About Jeanne Rooney

Jeanne Rooney is the Editor in Chief for South Boston Online.
8 06, 2023

Timothy (Doc) Cook Scholarship Recipients Honored

2023-06-08T20:01:12-04:00June 8th, 2023|Categories: Education, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|0 Comments

Twelve outstanding students who have demonstrated community involvement and an understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder and its effects have been awarded Timothy (Doc) Cook Scholarships. The scholarships are given in memory of Tim Cook, a Navy Corpsman who brought medical care to wounded soldiers on the battlefield. He was 28 years old in March 2013 when he lost his battle with PTSD from his combat experiences. The scholarship recipients were honored Sunday at a ceremony at the Thomas J. Fitzgerald VFW Post 561 attended by veterans, City Council President Ed Flynn, Rep. David Biele, outgoing Boston Police VFW 1018 Commander Craig DeOld, and friends and family. “The Timothy (Doc) Cook Foundation is dedicated to educating our youth and increasing awareness of PTS/PTSD within our community,” [...]

1 06, 2023

South Boston Farmers Market Opens June 5

2023-06-01T12:11:52-04:00June 1st, 2023|Categories: Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|0 Comments

It’s farmers market time again! The South Boston Farmers Market opens for business on Monday, June 5 in front of the municipal parking lot at 446 W. Broadway. Riverdale Farm will be back with its array of fruit, vegetables, eggs, and honey. But the hours have changed for this year. The market will open at 11 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. On the first day, market attendees can expect a sausage cart and Jennifer Lee’s baked goods.  Courtney Mulligan, the new farmers market manager for South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation, is excited about her new role and the new season. The farmers market “brings a lot more light to the community. It's nice to see how many people buy produce there and support local [...]

31 05, 2023

Sen. Collins’ Proposal to Convert Decommissioned Ship Into Floating Hospital Passes

2023-05-31T07:07:10-04:00May 31st, 2023|Categories: Featured, News|0 Comments

Amendment Would Study Ship Use for Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Recovery Services The Massachusetts Senate has approved legislation to convert a cruise ship into The Floating Hospital for Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Recovery, taking a page from the Commonwealth’s public health history – to create new temporary housing, medical and supportive services for those battling substance use disorder and mental health issues, including those camped out in the Mass and Cass neighborhood of Boston. “For years now, the situation at Mass & Cass and throughout our city and Commonwealth have worsened without suitable state intervention,” said Senator Collins. “Now is the time to pursue new, creative ideas to address a humanitarian crisis affecting thousands of people and families throughout the area. The Floating [...]

25 05, 2023

Southie Scholar: Henry Gailunas

2023-05-25T15:18:28-04:00May 25th, 2023|Categories: Education, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Southie Scholar: Henry Gailunas

By Carol Masshardt Education is connected to service for Catholic Memorial graduate, 18-year-old Henry Gailunas. Many peers are headed to college, but this graduate is choosing a different route and one that is driven by knowledge of how he learns and how he wants to contribute. After six years at CM, he is taking a “gap year” to continue working full time at Fat Baby and Petula’s restaurants in South Boston, where he worked since interning as part of the Neighborhood House program. Then, he plans to enter either the Coast Guard or Marines or work in a union position. His ultimate goal is to follow the examples of his grandfather and father and become a firefighter. “My parents (Peter Gailunas and Maureen Dahill) support [...]

12 05, 2023

New Jewelry with Familiar Name on East Broadway

2023-05-12T07:25:37-04:00May 12th, 2023|Categories: Business, Featured|Comments Off on New Jewelry with Familiar Name on East Broadway

By Carol Masshardt The Calnan name is synonymous with jewelry in South Boston, and in recent months Joe Calnan’s nephew, Carson, has opened at 705 E. Broadway. His emphasis on expert repair and using the newest technology for custom design reflects the changes in the possibilities of jewelry and his own impressive talents. He also holds the imagine of an uncle connected to the community and the people he served. Carson Calnan Pitts grew up near Albany, NY, but he seems double rooted in South Boston, where his extended family lives. In fact, his middle name was intended as legacy for his mother’s family. “I used to see my Uncle Joe work at the North Bennett St. School, where jewelry making was taught, and it [...]

