Brookline

WBZ reports two BU students were robbed on Thorndike Street off Comm. Ave. in Brookline early Sunday by guys who asked them what time it was. When the student pulled out their phones to see, the muggers pulled out a gun.

Turlach MacDonagh spotted a Smart Car with wicked big lashes in Coolidge Corner yesterday.

Copyright Turlach MacDonagh. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

MBTA Transit Police say Robert O'Neil's pants were not bulging early this morning because he was happy to see them, but because they were stuffed with a "large pair of cable cutters" he'd allegedly used to snip and try to remove Green Line signal wires running along the tracks at the Brookline Village trolley stop.

O'Neil, 43, of Medford, faces arraignment today in Brookline District Court on charges of larceny over $250, vandalizing railroad signals and trespassing.

MBTA and Brookline police arrived at the station around 2:10 a.m. after somebody called 911 to report a guy clipping cables and piling them on the tracks.

Beth Jones makes the case to bring public swimming back to the reservoir off Rte. 9 - which hasn't actually been used as a reservoir since the mid-1800s.

Paul Holleran asks:

Anyone know what the medium sized yellow flying bugs that has infested Longwood and Brookline? It's like they are attacking.

Stephanie E adds:

They're everywhere! One of them tried flying up my nose today (in Cambridge).

In 1995, the House of Compassion opened its doors taking in people living with HIV and AIDS to live in a welcoming home environment. The House now faces closure, with a looming 30,000 in debt threatening the homes of their ten residents. Find out more about the House of Compassion!

Including the ones in Charlestown, Brookline and Somerville and Arlington, the Globe reports.

Brookline Police report they are looking for a man who shoplifted $1,200 worth of Mucinex and Zyrtec from the CVS at 900 Commonwealth Ave.

Police say the apparent Yankees fan spent 30 minutes loading the medications into a shopping cart before walking out.

If you know anybody whose stuffed nose seems to have cleared up over the past couple of weeks, contact Brookline Police detectives at 617-730-2222 x 2712.

The Boston Business Journal reports Brookline selectmen are asking the state legislature to grant them the right to issue 11 more liquor licenses because the town is currently plumb out.

That's the same basic situation in Boston, where city councilors mostly know there's no way in hell Beacon Hill would get anywhere near a request for more licenses, thanks to the efforts of Dianne Wilkerson, so right now licenses in Boston can go for upwards of $300,000 and the city is asking the legislature for just one single new license - which would go to the Irish Social Club in West Roxbury, where an official for some reason just gave its license back when it seemed the place was closing forever, only it wasn't.

Stuck car in Brookline. Photo by MBTA

UPDATE: Seems to be a national epidemic.

The MBTA reports a woman who says she was only following her GPS's directions wound up stuck on Green Line trolley tracks in Brookline early Monday.

According to MBTA Transit Police, Natalie Thibeault of South Attleboro was driving in Brookline shortly after 1 a.m. on Monday when she consulted her GPS to see what she should do next:

According to Thibeault, the GPS told her to take a left turn onto Beacon Street. Thibeault stated she took the left when the GPS said to, and drove onto the inbound tracks. Thibeault stated a male who was passing by in another vehicle, told her she was fine and to continue down the tracks and get off them at the next intersection.

At that time, Thibeault continued down the tracks and when she didn't think she could make it any further she attempted to put the car in reverse. Thibeault said the tires to her vehicle spun but the car did not move and the vehicle became stuck.

Police issued Thibeault a citation for a left-turn violation and for impeded operation.

Wicked Local Brookline details an effort by a guy who goes around town painting over tags and police to crack the town's seamy graffiti underworld. With a guest appearance by Mike Dukakis, who admits to keeping a can of paint in his basement with which to cover over graffiti he finds.

Anyone want to help get the MBTA to get rid of the closed door policy on the Green Line?

Checked and no one else had set up Facebook page so I did. Welcome any and all suggestions. It's only going to get worse when school starts in the fall.

URL is www.facebook.com/MbtaLetYourPeopleGo

Thanks.

Courts normally don't get involved in religious battles, but in a fight involving copyright law, a federal appeals court today ordered an Eastern Orthodox archbishop in Denver to stop posting online copies of the work of a Brookline monastery.

The Society of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery sued Archbishop Gregory of the Dormition Skete monastery in Denver when he failed to take down copies of English translations it had made of various Greek-language religious texts.

