The end is near for Mt. Carmel

Breaking from the Boston Globe:

O’Malley, who had promised not to sell the buildings until the appeals to Rome were exhausted, is now asking vigil protesters to accept that it is finally time to move on.

“He would ask the faithful to respect his decision, and in areas where there are vigils that there would be a peaceful conclusion,” said the Very Rev. Arthur M. Coyle, the cardinal’s liaison on the long process to prepare the churches for sale.

Photograph: eastboston.com

The protesters, who had anticipated the move by the cardinal, promised today to continue their fight.

Photograph: eastboston.com

“Each of the six parish groups is ready to take this issue all the way to the Vatican’s highest court,” said Peter Borre of the Council of Parishes, a lay Catholic group that has contested church closings in the archdiocese.

In addition to St. Frances, the churches affected by the cardinal’s decree, effective Monday, are St. James the Great, in Wellesley; St. Jeanne D’Arc, in Lowell; Star of the Sea, in Quincy; Our Lady of Lourdes, in Revere; and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in East Boston.

East Boston 2011 Farmers Market Opens

East Boston Farmers Market Opens

City to hold planning meeting on new branch library for East Boston

More information at Eastboston.com!

Freedom Foundation Annual Meeting and Installation of Officers

Freedom Foundation Annual Meeting and Installation

The officers and board members of the Bay State Chapter of Freedoms Foundation for the 2011-12 season are (seated, l-r) Lino Rullo, Francine D’Andrea, President Joseph Ferrino Jr., Marisa DiPietro and Past President Ed Coletta, and (standing, l-r) Richard Ferrino, Sal Bramante, Buddy Mangini, Ron Vecchia, Barbara Survillas, Philip Salois, and Riccardo Rullo.

More photographs at Eastboston.com

An Open Letter

June 23, 2011

To The Residents of East Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Chelsea:

Do you care that Governor Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and your own Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo are right now planning closed-door negotiations to finalize a bill to expand gambling in the Commonwealth – and more importantly, likely in your own neighborhoods – within the next several weeks?

Do you care to know the economic and social costs this new legislation would have on your neighborhood – on you, your family, your friends, and your small businesses? 

Do you care that your community’s elected presence on Beacon Hill is not actively and wholeheartedly fighting for a current, comprehensive, and independent analysis of all potential costs and benefits related to such a bill? 

Do you care that they are happy to rely on outdated and overly generous revenue and job-creation figures? 

Do you care that over the last several years, they have been wooed over and over by casino owners, lobbyists, and other proponents, via political contributions and other means? 

Do you care that your state elected officials may not have your best interests at heart, that they may rather follow blindly their Beacon Hill leadership than represent the interests of you, their constituents, who put them in office? 

Do you care to believe they may stand more to gain than you will?

Do you care that if such a bill is agreed upon and signed into law in the next few weeks, that Suffolk Downs racecourse will surely secure a casino license and immediately start on a course of grand construction? 

Do you care that you have heard very little or nothing from your elected officials, business organizations, and the casino owners themselves concerning how your communities’ small businesses will avoid being cannibalized by a massive casino complex in your neighborhoods? 

Do you care that your elected officials and local newspapers have shared little to nothing with you concerning the increased levels of various crimes, insurance fraud, credit card abuse, bankruptcies, domestic abuse, child abuse, divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, and of course problem gambling, which you are sure to expect following a casino development? 

Do you care that those you should be able to trust most are neglecting to share with you the complete picture? 

Do you care that if you were shown the whole picture, expanded gambling in Massachusetts – especially in your neighborhood – would simply not make fiscal or socially-responsible sense?

If you DO CARE, now is the time to act. Unless you call, write, or email your state Senators and Representatives right now – and copy the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, and Senator Karen Spilka on your sentiments – they will help set you, your family, friends, neighbors and small businesses on an irreversible crash-course with disaster. 

If you DO CARE, visit United to Stop Slots in Mass. at www.uss-mass.org to find sample letters, elected officials’ contact information, and thousands of actual, proven, and documented (Read: not just moral, but more importantly financial and social) reasons to oppose expanded gambling in Massachusetts. Also visit www.neighborsofsuffolkdowns.org. Share your opinion with elected officials, local news media, and your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. It is time to care and to act.

“Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men.” Please, do not remain indifferent.

Anonymous

Editor's Note: This letter came from "Honest Truth" to eastboston.com on June 23, 2011.

2011 Kiwanis Senior Picnic set for August 10

2011 Kiwanis Senior Picnic: Registration for August 10 event will take place at the Social Centers on July 10.

Salesian breakfast a success

Eastboston.com has a few photographs from last week's annual Salesian breakfast.

Transportation Update: Sumner Tunnel to close on selected nights

Read about it on Eastboston.com!

Local Veggies come to East Boston Corner Stores!

The Farm to Store project’s first delivery will be on Tuesday, June 21. Recipe collection, community workshops, volunteer work days, and healthy incentive programs are all components of the Healthy on the Block program. To get involved or just learn more, contact Cait at vandammc@ebnhc.org or call 617-568-4028. 

To read more about the Farm to Store project visit eastboston.com.

JPNA to Meet 6/13

Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association Meeting Monday, June 13, at 7 p.m

Get the full agenda at eastboston.com!

Eagle Hill Civic Association Meeting to discuss closure of Chelsea Street Bridge

If you want to know what it's going to be like when transportation officials close down the Chelsea Street Bridge for repairs on June 1 for six months you need to attend the next meeting of Eagle Hill Civic Association on Wed., May 25 at 7 p.m. (photo credit Eastboston.com)

Rep. Basile on board with Speaker DeLeo's Reform Plan

Rep. Basile votes for Speaker DeLeo's Judicial and Probation Department Reform

(BOSTON) – State Representative Carlo Basile today joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in unanimously passing landmark court reorganization legislation aimed at improving efficiency in the state’s court system and bringing transparency to hiring and promotion at the Department of Probation.

The legislation, passed by a vote of 152-0, signals strong collaboration between the legislative and judicial branches to provide a streamlined system of justice and restore public trust in the state’s Probation Department.

“This major reform legislation will improve upon an already strong court system by facilitating a more efficient and cost-effective infrastructure for the disposition of justice,” House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said. “Not only does this bill create a civilian administrator to oversee the business aspects of the Trial Court, but it also adds needed transparency to the hiring and promotion practices at the Department of Probation. By passing this reorganization bill, the House has committed to bring a more transparent, efficient system of justice to the people of Massachusetts.”

"This proposal will increase accountability and improve the efficiency of our Trial Court," said Representative Eugene L. O'Flaherty, House Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. "The Speaker and the SJC worked together to provide transparency to the hiring process in our Trial Court and improve its administration. This measure will go a long way in improving confidence and morale."

“This legislation is cost efficient, and will undoubtedly be an effective way to strengthen our justice system,” said Representative Carlo Basile.

Read more at eastboston.com

Class of 1956 to reunite!

Class of 1956 East Boston High School to hold 55th Reunion

Details at eastboston.com

MIT students hold forth next week

Eastboston.com

MIT planning students have done their homework. They were all ears on how best to scope out the future for MainStreets. Next week they'll be presenting at three stakeholder meetings in East Boston.

Eastboston.com Friends of Orient Heights Branch Library Meeting 4/28

Friends of Orient Heights Branch Library Meeting 4/28:

Advance: Mark your calendars for NOAH's 'Trinity Treasures"

NOAH's 'Trinity Treasures' Event on June 22. More information is available at eastboston.com.

Spring Cleanup Slated for April 30

Spring Cleanup at Belle Isle Marsh is scheduled for Saturday, April 30th 9:30 AM — noon
Volunteers are welcome. Met Bayou Street near Fort Banks School Athletic Field. Park at the Belle Isle Cemetery near the Gorman-Ft. Banks School.

The bad news

Globe:

Investors, already concerned about Europe’s debt troubles and fiscal policy in China, were jarred by the report. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 140 points, recovering somewhat from earlier in the day, when Standard & Poor’s revised its long-term outlook on US debt to negative from stable. The New York bond rating group said the American economy’s strengths still outweigh its risks, but, “we now believe that they might not fully offset the credit risks over the next two years.’’

EB Community Food Workshops “Stir a Memory” a huge success!

EAST BOSTON: Can you say “pupusa”!? Over 170 people gathered at the Harborside Community Center this past Thursday to celebrate food heritage at the “Stir a Memory” Community Food Series Workshop, sponsored by the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.

An evening filled with art, food, and lots of chatter over memories, neighborhoods and health, this was one pupusa-sharing experience that feels sure to stick in everyone’s memory!

Artist Krina Patel discussing “food heritage” and her Stir a Memory project

Led by artist Krina Patel, workshop participants were encouraged to create food memory postcards that documented a particular connection to a food-related experience. Explaining her concept of “food heritage”, Patel stated that “Food - thinking about it, making it, eating it and sharing it with others - is a way of re-creating memories. When we recreate memories we ground ourselves. Instead of feeling alone in the world we feel connected.”

The cards quickly transformed individual experiences into a spontaneous public art project on a cafeteria wall, and sparked lots of chatting about yummy times gone-by!

"That’s what was neat about Stir a Memory," said Cait Van Damm, co-coordinator of the series. "The conversations that arise around our cultural and physical connection to food, whether that be in the context of a kitchen, a neighborhood, or faraway home. That’s what the Community Food Series is about."

Over a feast of pupusas, participants were treated to a cooking demonstration of the Salvadoran specialty by Mildred Alvarado of University of Massachusetts Amherst Ethnic Crops Program, followed by a discussion led by Community Servings nutritionist Meghan Ostrander.

Much like Patel and Alvarado, she believes that better health can be found through the embracement of traditional cooking at home.

The Community Food Workshop Series are an opportunity for discussion about food system issues relating directly to East Boston and provide opportunities for participants to get involved in urban gardening and public health initiatives. 

The series is sponsored by Healthy on the Block/Saludable en tu Tienda, an East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and Boston Public Health Commission initiative to increase access to fresh produce and whole grains in corner stores.

The next workshop, happening on Thursday, April 21, will be centered on “Food Justice 101”, and will feature the youth-led E3C crew (Environmental Chelsea Creek Crew) from NOAH.

A gardener-led “Container Planting” workshop will be happening on May 3. For more information regarding the Healthy on the Block/Saludable en tu tienda project or the Community Food Workshop Series, contact Cait Van Damm at 617-568-4028 or vandammc@ebnhc.org.

Source of this information: Email from Cait Van Damm (April 11, 2011).

East Boston Main Streets adds 5 new board members

Five new volunteers join East Boston Main Streets board

On Thursday March 31, 2011 East Boston Main Streets held elections and added 5 new volunteer board members.

(East Boston, MA. 31-March-2011) East Boston Main Streets held elections on Thursday March 31, 2011 and added 5 new volunteer board members. Joining the board is resident and local realtor Phillip Gutowski, resident and the Director of Government and Community Affairs for Trans Metro Media, David Halbert, resident and Linguistic Specialist Marika Horsky, resident and owner of Tummy Toys, Melissa Tyler and last but certainly not least Mr. Albert” Buddy” Mangini who is a long-time fixture and active volunteer in East Boston. Three current members were reelected to the board; Dino Manca from Rapinos Memorial Home, Michael Moscone, Promotion Committee Chair, from East Boston Savings Bank and James Gleason, local resident, architect and Design Committee Chair.

Read more at eastboston.com.