A new online map of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum can pinpoint each of 15,000 plants, including planting date and cultivar name, on the 265-acre property. “The Arboretum has been disseminating information about its plants for over a century, and Collection Researcher is the latest,” Curator of Living Collections Michael Dosmann told the Gazette. The new...
Monthly Archives: January 2012
Bullets fly on South St.
Bullets flew on South Street for the second time in a month on Jan. 6, this time peppering a car in a reported drive-by shooting. No one was injured and no suspects have been charged, according to the Boston Police Department (BPD). The drive-by apparently was unrelated to a Dec. 11 shooting of a...
Grocery lot trees to be replaced
JACKSON SQ.—Several mature trees in the Stop & Shop parking lot were cut down in recent weeks and will be replaced with new trees in the spring. George Marsh, a Roslindale resident who shops at the 301 Centre St. supermarket, said he was surprised by the removal and curious as to why it happened...
Cemetery misses annual report filings
Forest Hills Cemetery has never filed a mandatory yearly report, according to the Secretary of State’s Office website. It is also apparently based out of a nonexistent address, according to city tax records. As of 1985, cemeteries, along with all other nonprofits, are required to file an annual report with the Secretary of State’s...
Court: Legal immigrants get health coverage
Legal immigrants cannot be removed from the state’s low-income subsidized health insurance plan, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Jan. 5, ordering the state to restore a $150 million budget cut. Local state Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez said the decision “validated” his longstanding concern that the cuts violated the state constitution. “I’m happy and excited,” Sánchez...
Heating aid slashed for 1,000
More than 1,000 Jamaica Plain households could be in the cold this winter due to deep cuts in federal heating bill aid. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is providing Massachusetts with $132 million in aid—a cut of $52 million from last year. A push is under way for the state to provide...
Obituary: Bruce Wallin, NU professor
Bruce A. Wallin, of Jamaica Plain, aged 63, passed away on Dec. 29, 2011 after a short battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Vickie and two daughters, Anne, 15, and Eva, 11, and a sister, Barbara Lynch. He was born in Amsterdam, N.Y. In 1990, he moved to Boston to join...
Obituary: Oscar Raul Vega Ponce, human rights activist
Oscar Raul Vega Ponce of Jamaica Plain died on Jan. 9, 2012 after a long health battle. He was 61. Known to many as Raul, he spent his last days surrounded and cared for by his family and close friends. Raul will forever be remembered for his remarkable strength, generosity and good humor. Raul...
Website gives voice to street harassment victims
Two women with long ties to Jamaica Plain are barking back at catcallers with a new website, boston.ihollaback.org. Hollaback! Boston aims to combat alleged street harassment by providing a forum for women and LGBT victims of catcalls, rude gestures and uninvited touching to share their stories, often including pictures of the alleged harassers. “For...
Sights and Sounds, 1/20
The deadline for listings is noon, Jan. 31 for the Feb. 3 issue. Send listings to reporter@jamaicaplaingazette.com. Note: 617 should be dialed before numbers below, unless another area code is given. Special Events Accessible ice-skating at Kelly Rink, for wheelchairs, ice-sleds and conventional skates. Wed. Feb. 1, Kelly Rink, 1 Marbury Ter. Info: 413-527-8980....