Arlington

The Herald interviews an Arlington man who fought the $100 fine sought by prosecutors, and won.

The MBTA Transit Police report on the Oct. 26 arrest at Alewife paints a slightly different picture than the simple civil-liberties patina painted by the Herald:

I informed Goodwin that it was his right to refuse to submit to the program, but that he would not be allowed to gain access to the MBTA from this station. Goodwin then became very belligerent, yelling, "I'm not a Muslim, you don't have to check my bag. I don't have to accept this Nazi-ism!!"

A man stopped to marvel at the big-ass boiler sitting in a drug-store parking lot.

We weren't the only ones who took a swing up Mass. Ave. in Arlington today to see the banned boiler of MIT, which Somerville is refusing to let rumble down its streets on the final leg of a journey from Texas to the school. YourArlington.com reports it could be Tuesday at the earliest before Somerville grants the required permit for the oversized load to enter the city; in the meantime, it sits behind cones, sawhorses and police tape in the parking lot of a Walgreens on Mass. Ave. in Arlington.

Of course, a big-ass boiler deserves a big-ass photo: Take a look at Aaron Donovan's photo.

Common Cause Massachusetts is hosting a Redistricting Olympics this summer. We will be taking citizen drawn Congressional, State House, and State Senate maps all summer, evaluating them, declaring a winner, giving out prizes and submitting the winning maps to the MA Legislative Redistricting Committee for consideration.

The purpose of the redistricting Olympics is threefold: to educate the public about the steps in the redistricting process, to initiate public participation in the political arena, and to pressure the legislature to draw the districts so that the citizens are appropriately represented.

Help show the legislature that redistricting is about our interests, not theirs. By participating in our redistricting Olympics and learning how to draw your own fair districts, you can acquire the tools you need to expose attempts by public officials to politicize the state’s new legislative maps.

For more information check out and/or email us at .

Participate in our democracy!

The Globe reports on the arrest of Robert Hersey of Arlington, who allegedly tried to open a door on a flight to Boston while in mid-air and while wearing a Bruins jersey.