Egleston Square-based nonprofit Ecumenical Social Action Committee/Ensuring Stability through Action in our Community (ESAC) is helping seniors stay at home longer by donating minor home repairs and improvements. Recently able to offer the service to those as young as 62 partly due to a grant from the national senior-rights organization AARP, ESAC aims “to...
Man guilty in JP murder
A Roslindale man was convicted this week of second-degree murder in the 2011 stabbing death of Jamaica Plain resident Kenneth Soto in the parking lot of the Canary Square 7-Eleven, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Hector “Nemo” Soto, 22 and no relation to the victim, faces a mandatory sentence of life...
Boston Shines cleanup tomorrow
Boston Shines, the City of Boston’s annual cleanup event, will be held Sat., April 27. Organizations and individuals will volunteer to clean up streets, parks and similar areas. In JP, Boston Shines collaborates with a longtime neighborhood cleanup and is one of the most popular local volunteer events.
350.org Boston branch opens in JP
A Boston branch of the state branch of the environmental activist organization 350.org is making a home in Jamaica Plain. Following an introductory meeting on March 28 at the Nate Smith House at 155 Lamartine St., the Cambridge-based 350 Massachusetts has decided to expand to a second branch in Jamaica Plain. “It would be...
Task Force to protest condo plan
The Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) will hold an event at 7:30 p.m. in front of the Blessed Sacrament Church at 365 Centre St. on May 3 to oppose the plan to turn the church building into luxury condos. The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation and New Atlantic Development bought the church in 2005....
Route 39 improvement project to begin
The repeatedly delayed Route 39 bus improvement project is set to begin soon, according to MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo. The project calls for several “bump-out” curb extensions, including at the Perkins Street, Roseway Street and Seaverns Avenue stops. Pesaturo said in an email to the Gazette on April 11 that the project should start...
Dozens attend church vigil
CENTRAL JP—Dozens of people attended a candlelight vigil on the lawn of First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain April 17, the first such local vigil in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing. “It’s a way of helping people know they’re not alone in a time of stress and crisis,” First Baptist Pastor Ashlee...
JP man learns friend survived near-miss
Like many concerned Jamaica Plain residents, Henry Beguiristain wondered about the safety of his friends running and watching the marathon yesterday. But in his case, the danger was closer than most: his friend, Tim Hare, was mere feet away from the second explosion. Hare, who was uninjured, told the Gazette his eyewitness account. Beguiristain...
Red Cross CEO runs marathon, then helps victims
Jarrett Barrios, the chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts and a Jamaica Plain resident, had his first-ever run of the Boston Marathon halted by the April 15 bombing. Then, despite hurting his leg during the run, he went straight to work with hundreds of other Red Cross volunteers to...
MSPCA: No animals hurt by bombs
The Angell Animal Medical Center did not receive any reports of animal casualties from the Boston Marathon bombing, according to spokesperson Rob Halpin. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), which runs the cutting-edge animal hospital at its 350 S. Huntington Ave. headquarters in Jamaica Plain, also has not received...
JP’s earlier Patriots’ Day crime
The insane crime of bombing the Back Bay’s streets would be horrific at any time. But it was a particularly appalling contrast with the backdrop of the Boston Marathon, the Patriots’ Day holiday and sunny weather. Jamaica Plain has seen that horrific contrast before. Five years ago, on Patriots’ Day 2008, a man was shot to...
JP’s company key to marathon
A Jamaica Plain rental company whose equipment is a crucial part of the Boston Marathon did not suffer any casualties in the bombing. But its gear became part of a gigantic crime scene downtown. All of the grandstands, barricades and other event gear for the Boston Marathon is provided by Interstate Rental Service on...
Peace activist became rescue hero
Carlos Arredondo, a well-known anti-war activist known for his strong ties to Jamaica Plain, rushed to the aid of Boston Marathon bombing victims and became globally famous by appearing in some of the most dramatic news photos of the event. In an exclusive Gazette interview last week, Arredondo talked about the devastating irony of...
The shock in the Back Bay
Perhaps I am still in sense of shock as the details and the reality of the bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon sink into my mind. One is almost immune when you hear about civilian targeted bombs exploding in those places of unrest like the Middle East or Africa. Today, I...
Kentucky runner, 21 family members escape bomb
A Kentucky athlete running her first Boston Marathon could have lost her entire, 21-member family in the April 15 bombing after they spent all day near the finish line to cheer her on, leaving only three minutes before the blasts. “All day, they were literally 25 feet, if that far, from where the bomb...
Arkansas rep. backs off ‘cowering’ crack
Arkansas state Rep. Nate Bell, who suggested April 19 on Twitter that Bostonians are “cowering” because they lack assault rifles during the marathon bomber manhunt, and was rebuked by local City Councilor Matt O’Malley, partly apologized for those comments. “I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they...
Candidates apply for mayoral election papers
Fourteen candidates had applied for nomination papers in the race to replace Mayor Thomas Menino at the Gazette deadline, though others have announced their intention to also enter the scrum. Some of those who have announced include state Rep. Martin Walsh, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley and City Councilors John Connolly, Rob Consalvo...
JP Kids: Teens fight for summer job funding
The citywide Youth Jobs Coalition, composed of adult and youth leaders including local organizations Hyde Square Task Force and Teen Empowerment, are once again fighting to fund teen summer jobs. The current proposed state budget cuts funding to support youth jobs with the City from last year’s $9 million to $2 million. That is...
JP Kids: How BPS responded to students’ bomb trauma
By Rebeca Oliveira and Peter Shanley, Gazette Staff Whether they were near or far from the scene, Boston’s children felt the trauma of the Boston Marathon bombing, which counted an 8-year-old Dorchester boy among the dead. The bombing happened during the Boston Public Schools (BPS) vacation week, leaving some students wondering about their classmates’...
JP Kids: Gamers gather at JP store
Lovers of board and card games gather regularly to foil adversaries and crush their enemies, while comic readers of all ages can stock their shelves and gather for forum discussions, at JP Comics & Games. JP Comics & Games, located at 603 Centre St., devotes about half the shelf space in its cozy single...
JP Kids: For kids under 10
JP Comics & Games co-owner Paul Bryant gave the Gazette his recommendations for titles appropriate for comic readers aged 6 to 9. “These are good for kids in general. They feature girls and boys,” he said. “They’re all a lot of fun. Kids’ titles tend to have full adventures per issue” instead of spreading...