West Roxbury

Boston residents can drop off hazardous and toxic stuff on June 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the DPW garage in West Roxbury (behind the Home Depot by Millennium Park). Proof of residency required. See what you can bring.

State Police are investigating a collision that killed a 17-year-old West Roxbury resident as he crossed the VFW Parkway with five friends last night, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Francis McInerney was hit around 10 p.m. near Gardner Street by a black Acura. He was transported to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 1 a.m., the DA's office says, adding the driver stopped immediately and cooperated with troopers:

The preliminary investigation does not suggest that the driver was impaired or negligent in his operation of the vehicle. A determination of the vehicle's speed will be made by crash reconstruction experts. The driver has not been charged.

West Roxbury Patch puts up a photo set from today's annual Corrib Classic 5K.

West Roxbury Patch reports on a white guy threatening to blow a Hispanic guy's head off as they drove in the area of Washington and Grove streets. Only he didn't use the word "Hispanic."

AlertNewEngland reports somebody was stabbed and robbed around 12:30 p.m. at 5050 Washington St.

The other day, Bostonography figured out the density of cemeteries in Boston (no Boston resident is more than 1.77 miles from a cemetery; ironically, the point most distant from a cemetery is the BU theology library). Interesting, but, of course, what any true Bostonian (specifically, Danielle Dreillinger) would really want to know: How far to the nearest Dunkin' Donuts?

The folks at Bostonography dropped everything to work on this pressing question and today report that no Boston resident is more than 1.45 miles from a Dunkin' Donuts - and that most distant point is located at Mt. Benedict Cemetery in farthest, remotest West Roxbury.

West Roxbury Patch reports on a one-alarm fire early this morning at the Dunkin' Donuts at 1630 VFW Parkway (the one near where Savers used to be, not the one by Spring Street).

The mayor's office today announced the impending renovations, which will include new water and sewer lines, road repaving and electrical upgrades at the Boston Trailer Park off the VFW Parkway.

The park, built in 1947, has 104 units, many of whose residents spent years fighting plans by the Clair family - which owned the trailer park - to bulldoze the place and expand its car dealership there. Clair finally gave up in 2004 and agreed to sell the park to an interim owner who would in turn sell it to residents. Residents took full ownership in February. The city has earmarked $1.5 million for the upgrades to the trailer park, most of whose residents live below the average median income for the city.

Liz Kelleher isn't prepared for what she finds on her first trip into Allandale Woods, where West Roxbury meets Jamaica Plain: Mysterious objects strewn about, ominous graffiti and signs warning her "WE ARE WATCHING."

What is going on here?

There are people to whom this is all self-evident and mundane. It's a quiet neighborhood on the border between Boston and Brookline, between big city and citified village. Some folks' back yards back up on this in-between space, and presumably other people living nearby, better than I at searching out unpoliced spaces to watch birds or light up a joint, have always known about it, just as thousands of us streaming by have never noticed it.

It's like some little morality play about competing cultures.

A motorist charged with stabbing a man to death outside Boston Medical Center Sunday morning says he was only trying to defend himself when the man began punching him at a red light.

Boston Police tweet the Hyde Park Savings Bank, 1920 Centre St., was robbed this afternoon by a white guy in a brown ski mask and a gray sweatshirt, who then ran away.

The last time the bank was robbed was last November, allegedly by a Dorchester man who convinced an unwitting friend to drive him across town.

WBUR reports on an AARP list of 14 state reps who signed a pledge last year to retain the state's ban on gifts to doctors by drug companies - then voted this week to end the ban. Among them: Ed Coppinger.

Forbes reports that the Huffington Patch has changed its plans for world hyperlocal domination. Instead of hiring more fulltime reporters and editors, the suits yesterday ordered Patch editors to get five to ten local bloggers to start writing by May 4. No pay, but you get keep ownership of your words (shades of Boston Now).

In Massachusetts, the directive would mean signing up between 380 and 760 bloggers for the company's current roster of 76 neighborhoods and towns.

