To Submit a Story Idea Call! 617-269-5550|mail@southbostononline.com
Facebook

SBOL_Jeanne

Home/Jeanne Rooney

About Jeanne Rooney

Jeanne Rooney is the Editor in Chief for South Boston Online.
20 02, 2021

Dry Run: Temporary Pool Closure Can’t Stop These Swimmers

2021-02-20T10:37:19-05:00February 20th, 2021|Categories: Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|0 Comments

By Ginger DeShaney  The swim team at the Edgerley Family Boys & Girls Club South Boston has been working out and practicing ... without a pool.  And while that’s been a challenge -- along with the COVID-19 pandemic -- it hasn’t deterred these determined members. The boiler for the pool went out several weeks ago but because of the pandemic, it’s taking a while for it to get fixed, said Tia Ferrie, the Club’s aquatics director and swim coach. So while Tia and the members wait patiently for the pool to reopen, “We switched pool workouts to dry land workouts,” Tia said, noting they usually do a lot of dry land training anyway.  The workouts include calisthenics, rope jumping, and other exercises. The last 20-30 [...]

Read More
18 02, 2021

Smoothie Operators: OTEN Celebrates Successful First Year

2021-02-18T20:01:08-05:00February 18th, 2021|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|0 Comments

 By Ginger DeShaney “Everything we do comes from the heart,” Denisse Tejada said as On The Edge Nutrition (OTEN) celebrated its one-year anniversary in South Boston last Saturday. “It’s heart work; it’s not hard work,” she said.  Denisse along with Yeison Baez have put their hearts and souls into the healthy smoothie bar at 283 Old Colony Ave. and it shows.  With a customer base of 4,000 and at least 100 regulars, the shop is making a name for itself. People travel from Rhode Island and New Hampshire for OTEN’s offerings. And many of those customers stopped by for OTEN’s socially distanced anniversary celebration that included balloons and banners, a DJ spinning tunes, specials, and giveaways. “We started this because we wanted to create change [...]

Read More
11 02, 2021

For the love of cookies: Southie woman turns baking hobby into a business

2021-02-11T20:09:26-05:00February 11th, 2021|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|0 Comments

By Ginger DeShaney The timing was perfect for Katie Rausch. Just as she was turning 30 years old (Feb. 5), she transformed her baking hobby into a business.  “I’m entering a new decade with a new passion,” she said. “I’m so excited. It feels like the right time.” While stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Katie was looking for something to do “other than working and eating my feelings,” she said with an easy laugh. She’d been doing a lot of cooking during COVID and decided to take a baking course online, where she learned about cookies, icing techniques, decorating, and so much more.  She made decorated sugar cookies for family and friends. She made a batch for a friend who was going away [...]

Read More
5 02, 2021

Girl Power! Ollie Group Focuses on Skill Building, Leadership

2021-02-05T21:27:00-05:00February 5th, 2021|Categories: Education, Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Girl Power! Ollie Group Focuses on Skill Building, Leadership

By Ginger DeShaney Callie Eastman knows something about leadership. Through South Boston Neighborhood House’s Girls Group, she’s had training.   “It’s very important to learn about leadership,” said the 14-year-old South Boston resident. ”If you don’t know it, it won’t happen.” Girls Group is an SBNH program for girls ages 10-16 to learn new skills, build social skills, gain leadership skills, and improve interpersonal skills while making lasting friendships. Callie is a member of the Girls Group Ambassadors. These leaders help pick out activities, events, and places to go for the program. “These are girls I can rely on to ... be an example for the younger girls,” said Caitlyn DeCarlo, Education and Career Development Counselor at the Ollie.  Activities and topics for Girls Group include [...]

Read More
30 01, 2021

Cafe Polonia Reopens: Polish Restaurant Under New Management After Hiatus

2021-01-30T15:34:53-05:00January 30th, 2021|Categories: Business, Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Cafe Polonia Reopens: Polish Restaurant Under New Management After Hiatus

By Ginger DeShaney After an almost year-long hiatus, Cafe Polonia is open again! The famed South Boston Polish restaurant is under new management with a pair of hard-working Polish brothers at the helm: Marcin, 32, and Damian Biedrzycki, 24.   But the small, homey restaurant looks the same, the menu is the same, the cooks are the same (amazing Polish mamas), and the food is as good as ever.  “We’ll blow your mind with the taste,” said Marcin. “We offer traditional Polish meals,” Damian said. “It’s nice and filling.” “And you get a solid portion,” Marcin added.  What makes polish food so special? “Everything,” said Marcin, who loves pierogi. The restaurant offers different styles of pierogi: cheese; potato and cheese; cabbage and mushroom; and meat. Damian [...]

