Dorchester Reporter “The News and Values Around the Neighborhood” Volume 30 Issue 12 Wednesday, March 20, 2013 50¢ VaTICaN THRILLER School assign plan okayed; but Connolly begs to differ Implementation set for fall of next year By GintautaS DumciuS newS eDitoR In a 6 to 1 vote last Wednesday night, the Boston School Com- mittee signed off on a The trip of a lifetime— This group of St. Gregory High School pals visited Italy last week and were in sweeping overhaul of the Vatican City when the new Pontiff, Francis, was introduced in St. Peter’s Square. Michele Phelan photo school system’s assign- ment process. The 57,000 Roman holiday took momentous turn students now attending the city’s schools, along with their siblings, are School Committee chair for St. Gregory High girls, Class of ’71 grandfathered under the Michael O’Neill has a existing three-zone plan, passion for helping By eD FoRRy Dorchester and Mat- private tour, with stops thought, maybe they’d youth at risk. Profile, tapan roots began to first in Florence, an have a chance to see Pope which has been in place aSSociate puBliSheR for 24 years. Page 4. March 13 – I am in make plans for a special escorted bus tour across Benedict. The new assignment mine where a child will Rome with 18 friends. observance for 2013, the Italian countryside, By the time their process, which will go go to school. Known as 13 of us went to Saint the year they all would and a three-day stay in March 6 departure date into effect in the fall of the “home-based” plan, Gregory’s High together. turn 60. Rome, with plans to see arrived, they began to next year, deep-sixes it offers a minimum of We have just witnessed They were each other’s the Colosseum, other think maybe they had the zones, and relies on six schools, including the one of the most exciting longtime friends, all Roman landmarks, and picked a bad time for several factors, including closest top-tier schools, days of our lives!! We once-young women from a mid-week visit to the their vacation, because an algorithm, to deter- were there for it all and three Catholic parishes – Vatican. just weeks before they (Continued on page 5) proud to be among those St. Matthew’s, St. Bren- It was to be a 12-day, were to leave, the Pope who received the first dan’s and St Gregory’s all girl vacation- just 18 announced he would Papal blessing. – who developed special women, best friends all, resign. Quips fill the air Donna Finneran’s bonds as students at St. leaving their families, “At first we were very Facebook page Gregory’s High School. their spouses, their disappointed, because They decided on a grandchildren, and their we had planned this at Linehan show It was the winter once-in-a-lifetime vaca- cares behind to go on trip for so long, and we By GintautaS DumciuS Linehan, this year’s host of 2012, and a group tion trip to Italy, and a late-winter sojourn. were good St. Gregory’s newS eDitoR of the St. Patrick’s Day of women with deep they would travel in a And who knows, they (Continued on page 20) Amid the back-and- breakfast, paused to forth on the main stage let the audience know: at the Boston Convention “It’d be easier if I was and Exhibition Center, drinking.” Their mission: Wipe out homelessness as the Sunday morning The size of the audience HomeStart prevented event where participants program inched through was a little thinner, the 500 people from be- raise $250 per person to its ten segments, District main table a little less coming homeless and ride a stationary bike 2 City Councillor Bill (Continued on page 9) moved another 400 from for one hour in whatever shelters to housing last winter weather Mother year. It also provides Nature throws at them. INSIDE housing search services “It’s mission-appro- to 50 shelters in the priate when our clients Kreyol-flavored Greater Boston area have to do this 24/7,” said bazaar comes to including Rosie’s Place Wood-Boyle. “It gives you and the Pine Street Inn. a taste.” Four Corners “HomeStart kind of The day was a big Page 6 HomeStart Board Chair Ed Frechette, Janet Wu gets in your blood when step for HomeStart with of WHDH Ch. 7, and HomeStart’s President/CEO you’re on the board and 208 participants raising Linda Wood-Boyle at the recent ICycle fundraiser. you really do want to over $100,000, an unpre- By Jackie Gentile the Board of Trustees, help as best you can,” dicted $35,000 increase Special to the RepoRteR and CEO & President Frechette said. “These from last year. Two of Dorchester’s Linda Wood-Boyle guide folks really step up and “It totally exceeded own head up Home- the organization