Editorials
The death of Wonderland
Wonderland Dog Racing Track closed last week. The track shut its doors without much notice on a lazy Friday morning at the end of summer. Thus ended a track with a seven-decade history and an industry in one fell swoop. The end was coming but was hastened by the failure of the state to pass an expanded... »
Meridian Market at St. Anthony’s
If you’re heading over to the feast of St. Anthony in the North End this weekend, you will find a pleasant surprise. Meridian Market has taken a place on Endicott Street. The Noviellos will be cooking up great Italian treats that will certainly be noticed among all the others. When you get there and order, please tell... »
Perfect Summer – August in New England
Forgive us our obsession with the New England weather and its nuances. However, we are endlessly fascinated by the weather. Watching the weather and measuring its heartbeat is almost as interesting as being inside the chambers of the State House watching an expanded gambling bill die a horrible death on Beacon Hill. The summer of 2010... »
Slots at the Tracks? – In the end, compromise will prevail
Governor Deval Patrick has said he will not sign a casino bill that provides slot machines for four racetracks in Massachusetts. State Senate President Therese Murray – and the senate – has essentially said the same thing. Only House Speaker Robert DeLeo and the House have voted to order slots into the four tracks as part... »
Fighting Crime – Boston will win this battle
We have more than our share of crime in this neighborhood. But we are not like Roxbury and Dorchester and parts of Mattapan where gangs are murdering young people and innocents. East Boston’s crime scene is so unlike that of other neighborhoods that everyone living here should rejoice that gangs toting handguns and shooting them indiscriminately... »
Lost in Thought – Getting away from it all
The 4th of July holiday was a great success. Hundreds of thousands swarmed for music, food and fireworks and virtually no arrests, no outrageous violence and very little in the way of inconvenience. It was a quintessential American weekend with nearly all of us taking full advantage of the Monday holiday. Monday opened warm and very hot. The... »
Four Your Thoughts – Thinking about Independence Day
It is the summer of discontent as we approach the 4th of July holiday. In the 234th year of American Independence, there is a feeling held among Americans that the business life of the land is unnatural, strained, weak, and ineffectual. Government’s best effort to make up for the failings and the excesses of the nation’s... »
The Library Saga – Battle won, but as for the war …
The East Boston Branch Library in Orient Heights has received a reprieve from the City of Boston. Our branch library and three others scheduled to close because of the budget shortfall and the changing times lives to fight another day – and apparently will do so for the length of the summer and probably into... »
Gambling Forum – This is your chance to be heard
On June 30 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Don Orione/Madonna Shrine, 111 Orient Ave. proponents and opponents of casino gambling at Suffolk Downs will be getting together at a forum sponsored by the Times-Free Press and organized by John Ribeiro. This is the first public forum to discuss the issues related to expanded gambling. It... »
Remember the Host – Neighborhood deserves new revenue streams for serving as home to a casino
We are in favor of a casino in Suffolk Downs as part of the state’s expanded gambling venue. As we have written many times, a casino means many new jobs, hundreds of millions in new construction and infra structure investment and new taxes for the state – and for the city of Boston. The rub, and... »