Read More
23 01, 2021

After-School Special: Boys & Girls Club Program Provides Some Normalcy

2021-01-23T14:45:08-05:00January 23rd, 2021|Categories: Education, Featured, Happenings|Comments Off on After-School Special: Boys & Girls Club Program Provides Some Normalcy

By Ginger DeShaney The kids in the Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club after-school program are part of something special … especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  “We’re in this thing together. We’re a team; we’re a club,” said Michael Letchfield, Program Director at the Club and the manager of the after-school program. “The kids think, ‘It was a difficult year but my Club was behind me and I was part of something.’ “The members really appreciate what they are getting,” Michael added. “It’s a special deal. The kids feel like partners in this.” Part of the mission of the Club’s after-school program -- especially now -- is to offer a respite.  “We try to provide some normalcy for the kids in this crazy [...]

Read More
22 01, 2021

L Street Station Approved

2021-01-22T10:47:54-05:00January 22nd, 2021|Categories: Featured, News|Comments Off on L Street Station Approved

The Boston Planning and Development Agency (the BPDA) granted approval for a mixed-use redevelopment of the original Edison Power Plant site.  Everyone now residing in South Boston is familiar with the power plant’s massive structure and stacks, which tower over the intersection of L/Summer and First Streets and are painted in shades of brown and pink.  The site’s first groundbreaking took place 122 years ago in 1898.  After a century of supplying electric power (coal-fired for decades), including occasional peak load shaving most recently, the Edison complex was mothballed 15 years ago, is still inaccessible to the public, and will need some environmental remediation. The approved redevelopment project is formally called “L Street Station”; it’s specifically located at the address “776 Summer Street”, and extends [...]

Read More
14 01, 2021

Southie Student Finds His Posse: Thomas White Earns Prestigious Leadership Scholarship

2021-01-14T17:11:16-05:00January 14th, 2021|Categories: Education, Featured|Comments Off on Southie Student Finds His Posse: Thomas White Earns Prestigious Leadership Scholarship

By Ginger DeShaney Thomas White is the epitome of South Boston: hard-working, civic-minded, community-driven, and determined to make a difference. And he will be bringing those Southie qualities to Bucknell University next fall as a Posse Scholar.  The son of Anna and Langdon White, Thomas was officially announced as a Posse Scholar last week when he met the nine other students in his Posse.  “Southie has a strong community,” said Thomas, a senior at Boston Latin School. “I was scared of losing that sense of community when I went to school.” But the students in his Posse at Bucknell will have Thomas’ back and he’ll have theirs.  The prestigious leadership scholarship covers tuition for all four years at Bucknell, a highly regarded private liberal arts [...]

Read More
12 01, 2021

Get in the Habit! Longtime Southie boutique keeps neighborhood fashionable

2021-01-12T16:22:07-05:00January 12th, 2021|Categories: Business, Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Get in the Habit! Longtime Southie boutique keeps neighborhood fashionable

By Ginger DeShaney When Pam Santorelli opened her boutique Habit at 703 E. Broadway almost 15 years ago, she received amazing support from the neighborhood.  “There was a lot of positive energy. We had a successful opening,” Pam said. “We got such a great response from the neighborhood. It pushed us to move forward.” That support remains strong today. When COVID-19 forced Habit, a women's clothing, accessories, and gift boutique, to close its doors for two and half months, right at the start of the busy season, the tight-knit Southie community was there for Pam. “We’re hanging in there,” she said. “We had a great response from the neighborhood. People want to shop small, which is so appreciated.” Christmas sales were good, again thanks to [...]

Read More
8 01, 2021

The Art of Giving: Local Woman Uses Her Talent to Help Others 

2021-01-08T21:56:21-05:00January 8th, 2021|Categories: Business, Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on The Art of Giving: Local Woman Uses Her Talent to Help Others 

By Ginger DeShaney Erica Hagler Erica Hagler uses her superpowers for good.  The South Boston artist has a passion for employing her talent to give back to the community. “If you have a talent, you should share it with people,” she said. “It feels really good to give back.” Erica’s mom instilled in her family the importance of giving back. The family fed the homeless every Thanksgiving; they donated toys to families in need; they saved extra toiletries to give out to people in need.  So it’s no surprise that Erica is involved in charitable giving every chance she gets. In November and December, Erica organized “The Art of Giving.” This project was born when Erica was sitting in her kitchen thinking, “I [...]

Read More
© Copyright | South Boston Online | All Rights Reserved
Facebook
Go to Top