in its get other people to par- expectations,” Wood- Start, a local nonprofit mission to help homeless ticipate.” Boyle said. Earlier this month, “The money was fabu- that serves the Greater individuals, families and All contents copyright Boston area. Ed Fre- veterans. the organization held lous, but the increased © 2013 Boston chette, Chairman of Founded in 1994, its sixth annual ICycle (Continued on page 13) Joëlle Jean-Fontaine Neighborhood News, Inc. We Made the Grade. Rated “A” for Patient Safety 199 Reedsdale Road, Milton, MA 02186 | www.bidmilton.org | 617-696-4600 Page 2 THE REPORTER March 20, 2013 Reporter’s Notebook On The Record Dahill pans the breakfast, Reali-tree TV on adams St. is mulling Patrick tax plan By GintautaS DumciuS Patrick is not seeking a third term. newS eDitoR Progressive Massachusetts, a left- South Boston native Maureen leaning advocacy group run by Debo- Dahill, a Democrat and small business rah Shah, has set up the conference, owner running for the First Suffolk which will be held at Lasell College Senate District, offered her take on in Newton from 8:30 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. her neighborhood’s St. Patrick’s Day Grossman, who was elected treasurer breakfast, giving the annual political in 2010, will be offering the welcome in roast a “low C.” The roast is usually the morning, while Berwick and Wolf hosted by the district’s state senator, are scheduled to be on a health care but City Councillor Bill Linehan filled panel and an economic development in this year after Jack Hart took a job panel, respectively. at a law firm. “I think things need to Other bold-faced political names be shaken up a little,” she said Monday expected to attend the conference during an appearance on New England include state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz Cable News. (D-Jamaica Plain) and Suzanne Lee, Sat the breakfast, Dahill sat in a potential candidate for City Council’s the audience while state Reps. Nick District 2 seat. Collins (D-South Boston) and Linda Dorcena Forry (D-Dorchester) were Quote of Note: Patrick up on the main stage with other elected and operative words officials. Asked about how she was Gov. Patrick, who has been aggres- received at the breakfast, Dahill told sively selling his tax hike plan on NECN’s Jim Braude, “I would say Beacon Hill, has often used the term overall it was very polite. I wouldn’t say “adult conversation” as part of his it was warm and fuzzy and welcoming, pitch. His usage goes back years, and but for the most part, I would say it it’s a phrase that cropped up during was polite.” his reelection effort in 2010. Braude also asked Dahill which The phrase is apparently no longer candidate she would vote for if she operative, since it may not be having hadn’t thrown her hat into the ring. the intended effect. Per the State “If I wasn’t running, I would probably House News Service, Patrick appeared support Linda,” Dahill said. “Because on WGBH’s “Boston Public Radio” I think she has this very similar program last Thursday and said to background as I do. We have very close a caller, “I will tell you, Marianne, similarities. We’re both working moms, I’ve been admonished to stop saying we both went to [Boston College], we that we need an ‘adult conversation’ both are sort of progressive in our about taxes because some members views.” on Beacon Hill feel that I am referring Braude also brought up Gov. Deval to them as children, which is not my A television production crew set up shop at this house on Adams Street on Patrick’s tax hike package. The $1.9 intention.” Patrick added: “So what I Saturday afternoon to film a work crew’s efforts to remove a huge tree from billion proposal includes measures mean is we need a sober conversation the yard of a Lower Mills home. The crews were tight-lipped about the purpose such as decreasing the state sales about taxes.” of the shoot, but acknowledged that the event was being filmed for possible tax while increasing the income tax There is no word yet on whether the use in a reality TV show about complicated tree-cutting jobs in urban areas. Stay tuned. Photo by Ed Forry to pay for transportation and educa- aforementioned slighted members of tion investments. Dahill called the Beacon Hill feel a “sober conversation” proposal “very ambitious,” adding that is improvement. Strand to stage ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in October she needs to read it thoroughly before The Actors’ Shakespeare Project will kick off its tenth anniversary season deciding how she would vote on it.