Downtown

It's hard to imagine how many miles of train tracks used to exist within Boston city limits (let alone how few will be left once Harvard gets around to ripping out the Allston yard). Here we see the train yard in front of Commonwealth Pier in South Boston, sometime shortly after World War I. Today, the pier is better known as the World Trade Center and the tracks have mostly been replaced by highway ramps, parking lots and surface roads. Nearby is Fan Pier, named for the way the train tracks there fanned out toward the water.

The Back Bay used to have its own large train yard - since replaced by the Prudential Center and the Massachusetts Turnpike:

A flood of complaints poured in late this afternoon from downtown, the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, where a large contingent of people on dirt bikes, motorcycles and ATVs briefly took over the streets.

At 5:26, Gabe tweeted:

A legit gang of a couple dozen 4wheelers and dirtbikes just ran the red light at Washington & Essex street...confused.

At 5:47, Caitlin tweeted:

What's up with the gang of dirt bikes, ATV's and motorcycles on Newbury St? Weaving in and out of cars with no helmets?

Bill Ilott reports counting 30 riders tonight and says this is the third Sunday in a row for the activity.

Helmetless dirt-bike and ATV riders have long been the scourge of streets such as Blue Hill Avenue.

What's the story with all the Fast & Furious low riders and dirt bikes in Downtown Crossing last night? There had to have been at least 50 cars and a couple dozen dirt bikes that brought complete gridlock to the area around 6pm.. Pretty entertaining though..

A South Boston man getting off a bus from New York at South Station earlier this month allegedly left behind a Skittles bag filled with 3,200 Oxycodone pills when he saw a police dog sniffing luggage being taken off the bus, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office says.

Gregory Horne, 31, was arraigned on a charge of trafficking in a Class B substance following the April 3 incident, the DA's office says, adding he is free on $3,000 bail.

Prosecutors say Horne was getting ready to leave a Lucky Star bus that had pulled into South Station around 9 a.m. that day when a Transit Police officer got on to inform passengers officers and a drug-sniffing dog would be checking their luggage:

Lori Magno photographed work this morning to remove the shroud covering the remains of the Filene's building, as part of site preparation to build the new skyscraper atop the Hole.

The Boston Business Journal reports Vornado Realty Trust has washed its hands of the Filene's project, with the help of $45 million from Millennium Partners, which bought its 50% share of the project. Under Millennium Partners' control, the project is actually back underway.

Transit Police report charging Jose Murillo, 27, of Cambridge on charges he stabbed two men at Downtown Crossing on April 10.

Police say Murillo turned himself in yesterday. He was arraigned today in Boston Municipal Court on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; Judge Annette Forde set bail at $25,000 and ordered Murillo to stay away from his two victims, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

The DA's office provided this account:

The Boston Business Journal reports Barbara's Bestsellers is talking to the company that controls commercial space in the station about re-opening in another space at the commuter-rail station.

A.P. Blake got a close-up look at one of the four new commuter-rail coaches that went into service yesterday. The MBTA is hoping a few dozen more of the delayed two-level cars will arrive later this year and be put into service by year's end, helping it increase commuter-rail capacity.

Southiegirl captured the scene on the Zakim this afternoon, when police stopped traffic as the Biden motorcade departed the memorial for MIT police officer Sean Collier.

The scene this afternoon. Photo by Mike Dedo.

Police are swarming the area between New Chardon, Haymarket and North Station after people reported gunfire around 4:30 p.m. outside the Brooke Courthouse. Witnesses saw several men being put in cruisers.

Darrell Daniel reports yellow crime-scene tape around entrances to the Government Center garage; Meg Hoffman and Leslie report police and tape from the Brooke courthouse to the Beer Works on Canal Street and Haymarket.

Neal Gaffey watched people come out of City Hall and nearby offices for the moment of silence.

In the Financial District, Jed Hresko watched a lone woman come out and observe the moment of silence.

Our own Stevil reports from Boylston and Berkeley that "the silence made you want to cry:"

Around 11:10 a.m. after a bomb sniffing dog pointed to a suspicious package on the fourth floor ramp. The all clear was sounded around 11:25 a.m. after it was determined it was a bag that was not explosive.

Brig Dauber captured the Public Garden tree that plunged to its demise across Boylston Street Friday night.

Celebrating the capture on the Common. Photo by Brig Dauber. At 8:41 p.m., a police commander at 67 Franklin St. in Watertown announced, "Subject in custody." Kip Lange tweets:

North End streets just erupted in cheers.

AC reports:

The following video was recorded by Douglas Bennett of Dorchester. You can follow Bennett on twitter @bostonpolitics

The video that you see is of Downtown Boston during the lockdown. This area is Chinatown's most northern border.

Boston Police report the Big Apple Circus performance for tonight has also been postponed.

Specmotors posted this from the Garden tonight.

Eric Twardzik, managing editor at the Emerson student newspaper, took a photo after the race of a guy in a white hoodie being arrested on the Common after the Marathon. He tweeted it. Now he's trying to convince people that a) it was a hoodie, and not a turban and b) that it's not him.

The Globe reports that ad agency Arnold Worldwide will "occupy a large chunk" of the skyscraper expected to rise above The Hole.

Transit Police have released photos of the man they say ended an argument on a Red Line platform Wednesday night by stabbing two other men. Police say the stabber reached for his knife on the platform after accosting the victims and other passengers on a southbound Red Line train around 10 p.m.

Police say he's white or Hispanic, in his mid 20s, with a full beard and carrying a black back pack. His victims, one stabbed in the chest, one in the wrist, are expected to survive.

The flute.

Transit Police report they recovered the $4,000 flute a Berklee student left on a bench at Park Street and returned it to her.

No word on whether they found the guy spotted on surveillance video walking off with the flute. The MBTA instead reports:

The flute was turned over to the Transit Police Department by a person who wishes to remain anonymous.

One in the chest, one in the hand, around 10:00 p.m. on the southbound Red Line platform, Mike Moura reports. Red Line trains continued to run, but weren't stopping at Downtown Crossing.

UPDATE: The MBTA reports both victims are expected to survive. The stabber got into an argument with them at the front end of the southbound platform and fled before police arrived.

Through the end of the year, the Globe reports.

Transit Police report they are looking for this guy, on charges of musical thievery:

On Monday, March 25, 2013, at approximately 11:40 AM, a female placed a flute, $4,000 in value, on a bench at Park Street MBTA Station, Red Line northbound center platform. She boarded a train, leaving the instrument behind. The subject depicted above retrieved the property and boarded the next train. The instrument is still missing.

If you know him, or see a guy trying to sell an expensive flute, contact T police at 617-222-1050 or send a text message to 873873.

UPDATE:

The owner of the Flute is a 21 year old student at the Berkeley College of Music. She personally owns the flute and is devastated by this incident. She is on a scholarship, as part of the scholarship agreement she needs the instrument to fulfill her obligations to the school. She also teaches music and requires the use of her flute to do so. The loss of her instrument has significantly effected her personally and she would be grateful to anyone who facilitates its return.

Earlier:
MBTA strikes right chord with Berklee professor who lost violin on trackless trolley.