Dorchester Reporter “The News and Values Around the Neighborhood” Volume 29 Issue 32 Thursday, August 9, 2012 50¢ Henriquez: No plans to relinquish seat amid allegations By gintautas duMcius the campaign trail. “I’m to charges of assault- perennial candidate, in Uphams Corner. “It’s nEws Editor not going to allow it to ing and kidnapping a Henriquez is in an awk- the first thing I want to Seeking a second term be the elephant in the 23-year-old student in ward position as he get out of the way, so at the same time that he room,” Henriquez said the early morning hours campaigns for another people know that I will is fighting assault and in an interview with the of a Sunday in July. He two-year term. “Again, I face it head on.” kidnapping charges, Reporter. has declined to detail can’t go into detail, but W i t h l a w m a k e r s state Rep. Carlos Hen- A Democrat who repre- what happened, citing I’ll address it,” he said finished with formal riquez says he’s not sents parts of Dorchester his lawyer’s advice. in a sit-down last week sessions for the rest of shying away from ad- and Roxbury, Henriquez While he faces nomi- at the Salvation Army’s the year, Henriquez is dressing the case on has pleaded not guilty nal opposition from a Kroc Community Center (Continued on page 2) Rep. Carlos Henriquez New retail anchor will open today in Fields Corner By Bill Forry Managing Editor A clothing retailer will open its doors in the Fields Corner shopping mall this week, filling a gaping hole in the business district and a valuable niche for consumers. The 28,000-square-foot location on Geneva Avenue will be the first Boston store for CW Price, a New York-based company specializing in affordable family apparel and home furnishings. The store’s opening is encouraging news for the neighborhood at large, which was dealt a setback earlier last year when HomeGoods closed its doors in the same location after less than a year in business. The HomeGoods had replaced a far more successful retailer A.J. Wright, which closed after the entire brand was phased out by corporate owners TJX. Despite its demise, the Dorchester A.J. Wright was the best performing store of its kind in the country, according to the mall’s longtime owner, Thomas Cifrino, whose company also operates Supreme Liquors in the mall. Cifrino says that the CW Price chain, now with 47 stores, is closely modeled on the A.J. Wright brand. In fact, the parent company of CW Price— New Dany Melo, 15, makes glass beads as part of a glass-blowing program for boys through the Bird Street (Continued on page 5) Community Center. Photo by Elizabeth Murray Glass-blowing class is mind-blowing Labouré College By ElizaBEth Murray quite well-known in the community. spEcial to thE rEportEr “The kids have created centerpieces for the Great bound for Milton A program for a group of 13 boys at the Bird Cities Conference held last October,” Kaiser said. By gintautas duMcius Street Community Center in Dorchester marries “They’ve done pieces for weddings. We have people nEws Editor glass-blowing and business lessons for a unique calling to order things in a certain color.” Labouré College this week finalized a deal to pur- summer learning experience. The program is a male-only endeavor at BSCC, chase the former Aquinas College property in Milton. This is the sixth year that the BSCC has partnered which also offers a dancing program for girls and a Officials from the private Catholic college, which with Diablo Glass School in Roxbury, and the co-ed social media program. The program is kept is adjacent to the Carney Hospital on Dorchester center’s executive director, Andrea Kaiser, said the small – one instructor to three students – and gender- Avenue, had been in negotiations for weeks with the glass-blowing work done by the boys has become (Continued on page 17) Sisters of Saint Joseph, who control the old Aquinas College campus, located next to Fontbonne Academy. $113m arts/science center next for UMass Boston According to Labouré, renovations to the 303 Adams St. property will occur this summer, with the move By gintautas duMcius to Milton slated for next spring. The college, which, nEws Editor like the Carney, is owned by Steward Health Care, UMass Boston officials are aiming to break ground arranged for $6.5 million in financing to cover the on their next academic building this winter and hope purchase price and the expected renovations. Blue to have the $113 million structure open by summer (Continued on page 17) 2015. The building will include chemistry teaching labs and house