JACKSON SQ.—Urban Edge, a nonprofit community development corporation, recently broke ground on the Jackson Commons project, an expansion of the its building at 1542 Columbus Ave. When completed, Jackson Commons will be a three-story, 23,600-square-foot building with 37 affordable-housing units, 10,000 square feet of office space and 2,000 square feet of retail space. “It’s...
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Holidays in JP: Samuel Adams releases annual ‘Utopias’ beer
The holiday season has arrived, and with it, the pressure of buying gifts. If you want to relieve that stress and maybe buy a present for that someone special, the JP-based Samuel Adams Brewery recently released its annual batch of barrel-aged Utopias beer. This year’s beer is a blend between Utopias and the brewer’s...
Holidays in JP: Tree lightings to be held Dec. 7
Three holiday events will take place in Jamaica Plain tomorrow, Dec. 7, according to the City. Egleston Square will host a tree-lighting event from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., while the Mayor’s Trolley Tour—featuring Mayor Thomas Menino and entertainment—will stop at Monument Square and Hyde Square. The Egleston event will be held at the...
Holidays in JP: Expert tips on wines to bring to dinner
With holiday feasts on the horizon, Blanchards Wines & Spirits General Manager Mike Denson gave the Gazette some recommendations for wines and spirits that are sure to impress. For an affordable bottle of wine, Denson suggested 14 Hands Vineyards’ Hot to Trot Red Blend, a mix of various red grapes, available for $9.99. “People...
Holidays in JP: Secret Recipes: Sara Beth’s Tofu Turkey
The Gazette asked various JP people and institutions to share their favorite holiday recipes. City Feed and Supply at 672 Centre St. and 66a Boylston St. offered the following: Please vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike with this tofu turkey recipe! This tried-and-true recipe was created City Feed’s Sara Beth. All local ingredients listed in the...
Holidays in JP: Kelly Rink skating to begin this month
The Kelly ice-skating rink in the Southwest Corridor Park is slated to open sometime in the middle of this month, weather permitting, according to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The outdoor rink is at the end of Marbury Terrace behind the Stony Brook T Station. It is open seven days a week...
Holidays in JP: MSPCC families enjoy Thanksgiving dinner
FOREST HILLS—Sixty children and parents enjoyed an early Thanksgiving dinner together Nov. 26 at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s (MSPCC) service center at 3815 Washington St. MSPCC runs Kid’s Day, a therapeutic after school program for children ages 5-12. Volunteers from MSPCC’s young professionals group served a full Thanksgiving...
JP master chef pens New England cookbook
Chef Daniel Bruce, one of Boston’s top chefs and a Jamaica Plain resident, last month published his first cookbook, “Simply New England: Seasonal Recipes That Celebrate Land and Sea.” Bruce is the executive chef at the Boston Harbor Hotel downtown, where he oversees its acclaimed restaurants Meritage and the Rowes Wharf Sea Grille. He...
JP Agenda, Dec. 6, 2013
The deadline for listings is noon, Tues., Dec. 17 for the Dec. 20 issue. Send listings to reporter@jamaicaplaingazette.com. Note: 617 should be dialed before numbers below, unless another area code is given. Meetings E-13 Police: Latino monthly meeting, Thurs., Dec. 12, 7pm, Nate Smith House, 155 Lamartine St.; Strategic planning meeting, Thurs., Dec. 19,...
JP kid stars in BCT production
Jamaica Plain actor Samil Battenfeld, 12, will star in Boston Children’s Theatre (BCT) annual production of “The Velveteen Rabbit” starting Dec. 7. Based on the famous children’s book, “The Velveteen Rabbit” was first performed by BTC during the holiday season four years ago. The performances blend live actors with puppets, including a puppet of...
Hyde Square eatery hires new chef
HYDE SQ.—Centre Street Sanctuary, a restaurant in Hyde Square, has hired a new chef, Timothy Hopkins, according to owner Adam Rutstein. The name Sanctuary plays off the fact that the restaurant is located at 365 Centre St., on the campus of the former Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. The restaurant opened last spring. “We are...
