Mission Hill

They were towing cars off Copenger Street on Mission Hill today, apparently for getting in the way of street sweepers. Only problem, AMO notes, is that the signs declare "No Parking" for the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month and today is the third Wednesday.

Stanley Staco and WBZ report that around 1:30 a.m., four masked gunmen burst into an apartment on New Whitney Street in the Mission Park development and kidnapped a 16-year-old girl - after first using zipties to restrain her mother

About 50 minutes later, the teen was found outside a Dunkin' Donuts on Adams Street in Dorchester Lower Mills, her wrists still bound.

Boston Police arrested one man but are looking for three more for a home invasion at 142 St. Alphonsus St. around 5:15 p.m., Stanley Staco reports.

The residents were tied up. Police are looking for a black Chrysler sedan seen fleeing the scene with three occupants, all black and all described as large. The car, which may have a gun in it, has a partial Mass. registration of 4120.

In response to a citizen complaint about a McLaughlin Playground baseball field on Mission Hill being locked up all the time except for when the local Little League is using it, the city says:

The little league field and the batting cage is locked because ... of some dog owners who allow their dogs to run wild and not picking up after their dogs.

Alli Knothe photographed the side of an auto-parts store on Tremont Street near the Roxbury Crossing T stop this afternoon.

David Bernstein reports that with Councilor Mike Ross (Mission Hill, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway) running for mayor, Joshua Zakim, now running Joshua Dawson's campaign to replace Marty Walz in the House of Representatives, will be running to replace Ross. Phew. And yes, Zakim is the son of the late Leonard Zakim, as in the bridge.

He'll be running in District 8 against Greg Timilty, whose own father is also well known in these parts: Former City Councilor, State Senator and mayoral candidate Joseph Timilty.

The Mission Hill Gazette reports Fenway High School's move into the old Mission Hill K-8 school - which was itself moved to JP to make room for the high school - has been delayed until the 2014/2015 school year because of issues related to the fact the building isn't currently big enough for a high school.

Boston Police report an 85-year-old nun was robbed inside Mission Church on Mission Hill Friday afternoon as she was paying for a dinner.

The thief, police say, grabbed her money when she put it down on a counter.

The suspect was described as Hispanic, in his late 30s, 5'5" to 5'7" with a slim build, dark hair - at least, what was left of it - and clad in a black leather jacket. Police add:

The victim who was in mass, refused to speak to officers until mass was finished.

Mike Moura and Stanley Stacos report two men were stabbed outside the TGI Friday's around 11:30 p.m. Friday. Boston Police report both victims are expected to survive.

Josh Ormsby videoed his son Aidan, a 7-year-old first grader, on the slopes of New England's newest ski resort.

Mission Hill Liquors, 1623 Tremont St., was held up shortly after noon. Police are looking for a heavyset black man in his late 30s with a silver handgun, a little bit of a beard and short hair, wearing a red hoodie with a white symbol (possibly a Cincinnati Reds logo or a soccer ball), blue jeans and black sneakers.

Stuart Spina photographed the scene on South Huntington Avenue this afternoon, when an MBTA bus up and died right on the trolley tracks, blocking a Green Line trolley behind it, at least until it could be towed out of the way.

Police are looking for two men who stuck up somebody at Pontiac and Hillside streets around 5 p.m., making off with his phone.

Corey Balint photographed Brigham Circle around 8:30 p.m. after a thunderous downpour from the remnants of the elite Republican Guard Sandy.

Fenway flooding photos.

Boston to a T considers yesterday's Brigham Circle trolley-vs-trolley incident.

Collision scene. Photo by Michelle Murray.

A trolley collision in Brigham Circle around 4 p.m. sent three people - one of them a T worker - to nearby hospitals with neck and back injuries, Rob Grover reports. One train came off the tracks due to what the T called human error related to a switch. Traffic on Huntington Avenue was at a standstill; the road was set to be shut outbound well into the night as the T works to right the trolleys and fix track damage.

The view from the air.

The Globe reports a Mission Hill resident found a boa constrictor in her backyard today.

The Red Cross reports it arranged a hotel stay for a family at 675 Parker St. last night after burning food on their stove set off a sprinkler.

The Boston Fire Department reports the sprinkler worked as designed - it put out the fire, called in around 6:45 p.m. Aside from the stove, all the damage in the third-floor unit and the two units below it was caused by water from the sprinkler, the fire department says.

There were no injuries. In addition to finding a hotel room, the Red Cross provided two blankets, toiletries and two Mickey Mouse dolls for the family of four. The MSPCA took the family dog for the night. The occupants of the other two units were away on vacation, the Red Cross says.

Boston Police report arresting a local college lad for indecent exposure thanks to his wallet, which they found in the pair of shorts he took off when he found running away from officers with them hanging around his knees interfered with his stride.

Police say officers on routine patrol found the guy on the front stairs of 1564 Tremont St. early Sunday, answering nature's call:

Given the suspect's refusal or inability to locate a proper urinal, officers stopped and approached the suspect. Upon seeing the approaching officers, the suspect took off running and a foot pursuit ensued. While chasing behind the suspect, officers observed the suspect trip over his own shorts several times as his shorts repeatedly fell below his waist. During the foot pursuit, officers lost sight of the suspect, but in short time, gained a visual on what appeared to be the suspect's shorts. Upon searching the pockets of the abandoned shorts, officers were able retrieve the suspect's wallet which, not surprisingly, contained several forms of identification bearing the suspect's name and home address.

He was not at home when officers knocked at his door, but he was found not long after on Parker Hill Avenue, police say.

An entire living-room set.

Kids today! A citizen with a sense of respect for tradition filed a complaint this morning about this living-room set just sitting on the Riverway, demanding the city find and fine whoever is responsible for this impromptu Bob's Furniture ad.

Speaking of tradition, is Allston Christmas spreading to Codman Square?

This just in from the Boston Police Department:

Traffic & Parking Advisory: Relative to College Move in Weekend August 31-September 4, 2012 Residents should expect congestion and delays in the areas of Allston, Brighton, Fenway, Back Bay, Mission Hill and Beacon Hill as 70,000 college students will be moving in these neighborhoods.

Bikeyface shows us what to expect.

Surveillance photo via BPD.

Boston Police report they are looking for a guy who fired several shots into a man at St. Alphonsus and Tremont around 11:15 p.m. last Friday, then sped away on a blue motorized bike. The victim was taken to Boston Medical Center and is expected to survive.

If he looks familiar, contact B-2 detectives at 617-343-4275 or the anonymous tip line by calling 800-494-TIPS or texting TIP to CRIME (27463).

UPDATE: BFD reports cause was "careless disposal of a cigarette."

The Boston Fire Department reports a two-alarm fire at 808 Parker St. displaced eight people - one of whom was taken to the hospital with burns and another with smoke inhalation.

The fire, which did an estimated $200,000 in damage, was reported around 3:20 a.m. - by a neighbor who used a nearby street alarm box - and apparently started on the first floor of the triple decker.

The Boston Licensing Board yesterday approved a food-serving license for a Dunkin' Donuts opposite the Roxbury Crossing T stop, over the opposition of the local neighborhood association, the mayor's office and City Councilor Mike Ross, who argued Tremont Street already had enough places to get coffee.

Joel and Janel Silveira, who will own the franchise, already operate another Dunkin' Donuts on the other side of the hill, in Brigham Circle.