studios for the arts department and performing arts, which are currently scattered INSIDE THIS WEEK across the Columbia Point campus. The 181,000-square foot facility will be located Remembering Coach next to the Campus Center, a site currently being Joe Walsh, O.F.D. Pg. 8 used for parking. It will include studios for producing sculptures, photography, painting and video; dance and acting students, a 150-seat recital hall and a theater that could hold up to 200 people. “This is going to be a pretty unique building in that you’re housing arts and hard sciences,” said UMass Boston officials plan to build a new arts and All contents copyright science building next to the existing campus center. © 2012 Boston (Continued on page 4) It would open in 2015. Neighborhood News, Inc. Your bank is headed in a new direction. Maybe it’s time you headed for the exits. If you’re looking to simplify part of your life, say goodbye to banks with complicated fee structures and impersonal service, and hello to Meetinghouse Bank. We’re the only community bank in the area, and we plan to keep banking simple and stress free. Call or stop by today. Member FDIC 2250 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02124 Member SIF 617-298-2250 · www.meetinghousebank.com MB Exit Ad 10x2 4c.indd 1 12/2/11 10:03 AM Page 2 THE REPoRTER August 9, 2012 Reporter’s Notebook On The Record Criminal charges shadow $10k bump for BGCB programs Henriquez on campaign trail Henriquez said it had not. “You know, if I felt like I had something to hide, if I felt I did something wrong, then I would strongly consider that,” he said. “But being innocent of all the allegations, I couldn’t consider that. It would be wrong for me personally, it would wrong for my family, it would be wrong for the district, it would be wrong for those I represent to turn and run away from something like that instead of standing up for the truth.” Althea Garrison, a former state representative who frequently runs for public office, is on the ballot in November as an independent. Gar- rison has so far avoided slamming (Continued from page 1) Henriquez over the court case, but holding community meetings, with one she taken out newspaper ads calling him “unqualified” and arguing he is Sovereign Bank recently donated $10,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston slated for 6 p.m. tonight (Aug. 9) at (BGCB) for teen programming in order to support the whole array of initia- the Dorchester House. He said he has “not getting the job done because he tives performed by the BGCB. Ed Morata, head of corporate banking for continued to meet with constituents, doesn’t know how to get the job done.” Sovereign Santander, presented the check to Josh Kraft, President and CEo pointing to a recent meeting with Henriquez, who has faced off against of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston at a small ceremony at the Blue Hill Club members of Dorchester Bay Youth Garrison before, says she has “her free / George Robert White Youth Development Center on Talbot and Blue Hill Force, a group of young community speech rights” and that he is “up for avenues in Dorchester. After the check presentation, Morata and Kraft spent activists where he said, “Look, I’m any debate or candidates forum.” time talking with teens who are part of BGCB’s Keystone Club regarding the not guilty of the things I’m charged Asked about her criticisms, he upcoming northeast regional conference in Boston being held this fall. The of. Unfortunately I can’t tell you what said, “I’m not sure where that comes Keystone Club, one of the major teen programs at BGCB, develops teens’ happened that night.” Henriquez said from. I feel like it’s throwing things leadership skills and civic involvement. The three teens, Sarah Logan-Cruz, he used that “as a segue to talk about to the wall and seeing what sticks.” Tayana King, and Corinne Haase, each 15-years old and from Dorchester, presented their ideas to Ed and Josh about their fundraising plans as they how they can be smart in terms of When candidates take out negative ads, “it’s because they don’t have a prepare to host the conference. Pictured above, left to right, are Ed Morata, their decisions, not leaving themselves Sarah Logan-Cruz, Tayana King, Corinne Haase, Josh Kraft and Erica Fitch. vulnerable to false allegations or position to stand on themselves,” he choosing who they associate with, and said. “So it’s easier to be negative and things like that.” distract people from the real issues of The alleged victim, who met Hen- the district.