Local news from metro.us/boston

Live-tweeting events makes commencement more interactive

STEVE ANNEAR, BOSTON — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:06:06 -0400

Not more than a decade ago, students dressed in caps and gowns were forced to sit silently and sweat in the blazing sun as guest speakers offered words of wisdom to graduating college seniors during commencement.

But during the celebrations of several of Boston's newest graduating classes on Sunday, the ceremonies were far more interactive.

With the flood of social media platforms available at peoples' fingertips, officials from Suffolk and Boston University, as well as Tufts, took full advantage of connecting the audience with their respective events.

"You used to tell people to leave their phones at home because basically, your participation was passive. What has changed, in a great way ... is that the audience is now integrated as part of an event like this," said George T. Comeau, director of digital and interactive communications at Suffolk University.

Comeau said this year's commencement had the most technology involved since he started working at the school in 1987.

"[We] have to look at where technology is going and direct how it is going to help us tell stories," said Comeau about Suffolk's use of Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare and Storify yesterday.

Much like Suffolk's integration of social media, officials at Boston University used hashtags to engage both the families and the students at commencement.

"We share things, whether photos or musings going on," said Tom Testa, assistant vice president of public relations at BU. "Given that everyone is online and everything is on peoples' handhelds, it's another way for people to connect."

Testa said this is especially helpful for family and friends across the country, unable to be in Boston yesterday.

"It's a better way to give it that personal touch," he said.

Staying connected at Suffolk

Students could check in for special commencement badge on Four Square

Text messages could be sent to a special screen seen by students as they graduated.

The staff spent time re-tweeting student messages and family messages using the hashtag #Suffolk2012

By 10:40 a.m. Sunday, Suffolk was trending on Twitter

Special train to honor fallen troops

STEVE ANNEAR, BOSTON — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:47:15 -0400

A special passenger coach train covered in commemorative decorations will roll through the Hub during a ceremony to honor the fallen war heroes from Massachusetts.

The unveiling and launch of the "Gold Star" commuter rail passenger coach on Wednesday will feature the names of soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen from Massachusetts "who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom," according to officials from the Massachusetts Bay commuter Rail, the company contracted by the T to run commuter trains in the state.

The train will be at the South Station concourse early in the morning, decked out and shrink-wrapped with 136 gold stars that include the names of each fallen soldier.

According to a press release from MBCR, the memorial coach will be integrated into every commuter rail line traveling across the entire MBTA system "as a reminder of our fallen heroes and their sacrifice and dedication to us all."

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, MassDOT Secretary Rich Davey, T interim General Manager Jon Davis and officials from the MBCR will be at the celebratory occasion this week as the train rolls into one of Boston's busiest stations.

Families of the military personnel have also been invited to be present as the special train is unveiled.

Moira Johnston: East Village topless woman identified (UPDATED)

CASSANDRA GARRISON, NEW YORK — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:58:58 -0400

UPDATE: Ah-HA! Our suspicion that the breast-baring woman wandering around the East Village is doing so in order to make a political statement is confirmed! The blog Racked caught up with topless lady Moira Johnston, who says she is ditching her shirt to raise awareness about women's legal right to be topless in NYC. So what kind of woman adopts such a bold sense of style?

"I would say I'm kind of artsy and, um, apparently my outfit today also has roots in social activism," she told the blog.

And how does she feel about the, uh, you know... staring?

"I get a lot of support," Johnston told the blog. "Well, there's mixed reactions, because people aren't used to seeing it in our culture yet."

Metro's original story is below....

Somewhere in the East Village, a woman is walking around with her breasts exposed.

According to local blog EV Grieve, New Yorkers have been asking each other if they've caught a glimpse of this bold exhibitionist in the East Village over the past two weeks. Turns out, the urban legend of the topless woman is no legend at all, as proven by photos posted on the blog, sent in by a reader. She was spotted on Second Avenue and later outside Whole Foods in Union Square (NSFW version here).

The young lady seems perfectly comfortable and unfazed by gawking pedestrians as she moves through the streets sans shirt or bra — perhaps because it is her legal right. Women have been free to bare their breasts in public since a 1992 court ruling where arrested topless women Ramona Santorelli and Mary Lou Schloss argued that a law against it was "discriminatory on its face since it defines 'private or intimate parts' of a woman's but not a man's body as including a specific part of the breast."

Is this topless New Yorker simply out to prove a political point? Commenters on the blog say they, too, have seen a topless woman walking around with a mustache drawn on her face, though it is unclear whether or not it is the same woman. Is a topless revolution brewing in the East Village, along with a mustache revolution? Which would be more interesting?

Stephen Houseman: Boston University student is charged in fatal New Zealand crash

MICHAEL NAUGHTON, MICHAEL NAUGHTON — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:07:23 -0400

Police in New Zealand said Thursday night that they charged a 20-year-old American in the crash that killed three Boston University students who were studying abroad.

Authorities did not identify the man, but said he was charged with three counts of careless driving causing death and four counts of careless driving causing injury. He is due in court in New Zealand overnight Boston time.

The crash that occurred about 7 a.m. Saturday New Zealand time killed Boston University students Austin Brashears, Roch Jauberty and Daniela Lekhno when the van they were riding in hit a patch of gravel and rolled over. The students were part of a larger group spread among multiple passenger vans on its way to a weekend excursion. Five other students were hurt in the crash.

The driver charged is also a Boston University student named Stephen Houseman, according to the Globe.

Police, in a statement released Friday afternoon New Zealand time, said they ruled out drugs, alcohol, and mechanical failures as factors in the crash.

"This is not a decision taken lightly and we understand the tragedy will already have had a significant impact on this young man," Bay of Plenty Road Policing Manager Inspector Kevin Taylor said in a statement. "However we are faced with a situation where three people have died and others are seriously injured and we must apply the law in an objective and dispassionate way."

After massive blackout, Council seeks answers

STEVE ANNEAR AND MICHAEL NAUGHTON, BOSTON — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:45:11 -0400

Saying that changes need to be made to the way power transformers are maintained and inspected, the City Council scheduled a hearing for Friday in the wake of the massive Back Bay blackout earlier this year.

Councilor Stephen Murphy, who requested the hearing, expected to question NStar officials about ways to improve preventative maintenance, frequency of inspections and the emergency response to transformer malfunctions.

A massive transformer failure at a substation on Scotia Street cut power to about 21,000 homes and businesses in March. Some people went without power for days while some businesses lost customers and eateries lost their inventory.

At issue, Murphy said, is how officials can verify the information and records of maintenance checks by power companies. Substations are inspected by NStar, which then submits reports to the state, according to the Herald.

"There is nothing to verify (it)," Murphy said. "No one inspects these facilities besides their own people."

Murphy said he wanted to discuss "verifiable independent inspections" of the transformers so city and state officials do not have to take the power company's own word.

Several councilors, he said, are moving forward and examining new and better ways to hold energy providers accountable for such incidents.

Despite demands by city officials that NStar pay for losses and the police response because of the outage, NStar officials said shortly after the blackout that they weren't liable for losses.

"There was huge costs to us and every business and resident whose food spoiled," Murphy said. "There were people from fixed income homes who had to throw out food because the power went out on their refrigerators."

Preventing blackouts?

While the hearing was called to look at ways to prevent future blackouts, it was too late to prevent all of them.

A request for the hearing was filed in late March after the massive blackout earlier that month.
But a failure at the same substation May 8 created another blackout for about 12,000 homes and businesses. However the most recent one lasted about an hour, compared to days for the March blackout.

Today is the eight-year anniversary of gay marriage in Massachusetts

MICHAEL NAUGHTON, MICHAEL NAUGHTON — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:16:59 -0400

Happy anniversary, gay marriage!

It’s been quite the month of news about same-sex marriage with President Barack Obama’s declaration of support for the issue and North Carolina’s ban.

But the Bay State made historic news eight years ago today when it became the first state to allow same-sex couples to legally marry.

Today marks the day when same-sex couples could finally marry in Massachusetts after the state Supreme Judicial Court ruled a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

Since then, 18,462 same-sex marriages have taken place in Massachusetts, according to Department of Public Health numbers provided to the State House News Service. About 63 percent of those were female-female marriages.

“In the eight years that same-sex couples have been marrying in Massachusetts, we have learned that our communities are safer, happier, and healthier when all families are respected, supported and celebrated,” Kara Suffredini, executive director of MassEquality, said in a statement. “As time goes on and even larger majorities of Americans come to support marriage equality, we look forward to the day when all Americans can enjoy the freedom to marry.”

Clear Channel to buy WFNX, some staff already fired

STEVE ANNEAR, STEVE ANNEAR — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:22:01 -0400

Did Clear Channel kill the radio stars?

According to a press release issued by the company, they are in the process of purchasing the longtime Boston rock station WFNX from MCC Broadcasting Company, Inc., pending FCC approval.

The station, 101.7 on your radio dial, is part of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group in Lynn.

"This was a great opportunity to expand our footprint and our listenership in Boston, a key market with millions of fans who love radio as much as we do," said John Hogan, Chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. "We look forward to adding 101.7 to our Boston broadcasting family."

According to the Boston Business Journal, however, DJs Julie Kramer, from the station's "Leftover Lunch" program, and Henry Santoro were both let go.

"Now, only a skeleton crew of four staffers are left," Peter Kadzis, executive editor of the Phoenix Media/ Communications Group told the BBJ.

The radio station has been a staple in the Hub for generations, bringing new music to listeners and remaining in tact when others like WBCN faded away--until now, that is.

According to the press release, WFNX will remain on the air during the time it takes to complete the FCC approval process.

Here is what people are saying about the move:

VIDEO: Boston ad agency has a beer vending machine that tweets

STEVE ANNEAR, STEVE ANNEAR — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:02:21 -0400

While most offices in Boston may be lucky enough to have a vending machine that spews out the occasional bag of Cheetos, or possibly some stale trail mix, one agency is slugging back beers dispensed from a machine during work hours.

At Arnold Worldwide, at their headquarters here in Boston, there is a machine known around the office as "Arnie," a dispensary that spits out bottles of brew at the touch of a computer screen.

Arnie was the brainchild of some of the company's technologists as part of their annual "Make Project," where the business encourages employees to come up with a creative idea.

According to their website, Arnold Worldwide funds the "Make Project" by setting aside $100,000 for employees to "manage less and make more."

The "Make Project" is an initiative that spawned the creation of Arnie.

Anthony Stellato and a team of creative thinkers conjured up the beer-dispensing device--and needless to say it has been a hit around the office.

"In one day we went from six test users to over 400," said Stellato, creative technologist at the R and D Lab at Arnold Worldwide.

Not only does Arnie dish out brews in a bottle whenever an employee feels like sipping some suds, he is also interactive.

According to Arnold Worldwide, Arnie is "able to recognize individual employees, chat with them, tweet and of course, vend them a beer."

Stellato said Arnie serves as a social hub for employees, and sends out Tweets when lots of people gather to have an afternoon break, or late-day beer.

"I think it definitely helps. We are such a large company with different departments, people don't get together to socialize, so it increases communication and creativity as well," said Stellato.

If employees can't decide, Arnie comes equipped with an onboard "ale-pedia" with employee ratings and descriptions of each beer.

Here is a complete list of the beer Arnie dispenses, which is all original brands brewed for the company.

Bob DeLeo tries to woo Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook to Massachusetts in letter

MICHAEL NAUGHTON, MICHAEL NAUGHTON — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:55:17 -0400

Robert DeLeo, speaker of the Massachusetts House, wrote a glowing letter about the Bay State to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in an attempt to woo the former Harvard student back east.

DeLeo's 659-word letter was posted on the Menlo Park Patch website about 5 a.m. today Pacific time. Facebook's headquarters is in Menlo Park, Calif.

"I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on what you have missed in Massachusetts since you left in 2004," DeLeo wrote. "In recent years, Massachusetts has become a more desirable home to innovation companies and their workers."

DeLeo goes on to talk about the recent unveiling of an economic development bill local politicians are hoping will stimulate the "talent pipeline." He also mentions the new development along Boston's waterfront and the building in the Innovation District.

The letter comes as Facebook is set to launch its Initial Public Offering. The highly sought-after stock is making many people wonder if they should invest in the company.

DeLeo, apparently, is hoping Facebook will invest in Massachusetts.

"I believe that as Facebook issues its initial public offering and experiences additional growth and expansion, a renewed presence in Massachusetts makes sense," DeLeo wrote. "I am available to meet with you and members of your team to update you on why Massachusetts is an important place to open an office."

City launches plan to get ahead of summer violence

MICHAEL NAUGHTON, MICHAEL NAUGHTON — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:27:07 -0400

With the homicide rate in Boston already double what it was at this time last year, police and city leaders are trying to get ahead of the historic increase in violence that hits the Hub in the summer months.

The city’s new violence prevention strategy, unveiled by Mayor Thomas Menino this morning, includes the deployment of officers in a daytime drug control unit that will hit different areas of the city, the hiring of “violence interrupters” that will be sent to talk to youth in neighborhoods in Mattapan and an increase in summer jobs for teens.

“Most of the time and in most places in Boston, violence is far from people’s mind,” Menino said. “But most isn’t good enough.”

Typically the city experiences an increase in violence and murders during the summer months. As of Sunday, Boston’s homicide rate already reached 16, compared with eight at this time last year.

The strategy also enlists the help of corrections officers to reach out to inmates before they are about to be released this summer.

Officials said that about one-third of the city’s homicides are retaliatory.

One of the main differences in the city’s approach to summer violence this year is that leaders are making a very public and early start in their efforts. Menino said he hopes to have most of the programs and initiatives in place and ready to go by the time the public schools let out for the summer.