There is a another neighborhood association forming in Milton and that is always good news.

Neighborhood associations reflect pride, commitment, and concern. There are several in Milton and we will be publishing a list with contact information shortly. But in the meantime, let’s welcome the most recent, The Tucker Neighborhood Association.

The name obviously comes from the prominent Milton family who settled in that area in the late 1600’s and whose name graces the local school that sits in the center of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is loosely bound by Hyde Park to the west, Mattapan Square to the north, Amor Road & Blue Hill Terrace to the south, and Thatcher Street to the east.  I spoke with some of the principals of the association and, like any neighborhood association, they welcome all comers. If you have a vested interest in the neighborhood, then they would love for you to “come on down.”

The principals I spoke with are Lisa Murphy, acting chair, and Beth and Vivian Fleitman acting co-treasurers.

They are understandably excited about the association and passionate about the neighborhood. This is what they had to say.

The idea of an association had been percolating for some time. However, it was the proposition of a “strip mall” in their neighborhood that was the catalyst for its formation. Coffman Realty whom Temple Shalom had retained to provide a development proposal was recommending a pharmacy with a drive thru as an anchor tenant. There would be a smaller scale temple as well as a second structure that would house retail and / or service businesses.

Though the redevelopment of the Temple Shalom property was the catalyst, it was not the sole reason for the associations existence. The principals stated that “we feel strongly about coming together to solve issues.” A couple of those issue are chronic traffic problems, crime, and teenagers loitering at the Temple site. They are quick to acknowledge that, “not everyone agrees” and that “we are a very diverse neighborhood.”  That said, “everyone is concerned with making the neighborhood better.”

The association currently has approximately 50 members. Their specific goals and objectives will be worked out in concert with developing bylaws for the association but in a general sense the overall objective is “an organization that will work for the betterment of the neighborhood.”

For more information, please contact Lisa Murphy.

Welcome Tucker Neighborhood Association!

from The Boston Globe

Despite inches of rain and all those overcast afternoons, gloomy mornings, and cloudy lunch breaks, this June will not set a record for a shortage of sunshine.

Even if not another ray of sunlight reaches the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory and Science Center in Milton before the end of the month, it will not matter. It is now mathematically impossible to break the all-time record set in 1903, when just 25 percent of the sun’s rays penetrated the clouds. (Read the full story here.)

from The Boston Herald

Vronze and Regine Revelus instilled three things in their children: An abiding faith in God. A respect for others. “And the most important thing,” Regine said yesterday, “was to always stick together. Family, we always said, means holding on to each other.”

Incomprehensible tragedy has not changed that. (Read the full story here).

Congratulations to Ariana Laurie who was named a 2009 Tennis League All-Star by the Boston Herald. you can find a complete list of all-start here.

A patron to Milton Hospital’s emergency room was reviewing their bill and noticed a $30 charge “additional for after hours.” They wrote to the consumer editor at the Globe questioning the legality of that given in is a 24 our operation.  The consumer editor researched the issue. You can find the answer here.

Newsweek recently published their annual ranking of the nation’s best high schools and Milton High has made the grade.

Milton ranks 597th out of 1,500 top schools selected nationwide. Milton ranks 11 out of the 29 Massachusetts schools selected.

You can find the Newsweek story and a complete list of the Massachusetts schools here.

from Newsweek:

Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured this way.