Jamaica Plain

Nickellis14, who moved out of Allston several years ago to escape, well, Allston, reports on the commotion around 4:30 a.m. today on his JP front porch, when a drunken guy started banging on windows and mailboxes when his efforts to simply open the door failed.

He learned, when police arrived, the dude was from Allston's infamous Ashford Street and was unable to explain how he wound up on a Jamaica Plain porch at 4:30 in the morning.

Jamaica Plain Patch reports.

Major testing scandal emerging at the state lab in Jamaica Plain.

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!

Steph reports spotting a parakeet flitting around outside the Green Street Orange Line stop this morning.

Press Pass TV is a non-profit organization that focuses on telling the stories of the community. For years, Press Pass TV has been covering the ongoing fight for more youth jobs funding. Here, we take a look at how young people across Massachusetts are using their shared battle to unite around a larger youth movement for justice.Click this link to find out more about Jobs for Justice: Building a Youth Movement

MBTA Transit Police report two minors trying to procure some mid-day booze at a Forest Hills liquor store wound up in a fight with a guy who jabbed himself with a needle, pulled out some blood and then told them they'd better back off because he has AIDS.

Police say Jose Soler, 47, of Hyde Park, originally agreed, shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday, to buy some liquor for a pair of underagers at the Forest Hills Liquor Mart across from the T stop. They gave him $25 and agreed to let him keep $5 as his fee. But he returned to the station without liquor, handed the teens only $3 and then walked into the station's lower busway. And that's when things got ugly:

UPDATE: Fundraising goal met.

After Fran Harrington's laptop was stolen, he turned on the remote-monitoring software he installed on it and found himself watching some kid in a South End project using it. Boston Police were also able to track the laptop and seized it from the kid and gave it back to Harrington. But it turns out the kid did not steal the laptop - in fact, his parents bought it from somebody else to help prepare the guy for college.

Now Harrington is raising funds to buy the kid a legal laptop:

Patty Neal arrived at Jackson Square around 7:30 this morning to find "police in SWAT jackets along with a camera crew at Heath Street."

Seems Donnie Wahlberg has a deal with TNT to churn out eight episodes of a reality show called Boston Blue, in which cameras follow members of the BPD gang unit.

The Globe reports that City Councilor Matt O'Malley (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain) is going to hold jogging treks that double as office hours - lace up and put your questions to him as you jog around one of the neighborhoods. He says he's willing to consider "brisk walks" as well.

Shortly before 10 a.m. at 490 Walnut Ave. in Jamaica Plain. Motorcyclist died; van driver taken to the hospital.

Photo of the scene.

The Jamaica Plain Gazette interviews a member of the commitee helping to design the Casey Overpass replacement who has built an homage to the overpass in the model-train set in his basement.

He said he will probably add tiny model pigeons, too.

Dude lives in a project in the South End and watches a lot of anime.

MBTA Transit Police report a man they initially intended to just ticket for drinking a malt beverage and smoking a cigarette at Forest Hills last night found himself under arrest when they discovered he was wanted in Chelsea for assault with intent to murder and aggravated assault.

According to a police report, around 9:30 p.m., an officer making a routine swing through the area around the 39 bus berth under the overpass noticed:

[A] male party, later identified as Ronaldo Taylor, sitting on a retaining wall behind the Inspector's booth. I approached Taylor to see what he was doing. As I was approaching him, I observed he had an open container of a 40 ounce malt beverage and he was smoking a cigarette.

The Boston Licensing Board today granted Walgreens a license to sell liquor on the mezzanine of the old Borders in Downtown Crossing, which it's turning into a chic-ish emporium that will also feature eyebrow trimming.

But the board rejected a request from Coco's Lounge on Washington Street to offer patrons with money to blow tableside bottle service. The vote means Bostonians who want the chance to spend extra money to have a server pour them drinks at their table will have to go to one of the few places downtown or in the Back Bay that the board has allowed to offer the service.

The Boston Fire Department reports a tree discovered gravity around 11 a.m. on Robinwood Avenue in Jamaica Plain and threw itself to the ground, taking out power in the neighborhood and spreading its leafy goodness across parked cars. There were, however, no injuries.

MBTA Transit Police report arresting a resident of a pre-release center they say punched out two glass panels of a 39 bus at Forest Hills station yesterday - after first rubbing them with the front of his pants in "a sexual manner" and telling the bus driver what they could do together.

Police say the whole thing started around 8:30 a.m. at the 39 bus bay along New Washington Street, where the driver was getting ready to start her route toward the Back Bay:

Coco's Lounge, 3169 Washington St., goes before the Boston Licensing Board next Wednesday for permission to offer bottle service.

The board has granted relatively few bars permission to dedicate bottles to tables, and typically has required the bars to dedicate a server to pouring drinks from those bottles, rather than just letting patrons have at it.

Steven Gayle wanted to create a room where people could come and compete in video-game tournaments on Xboxes, WIIs and PS3s.

Now, however, Gayle sits in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, charged with shooting two men in the head at a Chinatown strip club, allegedly after they got into an argument over them sitting in the same booth as him early this morning.

The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports a JP woman got taken in by an old scam a few days ago: Two guys knocked on her door, said they were from BWSC and needed to check her water pressure. While one ran the water in her kitchen, the other went into her bedroom and lifted jewelry.

It's time for August Noise, which features nine concerts around the neighborhood with surprise artists, who might play anything from classical to funk. The first one is 6:30 p.m. today at the First Baptist Church on Centre Street.

The Boston Licensing Board yesterday ordered a two-day suspension for the Haven, 2 Perkins St., because of an incident last month in which a police sergeant on routine patrol found the place open at 3:10 a.m. with the owner and a friend with a glass of beer inside.

Train-stopping tree. Photo by MBTA.

Around 6:30 p.m., the Orange Line came to a stop when a tree fell on the tracks between Jackson Square and Stony Brook. At 7:05, the T reported normal service had resumed, and of course by "normal," they mean with those "residual delays."

The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports the death of Fred Ciampa.

Boston Police report eight patrolmen and two detectives have been disciplined for earning money they shouldn't have for court appearances: