Clover Reopens After Salmonella Scare
As many as 12 people who ate at Clover were sickened by salmonella, although officials have not yet officially pinpointed the source. South End Patch News
State Welfare Names New Head Official After Critical Reports
The state welfare agency has officially named its new commissioner in the wake of a scandal in which payments to dead people were rendered. The Boston Herald reports Stacey Monahan has been named the new commissioner of the Department of Transitional Assistance. She had been an interim commissioner since Daniel Curley resigned in February after an Inspector General report cited broad overpayments. The February report said fraudulent welfare payments have cost taxpayers $ 25 million per year. Auditor Suzanne Bump released a report in May which says the agency has paid benefits to 1,164 people who received benefits after they had died, according to WCVB.com. Monahan has served as the executive director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and is the former chief of staff for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
After Earth in Local Theaters Today (Sponsored)
After Earth, in theaters now, promises to be the movie event of the summer – and how could it not be, with Will Smith and his son Jaden starring as stranded space rangers—one still in training—on the unrecognizable planet Earth 1,000 years in the future. All grown up since the last time he shared the screen with his dad in The Pursuit of Happyness, Jaden plays a teenager named Kitai Raige, who reaches out to the father he never knew, a legendary ranger named Cypher, for a little guidance. An interplanetary mission meant to be a bonding experience ends in a crash that injures Cypher, leaving Kitai alone on the ground to survive with some help from dad. Some lessons, like how to escape a blood-thirsty alien and act like a man, are best left to dad to teach, and make you realize every day is father’s day. Directed and co-written by M. Night Shyamalan, After Earth offers a classic coming-of-age tale with mind-blowing special effects and acting to match. So grab your cozy sweatshirt and prepare for the ultimate father-son adventure! After Earth Now Playing in theaters. Click here for ticket information and showtimes. TELL US: Patch wants your movie reviews! Come back and tell us in comments the movie you saw, what you thought about it and how many stars out of five you would give the film. South End Patch
After Marathon Bombings, Walk for Hunger Fundraising, Registrations Slow
For Project Bread Executive Director Ellen Parker, April 15 to 19 was the week almost everything stopped. In Boston, and in places around the country and world, life as usual stopped as the Boston Marathon bombings unfolded April 15, then came to a dramatic conclusion on April 19 with the death of one bombing suspect and the capture in Watertown of another. What also stopped that week? The steady flow of registrations and fundraising for Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger, scheduled for Sunday, May 5. The walk is the oldest continuously operating pledge walk in the country, raising money for anti-hunger programs in Massachusetts. “We’re trying hard to regain some lost ground,” Parker said. Online fundraising for the walk is down 6 percent this year, said Parker, who noted fundraising efforts by walkers typically speed up starting in mid-April, and continue through the walk the first weekend in May. This year, the Marathon bombings meant people’s attention turned elsewhere during the usual ramp-up to the walk, she said. “It’s almost the nature of the world, that people would be focused on something that was almost unimaginable in the past,” Parker said. “We lost some momentum. We’re pressing really hard to make up for that.” Along with fundraising, walker registration has also been slower since the Boston Marathon. One school group called Parker shortly after the Marathon, saying they’d be happy to fundraise, but they didn’t feel comfortable walking this year, she said. After all, Sunday’s Walk for Hunger, and its 20-mile loop through Boston, Brookline, Newton, Watertown and Cambridge, will be the first major sporting event to be held in the city since the Marathon bombings. About 40,000 walkers and 2,000 volunteers are expected to take part. While crisis and safety plans are nothing new to Project Bread’s staffers, they’ve taken on new significance this year. More than 100 police in five municipalities are involved, according to Project Bread’s website, plus extra state police and park rangers. “There will be a bit more visibility of police along the walk,” Parker said. Also this year, walkers and volunteers are asked not to bring backpacks to the event. Instead, they are asked to use small day bags, if anything. Walkers are also asked on the website to be sure to keep their belongings with them at all times. With just three days until the walk, Parker said “things have slowly started to pick up again,” as the event nears. She’s hopeful the walk will be a bright spot amid what has been a trying time for the area. “We’re hoping we’re going to bring some light to what was a tough […]
Categories: Arrests Tags: After, Bombings, Fundraising, Hunger, Marathon, Registrations, Slow, Walk
Dic Donohue Continues Recovery After Firefight with Bombing Suspects
The MBTA officer seriously hurt in a gunfight with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects continues to recover from life-threatening injuries. Richard “Dic” Donohue, 33, was hit in the leg April 19 in Watertown, Mass., authorities said. Donohue is a police officer with the Massachusetts Bay Tranportation Authority. His wife, Kim, is from Exeter and graduated from Exeter High School in 2000. “Right now Dic is making amazing strides,” Kim wrote in a post on a Facebook page that Donohue’s family is using to give updates on his recovery. Authorities said Donohue lost a massive amount of blood. At one point, he went into cardiac arrest, according to Dr. Russell Nauta, a doctor at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass. where Donohue is being treated. A pair of Watertown firefighters were instrumental in getting Donohue to a hospital after he was shot. The MBTA Transit Police Benevolent Fund Inc. created a website to collect donations for Donohue’s recovery. Donohue is a 1998 Winchester High School graduate. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 2002. Prior to joining the MBTA police force, he served as an officer for the U.S. Navy. He has a young son. The bombing suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, allegedly killed three people and injured more than 200 by detonating bombs near the finish line of the marathon. Tamerlan died during the confrontation with police, while Dzhokhar was captured in Watertown and will be tried in federal court. The brothers are also accused of killing MIT Officer Sean Collier prior to the Watertown shoot-out with Donohue and other officers. South End Patch
Months After Heart Transplant, Woman Seeks To Give Back
Jane Tecce has the unique perspective of having experienced both sides of being an organ donor. Years ago after her son’s death at the age of 24, his organs were donated so that others could have a new chance at life. Now, Tecce herself is still recovering from a heart transplant that she received some 16 months ago. She also received a kidney transplant at that time. “My kids are starting to have kids now. I’m being a grammy. I can’t imagine not being here,” she said in a recent conversation with Patch.com. Tecce said that she was first diagnosed with heart disease about 12 years ago. Tecce moved to Lynnfield two years ago and grew up in Wakefield, graduating from Wakefield Memorial High School. Her family owns Santoro’s in Peabody, she reported. Her motivation to help spread the word about becoming an organ donor is not limited to just her own experiences. Tecce lost one brother, David, to heart disease when he was 51 and waiting for a heart transplant. A younger brother Jimmy, reportedly had a heart transplant in 2000 at Tufts and lived for eight years after that. “I’ve been on both ends of it. That’s what I feel is important,” she said. According to Tecce, organ donors and recipients actually interact somewhat routinely through email and letters if they wish to do so – although this typically won’t happen until a year or so after a transplant. In her own case, she met her donor’s family, who were from Rhode Island, on the one-year anniversary of the transplant, something she described as “very emotional.” Those who receive an organ transplant will face an elevated risk of infection in the months after the procedure, and Tecce recalled having some setbacks in the early going. “In the last six months, I’ve done really, really well,” she said, adding that she also hopes to return to work while also potentially doing some speaking and information tables for the New England Organ Bank. “I want to remember the people that gave me this chance,” said Tecce. To learn more about becoming an organ donor, visit the New England Organ Bank’s DonateLifeNewEngland.org website here. South End Patch
Doctor Recalls Chaotic Scene in Medical Tent After Blasts
Dr. Martin Levine was standing outside a medical tent on Boylston Street Monday afternoon, a half-block from the finish line, when he felt the violent force of the first blast. “Make way! We’re going to have casualties … we need room,” Levine yelled into the medical tent filled with hundreds of runners. The 62-year-old New Jersey resident had taken the day off from his sports and family medical practice in Bayonne, as he has done every year for the last 19 years, to work the finish line at the Boston Marathon. He usually spent the day tending to sprained ankles, knee pain, shin splints and other common distance running injuries. But this year would be different. As the first explosion hit, Levine saw the plume of smoke rise from the crowd at the finish line and said he knew instantly that at least 35 to 40 people were injured. Levine began running toward the injured as the second bomb went off and kept running. He thought there might be a third explosion, but he couldn’t stop. “There’s no discussion. That’s what you have to do, you don’t stop,” he said. He arrived in the area of the first explosion and found a chaotic, gruesome scene: blood covered the street, people’s clothes and skin were still smoking and burnt. Many had lost limbs in the blasts — one man had lost both his legs from his thighs down. At one point, while applying pressure to one of the injured’s wounds to stop the bleeding, he looked down and saw a foot on the ground. “The smell and visual was extreme,” Levine said. But amid the chaos, he saw hundreds of emergency service workers, police, firefighters and first responders, along with ordinary citizens, working together to help the victims, Levine said. Using wheelchairs, backboards and gurneys, they managed to transport the injured back to the medical tent. Patients were given fluids and IVs. Levine and other physicians asked people for their belts and used them as tourniquets in a pinch. “We don’t do this kind of work,” Levine said, “no one does this kind of work unless you’re in war.” “Hopefully we were able to save lives.” South End Patch
