‘City Hall To Go’ Truck To Visit the South End Every Month
Boston's "City Hall To Go" truck will begin making regular visits to several city neighborhoods this summer, starting on July 2. The bright red vehicle (which was originally a Boston Police Department SWAT vehicle) provides a range o South End Patch News
‘City Hall To Go’ Truck To Visit the South End Every Month
Boston’s “City Hall To Go” truck will begin making regular visits to several city neighborhoods this summer, starting on July 2. The bright red vehicle (which was originally a Boston Police Department SWAT vehicle) provides a range of city services, including the ability to pay or dispute parking tickets; request birth, death or marriage certificates; and pay property and excise taxes—all available right in Boston’s residential communities so constituents don’t have to go all the way to City Hall. In July, the truck will begin a regular rotation, visiting neighborhoods on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and available upon request on Fridays and Saturdays for special events, block parties and street festivals, according to a press release from the Mayor’s Office. The truck will be open weeknights until 7 p.m. and Saturdays until 5 p.m. The “City Hall To Go” truck will be in the South End on the first Wednesday of every month at 4 p.m. beginning July 3rd. On the fourth Tuesday of every month, residents can submit their preferred location for the truck that day via Twitter to @CityHallToGo. The most popular location will be announced on Twitter, and the vehicle will arrive there at 12:30 p.m. The truck will also host bilingual nights in certain Boston neighborhoods throughout the month, according to the Mayor’s Office. The “City Hall To Go” truck program was launched in December 2012 and since then, following a citizen’s survey, the city has added new services to the menu, including an opportunity to sign up for Renew Boston’s home energy audits and weatherization. The new menu also allows residents to request raffle applications and to submit claims to the city clerk, according to the Mayor’s Office. The full menu of offerings can be viewed online at cityofboston.gov/cityhalltogo. Below is a full list of locations scheduled for each month, beginning July 2. Locations are subject to change—for the most up-to-date information, follow @CityHallToGo on Twitter or call 617-635-4500. Allston—First Tuesday, 12:30 p.m. Back Bay—Third Tuesday, 12:30 p.m. Bay Village—Third Thursday, 12:30 p.m. Beacon Hill—Fourth Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. Brighton—First Tuesday, 4 p.m. Charlestown—Third Wednesday, 4 p.m. Chinatown—Third Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. Dorchester—Fourth Wednesday, 4 p.m. Dorchester (mid-Dorchester)—Second Tuesday, 12:30 p.m. East Boston—Fourth Thursday, 4 p.m. Egleston Square—Second Thursday, 12:30 p.m. Fenway—Second Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. Hyde Park—Third Thursday, 4 p.m. Jamaica Plain—First Thursday, 4 p.m. Mattapan—Second Wednesday, 4 p.m. Mission Hill—First Thursday, 12:30 p.m. North End—Fourth Thursday, 12:30 p.m. Roslindale—Fourth Tuesday, 4 p.m. Roxbury—Second Tuesday, 4 p.m. South Boston—Third Tuesday, 4 p.m. South Boston Waterfront—First Wednesday, 4 p.m. South End—First Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. West Roxbury—Second Thursday, 4 […]
Boston Marathon Bombings: One Month Later
It’s been exactly one month since two bombs exploded on Boylston Street as runners crossed the Boston Marathon finish line and bystanders ran for their lives. People were frantic when the blasts went off seconds apart. Business was shutdown as FBI cordoned off the typically bustling Boylston Street area for 10 days. The heart of Boston became a blood spattered crime scene, and the nation focused its attention on the site of what the UK Mirror called the second worst act of terror on U.S. soil since 9/11. Much information on the suspects – two ethnic Chechen brothers living in Cambridge who were radicalized to become demonstratively anti-Western culture – has come out in the past 30 days as the victims convalesced and the deceased were mourned. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, the elder of the brothers and the alleged mastermind of the bombings, was killed in an unprecedented gunfight in Watertown during the early-morning hours April 19. The town and much of the region was on state mandated lockdown until late that evening. A Watertown police officer gave a detailed account of the peaceful Armenian-populated suburb-turned-warzone on WBUR.com today. Now, in death, Tamerlan Tsarnaev has become connected to a mysterious Waltham triple murder from 2011. Authorities and Tsarnaev’s family struggled to find a place to bury Tamerlan Tsarnaev in early May. His body was eventually buried in a Virginia cemetery May 9, according to CBS and other media outlets. About 15 hours after Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed, younger brother Dzhokhar, 19, was found in a Watertown resident’s boat parked in a backyard. He was badly injured and immediately brought into police custody. He was initially unable to speak due to his injuries. Dzhokhar faces the death penalty. He has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property. He’s being held at Fort Devens, a federal medical center in Ayer, Mass., in a small cell with a steel door, according to the Huffington Post. The Marathon Monday bombs killed three people and injured 260 others. MIT Police Officer Sean Collier was ambushed and allegedly killed by the brothers April 18, the night they sought to flee the area to New York, where authorities believed another attack was planned. While the details were grisly on one side of this historic story, on the other, there were tales of triumph. Carlos Arredondo, a native of the parkway neighborhoods of Boston, was at the scene of the bombs helping people to safety. He’s been hailed a hero nationally ever since. Jeff Bauman lost both legs in the blasts, but he’s served as a point of pride for […]
Where to Celebrate Black History Month in Boston
It’s February, and that means it’s time to celebrate Black History Month. In Boston, you’ve got several options that range between programs, films, art shows and activities for adults, kids and teens. You can see the city’s full list here, but here are some of the highlights happening in Boston: BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARYBoston Public Library will observe Black History Month in February with a series of programs, films, and activities for all age groups. Highlights from the month’s programming include: African Mask Making. For children ages 6-12, a program on African mask making is offered at sixteen different Boston Public Library locations. Young people will create a paper mache mask with Behind the Mask Studio Artists who will display samples, discuss techniques, and guide creativity. The South End branch will host this event on Wednesday, Feb. 4 Feb. 6 at 3:30 p.m. Harriet Tubman: I Can’t Die But Once.For families with children ages 11 and older, storyteller Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti (pictured right) performs Harriet Tubman: I Can’t Die But Once at seven Boston Public Library locations including the East Boston, Faneuil, Dudley, Lower Mills, West Roxbury, Orient Heights, and Grove Hall branches on various days. Told in the oral tradition, Quezaire-Presutti will present the life and times of Harriet Tubman in a 45-minute presentation including how Harriet Tubman operated as a scout and spy of the Union Army, and was possibly the first American woman to work on the battlefields of the Civil War. Author Calvin Alexander Ramsey will share readings from his book, Ruth and the Green Book, on Saturday, February 9, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library in Copley Square. Although the event is free, RSVPs are required as seating is limited. Central Library Film Series. The Central Library in Copley Square hosts a trio of Monday evening films celebrating African American Actors in February with screenings of To Wong Fu, The Preacher’s Wife, andHotel Rwanda. The films are shown at 6 p.m. in Rabb Lecture Hall on February 4, 11, and 25. Dudley Branch Film Series. The Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library hosts a Wednesday afternoon film series during the month of February. All films relate to the theme “at the crossroads of freedom and equality” and will be shown at 3 p.m. on February 6, 13, 20, and 27. The movie titles are Glory, The Long Walk Home, Do the Right Thing, and Pariah. Black History Booklist – Boston Public Library is publishing its annual “Black Is” booklist, a compilation of recent works by and about African Americans for adult readers. The 2013 booklist contains dozens of fiction and nonfiction works, including autobiographies by Vanessa Williams; Rodney King; and Zakes Mda, the noted South African contemporary writer. The complete schedule of upcoming events at Boston Public Library locations, for Black History month and beyond, is available at www.bpl.org/calendar. FREEDOM TRAIL African American […]