Mission Hill

The owners of the Ginger Exchange in Inman Square go before the Boston Licensing Board on Wednesday for permission to buy the Savant Project's beer and wine license from the bank that now owns it and turn the 1625 Tremont St. location into a sushi joint that promises to "inject a not-so-subtle element of fun and interest in the pure enjoyment of good food."

UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: Still popping in the Fenway.

From Brighton to Brookline to Mission Hill, people are reporting popping sounds that have been going off for several hours.

36 million, to be exact. Seems the city won a large grant from the state to renovate the school - scheduled to be paid out through 2019 - and the state doesn't like having its money wasted for repairs to buildings that get shut down. Take a look at this letter from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to Boston School Superintendent Carol Johnson back in June, which mentions several schools, but singles out the building last known as the Hyde Park Education Complex:

In 1999, the City received approval for a grant for a renovation project at Hyde Park School. To date, the MSBA has paid $23,383,012 to the City for the Hyde Park High School and there is a total of $12,664,978 remaining in grant payments which the MSBA is scheduled to pay in annual installments through fiscal year 2019. Due to the closure of this facility, however, the MSBA may consider putting a hold on the remaining payments for this project and recouping a portion of funds that have already been paid to the City for this project, pending the City's future plans for the facility.

The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports the Boston city councilor is considering moving back to Newton, where he grew up, to run for Barney Frank's seat.

The Globe reports the School Committee gave its pro-forma approval last night to Superintendent Carol Johnson's school musical chairs.

Ross angrily denounced the plan to move the Mission Hill K-8 School in his district to the closed Agassiz in Jamaica Plain; according to the Globe, he uttered the ultimate Boston political insult: That moves like that mean "Boston will never be considered a world-class city."

The Huntington News reports on a proposal by the Mission Hill Problem Property Task Force for a fund to which Northeastern, Wentworth, MassArt and Mass. College of Pharmacy would make contributions to repair vandalism. Northeastern's John Tobin (yes, that John Tobin) says it's unfair to assume that all vandalism on the Hill is the fault of college students.

The Boston Fire Department reports a lint buildup in a second-floor dryer ignited on Calumet Street early this morning, starting a conflagration that left 94 people on two streets homeless and that did more than $1 million in damage.

The cause of the 5 alarm fire at 37-39 Calumet St. was a clothes dryer on the 2nd floor of #37. Specifically, a build-up of lint.

The department reports 34 people were displaced by the fire itself, while another 60 people living down the hill on Wait Street had to find new places to stay because of water used to fight the fire, which spread across four townhomes.

Some 12 people living at 41 Calumet should be able to return home fairly soon, once the power is turned back on, as will most of the Wait Street residents, the department says. The rest of the Calumet residents, however, have been burned out, while 12 residents of basement apartments on Wait will also have to find other places to stay. The Mass. College of Pharmacy opened its doors as an emergency shelter.

Calumet fire. Photo by BFD.

UPDATE: Fire blamed on lint.

Firefighters braved both fire and ice early this morning when fire erupted on Calumet Street. The Boston Fire Department reports heavy damage to 37, 35, 39 and 41 Calumet, in a fire that was still causing trouble several hours after it was first reported around 12:45 a.m.

Not long after firefighters arrived:

Ladder 4 had a report of a person trapped on floor 2. They kicked in a door and found a woman.

She was taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Channel 5 reports before firefighters arrived, two guys ran into one of the buildings to alert residents.

Officials estimated damage at $1.2 million.

Kim Janey provides the photographic proof - although Bernie Reeder suggests the mess looks more like the work of scavangers pawing through the leftovers.

Ed. note: On our way back from Allston Christmas festivities today, we swung through Mission Hill. Notable sight: A garbage truck, staffed by eight or nine guys in Northeastern shirts, who were just tossing chairs and couches into the beast's gaping maw.

Columbus Avenue slobs.

It's as if we've been hit by a hurricane of slobbery. Citizens Connect this morning is just filled with reports of mounds of filth and vermin, including:

An alert citizen reports this morning that somebody took offense to the Hubway bike-rental station outside the Brigham Circle Diner on Huntington Avenue.

A Mission Hill man who took part in a drug-related robbery came packing a gun but also used a glass bong to subdue his victim, Suffolk County prosecutors charged today.

Michael Finklea, 20, was arraigned yesterday in West Roxbury District Court on charges of home invasion, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the June 2 incident, in which another Mission Hill man was charged last month.

He escaped early this afternoon from 20 Lawn St. So when you see an iguana, don't just freak out, call 857-288-8024:

He is dearly loved and would like to return home.

Boston Restaurant Talk reports Saturday's the last day for the Mission Hill eatery.

Zelenyoko reports hearing at least seven gunshots late Saturday at Warwick and Sussex streets. Ali N reports a single gunshot near Lawn Street.

Boston Police report busting up a rousing good time at a pre-finals bash on Mission Hill early this morning.

Police say that when officers responded to a loud-party complaint at 72 Hillside St. around 1:30 a.m., a bunch of young partiers outside promptly ran inside and locked the door. Police say the officers gained entry, followed their ears up to the third floor and demanded all non-residents vacate the premises. Then, they say, they told the leaseholders they'd be issued a citation, which police said upset them enough to get thim to start yelling about how the officers hadn't read them their rights. One of the officers replied rights reading wasn't required because the students were only being issued a citation, not being arrested.

Officers left the apartment, and within a few minutes while on the next street over, could clearly detect loud music and loud banging coming from the same apartment. Officers then returned to the same apartment and there spoke to the residents about the loud music. The residents when questioned about the loud music and the banging in the apartment exclaimed to officers, "I do not know what you are talking about!" The four residents again continued to be totally uncooperative and belligerent with officers. After numerous failed attempts to get the residents to cooperate, they were arrested.

One of the students took to Twitter this morning to complain:

Just spent the night as jail bait in the slammer. For having a party. #fuckthepolice

Before the cops came, Pre-Finals Blackout Rageface Booze Ripper 11 was epic.

Night Owl City took this photo of a derailed inbound E trolley at South Huntington and Huntington around 9:30 a.m. AlertNewEngland reports no injuries. Expect, as they say, delays.

Dan Wilets reports this mini-gather was wandering around Mission Hill this morning (doing a strut of shame?).

James Hogan asks:

Does anyone know where you can fill up a propane gas tank for a grill around Mission Hill area?

Boston Police report arresting six college students for a Mission Hill party that had moved onto the streets and featured a price list for the beer being handed out in red cups.

Police say officers responding to a loud-party complaint around 12:30 a.m. at 24 Lawn St. found about 50 young'uns in the driveway "holding beer cans and red plastic cups containing alcohol." A look inside revealed another 100 or so people, police say. In the course of clearing the scene, police say, six people, 18-23, were arrested on a variety of charges, including drinking in public, procuring alcohol for minors and resisting arrest.

Boston Police report that when officers were booking a Worcester man today after he'd been nabbed for allegedly trying to break into a Parker Street residence, they found "a large amount of cash in his possession" and a deposit slip from a Watertown bank that had been robbed earlier in the morning.

Richard Bonet, 25, was arrested after somebody called police to report a guy breaking into 682 Parker St. shortly before noon. Police say officers arrived before he succeeded, and that they caught up with him after a brief foot chase.

While he was being booked at B-2 on charges of attempted breaking and entering in the daytime, resisting arrest and possession of burglarious tools, police say, officers found a deposit slip for the Belmont Savings Bank branch on 53 Mt. Auburn St. in Watertown.

Watertown Police report a man matching Bonet's description walked into the bank around 10:30 a.m. and held it up using what turned out to be a fake bomb.

Innocent, etc.

Boston Police report somebody stuck a garden hose into an oil-fill pipe at 7 Sachem St. around noon today, then turned on the water.

As a result, water poured into the oil tank causing the tank to fill and overflow. The Boston Fire Department's Hazmat Team responded and contained the scene.

Hillside Street fire. Photo by BFD. More photos.

The Boston Fire Department reports careless disposal of a cigarette led to a two-alarm fire early this morning at 149 Hillside St. on Mission Hill.

One resident was brought to the hospital with possible smoke inhalation, the department says. Four residents of the three-story brick building had to find new places to sleep.

The department says the cigarette was on a rear porch when it started the fire, called in around 4 a.m. Damage was estimated at $300,000.

City Councilor Mike Ross reported around 6:15 p.m. that 900 of the 1,114 Mission Hill residents who lost power have their lights back. Nstar is bringing in generators for some customers whose problems will take longer to fix.

Boston Police report this video shows a man wanted for the December murder of Demetrius Blocker at 48 Horadan Way.