Democrats, Republicans Square Off in First Debate
It was a big week in the race for U.S. Senate, with both Republican and Democratic candidates facing off for the first time in a debate Wednesday night. Candidates running in the April primary faced each other in two 30-minute debates in an event sponsored by the Boston Media Consortium and held at the WCVB-TV, Channel 5 studios in Needham. Congressmen Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) and Edward Markey (D-Malden) went several rounds on the topic of health care reform in the first debate between the two Democrats. The two also sparred over bank bailouts. Write-in Democratic candidate Brett Rhyne was not at the debate. Republicans also faced each other for the first time in their own debate immediately following Lynch and Markey. Candidates Dan Winslow (R-Norfolk), former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez and former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan leaned on their diverse backgrounds to explain positions on issues ranging from the economy and debt reduction to gay marriage. The candidates are scheduled to meet up again Monday night in the second set of debates at UMass Lowell. Markey, Sullivan lead in the polls This week a WBUR Poll found Markey and Sullivan leading in their respective Democratic and Republican primary fields. The results of the poll showed Markey had an 11-point edge (35 percent to 24 percent) over Lynch. Sullivan, of Abington, leads the Republican candidates with 28 percent, followed by Winslow at 10 percent and Gomez with 8 percent. April 10 deadline for voter registration, party affiliation changes The last day to register to vote, change a voting address or change party affiliation for the April 30 primary is Wednesday, April 10. Not sure where or how to register to vote or change party affiliation? Here’s everything you need to know, courtesy of Secretary of State William Galvin’s office. The primary election is slated for April 30, with the general election to take place June 25. South End Patch
House Looking to Crack Down on Sex Offender Crimes with Online Database
The recent state auditor report revealing that a large number of sex offenders live at addresses registered as childcare facilities has added fuel to the effort on Beacon Hill to publicize the names of all those who’ve committed sex crimes. “The auditor’s recent findings should serve as a catalyst to pass targeted legislation which protects the Commonwealth’s citizens from dangerous sex offenders,” House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. (R-North Reading) said in a statement Wednesday. “The report published today is an unfortunate example of why comprehensive sex offender legislation I filed will, in part, open the lines of communication between the Department of Early Education and Care and the Sex Offender Registry Board.” Jones’ bill is one of three now in the House that propose changing state law to make the names of lower-level offenders available either online or at a police department. Currently, only the names of Level 3 offenders, who are deemed by the registry board to be the most likely to reoffend, are public information. Jones’ bill, “An Act relative to protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth from sex offenders,” would make information about both Level 2 and 3 sex offenders available online and a list of Level 1 sex offenders available at police departments. It also restricts who can be classified as a Level 1 sex offender. Those who commit crimes against children or “other particularly violent sexually based crimes” would not be able to receive a Level 1 designation. Some exceptions exist for people who committed their crime when they were younger than 14. Currently, the power to classify each offender lies with the registry board, which considers a number of factors related to the crime. These may include the offender’s criminal history, the circumstances of the crime, the degree of harm caused and other considerations. For more, see the board’s guidelines. The two other bills, “An Act relative to public access to sex offender registration information” by Rep. Shaunna O’Connell (R-Taunton) and Rep. James Dwyer (D-Woburn), and “An Act relative to the Sex Offender Registry Board” by Rep. James Arciero (D-Westford) both aim to make information regarding all sex offenders available online. Such information includes the nature of the offense and the offender’s name, address, age, employer, race, height, hair and eye colors and photo. All three bills are scheduled for a Joint Committee on the Judiciary hearing on May 7. The three bills were filed in January, a month after a Level 1 sex offender, John Burbine of Wakefield, was charged with 100 counts of child sex abuse involving 13 infants and toddlers at the illegal daycare service he ran. State Auditor Suzanne Bump released findings […]
Recipe: Passover ‘Bagels’
Passover “Bagels” (Makes 1 dozen) In my mother’s annual synagogue Passover column, “Leaven Can Wait,” she always referred to these as Mrs. Meyer’s bagels. Yes, the only thing they really have in common with bagels is the hole in the center and they aren’t that pretty to look at. But considering that these allow you to enjoy your usual schmear on something other than a piece of matzo, they are a pretty darn good Pesach substitute! They also taste really good with butter and/or jam. Ingredients: ¼ cup olive or vegetable oil 9 ounces water 2 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon salt 2 ½ cup matzo meal (I used a mix of whole wheat and regular, which makes for a denser “bagel”) 4 eggs Directions: In a large saucepan, bring first four ingredients to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately add matzo meal. The mixture will be crumb- like; try to break up the larger (moister) clumps with your spoon. Allow mixture to cool so that when you add eggs, they don’t immediately begin to cook (this can take from 5 – 10 minutes, depending on how well your saucepan retains heat). Beat in eggs and mix well (I actually used my hands), but try not to overmix or the dough will become tough. Either thoroughly oil a cookie sheet OR put down a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat mat on a cookie sheet. Form 12 balls of dough, again making sure to handle it as little as possible. Press each ball down to flatten the top. Dip your finger in oil and make a deep indentation in the center of each dough round. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then lower oven to 350° and bake for another 30 minutes. If rolls aren’t brown at this point, bake for a little bit longer. These are best eaten right out of the oven, but if you need to store them make sure it’s in an airtight container as they get stale VERY quickly. B’tayavon and Happy Passover! More passover recipes: Passover Breakfast Recipes: Matzo Brei and Matzo Meal Polenta Passover Recipes: No-Fail Matzo Balls & Sweet Potato Gnocchi Matzo Fast! — Recipes for Passover SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Week in Review: Arrest Made in Overpass Stabbing
The following were the top articles on South End Patch from March 25 to March 29, 2013: Man Charged with Murder in Overpass Stabbing, Held Without Bail An Everett man was charged with murder and ordered held without bail in the stabbing death last month of 44-year-old Corey Thompson, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said on Wednesday. Police Make Arrest for I-93 Overpass Stabbing Authorities have charged Christopher W. Powell of Everett with murder for fatally stabbing a Roxbury man in the South End last month. Police: Attempted Robbery at Washington Street Bank Failed When Teller Couldn’t Read Note After handing the teller a note that she couldn’t read, a bank robbery suspect told her she was “stupid,” and left. Upper Crust: New Owner Says Restaurant ‘Will Be Run Better’ The new owners of the South End’s Upper Crust say the product is the same, but the management is entirely different. Man Found Dead on West Canton Street Boston Police have launched a homicide investigation. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Do You Support Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws?
Mandatory minimum sentence laws remain popular on Beacon Hill. Just last summer, the state passed the so-called “three strikes” bill, which Gov. Deval Patrick signed despite reservations. However, a new study says that such laws cost the state and taxpayers millions each year—and potentially billions in the future—without much return on investment, as Massachusetts’ recidivism rate remains high compared to other states. Nonpartisan research group MassINC commissioned the study in partnership with the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, a group of those in the criminal justice realm, businessmen and women and community organizers. The study said that the state’s prison population has tripled since the early 1980s because of Massachusetts’ criminal justice policies, while 60 percent of state inmates and a similar percentage of county inmates end up convicted of new charges within six years of release. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of drug offenders and almost 60 percent of non-drug offenders received sentences where the minimum and maximum were very similar. “This sentence structure limits parole eligibility, reducing the incentive offenders have to take steps to self-rehabilitate while in prison,” the report says. “It also means more offenders return to the community without supervision.” Meanwhile, Massachusetts spends an estimated $ 150 each year to keep inmates in jail for longer stays than those committing similar offenses in 1990, the report said. Without reform, over the course of the next decade that figure will total $ 1.5 billion. “This new report looks to models developed elsewhere, including in many ‘red states’ that have stopped prison construction, reduced mandatory sentences, and invested in evidence-based programs to cut cost and increase public safety,” the report says. “Instead of spending more on what doesn’t work, states like Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas are spending less on what does.” Meanwhile, in battling recidivism, Massachusetts has passed in recent years criminal record information reforms, such as prohibiting employers from asking about criminal history on preliminary job application, and reducing the amount of time before certain criminal records can be sealed. Should mandatory minimum sentencing laws be cleared from the books? Should the state keep such laws for specific, serious crimes? How can the state make it easier for those released from prison to be reintegrated in society—and keep them from becoming repeat offenders? Tell us what you think in the comments. South End Patch
What Was Menino’s Impact in the South End?
