Mayor Menino to Pen Memoirs
By: David Ertischek Boston's longest-serving Mayor Thomas Menino has tapped writer Jack Beatty to assist him in writing his memoirs scheduled for rel South End Patch News
Menino Back Sleeping at Hyde Park Home
By: David Ertischek Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is back to sleeping at his Readville home after recuperating for several months at the Parkman House on Beac South End Patch News
Connolly Rails on Boston Redevelopment Authority and Menino
Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate John Connolly had some harsh words for the Boston Redevelopment Authority and outgoing Mayor Thomas Menino. “Although we have thrived from a development perspective, we are trapped in a system that puts the focus on who you know rather than the merit of your project,” Connolly said at a candidates forum, according to the Boston Herald. “That’s what we need to break and that’s the transparency — we need transparent decision-making within the BRA.” Connolly made the comments during a development-oriented candidates’ forum hosted by the Boston Society of Architects on Wednesday morning. To read the rest of the article, click here. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Things to Know in the South End Today: Mayor Menino Hosts Coffee Hour [Updated: Cancelled]
1. Weather: The National Weather Service is predicting a cloudy day, with a high near 70 degrees, and a 70 percent chance of showers, including a possible thunderstorm. 2. Coffee with Menino: Mayor Menino was slated to be in the South End today to host a neighborhood coffee hour this morning, but the event has been cancelled due to weather. The mayor will be in Mattapan tomorrow for another coffee hour. See here for more information. 3. New Public Art: On Friday morning, the South End will get a new public art installation at the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Brookline artist and resident Tony Lopes commissioned a 12-foot tall stainless steel and bronze sculpture, designed by Medford-based artist David Phillips. Titled “Dancing with Spheres,” the sculpture will be unveiled at the League’s dog play yard at 10 Chandler Street on Friday, May 31 at 2 p.m. See here for more information. 4. Skin cancer screening: Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital (1153 Centre St.) is offering a free skin cancer screening on Wednesday, May 29 from 5-7 p.m. The screening is open to all residents who have not seen a dermatologist in more than a year. Appointments are required and can be made by calling the Community Health and Wellness Department at 617-983-7451. 5. Clifford Visits BPL: If you’ve got younger children, take them to see Clifford the Big Red Dog at the Boston Public Library today at 11 a.m. The event is sponsored by MEFA, which will also be having an open house today. 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
Menino Endorses Markey as ‘There When We Need Him’
Calling him a friend to his city and state, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino endorsed Democratic U.S. Senate special election nominee Congressman Edward Markey in Dorchester on Friday morning. Speaking at a rally at the International Brotherhood of Eletrical Workers Local 103, Menino, a Democrat, said Markey has been with the city “at every corner.” Menino said Markey helped the city receive more Homeland Security funding, has been “out front” on gun control and sustainability. “He’s there for us all the time,” Menino said. Markey welcomed the endorsement, calling Menino “America’s greatest mayor” and a “transformative figure” for Boston and Massachusetts. “He has taken Boston and truly made it that shining beacon on a hill,” Markey said. “His name might be Tom Meni-NO, but he says ‘Yes’ to anything that makes Boston a greater city.” Speaking to reporters after the rally, Menino said that if the June 25 special election leads to a low turnout, he expects Markey to defeat Republic nominee Gabriel Gomez of Cohasset. “They don’t have the excitment they had,” Menino said of state Republicans. “(Former Republican Senator) Scott Brown had the excitement. There’s no excitement for (Gomez).” The race between Markey and Gomez took a nasty turn this week when Gomez called Markey “pond scum” for running an attack ad featuring images of Osama bin Laden. “I don’t think that the people of Massachusetts want to hear any name-calling,” Markey told reporters after the rally. “I think what they want to hear are real proposals. […] They want to hear about who the next Senator is and how it’s going to affect their family. And that’s what I’m going to focus on.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Menino Having Prostate Surgery on Friday
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is scheduled to have surgery later this week at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to reduce his enlarged prostate. “This Friday Mayor Menino is having elective surgery to correct a very common issue among men of his age. The elective surgery will take a few hours and require a few days in the hospital and some recovery at home,” said Dot Joyce, press secretary for Boston. “The Mayor is expected to make a full and complete recovery. The Mayor and his family thank you again for your tremendous outpouring of support and concern and wants to reassure everyone that he will be fine.” The mayor’s primary care physician, Dr. Charles Morris said the surgery would shrink the mayor’s prostate in an effort to give him a better ability to empty his bladder, he told the Globe. And Morris wanted to make it clear Menino’s surgery is not due to prostate cancer, he told the Globe, “This is being done for a benign, harmless condition that, nevertheless, causes symptoms that are noxious and unpleasant.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Mayor Menino: Don’t Let Candidates ‘Tear This School System Down’
