About Jeanne Rooney

Jeanne Rooney is the Editor in Chief for South Boston Online.
    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 [...]

      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 [...]

        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 [...]

          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 [...]

            1 01, 2021

            Ringing in the New Year: Polar Plunge

            2021-01-01T15:53:51-05:00January 1st, 2021|Categories: Featured, Happenings, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Ringing in the New Year: Polar Plunge

            Despite the cancellation of the L Street Brownies New Year's Day plunge, people still flocked to the beach to take a dip. According to Sarah-Jo Sinnott, Elvira Stridsberg, and Jo Davies -- the Tribal Dippers -- plunging into the cold water releases tension and stress. Since March, the trio has been plunging every Friday to help deal with the pandemic.  A group of Southie guys, led by Colin Burnett, took the plunge and vow to make it an annual event. Even families got into the fun. And then there's Tim Regan, who has been plunging for 30 years and is always the last one out of the water. Happy New Year! (PHOTOS BY GINGER DeSHANEY)                     [...]

              31 12, 2020

              Island Treasure: Pandemic Doesn’t Stop Sully’s from Serving Great Food

              2020-12-31T16:54:49-05:00December 31st, 2020|Categories: Business, Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Island Treasure: Pandemic Doesn’t Stop Sully’s from Serving Great Food

              By Ginger DeShaney Kizito Paganini When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, management at Sullivan’s at Castle Island rallied to keep serving its loyal customers. “It’s been pretty good for a bad year,” said Kizito Paganini, director of operations for Sullivan’s, a South Boston institution. “We made the best of a bad time.” Paganini started with Sullivan’s in January 2020. The restaurant opened in February as usual but by March 13had to shut its doors because of the pandemic.  “We needed time to close down and rearrange how we do business,” Paganini said. Management discussed safety measures, social distancing, flow, and new ways of doing things.  That creative process came up with: A new way to order in person; Online ordering; Catering services. Sully’s opened [...]

                30 12, 2020

                The “Friends of Donny Nave and Katie” Raffle Winners

                2020-12-30T09:01:55-05:00December 30th, 2020|Categories: Featured, Happenings|Comments Off on The “Friends of Donny Nave and Katie” Raffle Winners

                The committee gathered and would like to announce that due to the current and ongoing COVID pandemic the “Friends of Donny Nave and Katie” committee decided to draw the 50-50 raffle and the other raffle prizes that our sponsors have generously donated. It has become obvious that we cannot safely and legally have the friendship party that we originally envisioned running. We used the 50-50 raffle tickets to draw all prizes, so that the folks who have purchased one of those tickets had the opportunity to win more than just the 50-50 raffle prize.   We regret that we could not move forward with our original plans and would like to thank the Committee, our sponsors, and all of Donny’s great “friends” who have generously contributed [...]

                  30 12, 2020

                  ‘Tis the Season… to Uplift Others

                  2020-12-30T07:56:43-05:00December 30th, 2020|Categories: Featured, Happenings|Comments Off on ‘Tis the Season… to Uplift Others

                  By: Tara Kerrigan Hayes It’s that time of year again for our favorite holiday re-runs, and if you’ve ever watched the hit film, Love Actually, you’ve experienced the pull of your heartstrings before the first character is even introduced. You can credit the opening sequence, with its flood of images from the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport years ago; a tender montage of loved ones reuniting and enthusiastically embracing one another. Mothers, fathers, friends, lovers, leap eagerly into each others arms, kissing, hugging, crying tears of joy, as Hugh Grant’s voice tenderly narrates about how “love is everywhere”. As you watch the blissful expressions of these real life people – not actors – there is an unmistakable air of gratitude for the relationships. The raw [...]

                    29 12, 2020

                    Learning to Adapt: South Boston Club Offers Remote Program

                    2020-12-29T17:03:02-05:00December 29th, 2020|Categories: Education, Featured|Comments Off on Learning to Adapt: South Boston Club Offers Remote Program

                    By Ginger DeShaney  It has been a tremendous challenge for parents to juggle their jobs AND their young kids’ remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston created the Remote Learning Program to help provide relief. The Edgerley Family South Boston Club is part of this innovation. Enrolled students “go to school” at the Club, where they log onto their computers for Zoom classes with their teachers. “The parents are definitely appreciative of what we are able to provide for their kids,” said Harry Duvall, the executive director of the South Boston Club. “There’s definite value in creating conditions where students can learn and study.” The Club offers a place that’s welcoming, safe, and comfortable, with an expectation of learning. [...]

                      26 12, 2020

                      At your convenience: Crossroads Mart delivers on customer service

                      2020-12-26T18:25:45-05:00December 26th, 2020|Categories: Business, Featured|Comments Off on At your convenience: Crossroads Mart delivers on customer service

                      By Ginger DeShaney Before August, Prabin Dhar had never worked behind a register. Now he’s working a register almost every day at his new convenience store, Crossroads Mart, at 673 East Broadway (the site of a former 7-Eleven). The store is open from 6 a.m. to midnight every day. After 12 years as a dog walker and trainer with his business, Canine Superstars, Dhar was ready for a new challenge and jumped into the retail market. (Dhar’s Canine Superstars is still in business with a friend taking care of the dogs.) “I had been looking for a good business,” he said. “I was looking for the right opportunity.”  Sandesh Prajapati, now his business partner, called him one day out of the blue and let him [...]

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