RMV Begins Low Number License Plate Lottery
One-hundred-and-forty lucky Massachusetts drivers could soon find themselves sporting a brand new low number on their license plates. The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has begun its annual low number license plate lottery, with plates made available from a specific low number cache, according to a Massachusetts Department of Transportation statement Friday. Applicants will vie for 140 coveted plates including plate numbers Z7, 740 and 6868, according to the statement. “We expect to receive hundreds of applications leading up to the annual lottery,” Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian said in the statement. “We see interest and fascination from customers year after year. Some are trying to win a lucky number or letter combination, others are looking for an easy to remember plate, and still other applicants want to be part of the historical novelty that comes with a low number plate.” Those interested can download the application from MassRMV.com or visit any RMV branch to receive an application. Applications will only be accepted by mail and must be postmarked Aug. 12. The drawing will be broadcast live on “NightSide with Dan Rea” on WBZ 1030AM radio Sept. 12 between 8 and 10 p.m. There are a few ground rules: The RMV will accept only one entry per applicant. Postcard entries will not be accepted. Winners who do not register their vehicle with the winning lottery plate by Dec. 31, 2013 will forfeit their plate. Forfeited plates will be then offered to a list of 25 alternate winners, listed during the Sept. 12 drawing. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
‘Bike Week’ Begins in Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation along with several other public and private entities have banded together to tell you to get out of your cars and onto your bikes this week. May 11 to 19 is Bay State Bike Week, a week unique to Massachusetts which celebrates all things bicycle. There are bike-based events going on around the Bay State this week, and several in the Boston area. The Bay State Bike Week website has provided a searchable calendar to find dates, locations and times for events closest to you. What would a statewide bike week be without a little friendly competition? The MassCommute Bicycle Challenge will award those who log the most miles by bicycle. Other local bike facts: Massachusetts has been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as the sixth most bicycle friendly state this year, according to a Gov. Deval Patrick press statement. Also, Massachusetts has the only department of transportation in the country that organizes a celebration of bikes. “I applaud the bicyclists who ride to school or work regularly, and I encourage more people to give it a try,” Patrick said in the statement. “Together, we can make Massachusetts a greener, healthier and more sustainable state by decreasing traffic congestion, cleaning the air and enabling people to get some exercise in the course of their busy daily lives.” What do you like most about biking in Boston? Tell us in the comments. South End Patch
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Live Blog: Memorial Service for Sean Collier Begins at Noon
Sean Collier will be remembered at an MIT memorial service at noon on Wednesday. Collier, who was killed Thursday, was laid to rest on Tuesday morning. Police believe the Boston Marathon bombing suspects shot Collier as he responded to an unrelated robbery. Patch will provide updates throughout the memorial service. We welcome you to add your condolences and memories of Sean in the chat above once the live chat begins. South End Patch
Boston Nurse Begins 26 Acts Of Kindness, Pt. 2; Urges Others to Join In
After the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., in December, in which a gunman killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Stephanie Zanotti of Charlestown, Mass., was inspired by the suggestion to complete 26 acts of kindness as a response. In the wake of the bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday, Zanotti decided it was time for Part Two of those 26 acts of kindness. “I am participating in 26 acts of kindness for the victims at the 26th mile of the Boston Marathon,” she wrote on her Facebook page. Using Facebook and Instagram, she is chronicling her acts and hoping to inspire others to do the same. “It’s forcing me to think about how you can make someone’s day a little lighter, a little brighter,” she said Saturday. She stresses the acts can be as simple as paying for the person’s cup of coffee behind you in line at your favorite coffee shop or dropping off some candy at your local fire department – both things she did during her Newtown acts. So far, Zanotti has completed two acts in this new cycle: she has promoted the sale of a T-shirt designed by a friend in which all proceeds will go to One Fund Boston. And she signed up her dog Lucy, a rescue dog with only three legs, in a dog therapy program. (The t-shirt and Lucy are pictured, right.) Zanotti is a nurse at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and has seen the power of therapy dogs for patients. Knowing that several of the bombing victims have had limbs amputated, Zanotti realized her dog in particular could provide special inspiration. She said she’s speaking out about her actions to raise awareness and, she hopes, to inspire others to follow suit. The realization that the bombings happened at the 26th mile and the parallel with Newtown’s 26 school victims was powerful to Zanotti. “Unfortunately, the ’26’ theme again,” she said. But at a time when so many people want to do something in response to the events of the past several days, Zanotti’s found a way to be both creative and kind. Are you doing something special in response to the bombings? Let us know in the comments section. South End Patch
Street Cleaning Begins Bostonwide on April 1st
Street sweeping in Boston is back Bostonwide starting as of April 1st. This year, many Boston neighborhoods will see a different daily schedule to better align with trash and recycling days, a pilot program that started in the South End last year. Street sweeping in the South End officially began on March 1st, although winter weather kept the program from starting until the end of the month. “Keeping Boston’s neighborhoods clean is a top priority of mine, as well as our residents,” Mayor Menino said. “These schedule changes will allow us to clean streets in a way that improves our operations and maximizes the benefits of sweeping. I look forward to seeing our neighborhoods shine once again this spring.” The neighborhoods most affected by the new street sweeping schedule will be Jamaica Plain and most of Dorchester and Mission Hill. The city says aligning street sweeping with trash days will will provide cleaner streets and a reduction in rodent food sources. There are 6,500 new signs posted in those neighborhoods. The program runs until November 30, except in the neighborhoods with an extended schedule, such as Beacon Hill, the North End and the South End, where street sweeping will continue into December. A street sweeping violation will get you towed, and a $ 40 ticket. If you’re worried about getting your car towed, you can sign up for the city’s No Tow program which will email you the night before your neighborhood’s streets are swept. Neighborhood streets throughout the city will be swept clean on a rotating schedule Additional tips for residents from the city: Signs for both day and night sweeping are posted in your neighborhood, a minimum of one per block, and indicate the days and hours that parking is not allowed. Residential streets are typically swept during the day program. Main arterials and the downtown areas are swept in the night program. Public Works has changed the 2013 posted days/hours for many residential streets to provide more effective street sweeping. It is important to note the posted signs in your immediate neighborhood since they may have changed since last season. The night posted restrictions in all neighborhoods are in effect year round with the exceptions of weather-related cancellations. The Daytime Neighborhood Street Cleaning Program runs from April 1 through November 30, except in Beacon Hill, North End and South End which have been extended into December and March by neighborhood request. Both the night and day sweeping programs will be enforced, which includes fines for illegal parking as well as towing. Comprehensive street sweeping information can be found at www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping. You can also register for posted street sweeping electronic reminders and cancellations […]
Downtown Waterfront Planning Begins March 13
The city will kick off its latest round of waterfront development planning with a series of public meetings and tours in mid-March. This newest planning process, which is expected to last 18 months to two years, involves the redevelopment of the Downtown Waterfront area, from Long Wharf down to the Evelyn Moakley Bridge (Seaport Boulevard) and the James Hook & Co. lobster business, said Chris Busch, waterfront planner for the Boston Redevelopment Authority. “The events in March are sort of a kick-off, an introduction and orientation,” Busch said. “Then we’ll get into monthly meetings to develop the municipal harbor plan specific to the downtown waterfront area between Long Wharf and Hook Lobsters.” Over the past 20 years, the city has developed a number of municipal harbor plans for areas including East Boston, Charlestown, South Boston and Fort Point, Busch said. The most recent plan was done in 2009 for about 100 acres on the South Boston side of the Fort Point Channel. This latest planning effort will build upon the BRA’s 2010 Greenway District planning study and will result in a new municipal harbor plan for the Downtown Waterfront and zoning recommendations for the Greenway District, according to an event flier posted on the BRA website. The first event in the Downtown Waterfront project will be a project overview meeting, scheduled Wednesday, March 13 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the New England Aquarium IMAX Theater, 1 Central Wharf. At that meeting—which is open to the public along with the other two events—the BRA will introduce consultants from Utile Inc. and discuss the scope, process and timeline of the planning project. Planners will be looking at a range of features along the waterfront, including the Harbor Walk, streetscapes, plazas, areas extending into the water such as docks, water transportation offerings and programming opportunities, Busch said. Zoning issues for the area will also be addressed. Through the planning process, the city hopes to “enhance and build on what’s already out there and what’s been successful,” Busch said, as well as find ways to better connect the waterfront area with the Greenway and surrounding neighborhoods. The second event is a series of three walking tours of the Downtown Waterfront area that will be addressed in the planning project. The tours are scheduled for Thursday, March 14 at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., starting at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End and extending down to the Hook & Co. site. The third event, the “Waterfront Activation and Public Realm Visioning Charrette,” will be held on Friday, March 15 from 8-11 a.m. at the Boston Harbor Hotel, 70 Rowes Wharf, in the Atlantic Room. […]