Happenings

  Gleaming new buildings are springing up like mushrooms all over South Boston, along with upscale restaurants and trendy boutiques. In this atmosphere of plenty it’s hard to imagine that there are more than a few people in the neighborhood who are hurting and hungry. But hurting and hungry they are.  Ten years ago, Dr. Nisha Thakrar, pediatrician and Chief Medical Officer at South Boston Community Health Center approached the CEO, Bill Halpin, with a concern. She had patients who weren’t making it to the end of the month with their food supply. She had several moms who had to make the choice to forgo a meal so their children could eat.  Halpin and Susan LaPaglia, the Director of Administrative Services spearheaded a food drive. [...]

by Rick Winterson  Last Wednesday morning, October 3, Artists for Humanity cut the ribbon on its 30,000 square foot expansion.  For several years now, Artists for Humanity has occupied its clean-lined building at the intersection of A and Second Streets. This building opened in 2004. It is called “The EpiCenter”, a word that means the point on the earth’s surface directly above an earthquake. The EpiCenter has served thousands of young artists, who have generated a true “earthquake” of creativity in Boston since then.  Led by Susan Rodgerson, its Founding Executive/Artistic Director, Artists for Humanity began working with young artists in 1993, using donated space in the old Boston Wharf warehouses along A Street. When Boston Wharf sold their properties, Artists for Humanity moved to [...]

By Richard Campbell The Massachusetts State of Awareness Day which is part of the International Awareness Movement on the prevention and cure for addictions held a passionate public outreach event this past Saturday August 31 at the Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common. The day, which was proclaimed by Governor Charlie Baker, hosted multiple addiction and recovery organizations.  The event, supported by Wahl Street Productions, (Mark and James Wahlberg) who are behind the film: The Circle of Addiction: A Different Kind of Tears, was attended by many families who showed placards and T-shirts in memory of their loved ones.  The International Awareness Day originated in Melbourne Australia in 2001 and has grown along with the epidemic that it hopes to end.  The speakers were predominately activists [...]

Lower Speeds, Traffic Calming To Improve Road Safety For All Last week, Boston City Councilors Ed Flynn and Frank Baker called for a hearing to examine the merits of lowering the speed limit in the City of Boston to 20 MPH, unless otherwise posted, as well as a discussion of other traffic calming measures to improve road safety for all. The speed limit in the city was most recently lowered from 30 MPH to 25 MPH on January 9, 2017 as part of the city’s Vision Zero initiative, no serious or fatal crashes in Boston by 2030. The order has been sent to the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation. “In the final analysis, Councilor Baker and I want to open up this dialogue to [...]

by Rick Winterson Like a lot of people, some of us take our structures for granted. And that’s understandable, since many of the things we build, especially those built with bricks and mortar, last longer than almost everyone’s lifetime. A good example of this is the Bandstand in Marine Park – an initial search for the background of the Bandstand turned up records going back to 1935 – 83 years ago. The search still continues, further into the past. And like any structure, time takes its toll, even if it’s only slowly. There are visible cracks in the mortar between the Bandstand’s bricks, from top to bottom. And most pf the surfaces exposed to the weather need renewing, followed by a good coat of exterior [...]

By Richard Campbell South Boston residents, city planners, landscape architects, and stakeholders of all backgrounds met at the Tierney Learning Center this past Thursday night for three hours of exploration on the future of Moakley Park. This was the most recent installment of several meetings to engage stakeholders from the neighborhood to give input into how South Boston envisions the Moakley Park area reinvented to withstand climate change, and to grow its role in the community as a place of recreational culture in the not too distant future. Some perceive this “future” as happening way down the road, but when talking with Boston Parks Commissioner, Chris Cook, that future is more in his mind as a few years away, when he and the team the [...]

By Tara Kerrigan Hayes Inspiration can strike at any moment, from the most unexpected of places. Just ask Navy Veteran and South Boston Native, Michael Aldred, who fortuitously ventured down a new career path when he transformed an empty booze bottle into what would ultimately become merchandise for his local, budding business. He was taking out recycles after a long night of tending bar when an idea came to him. “This bourbon bottle caught my eye, when I decided to take something potentially destructive and turn it into something constructive”, Michael said. “I thought it would just be a fun hobby, turning liquor bottles into candles, to occupy my time.” As a novice wine enthusiast, Michael began to see all bottles and labels in a [...]