A 17-year-old boy and 43-year-old woman were killed in the shootings.

Meanwhile, a 34-year-old man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Officers responded to the shootings 3964 Washington Street at around 3:45 a.m.

WBZ-TV’s Paul Burton reports.[worldnow id=6128323 width=320 height=240 type=video]

The victims have not been publicly identified.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Kim Tunnicliffe reports.

Download: tunnicliffe-double-shoot-v1.mp3|titles=Roslindale%20Shooting|artists=Kim%20Tunnicliffe

Anyone with information is asked to call Boston police.

Forest Hills Lantern Festival. Photo by Kate Flock, Wicked Local

First, here’s the good news: the Forest Hills Educational Trust will be holding its Thirteen Annual Lantern Festival  at Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain this Thursday, July 13, from 6 pm onward. According to the Trust’s web site, the festival will feature  traditional Japanese dance from students of Showa Boston, Irish music from guitar and fiddle duo the Whiskey Boys, Chinese dragon dance from Gund Kwok and Grand Master Tsuji’s Taiko drummers”—but the heart of the festival is the lanterns: the vessels for messages to the dead.

For $10, festival-goers can buy a lantern and inscribe it with notes, names, drawings, poems, or anything else they wish to share. Then, at a certain time, the crowd gathers at  Lake Hibiscus at the center of the cemetery. The lanterns are put into the lake and float away, candles shining in their paper wrappings. Thousands of lanterns’ lights are reflected in the dark water on a summer night. It is beautiful.

Forest Hills Lantern Festival. Photo by Elizabeth Pell

It’s also just about the only event that the Forest Hills Educational Trust ever created that separate, distinct, and hostile Forest Hills Cemetery Board thought was worthy of repeating. As I wrote in January, the Cemetery Board decided in December, 2010 to fire the Educational Trust staff apart from the Executive Director (who resigned) and suspend all Forest Hills Educational Trust programs—including poetry readings, cemetery tours, concerts, and, yes, the Lantern Festival—to engage in “strategic planning.”

Apart from the curious fact that the Cemetery Board seems to feel the best way to plan for an organization’s future is to get rid of all the staff who have had any experience with that organization, the “temporary” suspension and “planning” are still going on with no end in sight, according to the Educational Trust web site.

You can also still fill out the Cemetery Board’s Planning Survey if you like. Heaven knows if anyone will ever read it. Then they might feel obliged to spend some of the Educational Trust’s funds on public programming. Right now, the Educational Trust is in danger of losing its Massachusetts Cultural Council grants because surprise! it hasn’t been running any public programming. Funny how people stop giving you money when you don’t do any work.

One site claims that the survey has been tabulated, with a nod to traditional Chicago political-machine voting. “The results of a survey administered during that time were encouraging. Residents of Forest Hills overwhelmingly approved of what the Trust was doing, and wanted to see it back.” How many residents of Forest Hills Cemetery can move, much less use these new-fangled electronic devices?

That said, the neighborhood that seems to be officially called “Forest Hills”  appears to be the area of JP east of Hyde Park Avenue and north of Walk Hill street. In 2010 alone, more than 4,000 people attended the Lantern Festival–a number which probably exceeds the total population of “Forest Hills.” Surely some of the people who actually go to Forest Hills and support the cemetery –residents of the rest of Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Mattapan, and all the other communities within a mile of Forest Hills– should have some say as well.

Of course, the Forest Hills Cemetery Board can do whatever they like. The cemetery is privately owned. A few people can decide the fate of the Forest Hills Educational Trust, no matter what the “Residents of Forest Hills” overwhelmingly approve of.

If the Forest Hills Cemetery Board wants to dismantle popular programs that attract people to one of Boston’s great underutilized green spaces, there isn’t much any of us can do, apart from filling out the survey, calling the cemetery office, sending e-mails and letters… and going to the Lantern Festival. Please do.

The situation is a little different at Newton’s Hammond Pond. Last year, a local family, the Rudyaks, pledged $1 million to build a floating boardwalk around the pond in memory of their son, Michael, who died in 2007 at the age of 47.

It’s a kind gesture, but there’s a hitch; the Rudyaks don’t own Hammond Pond. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation(DCR) does, which means that there have to be public hearings about the project before anyone starts nailing together a boardwalk.  At the last public hearing, residents talked about the walkway’s environmental impact and maintenance costs.

