Smurfs Help Us Make America Bluetiful (Sponsored)
Going green never looked so bluetiful. The Smurfs are spreading their message of harmony with nature by hitting the streets to clean up the planet during the "America the Bluetiful" campaign. To celebrate the opening of "
Feeling a Bit Down? Seven Things to Help Inspire You
Is daily life really so tough? Well, yes, it can be. Here, though, is to keeping things in perspective. For more than a month now, Patch and Grape-Nuts have teamed up to present stories about your neighbors – neighbors who have faced challenges that would seem insurmountable to many of us. But not to the people we’ve featured in this series, Journeys. Not surprisingly, the stories have generated dozens of comments on Patch and on Facebook: “Great story…” “Thanks for sharing…” “So wonderfully inspiring…” And, so, here they are again. Great stories shared to inspire. Take a look at what these people have faced. Then click on the story to see their responses. And, feel better about things. Local Woman Helps Run Girls Soccer Club in Haiti For Taryn Silver, what began as a 10-day trip to Haiti in 2011 turned into a new home and close to 50 new friends. A former Sharon resident, Silver helps run the Association Sportives des Jeunes Filles de Fond des Blancs (The Sports Association of Young Women of Fond des Blancs), a girls soccer club in the rural town of Fond-des-Blancs, about 70 miles west of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. The club offers an opportunity that Haitian women rarely get due to lack of funding, time and also due to the cultural roles Haitian men and women often play. ___ Cleanup Organizer Sees a Future of Smaller Footprints Pat Conaway is “kind of a nut” about the environment, and when he retired from teaching in 2008, it didn’t take long for him to find a number of productive ways to spend his time. He now sees hope in the young people who help him clean trails, waterways and roadways. “I wanted to get people fired up about the environment, to try to encourage citizens to get involved locally,” he said. ___ Home Sales for the Love of Rescued Animals Three years ago while on the Internet, Weston real estate agent Leslie Mann read a story on the Internet that horrified her: A female pit bull-type dog named Turtle had been abandoned in a wooded area in the middle of winter. Badly injured, Turtle showed signs of being a bait dog, one used to test the fighting instinct of a potential fight dog. The Animal Rescue League of Boston stepped in to help, and nursed Turtle back to health through six months of treatment at Tufts Veterinary Hospital in Walpole. The story was enough to inspire Mann to raise about $ 6,000 for Turtle’s treatment. And even though Turtle is now on the mend, Mann and her husband, both agents with […]
Over the Hump: 6 Items to Help You Through Wednesday
Are Wednesdays really so tough? Well, yes, they can be. Here, though, is to keeping things in perspective. For more than a month now, Patch and Grape-Nuts have teamed up to present stories about your neighbors – neighbors who have faced challenges that would seem insurmountable to many of us. But not to the people we’ve featured in this series, Journeys. Not surprisingly, the stories have generated dozens of comments on Patch and on Facebook: “Great story…” “Thanks for sharing…” “So wonderfully inspiring…” And, so, here they are again. Great stories shared to inspire. Take a look at what these people have faced. Then click on the story to see their responses. And feel better about your tough Wednesday. Local Woman Helps Run Girls Soccer Club in Haiti For Taryn Silver, what began as a 10-day trip to Haiti in 2011 turned into a new home and close to 50 new friends. A former Sharon resident, Silver helps run the Association Sportives des Jeunes Filles de Fond des Blancs (The Sports Association of Young Women of Fond des Blancs), a girls soccer club in the rural town of Fond-des-Blancs, about 70 miles west of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. The club offers an opportunity that Haitian women rarely get due to lack of funding, time and also due to the cultural roles Haitian men and women often play. ___ Cleanup Organizer Sees a Future of Smaller Footprints Pat Conaway is “kind of a nut” about the environment, and when he retired from teaching in 2008, it didn’t take long for him to find a number of productive ways to spend his time. He now sees hope in the young people who help him clean trails, waterways and roadways. “I wanted to get people fired up about the environment, to try to encourage citizens to get involved locally,” he said. ___ Home Sales for the Love of Rescued Animals Three years ago while on the Internet, Weston real estate agent Leslie Mann read a story on the Internet that horrified her: A female pit bull-type dog named Turtle had been abandoned in a wooded area in the middle of winter. Badly injured, Turtle showed signs of being a bait dog, one used to test the fighting instinct of a potential fight dog. The Animal Rescue League of Boston stepped in to help, and nursed Turtle back to health through six months of treatment at Tufts Veterinary Hospital in Walpole. The story was enough to inspire Mann to raise about $ 6,000 for Turtle’s treatment. And even though Turtle is now on the mend, Mann and her husband, both […]
How to Help Victims of the Oklahoma Tornado
Americans across the country are reacting with shock to the devastation caused by a 2-mile wide Tornado in Oklahoma. Dozens have died, and President Obama has declared the path of the tornado a major disaster area. If you would like to help, you can do so from your computer or mobile device right now. The Red Cross says in the immediate aftermath, the best way to help is to donate at RedCross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999. The Salvation Army has mobilized in Oklahoma, and you can support them by donating online; or by texting STORM to 80888 to contribute $ 10 to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts; or by making a donation via phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. For a longer lists of organizations related to recovery from the tornado, see this list on The Huffington Post. South End Patch will be posting stories of locals who are working to help victims from afar. If you know of someone local was affected by the tornado or who is working to help the victims, please contact southend@patch.com. South End Patch
