Downtown

An argument between two women leaving a Financial District bar at closing time one April night ended with a street-clogging "near riot" that took 67 police officers - including K-9 and SWAT units - and at least two uses of pepper spray to quell, police told the Boston Licensing Board this morning.

The Herald reports Millennium Partners is doubling down on the original Vornado project with a building that would be taller and bigger.

Boston Police report an altercation near the Garden after last night's game between some Celtics fans and some people wearing Heat clothing ended with one of the Heat fans stabbing one of the locals:

Officers were advised the incident occurred on Beverly Street alongside a fence which divides the Boston Garden property and Beverly Street. Officers spoke with witnesses who were leaving the Celtics game and walking to a friend's house and observed a group of 5-7 males and a few females were walking in their direction from the State Police Marine Base area. The groups became boisterous about the result of the Celtics game. The group including the suspect was wearing Miami Heat clothing. Witnesses stated to officers both groups started to argue loudly and the suspect brandished a large switch-blade style knife and assaulted the victim in the right thigh.

The victim was taken to Mass. General and is expected to survive, police say.

Just the Way You Are and the theme to Hill Street Blues. Also, the theme to the Godfather. What else does it play? And will it survive the inversion of the Hole into a building?

Note: Name of the thing changed in the headline thanks to people who know their mechanical musical devices way better than I.

Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA reports:

At 12:17 p.m. today, an intoxicated man stumbled and fell beneath a Green Line trolley that had just made a stop at Haymarket Station. Preventing a tragedy, customers on the platform alerted the trolley operator of the situation before the train started to move. The MBTA would like to express its gratitude to the customers who "Saw Something, and Said Something" before it was too late. The man was not injured.

Jurors selected for two Dorchester men's impending murder trial were dismissed today because two of the four people stabbed in a fight at Beacon and Tremont streets yesterday were listed as potential witnesses in the case, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Prosecutors and lawyers for Kadeem Foreman and Terrell Rainey, both charged with fatally shooting Toneika Jones in 2010, will meet later today to pick a new trial date, the DA's office reports:

Todd English goes before the Boston Licensing Board next week to explain why it shouldn't strip him of the liquor license for Kingfish Hall, the Faneuil Hall Marketplace restaurant he recently closed in a nasty rent dispute with marketplace management.

By law, holders of liquor licenses - which in Boston now typically go for $300,000 or so on the open market - are not allowed to sit on them after their restaurants close.

In the past, however, the board has been reluctant to strip owners of licenses at their first hearings, and has often given owners exemptions, sometimes over several years, to either re-open their restaurants or find a buyer.

Seems there was a stabbing outside 175 Federal St. around 6 p.m.

About 40 minutes later, police rushed to Atlantic Avenue outside South Station to break up a fight between a couple of homeless guys.

Detective inspects car used to carry one victim to Mass. Ave. Photo by Black Rock Music.

Thursday update: Police report the most seriously injured victim is now expected to survive.

Updated at 4:15 p.m.

At least four people were stabbed in a fight at the intersection of Beacon and Tremont streets around 1:45 p.m. - one wounded seriously enough to have the homicide unit summoned.

WBZ reports one of the victims was driven to the area of Mass. Ave. and Belvidere Street in the Back Bay, where he was dropped off - and that the stabbings may be related to an upcoming case in Suffolk Superior Court.

Joe Allen-Black reports:

Just walked by a woman at Downtown Crossing who was complaining she 'couldn't find a Dunkin' in this city.'

Massport and the MBTA are teaming up on a three-month pilot project to provide free Silver Line rides from Logan to South Station.

The Boston Business Journal reports Don Chiofaro has finally figured out how to get things done in Boston, after waking up to a horse's head in his bed a little chat with Godmayor consigliere Peter Meade: The BRA will actually work with him to replace the Aquarium garage with something a little taller, as long as he stops doing stuff like going on Greater Boston to bitch about Hizzona.

On the first Monday of every June, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company elects a new leader, then marches from the Old State House to lay a wreath at the grave of their first captain, Robery Keayne. And that's what there were a bunch of guys in uniforms marching around downtown today.

Photos from last year.

It was all smiles outside the Old State House today as the British consulate threw a little street party to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's ascension to the throne. Grenadiers milled about but didn't try to retake the former seat of the provincial government, instead spending most of their time posing for photos and showing off their weapons to children who asked nicely. The queen herself made an appearance, although the flight across the pond seemed to have left her a bit stiff:

Zach Tucker spotted this unusual photo combo this morning on Avery Street heading towards Washington Street and Hayward Place downtown. No word if the guy in the seat was going "whee!" the whole time, but probably not.

Channel 4 reports how two Transit Police officers, on their way to serve a warrant, helped get a father and his young daughter out.

A concerned citizen has had enough of all those gold-plated people just silently staring at him in front of Faneuil Hall:

The living statues, dancers, etc are taking over and people are not seeing the reason to be here Our HISTORY.

Matt Karolian spotted Steve Martin jamming outside the Paul Revere House in the North End this afternoon. Video!

Andrew Ricardo, meanwhile, spotted an Avenger in South Station - we can only assume Iron Man was not around to give him a ride up from Providence:

Apparently, a large raccoon waddled into the station this morning. From track 6.

J.L. Bell gets to the bottom of the issue.

J.L. Bell begins an investigation.

They're members of the elite Municipal Protective Service, forced, they say, to park there because their normal spaces on City Hall Plaza were taken up by, first, the Big Apple Circus and now construction fences, Karen Cord Taylor reports.

Isn't it grand that City Hall Plaza has finally just turned into a parking lot? Beats being a windswept, soulless brick nothingness, one supposes.

A then-and-now.

It's like a mirror!

Boston Common at Twilight by Childe Hassam, 1885-1886, from the Museum of Fine Arts collection.

And, from earlier today, May 20, 2012.

Boston Common in mid-afternoon by JohnAKeith, on Flickr

Many observers brought cameras to the annual zombie lurch through downtown yesterday. Ana brought her sketch book.

But don't worry, gore fans: David Parsons posted plenty of photos from the march, which, as always, started at South Station.

Copyright Views of the Northeast. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Branches out into crime fighting.