At 22 acres, Hammond Pond is also larger than the 10-acre minimum to be considered a “great pond” under Massachusetts law. Those ponds are considered public resources, no matter who owns the land around them, there are plenty of regulations on the pond above and beyond the usual wetlands laws.

The Rudyaks are obviously generous and well-intentioned; but really, if you asked the DCR how it could use a million dollars to commemorate a beloved son, the answer would probably be to purchase a couple hundred acres of land somewhere west of Route 495. The DCR bought 782 acres in Tolland for just $3 million earlier this year, with a bonus conservation restriction (barring development on an additional 61 acres) thrown in for free.

Forest Hills Cemetery, photo by Muffet

And there, in brief, is the same conundrum facing the Forest Hills Cemetery Board, the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, and to a lesser extent the Friends of the Public Garden, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and any other parks organization that regularly deals with wealthy, generous donors. What a few individuals with large bank accounts may want—a nice boardwalk on the water, a quiet cemetery, a pretty carousel—may have nothing at all to do with what the majority of people who use the space may want: an unpaved path next to a quiet pond, a cemetery filled with art, poetry, and music, a less-expensive carousel that charges less for a ride than the MBTA.

In most public parks, there are feedback mechanisms (public hearings, environmental reviews), so that wealthy donors’ interests do not conflict with the public good, and might actually support programs the greater community wants and needs. Whether the Ryedak’s plan for a floating boardwalk is the best and highest use of Hammond Pond is debatable—but at least there is a public debate.

By contrast, at private and sort-of-private parks, such as Forest Hills Cemetery—and, it seems at the Rose Kennedy Greenway’s tone-deaf $3 Million Carousel Committee—there is no feedback, or perhaps just no will to listen to feedback. Both get state funding. Forest Hills’ allotment may soon come to an end; will the Greenway’s?

I scoured cookbooks and recipe websites in a quest to recreate that sublime taste. In the end I had to figure it out on my own, finding the right balance of lemon, sumac, onion and spinach.

I invented this cross-cultural recipe using the sour cream dough my mom used to make for Vatrushka, a Russian dumpling filled with farmer’s cheese. I filled this with the spinach mixture called Sabanekh. I like how the rich dough compliments the spinach filling. If you don’t want such rich dough, or if you want a vegan dish, you can make these with olive oil pizza dough.

*Also claimed by Syrian, Palestinian, Turkish and Jordanian cuisine

I’ve used both an electric mixer and a food processor to make the dough. Beat butter until light and fluffy.  Add sour cream and egg and beat well. Add flour and salt and mix until dough is formed. Knead about 12 times on a floured board until it is not sticky.

Roll dough into a ball and cover in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for ½ an hour. You can begin to prepare the filling while the dough is chilling.

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet. Chop onion finely with the blade in a food processor, and then add to oil. Stir in salt and sumac, and cook on medium low about 10 minutes until onion is translucent.
While onion is cooking, pulse spinach in batches in food processor until finely chopped. Transfer the cooked onion to a medium bowl.

Cook the spinach in the same pan for 2-3 minutes.

Let spinach cool, then place in a sieve over a bowl for 20 minutes to drain the excess liquid from the spinach. Press on it from time to time with the back of a large spoon. You will get about 2/3 cup of spinach water. You can use this in soups.

While spinach is draining, roll out the dough and cut with a round biscuit cutter. You can make larger pies by cutting with a top of a soup bowl, or by forming the dough into a ball and rolling it out into a circle shape. It won’t matter if the circle’s not perfect as long as you can fold it into a tricorner shape.

Add drained spinach mixture to the onion mixture. Stir in lemon juice.

Fill pies with a spoonful of Sabanekh for small pies, more for larger pies.

Fold in a tricorner shape:

Gather two sides together and pinch the sides towards the middle.

Fold in the opposite side towards the middle, pinching the other two edges towards the center.

Pinch all sides towards the center. I leave a little space in the center so you can see the spinach filling. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil spray.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350◦ until the dough is a light brown.

Mark Bavis of Roslindale died aboard United Airlines flight 175, which slammed into the World Trade Center’s south tower.

The family calls it astounding that Massport and security screeners were unaware of the threat posed by Al Qaeda and that they allowed terrorists to board the plane.

Mark’s twin brother Mike Bavis released a statement on behalf of his family.

“We feel that in our hearts and minds that what my brother had to go through was easily preventable,” the statement read.

