By Sandra Storey/Special to the Gazette Boston is experiencing an incredible building surge right now. Evidence abounds right here in Jamaica Plain. Contractors with a range of skills are much in demand. Unfortunately, construction-related companies owned by people of color…
Author: Sandra Storey
JP Observer: CPA could link space for arts with historic preservation
Arts and cultural activities in neighborhoods across the city, including Jamaica Plain, are suffering due to lack of suitable space, according to a survey whose results are reflected in the Boston Creates 10-Year Plan from the City’s Office of Arts…
JP Observer: Spread the word, not the mess: Plastic bags are out; cleaner electricity coming
Jamaica Plain residents and business people have the opportunity to help the environment significantly by taking action right here in the neighborhood in two different ways. The City of Boston is launching BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) when shopping in…
JP Observer: Gridlocked intersection sparks confrontation
The JP Observer addressed the problem of traffic blocking intersections during rush hours in Jamaica Plain in March, asking for enforcement of laws that say drivers cannot pull into an intersection where traffic in front is stopped, even if their…
JP Observer: Want a better president, better elections? States need to stop winner take all
Questions: How can we increase the chances we get the president the majority of us vote for in 2020—unlike who we got in 2016 and 2000? And how can we also benefit from fairer election campaigns focused on enfranchised voters…
JP Observer: Gov. Baker twice rejects giving poor families benefits for newborns; Uses process devices to hinder funding
By Sandra Storey Special to the Gazette “Charlie Baker is a great governor.” One ad for him this month begins with a woman saying that. He is running for a second term, and his ads are flooding the local TV…
JP Observer: Trees on private property need protections
By Sandra Storey Special to the Gazette Boston, with support from people in Jamaica Plain who care about the local environment, is starting to look at more of its forest and fewer of its trees, to paraphrase an old adage.…
JP Observer: City action on approved clean energy program at a standstill; Councilor O’Malley objects
A Boston City Council and Mayor Marty Walsh approved state program that would allow Boston residents to choose to get more electricity from renewable sources is purposely not being implemented by the City’s Environment Department. Local City Councilor Matt O’Malley…
JP Observer: What’s in a name? When it comes to public schools, we need some new ones
Riding a wave of new awareness that women and people of color have been unjustly ignored by prominent institutions, the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail (BWHT) is advocating that some schools in the Boston school system be renamed for accomplished women…
JP Observer: MA legislature asked to “Lift the Cap on Kids”
Right now there are about 8,700 children and families in Massachusetts—1,400 in Boston—who are suffering because of an outdated provision in state law based on myth rather than actuality. That law—enacted during rampant negative stereotyping of families on government assistance…