SBOL_Jeanne

  by Rick Winterson   Last Friday, there was an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal (still America’s best newspaper).  And it was on the front page, yet.  Entitled “Come to Our Stores – They’re Absolutely Not in a Mall”, this article described a new trend in America, a trend away from calling shopping centers “Malls”.  In a spectacular display of poor English, the article quoted one marketeer as saying, “This Mall needed to de-mall.”  Sigh-h-h! But bad English aside, the term “Mall” is derived from “pall-mall”, an urban game that was played 400 years ago in alleyways with a small wooden ball, something like a muscle-bound version of croquet.  Yes, “Mall” derives from the Queen’s English.  But no, it’s not a word describing [...]

by Rick Winterson      There are seven neighborhood civic organizations in South Boston.  They generally meet on a monthly basis to review crime statistics, proposed developments, and specific neighborhood controversies.  Since it’s early in 2018, South Boston Online will be reporting on these civic meetings, with an emphasis on key controversies that could be of general interest.  In our last issue (January 11, page three), we wrote about the City Point Neighborhood Association and their zoning controversies. For this issue, we covered the meeting of ASCA - the Andrew Square Civic Association.  Two key issues emerged:  The location of (now legal) pot shops in and around Andrew Square, and proposed route changes for the 2018 St. Patrick’s/Evacuation Day Parade. Ed Flynn, the newly inaugurated [...]

By Richard Campbell Students searching for a professional career that is near recession proof need look no further than the piping hot nursing field. Massachusetts is projected as one of ten states accounting for half the total job growth in this sector in the nation, with the profession is sitting upon an expected job growth at 16% between now and 2024.  While anticipated income is probably not the primary reason for students to enter into nursing programs, a college graduate in a BSN program now would be set to earn about $63,000 annually.  With many nurses in Massachusetts getting older, the demand will only increase as current staffs expect a wave of retirements. Nursing is a highly professionalized career track that is very demanding mentally, [...]

by Rick Winterson      By now, you’ll have heard that a decision has been made concerning the Gate of Heaven School building, on East Fourth Street next to the Church.  It is to be completely demolished. The demolition will begin this coming spring, and will be completed later in this year of 2018.  Most of the “footprint” now occupied by the school building and the parking area around it will be turned into a larger, income-generating parking lot with nearly 100 spaces.  Certain decorative elements (the finials) from the school building will be preserved by emplacing them alongside the west wall of the Gate of Heaven Church.  With appropriate plantings and landscaping, this will form a sort of “memorial walkway”. This is the culmination [...]

by the Roving Reporter      Your Roving Reporter took a trip to see his grandchildren in England during the “first to the seventh Days of Christmas”.  The trip began with the traditional English Boxing Day dinner and celebration on December 26.  Boxing Day originated as a way to reward servants who worked serving their masters on Christmas Day itself.  These servants got December 26 off, which they spent with their own families.  They were each given a “box” for their families that contained money, warm clothes, or even gourmet food.  In the 1800s, English merchants would often do something similar for their business employees. The English weather, notably milder than here in Boston, was actually springlike.  A day’s walk was a pleasure, especially inside [...]

by Rick Winterson      The recent snowstorm was quite a storm – no doubt about that.  It combined three serious and forceful conditions at more or less exactly the same time. The intensity of the snowfall was remarkable – up to three inches of fall per hour on Thursday afternoon, which created essentially white-out conditions.  This continued into Friday morning before sunrise. In addition, temperatures took a dive, beginning (oddly enough) as the storm was ending and culminating on Sunday morning with a record of -5 degrees (F) below zero, even though the sun had just risen.  Because of the stiff north wind, wind-chill factors dove to -15 degrees (F) below zero – a treacherous level. Furthermore, the high tides, about an hour after [...]

by Rick Winterson   All of the neighborhoods in the more residential areas of South Boston have civic organizations that look out for key issues and the well-being of their residents, as well as fostering social, “good neighbor” activities in their areas.  There are seven of these civic organizations; they generally meet monthly. It is January of 2018.  South Boston Online plans on covering certain of these civic meetings early in the year, and then reporting on those issues that might have interest for all of South Boston during 2018.  The CPNA (City Point Neighborhood Association) met last night – Tuesday, January 09.  Two key issues, both dealing with zoning, were prime topics of discussion. The first issue involved the actual application to City Point [...]