“That responsibility was United’s, Massport’s and Huntley Security.”

The Bavis family’s wrongful death lawsuit is the first to come from the 9/11 terror attacks.

Rep Coppinger

American Diabetes Association 

More info on the Type 2 Diabetes Program designed by Fitness Together

FT Gets Results

Senior Palooza

1st collector for Senior Palooza on Diabetes 5 20 11
Follow my videos on vodpod

615 South St. Roslindale, MA

Move in ready. This 5 bedroom, 2 bath home located in Roslindale comes equipped with a chic color palate, rich hardwood floors, and a modern kitchen with cherry cabinetry. All the space you could want and more, with ample outdoor living area as well.

This classically designed home mixes updated elements and history seamlessly, a perfect fit with my design philosophy.

The location can’t be beat! A great neighborhood, quick walk to transportation downtown and trendy Roslindale Village.

This value packed home is listed for $434,400

See full listing details about this exciting property!

In the market to buy or sell? Call me at (617)833.1728 or email me!

Want to see what else is on the market? Start searching now!

Listed with Prudential Unlimited Realty – Jamaica Plain.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This idea was born out of my sister’s obsession with fabulous fashion jewelry.  I could always go to her home and borrow a great piece that would stand out in any crowd.  The line pays homage to her, thanks Marla!  The fantastic pieces you find on marlasobsession.com will be the same pieces you find at all your chic retail stores, such as BCBG, Club Monaco, Express, as well as most departments stores including Macy’s and Lord & Taylors.  Because we do not have the overhead cost that they carry, we are able to provide you the same stylish pieces at a substantial discount.  As you will see, prices range from 40% to 80% less than retail store prices.

Marla’s Obsession will be located on the corner of Belgrade Avenue and Cornith Street in the can’t miss location for anyone who travels through the village. A recent article in the Boston Globe mentions expansion plans in their offerings and details a little more about this (local, from Hyde Park) family owned and operated business.

While we rarely find ourselves in need of these fabulous looking accessories, our wedding will certainly provide us with an opportunity to treat our party members to some posh accents from this new store. We look forward to this new addition to the village opening on June 4th!

27 Eastbourne Street, Roslindale, MA

Are you looking for that perfect mix of city and suburb?

You should call me to check out  this 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home.  A handsome colonial located between hip and trendy Roslindale Village and West Roxbury. Gobs of  curb appeal with its red door, manicured lawn, and classic colonial architectural features.

The kitchen has been updated with granite counters, warm cherry cabinets and new appliances. There is even a wine refrigerator in the dining area. The master bathroom has all you could ask for with a custom shower and separate jetted tub.

The level backyard features a double staircase deck and plenty of lawn space for the children and dogs! The boiler and hot water heater are new in 2011, so you’ll be efficient and warm next winter, but lets enjoy the summer first.

This value packed home is listed for $429,000.

See full listing details about this exciting property!

In the market to buy or sell? Call me at (617)833.1728 or email me!

Want to see what else is on the market? Start searching now!

Listed with Insight Realty Group.

For the more decorative flowers we found a great new railing planter for this year. They are by Elho Home and they sit right over the railing providing stability and a unique aesthetic. We choose the metallic black finish so they blend in with our iron railing and give it a more architectural look. They also have a built in water reservoir which is great for container gardening on this hot summer days. We planted red Wave Petunias to cascade in the front throughout the summer and standard dwarf french marigolds behind to keep the bugs away and provide balance.

It has certainly been a rainy week here in Boston, but I hear sunnier days are on the horizon. I’m looking forward to it and seeing our plants take off. I’ll be sure to post updates as the season progresses. Feel free to share your urban gardens as well, I’d love to see them!

22 Walter Street, Roslindale

Location! Location! Location!

Consider the Arnold Arboretum part of your yard with this amazing 2 Bedroom 1 Bathroom Condo in Roslindale!

This beautiful condo is completely renovated with a very attractive kitchen, modern bathroom, gleaming hardwood floors, and a massive deck! This is on the first floor of a multi family home. Sunlight fills the space as well, making it feel even larger than its comfortable 1,000 sq. ft.

It is a short walk to both the Arnold Arboretum and Roslindale Village. Roslindale Village has a red-hot dining scene, and plenty of great specialty shops. It is only a 15 minute ride to South Station on the commuter rail as well!

Enjoy the ease of condo living in a great location without the noise of the city!

New Kitchen!