Wicked Local Brookline reports the arrest of Christopher Michael Levett on charges he's the guy who's been marking the town up for months with "Phop." Wicked Local reports a key break came when police talked to his ex-girlfriend, who allegedly broke up with him because he was spending all his nights scribbling in Brookline.

Even as police hunted Phop, the town's vigilante graffiti fighter was busy combatting him in his own way.

Wicked Local Brookline reports Brookline health officials are on the casing.

In the early 1960s, MIT professor Kevin Lynch did a three-minute time-lapse movie of a car trip from Cambridge to Brookline. Now somebody's recreated the ride on a bicycle.

Via Bostonography.

Brookline Police report the Eastern Bank branch at 301 Harvard St. was held up around 11:20 a.m. by a guy with a note who claimed he had a gun.

He's described as white, about 6' tall in his mid-20s, wearing a long-sleeve shirt with stripes and a white cap with the Patriots logo. He also had a tattoo on the right side of his neck. Sound familiar? Call Brookline PD at 617-730-2222.

Both Jon Keller and Julia Spitz have interviews with the Cape/Brookline Bear:

"So, there's been some speculation about what to call you. What's your real name?"

"You couldn't pronounce it. No human can. Except that Boston mayor guy. I don't think he was trying to say my name, though. I'm not really sure what he was trying to say."

"No one ever is. So you've talked to Mayor Menino?"

"Dude, he was out of control, accusing me of doing guerrilla marketing for 'Ted.' He said he'd sic the cops on me if I was going guerrilla anywhere near his city."

"Is that why they tracked you down in Brookline?"

Ryan Schulteis at WHDH reports state wildlife officials say the bear somehow made it back east from where they brought him after he was captured on the Cape and are depositing him at an unspecified location even further west this time.

UPDATE: Around 9:30, environmental police shot the bear with a tranquilizer. He ran up the tree, then, after the drug took effect, fell out of the tree, to be carted away to someplace a bit more rural.

Resting bear. Photo by Brookline Police.

The wandering, ambling bear fell asleep in a tree on leafy Pine Road, just off Hammond, which means it veered off a path that would have put it right at the Bertucci's in West Roxbury and could instead put it on a line for the Rte. 9 Star in search of some breakfast. Brookline Police tweeted at 7:36 this morning:

Officers on scene keeping quiet. Shhhh.

They then followed up with a couple of photos:

Black bear black bear what do you see? I see Brookline police looking at me.

Stephen Walsh reports the bear has been spotted tonight near Skyline Park near the West Roxbury Parkway.

UPDATE: Spotted at the Baker School, really just a hop, skip and a jump from Hancock Village and the West Roxbury line.

Brookline Police report seizing what they said was a cache of high-powered armaments and ammunition in a raid yesterday afternoon at a man's apartment at 181 Harvard St.

Recovered were 36 firearms included 14 high powered weapons, several silencers and a large collection of high powered ammunition capable of penetrating bullet proof vests.

Richard Becker is scheduled for arraignment on a variety of weapons charges in Brookline District Court today.

Innocent, etc.

Our roving UHub photographer assures us that's Mike Dukakis getting onto a crowded Green Line trolley at Longwood this morning - just like he used to do when he was governor.

Molly Bench alerts us to this Craigslist posting from Brookline:

Our soon-to-be turning 9 year old daughter wants a butler for her birthday. We are trying to indulge her. She imagines a butler is man she can boss around. He would also be well dressed and have a British accent (or at least a faux British accent).

We're looking for someone who is either a legit Butler or willing to play the role of one for 2-4 hours. We need you on the afternoon of either Sunday June 3rd or Tuesday afternoon June 5th.

You should be professional and playful. Obviously the idea is for her to have some fun with this, but we'll make sure her requests are respectful/appropriate. Interested? If so, please let me know if you are available for which day(s) and a brief description of how you can you can pull this off. I'd like a reference or two, as well. Thanks!

Brookline Graffiti delivers what it promises: Photos of graffiti - and the anonymous blogger's war on it:

As you can see, the razor just scraped away what would have been many layers of scrubbing! Usually you have to alternate a layer of scrub with a layer of scraping, as the solvent penetrates on each pass. But in some cases, like on this mailbox, I got almost all of it off on the first scrape.

Whenever I have a smooth surface, I always have my long razor handy. It saves a lot of time, and sometimes, is the only way you’ll get some paints off the surface.

Via Samuel Klein.