1 05, 2023

It Takes a Community: Fran Dempsey

2023-05-01T09:39:50-04:00May 1st, 2023|Categories: Business, Featured|Comments Off on It Takes a Community: Fran Dempsey

By Carol Masshardt It is rare for a community to have an auto mechanic that seems to be universally trusted, and one in love what he has been doing since the early 1970’s. South Boston can count itself among the lucky with Fran Dempsey of Fran’s Auto Body on 43 Preble St. “I’m a Southie guy,” said Fran as if this phrase alone told the story of his growing up on L. St., working at “Billy Higgins Exon” and Emerson Auto before opening his own place in 1993. “It’s pretty simple,” he said. “This is my town and I love what I have been doing, and all my customers. I do the right thing and word gets around.” Now at sixty-eight, a father of four [...]

28 04, 2023

Piping Plovers Delay Opening of Curley Community Center

2023-04-28T11:00:21-04:00April 28th, 2023|Categories: News|Comments Off on Piping Plovers Delay Opening of Curley Community Center

by Rick Winterson Lately, a persistent rumor has been circulating around South Boston:  That the opening of the long-awaited Curley Community Center has been delayed further by the presence of a dozen or so piping plovers, who migrated onto the Center’s beach in April.  Members of Boston’s City Council have informed us that the Center’s opening actually depends on receiving various permits, which are expected “Soon”.  We have heard from environmentalists that a “Beach Management Plan” needs to be approved as well.  Here in South Boston, two fenced-off areas have been established for the piping plovers that arrived on the Curley Center beach.  In the meantime, the completed Curley Center is undergoing a thorough cleaning, but no specific opening date has been set.  The necessary [...]

21 04, 2023

New Neighborhood Hangout: Petula’s Set to Open in Early May

2023-04-21T11:32:07-04:00April 21st, 2023|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on New Neighborhood Hangout: Petula’s Set to Open in Early May

By Ginger DeShaney When Rachel Titcomb was growing up, she started her day with Petula Clark. Now she wants her Southie neighbors to start their day with Petula’s.  “My mom really loved Petula Clark,” Rachel said. “She would blast Petula Clark every morning to wake me and my siblings up. It put us in such a good mood.” That’s the idea behind the name of her new restaurant at 81 L Street: Petula’s. “My sisters and brothers have flashbacks. There was a lot of Petula Clark going on in my house,” she laughs. Petula’s will be an all-day restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is set to open in early May, starting with dinner service, and by June, breakfast and lunch will be added. [...]

14 04, 2023

It Takes a Community: Belinda Scott

2023-04-14T09:56:16-04:00April 14th, 2023|Categories: Featured, Happenings|Comments Off on It Takes a Community: Belinda Scott

By Carol Masshardt What does it take to serve as a crossing guard at one of the most chaotic and dangerous intersections in South Boston? You may know the rotary near St. Monica’s Church that connects Old Colony Ave., Prebble St. and Columbia Rd., but perhaps not as well as Belinda Scott who firmly and lovingly manages five directions of traffic, a rotary that could elicit aggression in a lamb, and pedestrians, carriages, bikes, and wheelchairs. It is the epitome of an urban streetscape. It is here that she has navigated since 2017, interrupted by some pandemic gaps, with care, humor, confidence and grace. Guiding people is not new to Belinda, now in her sixth decade. Mother of children, biological, adopted and fostered, she now [...]

13 04, 2023

Crafting a Side Hustle: Kathryn Rizzo Creates Leather Items by Hand, with Love

2023-04-13T17:57:05-04:00April 13th, 2023|Categories: Business, Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Crafting a Side Hustle: Kathryn Rizzo Creates Leather Items by Hand, with Love

By Ginger DeShaney The amount of leather Kathryn Rizzo watched get tossed during her time working for a luxury handbag designer in New York sparked a passion.                        She had a boss who handed her a full leather hide – you could still see the shape of the cow – and asked her to get rid of it or make something out of it. At the time, Kathryn didn’t have the space in her tiny apartment or the know-how on what to do with that hide, but it stuck with her for years. “I think about how much I've thrown out now and it hurts my soul,” she said. During her time in the New [...]

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