A local activist and Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) critic is seeking to remove the current council members in the wake of their lawsuit against the 161 S. Huntington Ave. development. “This group of eight people made a unilateral decision to sue our city…pretending to represent 37,000 people,” said Rick Stockwood, adding that he...
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Report: State Lab safe, but ‘threats’ remain
FOREST HILLS—The William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute meets standards for safety and quality, but also has management “threats” that could cause future problems, according to an independent report obtained by the Gazette. Those “threats” include a lack of an overall lab safety program, flawed employee reviews and a lack of a full-time, dedicated...
School fitness program reviewed for business ties
EGLESTON SQ.—A new physical fitness program at Greater Egleston Community High School (GECHS) is under review by Boston Public Schools (BPS) following Gazette questions about its relationship to a fitness supplement business. Generation Fitness, or Gen/Fit, is GECHS Dean of Students Kwadwo Mike Thompson’s program. Students sign up for off-campus, non-team activities like rock-climbing,...
State Lab appears accredited
The 17 state public labs at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute at 305 S. Huntington Ave. appear to be in compliance with regulations and accredited. The Hinton Institute held the now-closed state drug lab where former chemist Annie Dookhan allegedly mishandled thousands of drug samples. Dookhan’s alleged actions have put numerous convictions...
Memorial and mountain-climb for Newtown
By Peter Shanley and Sandra Storey A local housing development recently held a memorial event for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass murder, while a Jamaica Plain resident planned to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa to fly flags honoring the victims. On Dec. 14, 26 people, including 20 children, were shot...
Academy Homes gang leader imprisoned
JACKSON SQ.—The reputed leader of the Academy Homes street gang was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Dec. 20 for cocaine distribution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts. Owens Brown, 34, of Roxbury also armed and operated a gang of mostly young people that fueled violence in Jackson Square on the...
Rapper releases album about City Life experience
City Life/Vida Urbana, a Jamaica Pain-based housing advocacy group, is known for its direct activism, such as sit-ins, blockades and protest marches. The organization recently added another dimension with the rapper Antonio “Twice Thou” Ennis. “I’m really paying forward what I have learned,” said Ennis, who recently released an album about his experience with...
Park group seeks to fix historic wall
FOREST HILLS—The Arboretum Park Conservancy (APC), a nonprofit friends group for Arnold Arboretum, has applied for a City of Boston grant to continue repairs of historic stone walls along South Street. But first, the APC had to patch up its paperwork. The nonprofit had neglected to file four years of annual reports with the...