Category: Local
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Kyle Ploof: Local Comic Mines Local Issues for Jokes
From Steve Martin to Eddie Murphy to Bill Hicks, some of comedy’s heaviest hitters knew what they wanted to do—or were, perhaps, destined to do—from a very early age. The same cannot be said for Kyle Ploof. While he was growing up in Weymouth, Ploof despised stand-up comedy because he didn’t relate to grown men…
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World’s Only Curious George Store Negotiates Deal to Stay in Harvard Square
The World’s Only Curious George Store’s desire to stay in Harvard Square has been granted after negotiations with the new landlord of the building were completed. Store owner Adam Hirsch was unsure if the shop could stay in the area once Equity One Inc. bought the building and announced it would be raising rents. Early…
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Freedom for Francisco and Siham: Kids Protest Against ICE Arrests
The sounds of musical instruments, singing and chanting burst through the cold, silent and stiff air outside the South Bay House of Correction on a Sunday afternoon. A bunch of fifth graders from the Boston Workmen’s Circle Center for Jewish Culture and Social Justice Sunday School rallied on Dec. 10 to demand the U.S. Immigration…
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Undocumented Immigrant Francisco Rodriguez Released from ICE for the holidays
Christmas came early for beloved MIT custodial worker and undocumented immigrant Francisco Rodriguez, whose story for months has been at the forefront of the immigration debate in Massachusetts. Rodriguez, who spent months behind bars at the Suffolk County House of Corrections, was released from ICE custody on the Thursday before Christmas to his surprise and…
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Homeless Memorial Service 2017
The pews at Church on the Hill were filled with friends, advocates, and members of the homeless community on Thursday to pay tribute to over 100 people who died this past year. The interfaith service marked the 28th anniversary of the National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day, though the Boston community has seen a similar event…
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Bookstore Expansion Will Mean More Jobs For Locals
More space for the More Than Words bookstore and warehouse, located on East Berkeley Street in the South End of Boston, means more youth employment and more lives transformed. The nonprofit social enterprise organization celebrated a “breaking ground” for its expansion, which will transform the first floor of the building into a vibrant storefront that…
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Memories of Thanksgiving on the Street
I enjoyed this past Thanksgiving, probably more than I’ve enjoyed Thanksgiving in quite some time. I got to spend a nice, quiet holiday in my adopted hometown with friends. It was quiet, and I caught up on a lot of sleep and watched movies. I wish I could say that nothing bothered me at all,…
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Triage Tool Uses Health Care Info to House Homeless With Better Support Systems
Mathematica Policy Research released a study demonstrating that a triage assessment tool used by the Massachusetts Shelter and Housing Alliance (MHSA) can successfully predict the emergency resource utilization of chronically homeless individuals. The MHSA partners with organizations and service providers in the state to place chronically homeless people in housing with appropriate supportive services. Since…
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Coalition Pushes for Clean Water and Justice in Massachusetts Prisons
Photo: Beth Prendergast On the morning of Nov. 28, a small group of people gathered in front of the Suffolk County House of Correction at South Bay. With them, a banner depicted a tidal wave rushing toward a line of prison cells. The words “#DeeperThanWater”—the group’s name—occupied the bottom of the banner, painted in prison-uniform…