Urban farming guidelines approved by BRA
The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) board approved new urban farming zoning guidelines, called Article 89, at its Nov. 14 meeting. It must still be approved by the Zoning Commission before it takes effect. Assuming the Zoning Commission approves it at its Dec. 18 meeting, Article 89 will go into effect before the end of...
JP musician makes Midway tour stop
Stevie Weinstein-Foner, the musician son of local activist Laura Foner, returned to his hometown and performed at the Midway Café Friday, Nov. 29. “It always feels good to come back. I have a lot of friends who still in the area,” Weinstein-Foner told the Gazette last week. “I’m really happy to be taking these...
Hospital recognized for surgical patient care
JAMAICA HILLS—The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) recently recognized Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital as one of 37 ACS NSQIP-participating hospitals nationwide that have achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care. Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, located at 1153 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain, is the only hospital...
Faulkner Hospital gains surgery accreditation
JAMAICA HILLS—The bariatric surgery program at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, located at 1153 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain, has been accredited as a Level 1 facility under the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The accreditation demonstrates the surgery center’s commitment to delivering the highest...
Editorial: The JPNC lawsuit settlement
We previously said that the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council’s quixotic lawsuit against the 161 S. Huntington Ave. development was a must-win if the council was to retain its political credibility. It turns out that the JPNC has technically neither won or lost. But it is doubtful that the concessions it wrung from a settlement...
Editorial: Welcome back, JP Progressives
The return of the JP Progressives group is a welcome development in JP’s political life. Skilled at holding forums and questioning candidates, JP Progressives was influential in the 2009 mayoral race. One did not have to share their political leanings to get oodles of valuable information from their events and candidate questionnaires. Now the...
Editorial: English High’s champs
Congratulations to English High’s football team for triumphing in its annual Thanksgiving Day battle with Boston Latin at Harvard Stadium. The school football rivalry goes back more than 125 years, and this is the first time English has won since 1997. That is a long time even to those of us who were not...
On the Police Beat, Nov. 12-Dec. 1, 2013
The following police incident reports are public records provided by the Community Service Office of the District E-13 Police Station, which is solely responsible for their content. All suspects are innocent unless proven guilty in court. Dec. 1: Assault and battery, 3557 Washington St. Nov. 30: Larceny, 209 Wachusett St.; missing property, 716 Centre...
Centre/South Main Streets has new director
Jamaica Plain’s Centre/South Main Streets (CSMS), a business promotion organization, has a new executive director, Andrew Zarro, which further stabilizes the organization after a tumultuous period. CSMS is rebounding from late 2012 and the beginning of this year, when the organization saw a change of leadership and had its nonprofit status revoked. CSMS eventually...
Domino’s delays local zoning hearing
The franchisee seeking to open a Domino’s Pizza in Egleston Square delayed an appearance before the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council Zoning Committee originally slated for Dec. 4. According to committee chair David Baron, the “applicant’s representative said they wanted to go through more of the permitting process and conduct meetings with the neighbors before...
JPNC lawsuit settlement deal reached
With a deal for more affordable housing and a pedestrian path, the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) has agreed to settle its lawsuit against an apartment project at 161 S. Huntington Ave. The deal announced today would end the JPNC’s controversial, nearly year-old suit against the Boston Residential Group (BRG) and the City’s Zoning Board...
Firefighter injured in house blaze
JAMAICA HILLS–An early-morning blaze today at a 14 Pond Circle house left one firefighter briefly hospitalized with third-degree burns, according to the Boston Fire Department (BFD). The two residents were not home when the three-alarm fire struck, according to BFD spokesperson Steve MacDonald, who tweeted photos of the blaze. When firefighters arrived around 1...
ESAC moves out of JP
The Ecumenical Social Action Committee (ESAC), a key Egleston Square nonprofit founded in JP nearly 50 years ago, moved its offices to Dorchester last week. The expense-cutting move out of 3313 Washington St. to 214 Harvard St. in Dorchester will not affect ESAC’s JP programming, according to Executive Director Bill Minkle. The new address...