This very nice property is listed for $305,000.

See full listing details about this exciting property!

In the market to buy or sell? Call me at (617)833.1728 or email me!

Want to see what else is on the market? Start searching now!

Listed with William Raveis Real Estate and Home Services.

Call the movers!

Being a Real Estate Agent in Boston, I’ve been working with a number of clients in the medical industry recently who are moving to Boston for their residency, fellowships, or a new position at one of our leading hospitals. While helping my clients relocate I got to thinking, what does a real estate agent have to do differently when working with a relocation? I think there are three main items which are a little different than what is found in the typical real estate transaction, they are education, listening, and flexibility. Of course many of these skills are used in all real estate settings, but they are definitely amplified when your client is new to the area.

Education is the most important job you have when working with your client. They need to know a lot about the area they are thinking about living, where to get groceries, where to go out to eat, how to utilize the public transportation, how to park, and how do landlords or sellers market their properties in this area. I take this part of my job seriously, and I only feel like I’ve done my job well when my client walks away informed.

Listening is key when your client is trying to describe what they are looking for. Being unfamiliar with the area, they can’t pinpoint a neighborhood they like, or a housing style they prefer. They are going to speak in generalities and it is the agent’s responsibility to interpret the information they are giving you correctly so you are able to better guide them.

Flexibility it also a huge element in the process. Chances are your client is going to change their mind a few times along the way. After all, they are here starting a completely new life, there are going to be some reservations when decision making time comes around. Your relocation client will most likely also want to see more places than the average client. This is because they have no start point for comparison. They don’t know what the typical apartment in their price range is; they need to survey the inventory to educate themselves before they can start making comparisons and ultimately decisions.

I do truly enjoy working with people new to Boston. It’s a great feeling helping someone settle into a new life! If you are in need of any Real Estate or Relocation Services contact me!

Veal and Eggplant Parmesean with a side of Spaghetti

We were in the mood for some great Italian food so we decided to check out what was around the Jamaica Plain area. This one got excellent reviews all around and was by far the least expensive of the top-tier Italian restaurants, so we decided to give it a shot. Walking in, we were pleasantly surprised (no pun intended) to see why. You walk in, and the first impression you get is that this is a bar. You seat yourself, there are big screen TVs everywhere showing the current sports games and a whole page on their menu is devoted to mixed drinks. This was good because this is the kind of place I would hang out even if I wasn’t ordering food. A nice hangout spot with friendly table-service. When you go to a fancy Italian restaurant you are paying for the ambiance. That kind of experience has it’s place in life on rare celebratory occaisions, but when you’re looking for real Italian food at a real affordable price, this is the type of place you would want to go. In fact, I would consider coming back here at least once a month if not more, since their food is excellent.

The drink menu is enough alone to bring you in here

To start, we got our drinks. We ordered a Zombie and a Long Island Ice Tea. The Long Island was nice and strong as usual and the Zombie, although a little too sweet for my taste, was also very strong and definitely hit the spot. Luckily we were given enough time to think about our order, since it was a very hard decision to make. We came here for Italian food, but with all the other pub fare such as buffalo wings, burgers and nachos it was hard to stay focused. Eventually we both decided on the Eggplant Parm, mine with veal and hers with chicken. My god what a great decision. The pictures say it all. Deliciously cheesy and covered with panko breadcrumbs this veal parm was one of the best I’ve had in a while. The breadcrumbs gave it a very interesting taste as well. Think about tempura-style veggies and you will know what I’m talking about. To make it even better it was also served with a side of spaghetti! Man that hit the spot!

A simply awesome side salad

Another great quality about this place is the incredibly friendly, honest and authentic service this place provides. Right when you walk in you are greeted and told to pick a seat anywhere. This laid-back atmosphere is great for a casual dining experience and our waitress was incredibly friendly and kind. It was like eating over at mom’s house. She was laughing and joking with everyone and you can tell that this place has many loyal customers. Count me in! Another surprisingly great quality of The Pleasant Cafe is the honesty of the staff that is rarely seen in restaurants anymore. For example, we originally were going to order their Antipasto, which has always been one of my favorite Italian-food appetizers, but the waitress told us that since a salad came with our food, there was plenty to go around and it was not necessary. Normally a waitress is only concerned with her wallet, so it was a rare breath of fresh air to hear a waitress downsell with the customer in mind.

