credit: Colleen Walsh
caption: Andrea Evans will run in this year’s marathon.




As thousands prepare for the famously grueling 26.2-mile race on April 16, one young runner is taking it all in stride.

Andrea Evans, a nurse at Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston who works on the reconstructive surgery unit with children preparing for and returning from surgery, is part of the four-person Shriners’ team that will take to the Boston Marathon course to raise funds for the care of patients at the hospital.

Evans responded to an email in the middle of February from hospital officials looking to start a team.

“I thought, ‘this is my chance to be in The Boston Marathon,’ I immediately wanted to do it,” said Evans. “It’s always been a dream of mine to run a marathon but I never thought I could.”

An athlete and runner throughout high school who played a variety of sports including soccer and basketball, Evans concentrated on track in college, specializing in the 400- and 800-meter distances. After her school years of racing left her with aching joints, she decided she needed a break from running and took a year off.

But when she received the hospital’s email, Evans immediately phoned her college track coach and asked him if he thought she could be ready in the space of a couple of months.

“I didn’t want to have to walk fifty percent of it,” she said. “He told me I could finish but not to run for time. That was all I needed to hear.”

Evans has been running regularly about fifteen miles a week with longer runs mixed in. Recently she completed a 20-mile run, which included the daunting, heartbreak hill section of the marathon course.

“After I ran the 20…I knew I could finish six more,” she said.

Evans and her team are aiming to raise $10,000, $2,500 per team member, with ninety-five percent of the funds raised going directly to the care of Shriners’ patients. The remaining five percent will cover administrative costs.

The team will wear shirts with the motto “More for Miles” printed on them and run with electronic chips attached to their sneakers so fans can monitor their progress.

For inspiration, Evans said she will rely on support from her boyfriend of five years Tony, whom she calls a great mentor and motivator and who will be at the race along with his parents. Also in her fan club will be her parents, grandparents and cousin from Maryland as well as friends and co-workers.
Evans said when she runs she remembers the money raised will go directly to the care of the children she works with on a daily basis.

“It’s a motivating factor,” she said. “I know it will make a difference in someone’s life and that will make it easier.”

Happy that she lives on St. Botolph Street, just around the corner from the race’s finishing line, Evans joked, “If I need to come home and collapse, it won’t be far.”

credit: D. Harney




This black Labrador named Piper appeared puzzled by the sculpted black Lab that guards this residence on Commonwealth Avenue.

credit: Courtesy photo

caption:



The contractor, D’Allessandro Corporation, has completed excavated point repairs between Exeter Street and Massachusetts Avenue. They are currently cleaning and televising existing sewer and drain pipes on Back Street between Exeter Street and Massachusetts Avenue. The structural lining of these pipes will be done shortly after the completion of the television inspections.

Boston Water & Sewer began in November installing new sewer pipes, drain pipes, and drainage galleys. The work started at Embankment Road and has been completed to the intersection of Dartmouth Street. The installation of new sewer and drain pipes will continue to the intersection of Exeter Street. It is anticipated that all major excavation work will be completed in four to six weeks.

Residents living nearby think Chris Spagnuolo, owner of Panificio restaurant at 61 Massachusetts Avenue, is a good neighbor — so much so, that they supported his application to get a beer and wine license for his year-old eatery.

But when, not more than a few weeks after getting that license, Spagnuoloa started talking about applying for an entertainment license to play amplified live music on weeknights, those very same neighbors drew a line in the sand. Some of them called and others came to the licensing and building use committee of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay meeting Monday night to say “no way.”

Spagnuoloa had come to the meeting to get the “feel of the neighborhood” but had not yet applied for the license. He said it had been pretty quiet in the restaurant weeknights, and he thought he could bring in a bit more of a crowd if he had a jazz quartet playing, perhaps with a stand-up bass and a trumpet. “We’re thinking a mixture of jazz and guitar,” he said. “We’re not looking for rock and roll. That’s not conducive to eating.”

But his neighbors didn’t think all that jazz was conducive to living there either. They said the noise would travel down the alleys, especially when patrons go in and out, leaving the doors open. They even thought the music would distract some patrons from dining, too, and drive them away from the restaurant. Besides noise concerns, some predicted a general disruption and increased traffic in the neighborhood.

After listening to the neighbors, many of whom are Panificio customers, NABB decided to oppose the application for live entertainment. “Panificio is an excellent restaurant and fills a definite need in this location,” said committee chair Tom High. “However, it is located in a residential building and is surrounded by other residences, and we have to be sensitive to the needs of the people who would be most affected by live entertainment.”

Three other businesses won the support of the committee. Two childhood friends, Jon Olinto and Anthony Ackil, got the committee’s approval to open a 60-seat b.good restaurant at 272-A Newbury, currently the location of Marcello’s Pizza, with outside seating for 18. The alcohol-free venue will close at 11 p.m., the patio at 10 p.m., and is subject to NABB’s standard conditions.

The committee then took a look at the outdoor seating plans for Haru’s, a Japanese fusion restaurant owned by Benihana’s, which is slated to open in the space previously occupied by Dick’s Last Resort in the Prudential Center. Because establishments located within the Prudential are controlled by the mall management, which provides internal security, trash and delivery services, the committee only acts upon outdoor dining patios that have more of an impact on neighbors. In this case, the committee voted not to oppose Haru’s application for an all-alcohol license provided that the patio closes at 11:00 p.m., alcohol is served only in conjunction with meals and the patio is staffed at all times.

The committee also did not oppose an application for a new innholder all-alcohol license for the entirety of the Mandarin Hotel, including its 148 hotel guest rooms, restaurant and bar with 150 seats, spa café with 20 seats and several function and meeting rooms. “We do not oppose applications by hotels for new all-alcohol licenses when the licenses are intended primarily for that purpose,” said High. “It is important that the alcohol service be subordinate to the hotel’s primary function as a lodging place and that their bars and restaurants are to scale with the number of hotel guests they can accommodate.”

Tuesday Judge Michael Coyne again delivered a strong message of no tolerance to graffiti vandals when he imposed stiff penalties on Michael “Gonzo” Beck, similar to those imposed earlier this year on John “DES” Mooney. The two Quincy residents in their early 20s were arrested in the early hours of May 30 last year as they left a Back Bay alley and were charged with multiple counts of malicious destruction of property, vandalism and tagging.

In court, D-4 Boston Police Officer Billy Kelley and Sergeant Martin Kraft presented as evidence the taggers’ backpacks that contained numerous cans of spray paint and large markers. Five residents spoke about the impact of such vandalism on their properties and the community. Residents from The Fenway and Beacon Hill were in court, along with those from the Back Bay.

The case was then continued without a finding, which, according to Suffolk County District Attorney spokesman Jake Wark, means Beck agreed that the evidence against him would most likely prove him to be guilty and so he waived his right to a jury trial. Coyne sentenced him to two years of probation, during which time he must stay out of trouble and out of the Back Bay, as well as performing 100 hours of community service and paying restitution to the victims. “He’ll most likely spend a great deal of time cleaning up after others and will keep far away from the Back Bay,” said Wark, who thought the sentence was fair. “And if he gets in trouble, he’ll be back on trial.”

Restitution to property owners will be determined later at a hearing. The assistant district attorney asked Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay’s Graffiti NABBers to contact the owners of the four properties cited in the case to request their records of the cost of removal. That will become the amount of restitution under discussion. Two of the properties are managed by Graffiti NABBer Peter Clancy.

“We agree with the outcome because it reinforces the severity of the impact of vandalism, which is so costly and such a detriment to our city,” said Graffiti NABBer Anne Swanson.

credit: Courtesy photo
caption: Henri Smith and Nat Simpkins, veterans of the New Orleans music scene, are headliners at the April 21 All-Star Jazz Blowout to kick off Jazz Week.






Since the 1950s the Back Bay has housed the heartbeat of Boston’s jazz scene. Copley Square was the site of the legendary jazz clubs, the Jazz Workshop and Paul’s Mall.

Berklee College of Music educates and nurtures the musicians who will follow in the footsteps of alumni like Branford Marsalis, Diana Krall and Gary Burton.

With this backdrop, it was fitting for the nonprofit organization JazzBoston to locate its headquarters here. Their mission — building and serving audiences for jazz, expanding performance opportunities for jazz musicians, and raising Boston’s profile as a jazz city — will take a big step forward when Jazz Week kicks off on April 21st.

The eight days of events, April 21st to 29th, will call attention to the vibrant jazz scene that already exists in Boston. “What’s special about Jazz Week is that it is the product of a collaborative effort by representatives of Boston’s entire jazz community — the musicians, venues, schools, organizations, and fans who keep the beat going year-round. It couldn’t have happened any other way,” said JazzBoston executive director Pauline Bilsky.

