News

Blue Angels Fly By – cancelled

The Blue Angels precision flying team were scheduled to roar over Boston this afternoon; but weather forced cacellation of the event FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

A Navy spokesman said there would not be another flyover of Boston.

They announced the fly over to avoid any public concerns.

Abby Park scheduled to open August 3rd

Abby Park, the restaurant in East Milton that occupies the old Video to Go space is ready to open. One of the principals, Vance Walsh, sent out an email alerting people to the status of the opening. Following is the text of his email.

from Abby Park email notice

Abby Park: Opening August 3rd!

It gives me great pleasure to finally present Abby Park, a modern American full service restaurant. My team and I have been working on this project for the last two years and are proud to bring Milton a restaurant that will not only fill a great need in the community but will also rival dining establishments throughout the Greater Boston Area. The following is our first newsletter and it will give you an idea of where we are with construction and what is to come in the next few months. Stay tuned for even more updates in the coming weeks as our Grand Opening approaches!

New Milton Neighborhood Association forming

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!

Despite gloom, cloudy record out of reach at Blue Hill

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.)

Kin find strength after tragedy

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).

Milton Commuter Alert: transportation notes & I-93 road closures for 06/28

Transportation news and  notes

Toll increase not likelyT fares not so sure

The governor is expected to sign the state budget today. Most notable is an increase in the sales tax from 5% to 6.5% – what does this have to do with traffic or transportation? The budget includes $100 million to avoid increases at the Rte. 128 and Allston tolls and the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels thanks to this increase in the  sales tax. The decision whether or no to raise the tolls will be made today by the Turnpike board of directors at a meeting in Framingham as part of their vote on the authority’s budget for the next fiscal year.

The bill also allocates money to MBTA to close a $160 million gap; but whether it will be enough to offset a fare increase is not known. You can find a good article on the bill and overview of the transportation overhaul at Worcester News Telegram site here.

Anti-texting legislation in the work

Steven Baddour, a Methuen Democrat, and co-chairman of the Legislature’s transportation committee committed last week to a bill that will ban automobile drivers from using text messaging devices on the road. The provision was taken out of a budget bill recently because it did not relate to spending. However, it remains a priority. A rally held last Thursday by Safe Roads Alliance a driver safety organization, was attended by Mayor Menino and Mellisa Martin whose daughter died in a car accident caused by texting.

I-93 Road Closures for week of 6/28

I-93 South approaching and through Downtown
Nighttime Multi-lane Closure

Two-to-three lanes of I-93 South will be closed at night approaching and through Downtown Monday, June 29, 2009 through Wednesday, July 1, 2009 from 11:30 PM to 5:00 AM the following morning.
These lane closures are for maintenance work.

Patron not pleased with Milton Hospital ER bill

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.


Milton High School makes Newsweek’s “Top of the Class”

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.

Diversion: “The Box” film trailer

Warner Brothers has released the trailer for “The Box,”  a thriller starring Cameron Diaz. The film was shot on the south shore and scenes were filmed here in Milton. It is scheduled for release in October.