--Green Line B train goes on a rampage! [Boston Herald, WBZ] --Remember how last week the MBTA put out an alert after a passenger became concerned about a child's welfare on the bus? And how it turns out that everything was OK? Well, the family is considering suing the MBTA. These people clearly don't realize that the MBTA is broke. [WBZ] --If they can retire, MBTA employees are taking the money and running. [Boston......

Boston-area drivers don't like rules. Boston-area pedestrians don't like rules, and the city is trying to make hay of it by upping jaywalking fines. And now it is the cyclists' turn to feel the heat. For the record, Bostonist is thoroughly pro-cyclist and supported the Bicyclist Bill of Rights, which former lieutenant governor Kerry Healey trashed as she was leaving office. So, it is with much love that Bostonist asks, why do some bicyclists think......

The condition of the Longfellow Bridge is something most Red Line riders and drivers would rather not think about as they cross the Boston-Cambridge border. If you've ever walked across it, you might have wondered if it would collapse with a mere hop, skip and jump. And it might, especially during the 4th of July. The Cambridge Chronicle just put the masses on notice: "Engineers at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which controls the......

--Did any official-looking person root around in your bag today while you rode the T? [WCVB] --More reasons to panic while crossing a bridge. A chunk of concrete fell from the Long Island Bridge yesterday. [Boston Herald] --After freezing our buns off this winter, the weather tables have turned, and we're under a brush fire risk. [WBZ] --Marilyn Devaney, the Watertown City Councilor who was embroiled in The Case of the Curling Iron, got......

--Total commuter hell broke out today with a tractor rollover that blocked the Mass Pike, along with dodginess on the Blue Line that left, according to one individual, "hundreds of people" stranded at the Airport T stop. [WHDH, b0st0n LiveJournal] --Speaking of transportation, an engineering firm has recommended the installation of 900 support anchors in the Ted Williams Tunnel to make up for the fact that some parts of the ceiling can't be inspected.......

--This is the kind of story that makes you wonder about people. A fatal car accident unfolded early this morning in Sharon. A good Samaritan pulled over to help on the scene, and one of the men involved in the accident stole the good Samaritan's car. [Fox 25] --Two people were stabbed early this morning in Chelsea, one at an apartment complex and another outside a pub. [WCVB] --More details on the stabbing that happened......

With all the cancellations of American Airlines flights at Logan Airport thanks to MD-80 wiring issues, it makes good sense to check online before you drive to Logan to catch a flight. But you might not want to go to the Logan Airport website to do it. WBZ reports, "There was no indication of a problem on the Massport web site, and the American Airlines phone lines were busy and they could not get......

Update: Per an announcement from the MBTA, the substance found on the bus was "common chalk." The bus operator has been released from the hospital. This morning, a hazmat team was called into the Haymarket T stop when a Route 111 bus driver noticed a strange powder on the dashboard of her bus at about 9:15. Traffic ugliness ensued, but things should be cleared up now. The Herald reached Joe Pesaturo, who had word on......

--A student from Hingham died early this morning after "he apparently jumped out the 17th-floor window of a dormitory" at UMass-Amherst. [Boston Globe, tip board] --Governor Deval Patrick is preparing to tighten the state's belt if tax revenues don't hold steady. [AP/Boston Globe] --It took sky-high gas prices for it to happen, but more people are riding the MBTA. Now we'll see how the MBTA holds up with the rise in riders and if......

--The MBTA needs money, and it's not messing around. They're going after those annoying fare evaders who try to get all close up on you when you try to go through the gates. [Boston Herald] --But if the MBTA really wants to collect, then maybe they ought to watch the back doors, especially around BU. [Massachusetts Liberal] --Police have delayed the start of the Safe Homes program, in which police would go into homes......

Remember the incident spotted by Fabulously Out There in which it appeared that a woman injured herself in a fall down crumbling stairs at the State Street MBTA stop? Well, it seems that the MBTA got on that business right quick: "The stairs were FIXED this morning. Brand slapping new with the slip proof yellow strip and all!!!! Now, while they might have planned to fix the stairs for as long as I have lived......

Recently, BoltBus announced that it would be entering the low-cost bus fray. And now another company, Megabus, would like to be at your service for your rides to New York City. From the New York Times: Two-year-old Megabus.com, a subsidiary of Coach USA, is based in Paramus, N.J., and is structured much like Southwest and other low-cost airlines. Tickets are sold on the Internet and by telephone, with the best deals for those who buy......

While we were underwhelmed by the Herald article that suggested a plague of groping on the MBTA, the MBTA police have decided to do something about the creeps who can't keep their hands to themselves. Officers are going undercover in the hopes of snagging the baddies. We doubt they will go undercover in the same way Bubba Smith did at the beginning of Police Academy 3, but one can only hope. Of course, if you......

On Sunday afternoon, there was more than one parade making its way through the streets of Boston. Despite the typical New England March near-snowing, 37 degree conditions, around twenty of Boston Society of Spontaneity's "improveratti" gathered in tropical attire with the mission to bring their traveling beach party to the T. Beginning at the Aquarium stop with leis piled high, the BostonSOSers rode the T to Airport, where they camped out: sunning themselves, hula......

Fabulously Out There knows the Blue Line like the back of her hand, and she's used to its unusual ways, but she was dismayed at the following scene: Walking down the stairs in the State Street T Stop on your way to the Orange line and realizing the stairs CRUMBLE under you? CHECK. Say what? Uh-huh. Yesterday morning I excited my trusted blue line no hot liquid in sight and I started down the stairs......

--The Red Sox just broke up with Mirabelli ... we are processing this. It is hard. --Boston has good roads? Hold up. Did the people who determined this actually come here? [WBZ] --Not everyone loves a stripper, especially in Milford. [Boston Globe] --The BU Biolab just got put on notice. [White Coat Notes] --Pianist Anton Kuerti is the coolest dad ever, at least where the BSO is concerned. [AP/Boston Herald] --Is Mitt Romney going......

Driving through an overpass? Look to the sky, and step on it! Fox 25 had a piece today on a chunk of concrete that fell from an overpass onto Route 9. You should watch the video, as the chunk of concrete was large enough to fill a construction shovel. Luckily, the chunk fell to the side of the road, but it's easy to imagine what could have happened. While our legislators are busy talking about......

The Globe is diving into the nitty-gritty of the T problems with its "GlobeWatch." A reader let Christina Pazzanese know that conditions at the Sullivan Square stop are not only dirty and gross, but also unsafe: A Globe reporter's visit last week found that while snow had melted along the sidewalk from Broadway to Maffa Way, the busy walkway was dirty and a section under the highway overpass was quite dark even during the day.......

Stuart Spina, a 17-year-old student at Commonwealth School, stood before the MBTA Board of Directors yesterday and told them how to fix some of the most sluggish, inefficient routes. Spina produced a 22-page report that was more detailed than what any pricey consulting firm could pull off. Read it, and you might want him in a major transportation leadership position. He studied multiple bus lines, including the notorious bus 23, which another teenager exposed as......

Update: The DA's Office just sent out confirmation. They say both stabbings happened on the outbound platform and that the stabbing victims are expected to survive. Roxbury Crossing was shut down at about 6:00 pm tonight due to a double stabbing. From the Globe: One victim was stabbed on the train platform; the other was stabbed in the station's parking lot. The incident happened at around 5:45, said MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera. One victim......

In general, a person should save a little money in case something bad happens. But the MBTA, which General Manager Dan Grabauskas says is broke, has had to deplete its reserves significantly. The Globe reports today that the T's new budget will take $20 million from the emergency fund, bringing the reserves down to $35 million. The reserves are supposed to be $100 million. Now that emergency funds are no longer technically "emergency," the T......

In his appearance last week on Radio Boston, Dan Grabauskas didn't discuss the issue of violence on the T. No one else asked him about it, either. But he has a lot to do now that a 15-year-old named Tiara Amarante documented the perils of riding the 23 bus. People riding the 23 are living in fear of thugs who pack heat, fight and intimidate riders on a daily basis. Amarante is a freshman at......

Radio Boston had MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas on the air on Friday, and he took questions from callers about the T. He likely realized that he was about to put his feet to the fire, as Radio Boston began the show with a few quotations, such as "I hate the people on the T, I hate the service, I hate everything about the T." When Grabauskas had his turn at the mike, he repainted......

Last night, Bostonist received the unsettling news that the add-value machines at T stops weren't accepting credit or debit cards. On the last day of the month. As in, prime time for adding passes to their Charlie Cards. A tipper said that, after delivering the news, an MBTA employee yelped, "Don't kill the messenger!" The employee had reason to be concerned, as finding out one's card has been denied repeatedly makes people snippy. Real snippy.......

Some truck driver decided to make like a college student on move-in day yesterday afternoon. He blithely ignored the height limits on the Big Dig and plowed his way through the I-90 connector. Noah Bierman at the Globe describes the ensuing chaos resulting from the alleged dumbassery: "The trucker had dodged a height restriction, almost, until his load met with the ceiling, causing sparks to fly." While this does not encourage faith in our fellow......

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.......

As more concerns rise about the Big Dig bolts, the Green Line goes on the fritz, and the fact that our tunnels don't have sprinklers, Amtrak is adding its own small voice to the mix. Amtrak must replace railroad ties made of concrete that is starting to crack. The company says that replacing the ties will cost "tens of millions of dollars." Here's the insulting part--Amtrak put the ties in during the 1990s. They should......

Turns out Green Line service is down between Government Center and Lechmere. Here's the T Alert that was sent out: Green Line - Due to a wire problem at North Station. A substitute bus shuttle is operating between Government Center and Lechmere making all local stops. Passengers should utilize Orange Line service to make connections for Haymarket, North Station or Back Bay (for Copley area). Please allow extra time for your commute. 2/28/2008 11:01 AM......

Noah Bierman at the Globe engages in a fun little exercise, comparing commuter-rail schedules from the early 1900s to the ones of today. And he discovers that the trains were faster back then. Here's some of his fine lines about the good old commuter-rail days: Everything that depends on technology moves exponentially faster, it seems. Everything, that is, except commuter rail in Massachusetts. A pair of yellowed train schedules from the first part of the......

Photo credit: sniderscion Torontoist spent its week uncovering who was behind mysterious ads for a drug called "Obay" that popped up across the country (Scientology? Frank Shepard Fairey?), first tracing them to an advocacy group called Colleges Ontario and then confirming their suspicions a few days later.Phillyist learned how to put on a puppet show – it's not as easy as you might think!Shanghaiist discovers that the average starting monthly pay for fresh graduates......