FBI: ‘No Imminent Threat’ After Marathon Bombings
Boston and state police, the FBI and other federal officials said on Tuesday morning that there are no known threats to the public at this time, and that they are continuing to investigate and look for tips and leads related to Monday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon. However, officials would not comment on whether or not anyone has been taken into custody or follow up on any leads relative to the investigation. Right now, authorities say their main focus is following up on leads, interviewing witnesses and soliciting tips from the public. FBI special agent Richard Deslauriers said “voluminous” tips have been pouring in, including eyewitness accounts, photos and videos of the scene before, during and after the blast. “Our mission is clear: Bring to justice those who are responsible for the marathon bombing,” he said. “The American public wants answers.” The two bombs that exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, injured 176 people—17 critically—and killed three, police said. Police also said that residents in the Boston area should expect to see an increased police presence on the MBTA, at Logan Airport and out in the street, both to help facilitate the tip process and to give residents a sense of security. “The city of Boston should expect to see the FBI conducting investigative activity,” said DesLauriers. “We commend the public for the information that has been provided so far and we strongly encourage further assistance.” Anyone with tips or other information can call 1-800-CALL-FBI. South End Patch
Mayor Menino ‘Resting Comfortably’ After Leg Surgery
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is recovering after undergoing surgery on Saturday to repair a leg fracture. The injury occurred Friday while Menino was visiting a school in Dorchester. The mayor twisted his ankle and fractured his distal fibula—the smaller of two bones in his lower right leg, 7 News Boston reported. Menino underwent surgery Saturday morning at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The surgery involved the placement of a plate and screws to fix the broken bone, 7 News reported. The mayor sent out an update on his Twitter account on Monday at around noon, writing: “Thanks to all for well wishes. Surgery to repair fracture of distal fibula went well & without complication. Mayor is resting comfortably.” Menino will be wearing a walking boot and will require the use of crutches for a few months, 7 News reported. There was no official word on when the mayor will be released from the hospital. South End Patch
Ten Ways to Get Started with Yoga After an Injury
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been approached or have had conversations with people in class about how to best get started back with yoga after an injury. This also applies to starting yoga for the first time after an injury. I thought this would make a good topic for my next column. Maybe you’re reading this and like one of the people I spoke with, you’re afraid you’ll get hurt again. Maybe you have a memory of how fit you once were and now, faced with your injured body, you’re frustrated and feel there is no way you’ll be able to taste that feeling of strength and flexibility again. Maybe you have “good days” and “bad days” and have just given up on the idea of doing anything physical. The good news is yoga is the perfect exercise to do in instances like this. Why? Because yoga poses and sequences can be modified to fit just about anyone’s body and physical condition. Yoga’s intensity and be increased or decreased depending on the pace, the poses selected, the use of props and the sequence offered. Here are some tips for getting started back or getting started for the first time: Check with your physician before starting a yoga practice. This is pretty obvious but depending on your injury, you might not think to check. Yoga is getting a great deal of exposure these days as being a contributor to injuries and despite that, there are a number of physicians who are actually suggesting it to their patients, as well as physical therapists who encourage people to attend class as well as therapy. Review the classes on the schedule at your local studio and make a selection based on your physical condition and requirements. This may require some consultation with the studio owner or one of the teachers. Generally speaking, if you’re a beginner, these are the best classes to attend. These classes will be geared towards people with little to no experience. Even if you have experience, with your injury, you may be looking for a slower pace and more time to move from pose to pose. These classes generally provide both. If you are unable to put weight on your hands or have an injury to the upper body, power yoga or vinyasa (flow) classes may not be the best choice. There’s a great deal of movement from standing to the ground as well as many poses where weight is put on the hands in these classes. Now, having said there, there absolutely is a way to modify these sequences so you can skip placing weight on the hands. This would require one on […]