About Jeanne Rooney

Jeanne Rooney is the Editor in Chief for South Boston Online.
10 05, 2020

Mother’s Day COVID-19 Style

2020-05-10T08:12:44-04:00May 10th, 2020|Categories: Featured, Happenings|Comments Off on Mother’s Day COVID-19 Style

Brianne Fitzgerald RN, NP, MPH A mother never has a day off, whether you are a front line worker in a grocery store, EMT or emergency room doctor.  A mother never has a day off, whether you are managing a Zoom meeting from home trying to homeschool two children under the age of 12, and carving out extra time to trek to the grocery store.  A mother never has a day off, even if she sits alone and knits her anxieties away, worrying about her grown children and her grandchildren.  Add the vicissitudes of COVID- 19 to the mix, and many of us are left breathless. Today is a special Mother's Day.  There will be no Lilac tours at the Arboretum,  The 24th Annual Mother’s [...]

9 05, 2020

A Laboure Auction for Unsettled Times

2020-05-09T08:48:09-04:00May 9th, 2020|Categories: Featured, Happenings|Comments Off on A Laboure Auction for Unsettled Times

All of us realize these are unsettled times, and you know the reason why – the COVID-19 pandemic. One resulting problem is a “budget gap” encountered by South Boston’s Laboure Center at D and Broadway. Due to the pandemic, Laboure deferred its 38th Annual Spring Reception, which was originally planned for April 30, until Thursday evening, September 17 – over four full months from now. The Spring Reception is Laboure’s biggest single fundraiser, and their fiscal year begins in July, so there is an urgent need for funds to cover this “budget gap”.  The ingenious folks at Laboure have come up with a great idea to do this. They’ve arranged an auction, all of which will be held completely online for pandemic safety purposes, that [...]

7 05, 2020

A Call to Fix the Flaws of the PPP

2020-05-07T12:41:00-04:00May 7th, 2020|Categories: Business, Featured|Comments Off on A Call to Fix the Flaws of the PPP

By Tara Kerrigan Hayes For many business owners, the Payroll Protection Program sounded like a saving grace. Until they read the fine print. The forgivable loan, designed to incentivize small business owners to get employees back on payroll, was plagued with issues from the beginning. From false starts to larger companies overshadowing the smaller businesses, there was a frenzied sense of urgency to get the money before it was depleted. Then money was gone. Then there was more. Small business owners scrambled to re-apply, many with a loose understanding of how, precisely, the guidelines worked, but desperately seeking a life support to one day reopen their doors. The general requirements, according to the Small Business Association website, is that, “the loan will be fully forgiven [...]

29 04, 2020

Birthday Motorcade Marks Ottavio Cerullo’s 99th

2020-04-29T08:40:40-04:00April 29th, 2020|Categories: Featured, Happenings|Comments Off on Birthday Motorcade Marks Ottavio Cerullo’s 99th

   It was a memorable event Sunday morning.  Ottavio “Ott” Cerullo, 99 years of age, viewed a motorcade assembled to mark his birthday properly.  You may ask – also quite properly – “What about Social Distancing?”  Well, the South Boston friends of Ott fully recognized the need for Social Distancing.  They assembled in the unused parking lot by the Boston Teachers Union, proceeded along Day Boulevard, made a U-turn onto Columbia Road, and then drove by Compass on the Bay where Ott now lives.  All participants in the motorcade stayed in their cars as they drove by, honking and cheering Ott.    All of the Compass staff were arrayed at safe distances from Ott and his sister Yolanda, and of course they all wore masks.  [...]

28 04, 2020

MEDIA UPDATE:  COVID-19 TESTING AND MARIAN MANOR

2020-04-28T17:32:07-04:00April 28th, 2020|Categories: Featured, News|Comments Off on MEDIA UPDATE:  COVID-19 TESTING AND MARIAN MANOR

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marian Manor in South Boston has taken numerous steps to support good hygiene, strong infection control and social distancing, all while providing the highly compassionate, high quality care for which it has long been recognized.  Today Marian Manor shared updated data about COVID-19 testing at is South Boston skilled nursing facility. Consistent with initial Department of Public Health recommendations, Marian Manor originally tested only symptomatic residents for COVID-19.  As of this past weekend, we were able to test nearly all our residents, with the support of DPH and the MA National Guard.  To date, we have a total of 103 COVID-19 positive residents a significant portion of the COVID-19 positive residents remain asymptomatic. We are saddened to report [...]

18 04, 2020

From the South Boston Health Center, with Love

2020-04-18T13:01:47-04:00April 18th, 2020|Categories: Featured, Happenings|Comments Off on From the South Boston Health Center, with Love

In a recent Easter morning Facebook post, veteran newsmaker Dan Rather wrote “I think of grief, struggle and loss, but also a conviction that love and community can be fountains of hope for the future”. It stuck a cord, because love and community have always been at the heart of the mission at South Boston Community Health Center. We are used to supporting our community members through sickness and struggle and also by promoting ways to stay healthy and strong. What has been truly humbling is the community’s support of us in this time of great challenge and consequence. So we wanted to take a moment, in the middle of the insanity, to tell you how much your support has meant to all of us [...]

14 04, 2020

South Boston Residents Step Up to Deliver Groceries

2020-04-14T09:48:37-04:00April 14th, 2020|Categories: Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on South Boston Residents Step Up to Deliver Groceries

It was late on a Friday afternoon when the South Boston Neighborhood Aid Hotline received a call from a hospital social worker: A young woman was about to be released from the hospital. She was still very sick, and had no family or friends to help make sure there was food in her apartment for the weekend. “I’ve been making call after call just trying to find this woman some food. Someone said you might have volunteers who could help?” Within an hour, South Boston residents had stepped up to shop and deliver groceries to her door, and were even standing by to help walk her dog. None of the volunteers knew the woman, but that didn’t matter. Continuing a long tradition of neighbors helping [...]

13 04, 2020

South Boston Convention Center Facility adds 1,000 beds to Massachusetts’ Healthcare System

2020-04-13T15:26:37-04:00April 13th, 2020|Categories: Featured, News|Comments Off on South Boston Convention Center Facility adds 1,000 beds to Massachusetts’ Healthcare System

Union construction workers are answering the call for more hospital beds, converting the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center into a 1,000 bed field hospital in just 3 days.  With the state's health care system facing a shortfall of thousands of beds, members from Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 worked around the clock to adapt the convention center's air system for the enormous temporary hospital.  Currently, there are over 40 patients (sixteen homeless) occupying the facility. Local 17 members working at J.C. Cannistraro had just days to complete the project before patients arrived. They jumped into action, adding filtration, modifying the rooftop ventilation units, and preparing isolation rooms to keep everyone safe. "Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 went above and beyond what’s expected of them," said [...]

8 04, 2020

Ideas to Keep Kids Entertained During The Coronavirus

2020-04-08T11:00:18-04:00April 8th, 2020|Categories: Featured, Lifestyle|Comments Off on Ideas to Keep Kids Entertained During The Coronavirus

By: Tara Kerrigan Hayes These are scary times for everyone, including our children, so it’s important not just to occupy our kids, but also to find ways to emotionally support them. In an effort to capitalize on this unexpected gift of family time, (while struggling to keep our sanity in tact), I’ve compiled a list of activity ideas for indoors, outdoors, and even online, (gasp). Let’s face it, the war against screen time rages on. So for the times you can’t beat ‘em - join ‘em, (literally), and explore the world together without leaving your living room. There are countless virtual tours and webcams, (both entertaining and educational), for kids of all ages with varying interests: Future travelers: Transport your family to Paris, France by [...]

6 04, 2020

WHAT YOU DO IS APPRECIATED

2020-04-06T12:53:40-04:00April 6th, 2020|Categories: Featured, News|Comments Off on WHAT YOU DO IS APPRECIATED

Brianne Fitzgerald RN, NP So starts the Queen's speech to the citizens of Great Britain yesterday.  As we enter what is expected to be the most challenging phase of our collective Covid-19 experience, I beg all of us to follow both Mayor Walsh and Governor Baker's directives.  Specific to what Boston Mayor Walsh said on Sunday that there are real and manageable recommendations to follow. We do not live in a dictatorship.  We are expected to use common sense and follow the guidelines laid out by our leaders voluntarily.  These guidelines are more than reasonable and by following them you will do your part, perhaps save a life or flatten the curve.  In case you still need a few more deadening statistics to move you [...]

Go to Top