it, not unlike metal detectors. Apparently these new security measures caused a bit of confusion--a woman entered through an exit in Terminal B.......

For our favorite family that seems to constantly be in the eye of the storm another unexplained occurance has befallen a member. Joan Kennedy, the ex-wife of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass), was found in the early morning hours on Tuesday lying on a street in Boston with a concussion and a broken shoulder. The media is being polite about the Joan Kennedy incident only citing her past troubles with alcoholism, rather than the standard tag......