Hubway Gets Helmets: Vending Machines to Be Placed at Four Stations
Since Hubway launched in 2011, the successful bike sharing system has struggled with one issue: How to provide helmets. South End Patch News
Hubway Gets Helmets: Vending Machines to Be Placed at Four Stations
Since Hubway launched in 2011, the successful bike sharing system has struggled with one issue: How to provide helmets. South End Patch News
Man Gets Life in Prison for South End Murder
Roslindale resident Ricardo Arias was convicted in the 2011 murder of Alex Sierra in the South End. South End Patch News
South End Historical Society Gets New Director
Meet the new executive director and find out where former director Hope Shannon is headed next. South End Patch News
There’s a Joke in Here Somewhere: State House Gets First Lightning Rod
The cupola's pine cone will receive a new metal cap that will act as a lightning rod. South End Patch News
Coming Soon! South End Patch Gets a New Look
Hi, everyone! I have some exciting news to share about Patch – we’re getting a whole new look! It’s coming soon and it’s going to make South End Patch easier to use, and a better place to connect and share. The best part? You’ll be able to see it all on your mobile phone! Here’s what you need to know: Our site is being rebuilt from the ground up! The news will look better and be easier to comment on. And, you’ll find more local voices to keep you in the loop with the latest know-how and opinion. We’re adding Boards to make it easier for you to connect with each other, debate an issue, or announce your garage sale, graduation, or find a lost pet. More to say? It will be easier to start your own blog, too. You’ll soon be able to start your own blog anytime, so you can have a stronger voice in the community – or just share your expertise and opinion. And if you’re already a Local Voices blogger, you’ll find the tools are much more streamlined and straightforward. You’ll see all of this (and more) on Patch real soon. For a sneak peek, check out Fairfield Patch. Questions? Please e-mail Senior Editor Sara Jacobi sara.jacobi@patch.com. As always, thanks for being part of the South End Patch community. South End Patch
Boston Gets High Marks for Parks
Bostonians regularly enjoy our parks, whether it’s large like Boston Common or small like Ringgold Park. But according to new national rankings, Boston’s parks are some of the best in the entire country. Boston’s parks were ranked third in the United States by the Trust for Public Land, tying with San Francisco and Sacramento, and coming in just shy of Minneapolis and New York City. The ranking report used mapping technology and demographic data to determine how well the 50 largest cities in the United States are meeting the need for parks, including how much access citizens have to parks and park amenities. “We are proud of the fact that Boston has so many easily accessible parks and welcome the recognition,” Mayor Thomas Menino said. “From the pastoral expanses of the world-famous Emerald Necklace to our smallest neighborhood playground, Boston’s residents have a wide variety of well maintained parks providing them with opportunities to exercise or just relax within a short walk from their homes.” The ratings were based equally on three factors: park access, which compares the percentage of residents living within a half-mile walk to a park; park size, which is based on the city’s median park size; and services and investment, which looks at the number of playgrounds and park spending per 10,000 residents. According to Boston’s ratings, 97 percent of Bostonians live within a 10-minute walk of park, and 16 percent of the city is devoted to parks. Which is your favorite park in the South End? Tell us in the comments. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Markey or Gomez: Who Gets Your Vote?
A week from Tuesday, Massachusetts voters will decide who to elect in the special election to fill the seat vacated by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. What we at Patch want to know is – if the election was today – who would you vote for? Candidates Democrat Ed Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez have been pullling out all the stops in the last two weeks as the latest polls show the gap is narrowing between the two. After weeks of relative quiet, the negative ads have started to clog the airways and both candidates have had high-profile folks stumping for them. Rudy Guiliani was in town last week putting his support behind Gomez and President Obama came to Boston this week showing his support for Markey. So tell us, if you had to vote today who would be your choice, Markey or Gomez? Tell us in the comments section below. South End Patch
Boston Gets Gmail
If you correspond via email with any of Boston’s city employees, you probably won’t even notice a difference. But starting soon, the city of Boston will be switching its email system from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps, a cloud-based email and communication system that the city says will save about 30 percent each year. “By bringing city government into the cloud, Boston continues to modernize our technology while saving taxpayer dollars and freeing up city workers to focus on the vital work of helping people,” said Mayor Menino. “Our technology experts will now be able to focus on moving the city forward, rather than maintaining servers.” The city has about 75,000 email users, including individual announts for its 57,000 Boston Public Schools students. Previously, the city had been using several email servers, many needing technical upgrades. The city said the move will save upwards of 30 percent on communications and technical costs. It was spending $ 8.25 per user per month to host its email servers on Microsoft Exchange and Symantec Vault, the mayor’s office said. As the millions of personal Gmail users in Boston know, the city will now be able to access all of Google App’s perks: Gmail’s email system for all departments, use collaboration tools like Google Docs and Google Hangout, and store items in the cloud with Google Drive. “This decision represents an important step forward for the city,” said Chief Information Officer Bill Oates. “We want to equip all city employees with easy-to-use tools that allow them be more productive and innovative in their jobs, as well as a system that can scale to keep up with the city’s demands.” Several other government agencies around the country, including Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and the states of Colorado, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, and Wyoming all use a similar system. South End Patch
South Station Gets Free WiFi
The MBTA is starting to get wired. South Station will have free wireless internet beginning today, according to a joint press release from Google, Redevelopment Ventures Corp. and the MBTA. Google invested in the endeavor and Redevlopment Ventures Corp. is responsible for WiFi development, the press release says. “Anything that improves our customers’ transit experience is a good thing,” MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott said in the statement. “By coupling this new initiative with the WiFi service provided on Commuter Rail trains, the MBTA is keeping its customers connected from the moment they enter South Station to the time they exit trains.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch