Universal Hub - Downtown

Dozen men now charged with January beatdown in Park Square garage

adamg — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:26:09 +0000

Eight more men were arraigned today for their alleged part in a January brawl at the Transportation Building garage that sent several people to the hospital.

Four men had earlier been charged for their alleged fists of fury.

According to the DA's office:

When Boston was on track

adamg — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 02:03:44 +0000

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shortly after World War I. Today, the pier is better known as the World Trade Center and the tracks have mostly been replaced by highway ramps, parking lots and surface roads.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:

Even worse than Segways

adamg — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:04:15 +0000

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.

Lowriders / Dirt Bikes in Downtown Crossing Saturday Night

dansherpa — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:20:28 +0000

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..

Skittles don't come in prescription strength and now a South Boston man faces a drug charge

adamg — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:04:02 +0000

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:

Downtown Crossing's future no longer quite so shrouded

adamg — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:07:04 +0000

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.

City's largest hole digger finally walks away from Hole

adamg — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:17:28 +0000

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.

Police: Man turns self in for double stabbing at Downtown Crossing Red Line stop

adamg — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:29:48 +0000

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:

South Station bookstore trying to return after station management company boots it to open yet another food kiosk

adamg — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:54:44 +0000

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.

Shiny

adamg — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:35:48 +0000

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.