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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 [...]

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. [...]

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