FBI: Three Classmates Destroyed Bombing Evidence to Help Friend
Federal law officials believe three classmates of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev destroyed evidence in Darmouth while the suspected bombing brothers fought police in a gunfight in Watertown. In a complaint filed in federal court Wednesday, special agent Scott Cieplik claims suspect Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov destroyed or concealed a laptop and backpack filled with fireworks. Third suspect Robel Phillipos, meanwhile, is being charged with lying to federal officials. According to the complaint, the April 18 night started when Kadyrbayev texted Tsarnaev, needling his friend about his resemblance to the FBI photos released earlier that day. Tsarnaev wrote back “LOL” and then said Kadyrbayev could go get anything they needed from Tsarnaev’s UMass Dartmouth dorm room. According to Cieplik, Kadyrbayev, Tazhayakov and Phillipos went to Tsarnaev’s dorm room to watch a movie. While there, Kadyrbayev noticed a backpack with fireworks. The powder was removed from inside the fireworks, which made Kadyrbayev believe that Tsarnaev really was the person in the FBI photos. According to the complaint, he then grabbed the bag and Tsarnaev’s laptop and, along with Tazhayakov and Phillipos, went back to his own apartment The three decided to throw the bag and fireworks away because they didn’t want Tsarnaev to get into trouble. Kadyrbayev alone tossed the emptied firework husks and backpack into a trash bag and dropped it in a dumpster near the apartment, but with Tazhayakov’s and Phillipos’s knowledge. When interviewed later, Tazhayakov largely corroborated Kadyrbayev’s story, mentioning the group also took a jar of Vaseline, which Tazhayakov thought Tsarnaev may have used to make the bombs. Tazhayakov said he knew Kadyrbayev was going to throw the backpack and fireworks into a dumpster. Phillipos, meanwhile, initially denied going to Tsarnaev’s room with the others, saying instead he watched television at Tazhayakov’s apartment until about 4 a.m. Friday morning. In a second interview, Phillipos said he didn’t remember going to Tsarnaev’s room. When pressed, he then said he did, in fact, remember going to the room to see if the photos on television were actually of Tsarnaev, but that the door was locked when they arrived. According to the affidavit, Phillipos came clean during a fourth interview on April 26, admitting he had lied in earlier talks with officials, and then signed a statement read to him. That statement corroborated the stories told by the other two suspects. Phillipos said the trio “started to freak out” when they realized their friend Tsarnaev was one of the marathon bombers and discussed throwing out the backpack and fireworks. Also on April 26, agents searching a nearby landfill found the backpack, emptied fireworks and a homework sheet for one of Tsarnaev’s classes. South End Patch
Public Works Targeting Potholes, Asking for Public Help
It’s that time of the year: the birds are singing, the Sox are in spring training, the flowers are sprouting and — the potholes along Boston streets are threatening to eat us alive. Last week, Mayor Thomas Menino announced a concerted effort by the Boston Public Works Department to fill potholes that appeared over the winter. In addition, the department is asking for residents’ help to identify problem spots on the roads. “Boston’s residents deserve a smooth ride,” said Mayor Menino. “Our city works best when everyone works together. With residents help we can identify and repair potholes more quickly than if Public Works did it alone.” Residents can report potholes using the Citizens Connect app, calling the mayor’s hotline at 617-635-4500, filing a request online, or tweeting to @NotifyBoston with the hashtag #spotholes. You can also keep track of the city’s progress, and the number of potholes filled, at the Boston@Work Tumblr page (bostonatwork.tumblr.com/). The site will feature a tally of potholes filled during this two weekcampaign, a map of all open and closed pothole cases, and pothole themed images and art. “Filling potholes is our most important task each spring,” said Joanne Massaro, commissioner of Public Works. “Our inspectors and patch crews work extraordinarily hard to repair our roads. Citizen reports aid our efforts tremendously, allowing us to fill potholes more quickly.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Places to Get Free Tax Help in the South End
Need help preparing your taxes, but don’t have money to pay a professional? The Boston Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition offers free tax preparation for Boston residents who worked in 2012 and earned less than $ 50,000. Sites around the city opened in January and will continue serving eligible residents throughout the tax season. The deadline to file federal income tax forms is Monday, April 15. The deadline to file Massachusetts income tax forms is Tuesday, April 16 (Monday is a state holiday, Patriot’s Day). Boston EITC tax prep locations near Charlestown include: ABCD: South End Neighborhood Service Center, 554 Columbus Ave., South End. Call 617-267-7400 ext. 223. Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC), 38 Ash St., Boston. Call 617-635-5129 ext. 0 or email eitc@bcnc.net. By appointment only. Site also offers credit advising. ABCD: East Boston Action Planning Council, 21 Meridian St., East Boston. Call 617-567-8857. Site also offers credit advising. JVS Partnerships for Careers and Learning, 29 Winter St., Boston. Call 617-399-3235. By appointment only. ABCD: Robert M. Coard Building, 178 Tremont St., Boston. Call 617-348-6583. See the flyer above for a complete list of locations and details about what to bring with you for a tax prep meeting. For more information, call Boston EITC Coalition at 617-918-5275 or visit bostontaxhelp.org. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch