As a clarification to your Feb. 15 editorial (“Health center changes a sick idea”) regarding the closure of the adult primary care services at the Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC), the decision to end patient care for adults at MEHC was made solely by Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), which owns and operates MEHC. It...
Opinion
JP Observer: My month with Wowl the owl
When I got up from my desk and turned around, I saw a face staring at me through the window a few feet away. I was especially startled because I live on the third floor of a Jamaica Plain three-decker. I felt like screaming, but something told me to run out of the room...
Editorial: Health center change a sick idea
Does anyone seriously believe we need less health care in Jackson Square? Not even Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), who are kicking out their 5,000 adult patients at the Martha Eliot Health Center, can possibly believe that. It’s a move deplorable in substance and outrageous in lack of public notice....
Editorial: Yes to the JP Branch expansion
The plan to expand and renovate the Jamaica Plain Branch Library should get full political support and proceed promptly. The plan adds useful, welcoming space to the library, while sensibly rearranging the existing spaces. It also respects the historic building. It is a smart plan designed with good community input. Brick-and-mortar libraries remain crucial...
Editorial: Dealing with snow
Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas Menino did a great job prepping residents for last weekend’s historic Blizzard of 2013, though cleanup has been a mixed bag. JP residents responded well with a community spirit of playfulness and responsibility, from the Hyde Square snowman to many quickly cleared sidewalks. Patience and flexibility are required...
Op-Ed: Defining ‘quality’ schools and improving access to them
By Craig Lankhorst, Special to the Gazette A year ago, Mayor Menino asked me to serve on the External Advisory Committee on School Choice (EAC). The mayor formed the EAC to help create a stronger school choice system. After a year of work and 70 meetings, we will soon make our recommendation. As a...
Letter: Gun control might cut shootings, mental health funds might not
How do we keep our children and ourselves safe? I write to salute and disagree with Sandra Storey on gun safety and mental health. (“JP Observer: Newtown shooting hits home,” Jan. 18). I salute her detailing how guns are a big part of JP. I bike daily past a 24-hour store where a hard-working...
Letter: Sami’s owner will be missed
I’m sure many people have fond memories of the late Sami Saba—proud father and hardworking owner of the Sami’s restaurants. (“Obituary: Ghazi Sami Saba; founded Sami’s falafel restaurants,” Feb. 11, jamaicaplaingazette.com.) He was also a generous supporter of the Boston Public Schools, as I learned during my years as a fellow parent at various...
Letter: JP has too much litter, and everyone can clean up
Last month, while walking through central JP, we were grossed out by the amount of trash both on the sidewalk and in the gutter. That day it was on the pond side, but frequently it can be both sides of the street that are littered with paper, coffee cups, lottery tickets, pizza paper plates,...
Letter: No sense in swapping bridge for lights
Everyone driving over the Casey Overpass must start at one rotary and finish at the other. It is one mile exactly and takes me two minutes. The “at-grade” plan to replace the overpass adds five sets of traffic signals to this drive. Does this make sense? John Lovett Jamaica Plain