Mayor Menino announced on Thursday that he would not seek re-election this year, ending his 20 year career as the longest-serving mayor of Boston. He said in his farewell speech that the individual neighborhoods of Boston served as his focus over the last two decades, measuring his progress by growth in the neighborhoods and by meeting residents. “Being in the neighborhoods gives me energy,” he said on Thursday in his speech. “Being with our residnets builds our trust. It may not be the only way to lead Boston, but it’s the only way for me.” What do you think were Menino’s greatest contributions to the South End neighborhood? How should he be remembered here? Tell us in the comments. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Hizzoner’s Decision
He’s been omnipresent for 20 years from Roslindale to East Boston. His endorsement is coveted by city council hopefuls and U.S. senators alike. He occasionally mutilates the English language, mangles the names of sports stars, and commands loyalty unlike any public figure in Boston. He was mayor-for-life. Now he’ll be mayor for only another nine months. This week, as House Speaker Robert DeLeo continued to wait for the rescue helicopter to take him away from Gov. Deval Patrick’s “fantasy land” of higher taxes and trains, the Governor’s Council was up to its old tricks and the race for U.S. Senate kicked into a higher gear. But little could compete with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and “The Decision” that held foes and allies alike breathless for months. Menino decided not to seek a sixth-term and will at the end of 2013 end on his own terms — his 20-year tenure as the city’s longest-serving and first Italian-American mayor. At the first of what is sure to be many tributes to Menino over the coming months, a who’s-who of past and present power players from City Hall, the State House, and the business community crowded into Faneuil Hall on Thursday to hear Menino make it official. “I could run. I could win,” he said to the delight of the audience. Click here to subscribe to MASSterlist, a free morning newsletter by State House News Service that highlights political news from a wide array of newspapers and journals in Massachusetts and New England But slowed by illness, Menino can no longer do it his way, and so he said he won’t do it at all. Menino’s way required a tirelessness that few younger than his 70 years can muster. There were ribbon cuttings, school plays and block parties to attend, new business owners to meet and development plans to review. Before Menino retires to Hyde Park to download the latest edition of SimCity, he has his lame duck period to look forward to. “Just think what I can do in nine months. I don’t have to worry about a thing. No voters or anything else. We’re going to have some real fun,” he said. Trying to keep track of who gave thought to running for U.S. Senate in the days after John Kerry left to become secretary of state was hard enough. The mayoral sweepstakes promises to be on another level. In addition to forcing an entire generation of Bostonians to contemplate what life will be like P.M., Menino’s exit creates an opportunity for dozens of public figures bubbling over with pent-up ambition. They’ll have little time to pull the trigger and fire up their campaigns. There are probably no fewer […]
South End Weekends: Egg Hunts, Easter Jazz Brunch
South End Patch
What Sold in the South End: Gray Street Condo for $641K
Realtors & Homeowners: Add your photos of recently sold homes to this gallery! It’s easy—just sign into your Patch account (or sign into Patch using your Facebook account). Click the “Upload Photos & Videos” button below the photos and follow the directions. The property’s address, sale price, listing agent and other details can be included in the photo’s caption. Here’s a sampling of five home sales this week. Look at the photo gallery or the easy-to-scan chart below. Don’t forget to check out our Real Estate section. Neighborhood Address Details Sale Price List Price Listing Agent Charlestown 21 Cross Street Single Family, 3 Beds/3.5 Baths, 2343 sq. ft. $ 1,010,000 $ 949,000 Hammond Residential, Nancy Roth North End 23 Fleet Street #9 Condo, 1 Bed/1 Bath, 452 sq. ft. $ 340,000 $ 399,000 CL Waterfront Properties, Carmela Laurella Beacon Hill 13 S Russell St #3 Condo, 2 Beds/1 Bath, 527 sq. ft. $ 400,000 $ 399,000 Mark H. Sulham, Mark Sulham Back Bay 333 Commonwealth Avenue #4 Condo, 2 Beds/2 Baths, 1552 sq. ft $ 1,150,000 $ 1,150,000 Tracey Ann Smith, Coldwell Banker South End 53 Gray St #1 Condo, 2 Beds/1 Bath, 856 sq. ft. $ 641,000 $ 600,000 Dave Crowley, Coldwell Banker “Sold!” is a weekly column featuring the latest real estate sales in and around Boston. Photos and information compiled using MLS data, courtesy of Century 21 North Shore and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. South End Patch
Man Arrested on Drug Warrants in the South End
The following information was supplied by the Boston Police Department. Charges listed do not indicate convictions. A Roxbury man was arrested in the South End for two drug related warrants. Boston Police Officers served an arrest warrant to Bradley Fuller of 45 Howard St. at 2 Ditmus Court at 11 a.m. on March 26. Officers served a default warrant out of Roxbury District Court for Possession of Class E, Possession of Class A and trespassing. There was a second warrant out of Roxbury District Court for Possession of a Class A substance with intent to distribute, Possession of Class B, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and trespassing. The warrant pertained to a report from July 21, 2012. At 5:53 p.m., officers responded to a report of trespassing, drug activity, drug use, alcohol consumption in public, and urinating in public near Dearborn Street. When officers arrived, they detained the suspect and arrested him for trespassing. Police said they also a needle with what appeared to be heroin in it. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch