Broadway

Police officers patrolling South Boston tonight were urged to be on the lookout for a white trolley party bus, careening through the streets of the neighborhood, its passengers throwing eggs at pedestrians and yelling at them.

Around 9 p.m., Matthew Gaskill reported spotting the eggmobile on East Broadway, heading toward the city.

UPDATE, 10:52 p.m.: Amanda Hitt reports seeing a white trolley bus with "what looked like an egg yolk stain on the side" parked on Canal Street.

Around 3 p.m. on Friday, somebody waiting for a train at Broadway noticed a woman "performing a sexual act" on a man. Rather than yelling at them to get a room, the shocked rider notified Transit Police, who arrived in time to consummate an arrest of the both of them for lewd, wanton and lascivious conduct, the T reports.

This time, the rail was between South Station and Broadway, shortly before 1 p.m., and, of course, its impact was felt all up and down the Red Line.

Mykah Murphy tweeted from Park Street:

MBTA workers shouting at one another, no Ashmont/Braintree bound trains leaving Park station. No trains on Alewife tracks.

Christine added:

The best is they are telling us to take the green and orange lines instead...that makes sense.

The past three months have seen a series of cracked rails on the Red Line.

A piqued citizen complains about whoever's slapping ads on cheap bikes and locking them to bike racks, such as this one by the Broadway T stop:

Bike advertisement bike has been locked here for 3 weeks. Remove and cite. They have done this before, and tie up bike racks for people who need them. Outrageous and ridiculous!

Transit Police report arresting a Weymouth man for the sort of crime that might make the parents of a young child think twice about ever getting on the T again.

According to police, the parents and their 2-year-old daughter boarded an inbound train at Wollaston around 6 p.m. - to the sounds of a couple across the train arguing with each other. Police say the male yeller, Joseph Pacheco, 43, of Weymouth, twice took a moment off to ask the father for a cigarette. The second time, police say, Pacheco leaned over the toddler's stroller:

Keryn Egan reports the T had to take a train out of service at Broadway around 5:30 p.m. when a pack of 12-year-olds kicked out a window. She adds one of the doltlings almost followed the window out of the train. All together now: Awww.

The T forwards this video of the woman who fell onto the tracks at Broadway on Saturday afternoon, causing delays on northbound trains. According to a Transit Police report:

I interviewed a witness, who stated that prior to the incident, he observed her standing on the platform and "nodding." While "nodding", she moved closer and closer to the pit. He believed that she was going to fall into the pit and moved towards her in an attempted to grab a hold of her, but he did not get to her in time. He stated she fell into the pit, and landed with her right hip on the first rail. He then immediately entered the pit to assist her. I also spoke to two other witnesses on scene. Both stated that prior to the incident, she appeared to be stumbling around the platform. She moved closer to the yellow line, then fell into the pit.

The 29-year-old woman was conscious but "lethargic" when taken to the hospital by Boston EMS.

Amy Derjue reports from North Quincy this afternoon, where there is no Red Line service because of a person in the pit to the north - but she reports the person was scooped out off the tracks pretty quickly, so there is hope yet.

At 3:47 p.m., Eric Steinhardt tweeted:

2 ambulances & 2 fire trucks. Person on stretcher at bottom of stairs. Carrying her up now.

What are the privacy implications of the MBTA releasing that video?

WBZ reports.

Broadway rollover. Photo by BFD.

The Boston Fire Department reports a five-vehicle pile up around 11:10 a.m. at the Broadway bridge left one van on its side and the driver trapped inside. Firefighters cut out the windshield to get him out for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

In addition to the van, a box truck and an SUV had minor damage; two cars had front-end damage.

On the fourth floor after fire knocked down. Photo by BFD.

The Boston Fire Department reports a fire that erupted around 12:30 a.m. at 24 W. Broadway forced eight residents into the chill air, but caused no injuries.

A third-floor short-circuit started the fire, which did an estimated $400,000 in damage. The Red Cross assisted residents in finding new places to stay. The department noted that, in addition to apartments, the building houses a Dunkin' Donuts.

Power was shut off to the Red Line this afternoon as Boston firefighters investigated burning trash on the tracks near Broadway station.

Meanwhile, for all the problems on the T, riders are unlikely to be delayed due to cows, unlike out in Amherst:

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo forwarded the photo and this account:

Channel 7 reports:

Unhappy campers at G Street and East Broadway

Ed. note: Amy Ewing e-mailed this photo and the following complaint:

I am a reasonable person. I understand that there is snow, and issues that come up during snow and cold weather. But am I wrong to think that THIS IS NEW ENGLAND?!?! It does this every &$*(& year. Why is it that the MBTA cannot manage to get it together so that they don't leave tons of people on the frigid, un-shoveled, icy sidewalks of Boston in temperatures that could actually cause people hypothermia or worse?

This morning what I experienced was 1) inexcusable and 2) unacceptable. I am seriously considering paying the $400 per month to park, which means I will be driving my car the 3 miles to work because the bus cannot get me to work on time. I cannot rely on the public transportation system.

Drive an hour and come up for the day. Enjoy Rockport, then stay a bit late. The Rockport Legion Band will present the sixth concert in its 2010 concert series on the band stand at Rockport's Back Beach.

Jason Howard leads the band this week. Planned music includes selections from both "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Dances with Wolves"; marches by Hall, Sousa, Jewell, and Huff; a suite of ballet music by Jacques Offenbach; song medleys by Vincent Youmans and Johnny Mercer; plus some swing, ragtime, Italian songs and show tunes from Broadway.

As always, bring your own seating and some money for popcorn. Copies of the RLB CD will also be available.

Program summary is available on the band web page HERE.

KalilMBTA Transit Police report arresting a homeless man at the Broadway T stop last night after he allegedly went up to several women waiting for a bus and pulled up their tops and tried to grope them.

Donald Kalil, 52, who gave his address as the New England Center for Homeless Veterans on Court Street, was arrested shortly after 8:15 p.m.

According to a police report, Kalil got off the Red Line, then went up to woman at the bus stop. When police arrived, "he was shirtless, flailing his arms and yelling at patrons."

Kalil was charged with disorderly conduct; according to the police report, witnesses did not want to identify themselves.

Innocent, etc.

Broke train at Broadway
Means a lot of rider angst
Just another Friday.

Finn posts a photo of the rear window of a 9 bus, which, he reports, somebody shot out with an air rifle at Dorchester Street and Broadway around 7:15 p.m. Nobody hurt, he adds.

Guy jumped. Guy didn't survive.

MBTA surveillance photo shows T customer service agent (in purple) hip-checking suspect. Via MBTA.

Casey Tarushka, 23, was arrested on a larceny charge this morning after allegedly lifting a woman's BlackBerry - and after being detained by T workers, one of whom hip-checked him into a CSA booth as he tried fleeing.

Bail for Tarushka, formerly of Hull, was set at $1,500 in South Boston District Court. Prosecutors charge he snatched a BlackBerry out of a woman's bag, which was on the floor of a Red Line train pulling into Broadway around 9:30 this morning. When the train stopped, the woman happened to notice her phone was gone and spotted Tarushka and a gal pal rushing out, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office:

The victim observed Tarushka attempting to rush through the crowd while clutching her phone against his chest. She ran, caught up with him, and took it back. Tarushka's female accomplice allegedly shoved her. When the suspects allegedly tried to flee, she raced after him.

Stop him," she cried out.

The woman, described as white, with short blonde hair, long fingernails, and an eyebrow ring, and who may be known as "Cat", escaped.

The DA's office says police confiscated a small amount of marijuana from Tarushka, who allegedly told officers he was on his way to a methadone clinic.

Innocent, etc.

Signal problems at Broadway mean long waits for commuters from the south, and now the T reports a disabled train at Downtown Crossing is messing up the commute from the north.

Ursamajor tweets:

Parked underground just past Kendall for the last 15 minutes. Some train didn't have their Dunkies this morning.

The MBTA "security detail" was at Broadway stop this morning, although they didn't seem that interested in checking anyone's briefcase. They were just chatting and drinking coffee amongst themselves...

Because the city's declared a snow emergency
and ordered everybody off
On Broadway.

In South Boston, that is.

Library hallway
Customers services at our library decline in that people are made to
sit in the hallway waiting for access to a featured library service
without access to any books for browsing or other materials.
If books for browsing can not be made available in the hallway,
a bulletin board could be there for browsing whatever's happening
around the community.

Reading room
The current reference department reading room could be set up more
with the comfort of library users/customers/consumers in mind.

Screens.
Reference department librarians searching for information for