Harvard Square

Cambridge bookstore employee uses bear hug to subdue shoplifter who'd just threatened to shoot the place up, police say

By adamg - 3/24/23 - 10:06 am

Cambridge Police report arresting a local man on unarmed robbery charges at a Harvard Square bookstore yesterday - after first getting him up from the floor where employees were keeping him pinned. Read more.

Fun Red Line fact

By adamg - 3/8/23 - 9:40 am

Christopher Schmidt reports that when the Red Line opened in 1912, some MIT students took measurements of how long a train took to get from Harvard to Park Street (then four total stops, since Charles/MGH hadn't been built): 7.3 minutes. Read more.

More ceiling tiles removed at Harvard

By adamg - 3/7/23 - 1:29 pm

The MBTA reports that over the weekend it inspected ceiling tiles between Central and Andrew this weekend to make sure none are about to fall on riders' heads. Meanwhile, the removed ceiling-tile count at Harvard, where a rustily connected, water-filled tile nearly did conk one rider, is now up around 100, the T says.

MBTA begins removing ceiling panels at Harvard station, like the one that almost beaned a rider

By adamg - 3/3/23 - 4:34 pm

Panels fall inches from woman's head at Harvard

Panel falls in a cloud of dust in front of woman, who then looks up, in T surveillance video.

The MBTA has begun removing ceiling panels at the Harvard Red Line station after one of the 20-to-25-pound panels fell ten feet to the platform, narrowly missing a rider - and plans inspections of all its ceiling panels at all its stations to reduce the need for riders to worry about getting hit in the head with one, interim MBTA General Manager Jeff Gonneville said today. Read more.

Man avoids getting beaned by large falling ceiling tile at Harvard Red Line station

By adamg - 3/1/23 - 4:03 pm

It's not just the trains you have to worry about.

Man barricaded self inside Harvard Square apartment after pulling gun on health-care worker, police say

By adamg - 2/25/23 - 4:51 pm

Cambridge Police report successfully taking into custody a man they say "pulled a weapon on his health-care worker and then barricaded himself inside his large, multi-unit Massachusetts Avenue residential building apartment" this afternoon. Read more.

Harvard Law student with a baseball bat charged with homophobic attack on fellow student, going after hospital workers

By adamg - 2/13/23 - 9:26 am

The Harvard Crimson reports.

Police responded to a burning bush in Cambridge, but the bush did not speak to them and there was a guy standing next to it with a lighter

By adamg - 1/31/23 - 1:39 pm

Cambridge Police report arresting a man who set a bush on fire in the 1000 block of Massachusetts Avenue early yesterday - and also charged him for a dumpster fire in an alley off Mount Auburn and Athens streets the day before. Read more.

It takes a lot to ruffle Remy the Cat's feathers, marauding turkey flock learns

By adamg - 11/30/22 - 12:20 pm

Turkeys trying to intimidate Harvard's most famous cat

Joshua Lupkin shows us the scene this morning outside Harvard's Barker Center, where some of Harvard Square's tougher toms tried intimidating Remy the Cat, but Remy stood, or sat, his ground. Read more.

Finally: Harvard Square to get soft-serve ice cream in 'grammable fish-shaped waffle cones

By adamg - 11/28/22 - 1:14 pm

The Harvard Crimson reports on the imminent opening of a Harvard Square outlet of a New York ice-cream chain that sells ice cream in fish-shaped waffle cones aimed specifically at the sort of discriminating customers who want to instantly post photos of themselves with their cones on Instagram.

Volunteers defend Cambridge bookfair from Nazis

By adamg - 11/15/22 - 3:44 pm

A bunch of Nazi LARPers showed up at the Boston Anarchist Bookfair in Harvard Square on Sunday to try to look as menacing and tough as one can in khakis, but bookfair volunteers managed to fend them off through the sneaky maneuver of locking the doors until the Nazis' attention span timed out after ten minutes and they left. Read more.

Police continue hunt for Cambridge grope-and-go attacker, who runs away balancing on his toes

By adamg - 10/28/22 - 1:23 pm

Cambridge Police report they are looking for a man they say has groped women in Harvard and Porter squares this year, after which he darted away, "running on his toes."

Police say he's now a suspect in three attacks: Read more.

A honking good time

By adamg - 10/11/22 - 1:41 pm

Greg Cook took in the annual Honk procession from Somerville to Cambridge over the weekend.

So did Frank Solensky: Read more.

Convicted bank robber in a blue baseball cap charged with holding up Harvard Square bank teller just five days after another career criminal in a blue baseball cap held up the same teller

By adamg - 10/8/22 - 1:34 pm

Robber waits for more money from teller. Surveillance photo via FBI.

A Jamaica Plain man was indicted this week on charges he held up a TD Bank branch on May 2 while wearing a blue Brooklyn Dodgers cap - less than a week after another man, wearing a similar blue Red Sox cap held up the same bank and the same teller. Read more.

Not very humerus: Thief makes off with part of a Harvard Square skeleton

By adamg - 10/7/22 - 1:04 pm

Cambridge Police report a boneheaded robbery at Wusong Road:

A manager of a restaurant located in Harvard Square called to report that someone stole the arm to their skeleton that they had for decoration in front of their establishment.

The thief made good his escapula, but police say a surveillance camera snapped photos.

Harvard government school having trouble running an election

By adamg - 9/23/22 - 9:28 am

The Crimson reports on problems electing a student government at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Peck, peck, peckin' on heaven's door

By adamg - 9/18/22 - 12:55 pm

Turkey on steps of church rectory in Cambridge

Roving UHub photographer Melissa Hirshson spotted this bird seeking a chance to speak about her Lord and Savior, or maybe to ask to see an electric bill or even to seek a donation for GBH, at the main entrance to the rectory of Christ Church in Harvard Square this morning (bonus: Note the boot scraper on the step).

Dorchester man faces federal charges for four area bank robberies

By adamg - 8/29/22 - 12:44 pm

Surveillance photo via Brookline PD.

A Dorchester man already behind bars awaiting trial for a Harvard Square bank robbery now faces up to 20 years in federal prison for that and bank robberies in Boston and Brookline. Read more.

Cambridge man to return home

By adamg - 8/24/22 - 2:25 pm

The Harvard Crimson reports that Bill De Blasio, who went to Cambridge Rindge and Latin before becoming the second straight New York mayor from the Boston area, will be a "visiting fellow" at the Harvard Institute of Politics this fall.

Harvard Square gets a tiki bar

By adamg - 8/23/22 - 8:47 am

And, yes, they have glassware that looks like you'd expect at a tiki bar. Richard Auffrey reports he likes Wusong Road, vows to return, says next time he might even try the New England Chop Suey - "Ma La spice, grilled tomato 'bolognese', home-made shanxi maoerduo noodles, spring onions, crispy garlic chips and Thai basil."

Harvard Square

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