News

By: Tara Kerrigan Hayes The surge is coming. The word is out. So, why then, are the people? The stats are everywhere and the outlook is grim. Despite the US death toll eclipsing China’s and continuing to rise at a staggering rate, it seems, for some, the severity of the situation is simply not sinking in. New York infectious disease epidemiologist, John Smith, succinctly conveyed how an outbreak like the Coronavirus spreads exponentially, “if your son visits his girlfriend, and you later sneak over for coffee with a neighbor, your neighbor is now connected to the infected office worker that your son’s girlfriend’s mother shook hands with”. Consider the power behind that fact, (and it is, indeed, a fact). Conversely, any break in that chain [...]

It was a full house at the Curley Center on Day Boulevard last evening, the 30th.   Several hundred concerned residents of South Boston and members of the Curley Center from all over the City (and beyond) showed up for the first introductory community meeting about the project to renew the Curley Community Center – commonly known as “the L”.   The meeting convened right at 6 p.m.  It took the following format:  Overview, Challenges, Opportunities, Schedule, and Discussion (including a Question-and-Answer session that lasted for nearly an hour).  Boston’s City of Operations Patrick Brophy hosted the meeting. South Boston Online is referring to this project as a “renewal” for several reasons.  The project as described at Monday’s meeting will deal with every portion of the L’s [...]

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the City of Boston will be installing opioid overdose reversal kits in municipal buildings, thanks to a $30,000 donation from Aetna. The donation will be used to install kits containing the overdose reversal medication naloxone (Narcan), clear instructions for its use, and other medical supplies to assist individuals who experience an overdose. Prior to implementation, the Mayor's Office of Recovery Services will offer on-site voluntary overdose prevention and naloxone administration trainings to all interested City employees. "Increasing access to naloxone has been a core strategy in the City's approach to countering the opioid epidemic," said Mayor Walsh. "The unfortunate reality is that overdoses occur in all parts of our City, including in and around City buildings. By ensuring that [...]

It was a busy end of May, with all the usual Memorial Day weekend remembrances taking place.  The (unofficial) beginning of summer around here was blessed with fine, sunny weather.  There was more good news as well, especially since it concerns our own local summer enjoyment:  South Boston’s surrounding bay, harbor, and open ocean waters are virtually 100% clean, according to actual scientific test results, which were reported to South Boston Online by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay last weekend (Sunday, May 26).  Over the last six years (2013-2018), all of South Boston’s beaches have averaged between 98% and 100% cleanliness.  The figure of 98% cleanliness is the equivalent of failing the weekly tests just once in a full, two-year period.  The figure of 100% [...]

By Tara Kerrigan Hayes The familiar sounds of screeching tires and tearing metal rang through the neighborhood yet again last week, at the corner of L and East 6th.  While no injuries were sustained in this particular crash, it was another stark reminder that this notoriously dangerous intersection is still exactly that – dangerous. Local residents continue to express concerns for their safety ten months after the fatal accident that claimed the life of 2-year-old Colin McGrath and injured his 4-year-old sister, Sloane. “People are racing from the light at L and 8th to make the light at L and 5th, and vice versa”, says a local resident, (who prefers to remain anonymous), who narrowly escaped being struck by a car at the same intersection [...]

By Mayor Martin J. Walsh Every spring, we release our Capital Investment Plan which funds the critical improvements to our infrastructure and facilities in Boston over a five-year period. It is a reflection of our priorities, and is guided by the voices of over 15,000 residents who offered input for our citywide plan, Imagine Boston 2030. Our Capital Plan funds the essentials of community life -- our schools, streets, libraries, and parks, including climate and resilience projects. It’s a commitment to all those who call Boston home and to our future generations. Here in South Boston, we’re making investments across a wide range of projects, including parks and open space, streets and transportation, our schools’ infrastructure, and our delivery of City services.  We’re allocating much [...]

Submitted by Ray Flynn Former Mayor of Boston and lifelong resident of South Boston Men and women on their way to work, union members, MBTA employees and politicians always found Mul’s a comfortable spot to meet and have breakfast or lunch. It opens at 5 a.m. and closes just after noon.  The food was great and the price was right.  Now this working-class restaurant located in the Lower End of South Boston could be next to fall victim to development. Joe Mulrey, the original owner, built the popular diner and worked hard at it, along with his wife. Everybody liked and trusted both.  My family and the Mulrey’s not only grew up in the Lower End of Southie, but we also attended the same schools, [...]

Stop & Shop Workers Rally at South Bay with Support from Former Vice President Joe Biden      The work stoppage at Stop & Shop began just over a week ago.  The stoppage is a strike that was called late last Wednesday (effective Thursday morning, the 11th) by the voting members and the officials of United Food & Commercial Workers Union (the UFCW).   It is a large strike action, perhaps the largest such strike in this century, at least in New England.  The number on strike is over 30,000; Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are affected. Today, Stop & Shop at South Bay held a rally and in attendance was Former Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor Marty Walsh.      

By Rick Winterson   The Virgin Mary is often referred to as “Our Lady of Sorrows”.  Beginning with the Prophecy of Simeon, and ending with the Burial of her Son Jesus Christ, Mary (or Miriam, if you prefer) suffered Seven Sorrows.  Four of these intense Sorrows were directly connected with the First Easter weekend – Jesus carrying the burden of the Cross, His Crucifixion and Death, the removal of His body from the Cross, and His burial – all of which took place on the first Good Friday. And now there is an Eighth Sorrow for the Virgin Mary to bear at Eastertime. It’s the loss by fire of her Cathedral in France – the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris.  Notre Dame might be [...]