District E-5 reports they've recovered a can of blue spray paint and are "vigilantly pursuing possible suspects" for five graffiti incidents on April 15 and 16 that police estimate will cost hundreds of dollars to repair.

According to police: A fence at LaGrange and Redgate had obscenities sprayed on it, a car on Emmmonsdale and Linnet had a stripe added, a mini-van on Redgate had a penis spray-painted on the rear window and a garage on John Alden had both a penis and "WR" applied.

Graffiti is an act of vandalism that affects the quality of life in our neighborhood. It is unwelcoming and certainly unwanted in District 5. The perpetrators are usually teenagers who often tag as a prank or to show membership to a group or gang. In the cases reported last Saturday, it is more likely that the suspects were playing a prank.

Boston Police tweet the roof gave way at the Bubbles laundry, 1230 VFW Parkway, before 9 a.m. today and that one person was injured.

The coin-operated facility is attached to an old Stop & Shop being renovated into a Savers used-stuff store.

http://westroxbury.patch.com/articles/irish-social-club-closes-abruptly

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/west_roxbury/2011/04/after_65_years_irish_social_cl.html

The last dance was this past Sunday, no notice about the closing or about the financial situation was given to members. If the building does need to be sold couldn't there be some match up with the YMCA or Roche Center. It seems hard to believe that area Irish Step Dancing schools wouldn't have been interesting in renting the space for classes.

As members died, nobody was replacing them, West Roxbury Patch reports.

Boston Police report arresting one of two gunmen they say held up Eastland Motors, 4959 Washington St., around 5:45 p.m. on Sunday.

Police say arriving officers spotted the suspects on the nearby Willet Street and managed to catch one of them after a chase. Jason Randall, 23, of Randolph, was charged with armed robbery.

Innocent, etc.

Nicole Russo asks for suggestions.

Balcony fire. Photo by BFD.

The Boston Fire Department is blaming "careless disposal of smoking material" on a balcony for an early morning fire that caused roughly $100,000 in smoke damage to apartments at 44 Broadlawn Park in West Roxbury.

The department says quick work by firefighters responding to the 4:18 a.m. kept the fire, which started in an enclosed balcony outside the second floor, from spreading inside. According to the department, a still lit cigarette started it all:

Cardboard boxes on the balcony caught fire which then extended to the utility closet with the heating system in it.

March 13: Two-alarm fire on Mission Hill caused by cigarette.

Lunch is served.

Sticky Rice Cafe opened this week on Centre Street, where The King/Samia's used to be, just a short walk from Phuket and up the Street from Thai Spice. Unlike those two, however, Sticky Rice Cafe also has Japanese and Korean dishes on the menu - with sushi on the way.

AlertNewEngland reports five cars have crashed on Enneking Parkway south of Washington Street after temperatures dropped and the winding road became a sheet of ice.

A convicted sex offender was sentenced to ten years in federal prison on a child-pornography charge last week, after admitting ownership of the files an FBI agent found on his computer via a file-sharing network.

William F. Murphy, a resident of Boston's only trailer park, initially told investigators he was only doing research to determine whether his girlfriend, with whom he was living, had been forced as a child to engage in sexual acts by a child-porn ring he wanted to expose, according to an affidavit by an FBI agent who investigated his case. He claimed he had tried to present the evidence to Boston Police, but that they had turned him away because of his status as a sex offender - he was convicted in 1988 of raping his 9-year-old stepdaughter.

The Boston Fire Department reports that Rachyl Beichel was the first person to notice a fire today on DeSoto Road in West Roxbury. The six-year-old told her mom she had to call 911 - while her father Max was working a shift on BFD's Engine 39 in South Boston.

The department says Rachyl's quick action helped save the life of a woman in the house who uses a wheelchair - along with the other residents:

All safely got out thanks to the early call for help.

West Roxbury Patch talked to Rachyl.

Fire officials blame careless disposal of a cigarette for a mid-afternoon fire at 45 DeSoto Rd. that displaced five people and sent a firefighter to the hospital with a broken wrist.

The fire, which started on a top-story porch, spread to the attic and did an estimated $200,000 in damage, the Boston Fire Department says.