That said, I think I’ve told you everything you need to know. If you’re looking for an extremely casual eatery with great Italian food, pub food and drinks in a bar-room atmosphere, come to The Pleasant Cafe in Roslindale. Located at 4515 Washington Street in close proximity to Dedham, Brookline and Jamaica Plain, you will find all walks of life at this neighborhood establishment. For more details check out their website: http://www.pleasantcafe.com/

Ribbon Cutting with Mayor Thomas M. Menino

The Colorwheel Collection, located at 4266 Washington Street right in Roslindale Village is a fabulous boutique children’s store featuring clothing, toys and home decor accessories! The vibrant teal and turquoise storefront will be sure to grab your attention, and once inside you quickly see that this is a shop devoted to the community and Vernee Wilkinson, the owner, wants everyone to feel welcome. We recently stopped in looking for a gift for a friend’s newborn and Vernee helped us thoughtfully choose a locally designed set of burp cloths and a unique (organic, all natural) octopus top that was as entertaining as it was educational. Within minutes it was wrapped so nicely we didn’t even need a gift bag! This little tiger here will give you an idea of the unique and unexpected finds at the Colorwheel Collection.

Lion Stuffed Animal

They are also very involved in the community organization, Roslindale Village Main Streets, and host many original workshops with She’s Crafty on knitting, sewing and home crafts. Truly this is a store not only for children, but everyone. I encourage you to stop in on your next trip to Roslindale Village.

If you need a tour of this and other great spots, contact me!

I had a little photo shoot this morning with some of them (when they get bigger, I’ll try costumes, wigs and wind machines like the dads on Modern Family). Shown here is Frieda (now black, but she’s a Barred Plymouth Rock and will have stripes),  Grace (a speckled “Easter egger”) and Brittany ( a Buff Orpington). 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

WEBSITE.

Hope to see you out Thursday!

From the website,

How it works
Participating restaurants donate 25% of your purchases on this one special evening to AIDS Action Committee, for HIV/AIDS care and prevention services to people from all over Greater Boston.

Get involved
Be A Host. Help us fill a restaurant! Recruit 25-30 of your friends, family, and colleagues to fill the seats. You’ll be in the restaurant throughout the evening thanking people and encouraging them to make personal donations.
Captain a Table. Plan to bring a party of 10 or more to one of the participating restaurants. Encourage them to make individual donations.
Spread the Word. ”Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and then share the details with your social networks!
Dine Out. Make plans to eat out on Thursday, April 28th!

27 Tappan Street, Roslindale MA 02131

This beautiful 4 bedroom home is sure to give you a sanctuary in the city. It has been lovingly updated, but is also has some beautiful classic features, such as wooden windows, wainscoting, pedestal sinks, and the gently curving staircase.

It has 1.5 baths with custom cabinetry and a fireplace for our chilly Boston winters. The arched entrance over the porch is very welcoming and the mature landscaping provides a beautiful transition from the street to the home.

It is a short walk to the Arnold Arboretum where you can escape from the city and admire a world-class collection of trees and plant life cared for by Harvard University. This level of detail and great location are hard to come by!

The home is listed for $499,000

See full listing details about this exciting property!

This listing is sold! But there are more, call me to find out more about Roslindale Real Estate!

In the market to move or sell? Call me at (617)606.9704 or email me!

Want to see what else is on the market? Start searching now!

Listing offered by William Raveis R.E. & Home Services. 

Finally!! I always wondered what was inside of this amazing building and why it was all boarded up. Roslindale Main Street organized tours this past weekend and it was pretty amazing.

What I think would be great here would be an indoor market, extension of the farmers market open all year round. And the basement would make a really cool antique market. Other talk is a movie theater or performing arts space.

Excuse the blurry phone photo – there’s hardly any daylight today! But here’s one of the cool things (besides great fish and produce) you can get at the Roslindale Fish Market. All the way from Greece for only $1!

Photo from Low Impact Living

Leave it to the dedicated crew at Roslindale Village Main Streets to find a solution — they leased the MBTA station parking lot for the entire run of the farmer’s market this year. That’s 22 Saturday’s with extra FREE parking. If you haven’t been before, this year you must!

Farmers Market, Saturdays, 9AM-1:30PM, June 3 – October 29 (rain or shine!)

Read more at “Roslindale farmers’ market and MBTA strike a parking deal“

If you’re interested in becoming park of the Farmer’s Market team, inquire are Roslindale Village Main Street (RVMS).