The celebration will open with an “All-Star Jazz Blowout” concert on April 21st at the Berklee Performance Center. Part of the proceeds from the show will go to the Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village in New Orleans. “This is an example of one community of musicians reaching out to another,” said Bilsky.

Ticket prices for this event ($15 or $10 for students and seniors) have been kept low to enable everyone to attend. The evening will feature the first-ever, all-star band of faculty and students from Berklee, New England Conservatory, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wellesley, Longy, and Brandeis.

Other Back Bay performance sites will be the Marriott Copley’s Terrace Lounge, Four Seasons’ Bristol Lounge, Top of the Hub, Taj Hotel, and Old South Church. In addition to these more traditional venues, the new Border’s Bookstore on Boylston Street is holding a series of free, in-store performances.

Throughout the week, the Boston Public Library at Copley Square will host a free “Perspectives in Jazz” seminar series covering topics such as “Jazz Cross-Currents,” “Jazz in the South End: Then and Now,” and “Jazz: Black America’s Gift to the Nation and the World.” Panelists will include Joe Lovano, Al Vega, and Leonard Brown.

Each weekend, an abundance of jazz brunches offer the opportunity for a relaxed meal with great music. “There is nothing like the experience of hearing live music,” said Bilsky. Complete details on the week’s activities can be found at www.JazzBoston.org

While the Jazz Week planners have created some very special events to add to their celebration, Bilsky pointed out that 75 percent of these performances would be going on here anyway. This week is an opportunity for people to see the many faces and styles of jazz that exist in Boston today.

An April Jazz Week is the perfect introduction to the season of music in the Back Bay. As the weather warms, young musicians will move their practice sessions to the Esplanade and Berklee students will strum guitars on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Free concerts will return to the parks, and neighbors will get together to enjoy the sound of the city’s rhythmic heartbeat.

No votes for legal immigrants

City Councilor Felix Arroyo and others are pushing an idea that would allow legal immigrants to vote in municipal elections. City Councilor Mike Ross has signed on to the proposal. According to news reports, Arroyo said legal immigrants are already paying taxes and are authorized to be here, so they should be allowed to vote.

Wrong. There is one easy step immigrants can take to be able to participate in making decisions in our city. They can become citizens.

Voting is a privilege Americans should hold dear. For those Americans lucky enough to be native-born, it is a birthright, For those from other countries, that privilege must be earned. It should not be given out to those who are not committed to the community. Citizenship demonstrates that commitment. Once immigrants have gained citizenship, we welcome them wholeheartedly into our voting booths.

Support for Mike Ross

Although he hasn’t officially announced it, Mike Ross has decided to run for a fifth term in the Boston City Council. He has no opposition at this point but would probably easily be re-elected anyway. He is popular with his constituents. He has a lot of interaction with voters, since he or a member of his staff is at most neighborhood meetings, and he is quick to respond when someone needs something.

His presence on the city council reminds us of how different that body is now from the embarrassment it was in the 1970s, ‘80s and even into the ‘90s. In general, despite our opinion expressed above, one now looks upon it as a dignified group of leaders whose discussions vet ideas that are worth considering.

Some people naively maintain that those who prepare themselves for a life in politics are somehow lesser beings than those who prepare to be doctors, lawyers or business executives. That’s a curious notion, given how important our elected officials are to our way of life and its quality. We would think that an electorate would want candidates who prepared themselves for the work of representing us as seriously as any other professional would.

Ross, 34, has done an excellent job preparing himself for a career in politics. He worked as an employee at Boston City Hall when he was in his 20s. He earned an MBA from Boston University and will graduate from Suffolk Law School in May. He’ll represent us better having educated himself widely.

Keep the faith

As we write this, we hear predictions about a snowstorm that should hit on Thursday. If it does snow hard and lasts longer than predicted, you might not even get this newspaper on the day of publication, since soggy newspapers don’t help the trash situation in this city.

But snowstorm or not, it is absolutely true that spring will come. At least it always has. Keep up your hopes. Try to remember that come July you’ll be praying for some relief from 98 degrees of heat and comparable humidity.

Some people could never put up with the cold and the heat that New England endures. It must be because they don’t realize that despite New England’s weather, and maybe partly because of it, this little corner of a big country remains its most interesting place.