Mayor Tom Menino cautioned Boston residents not to focus on negative portrayals of the Boston Public School system as the city’s mayoral race heats up. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new playground at Harvard-Kent Elementary School in Charlestown on May 10, Menino touted the progress public schools have made in recent years and asked residents not to allow anyone to “tear this school system down” in the coming months. “We’ve made a lot of progress in the Boston Public Schools in the last several years. It’s because of a lot of reasons—teachers, principals, the superintendent, the community—and I tell you, the graduation rate is up, dropout rates are down, more kids are going on to college,” Menino said. He spoke of how the schools work to educate every child, from every background and learning level. “Don’t let anybody over the next several months, as this campaign heats up, tear this school system down. This is a great school system. We’re not perfect, but with the new assignment plan we can make that happen,” Menino said. “To all of you out there: Stay positive about what’s happening in the schools. The most important thing we can do in our society today is to educate our children, and I think over the last few years we’ve done an incredible job. We have some ways to go. Don’t have this become an issue of tearing down the schools, because these kids out here are the future of our city.” Menino also spoke highly of Boston Public Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson, a Charlestown resident, who recently announced she will be retiring at the end of the school year. “She has done a remarkable job for the young people of our city over the last several years—driving up test scores and graduation rates, improving access to the arts and making projects like [the Harvard-Kent schoolyard] an important part of learning,” Menino said. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Menino Sends Letter to Newtown
A letter from Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino: Dear Selectman Llodra, On behalf of the people of Boston I thank you and the people of Newtown for sending me the banner filled with signatures and words of prayer and support. All of us were very moved by this kind and thoughtful gesture. As such, we have proudly displayed the banner in the lobby of Boston City Hall for all to see and appreciate. In the aftermath of the attack at the Boston Marathon, our city has been flooded with offers of support and prayers from around the world. None of them, however, meant as much as the banner you sent from Newtown. You know the darkest depths of tragedy, but you also know that unity, resilience and strength allow us to triumph over terror. Your community has inspired and comforted ours as we remember those whose lives were senselessly taken and care for the survivors and their families. Once again, I thank you for your generosity and kindness. Rest assured Boston and Newtown stand together, not just during tough days but for all days. Sincerely, Thomas M. MeninoMayor of Boston South End Patch
Menino To Host ‘Coffee Hour’ in the South End
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will host the 15th annual Neighborhood Coffee Hour Series in local parks citywide from May 8 to June 3. The South End meetup will be held Wednesday, May 29 at Ringgold Park, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. The open hour is an opportunity to speak directly with the mayor about open space and other needs in their neighborhoods. Through these one-on-one discussions and a suggestion box at each site, Mayor Menino is looking to hearing how the city of Boston can improve upon local parks, public areas, and city services, the city said. All participants will enjoy coffee and breakfast treats provided by Dunkin’ Donuts and fresh fruit from Whole Foods Market. In addition, each family in attendance will receive a flowering plant grown in the city’s greenhouses as a gift from the mayor. Residents at the event will also be eligible to win a raffle prize package including a Dunkin’ Donuts gift basket. For more information, call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505 or visit cityofboston.gov/parks. All coffee hours will be held from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Dates for the full schedule of Mayor Menino’s 2013 Neighborhood Coffee Hours are as follows: Jamaica Plain—Wednesday, May 8; Brewer Burroughs Playground, 2P Brewer St. West Roxbury—Thursday, May 9; Hynes Playground, 502 VFW Parkway Charlestown—Friday, May 10; John Harvard Mall, 29 Harvard St. South Boston—Tuesday, May 14; Buckley Playground, 210 West Third St. North End—Wednesday, May 15; Christopher Columbus Park, 110 Atlantic Ave. East Boston—Thursday, May 16; Sumner Lamson Park, 430 Sumner St. Hyde Park—Friday, May 17; Iacono Playground, 150 Readville St. Back Bay—Tuesday, May 21; Clarendon Street Play Lot, 260 Clarendon St. Dorchester—Friday, May 24; Martin Playground, 95 Myrtlebank Ave. Allston-Brighton—Tuesday, May 28; Ringer Park, 85 Allston St. South End—Wednesday, May 29; Ringgold Park, 10 Ringgold St. Mattapan—Thursday, May 30; Ernst Cherry Jr. Playground, 74 Orlando St. Roslindale—Monday, June 3; Fallon Field, 910 South St. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch