Things to Know in the South End Today, May 30: Enter Heatwave
1. Weather: The National Weather Service is predicting a mostly sunny day with a high near 89 degrees. If that sounds hot, the next few days will be even hotter, with Friday’s temperatures reaching up to 94 degrees. 2. Eye Checks for Seniors: The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Massachusetts Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons is hosting a free EyeSmart EyeCheck vision screening today from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m, at Harriet Tubman House at the United South End Settlements (566 Columbus Ave.) See here for more information. 3. Improv Quilting: The Boston Center for The Arts (539 Tremont St.) hosts an Improv Quilting workshop with Dee Mallon on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mills Gallery. Each attendee will create your own small, one-of-a-ind quilt, by hand. Registration is required. See here for more information. 4. Free Piano Lessons: Musicians’ Playground, (791 Tremont St.) is offering free piano lessons on the first Saturday of every month. Beginners of all ages are welcome. Registration is required. See here for more information. 5. South End Flea Market: Claremont Neighborhood Association is having their 23rd annual Flea Market and Street Fair on Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wellington Street. The Street Fair includes antiques, collectibles, jewelry, art, and household goods for sale, a raffle for prizes from local merchants, face painting and balloons for children, food, and live music. All are invited and admission is free! See here for more information. Things you can do every day on South End Patch: Share your news with the rest of the community. Click here to add an announcement. Add your events to our events calendar. Click here to sign up for breaking news updates. Want up-to-the-minute news? Click here to follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Share your thoughts on your community in a blog. Click here to get started. South End Patch
State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Enter Gomez
In case voters weren’t paying attention, and turnout suggested many weren’t, his name is Gabriel Gomez. And now only Ed Markey stands between him and the United States Senate. “My name is Gabriel Gomez, and I’m a proud Republican,” Gomez said, reciting his full name for the second time during a five-minute chat with reporters outside the new go-to, post-election Broadway T stop in South Boston Wednesday morning. The reporters already knew who he was, but part of Gomez’s strategy now is to make sure everybody else does too. The newly minted face of the Republican Party captured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday by defeating two better known names in Massachusetts Republican politics. Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan was supposed to be the favorite, and Rep. Daniel Winslow has been active since his days with the Romney administration. But it was Gomez who easily prevailed by a margin of more than 28,000 votes over runner-up Sullivan. He also considerably outspent both his primary opponents, tapping into his own bank account for $ 600,000 to get to the general election. Now, with a seat up for grabs in the U.S. Senate, the national money should start to flow. Click here to subscribe to MASSterlist, a free morning newsletter by State House News Service that highlights political news from a wide array of newspapers and journals in Massachusetts and New England On the Democratic side, Markey rolled fairly easily to the nomination over delegation-mate U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch. After 36 years in the House and a few flirtations with trying move up, Markey stands on the cusp of filling John Kerry’s (and Mo Cowan’s) shoes. If Markey is something old and blue, Gomez is new and borrowing some pages from the Scott Brown playbook, with a twist. Both are young and photogenic with military backgrounds – Brown’s a colonel in the JAG Corps of the Army National Guard, Gomez was a Navy SEAL. Brown had political experience from his days in the state Legislature when he ran against Attorney General Martha Coakley in 2010. Gomez lost a bid for selectman in Cohasset, but has more business experience and personal wealth than Brown. And just as Brown tapped into the national Tea Party angst at the time to open a spigot of financial resources, Gomez is positioned well to take advantage of his Colombian heritage and the GOP’s post-2012 realization that the growing Hispanic voting bloc, concerned about middle class issues as well as immigration, can no longer be ignored. Massachusetts Democrats say they cleaned up last election cycle among ethnic minorities and will likely have a rebuttal to Gomez’s appeal to Hispanic voters. Public Policy Polling released […]