Imagine our surprise when an announcement that the Dropkick Murphys had just been added to the lineup for Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration landed in our inbox. No way, we said, do you also mean to tell us that the sky overhead is blue and the world is round? Because we were surprised when the Dropkicks weren’t on the bill to begin with. The Dropkicks and Boston are like beer and St. Patty’s Day, like St. Patty’s Day and, uhh, the Dropkicks.

But all joking aside, this is great news and means this big concert — with a lineup already boasting heavyweights including Carole King, NKOTB, Boston, Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffet, the J. Geils Band, and many more (plus Dane Cook. lol @ Dane Cook. Take that whichever way you please) — is just going to rock that much harder.

Your move, Janovitz.

The post Dropkick Murphys added to Boston Strong concert lineup; filed under “well, duh” appeared first on Metro.us.

Police Commissioner Kelly told reporters today that the NYPD is investigating the suicide of 12-year-old Gabriella Molina in Queens.

Kelly said the girl left a suicide note indicating that she had been a victim of cyberbullying.

Two computers from the girl’s home have been seized and will be analyzed by detectives, Kelly said.

When asked who, if anyone, would be held responsible, Kelly hedged, saying the NYPD is “just gathering information now.”

Molina was found in her room by her 15-year-old sister  around 2:27 p.m. on Wednesday, cops said. She had reportedly hung herself from a ceiling fan using a cloth belt.

Molina’s aunt cut her down from the fan, cops said. When police arrived, EMS personnel were performing CPR on Molina, but she was unresponsive, and was pronounced dead at 3:33 p.m. at Long Island Jewish Hospital.

Cops said Molina left a suicide note saying that she was sorry and she loved everyone, and that she was being cyberbullied. Police said she also had marks on her left arm that indicated she may have tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists before resorting to hanging.

Molina lived with her sister, aunt, parents and grandparents, and the cops said that no one in the family had any history of criminal activity or domestic violence whatsoever.

According to police reports, Molina’s parents were at work when she killed herself. Her grandmother reportedly saw her last at 10 a.m. inside the house. Her grandmother reportedly told police that she called her granddaughter for lunch at 11 a.m., but Molina did not respond.

Molina had stayed home from school that day. It was her third absence of the month, and the sixth this year. Her family told police that she told them that since January, she was being bullied on a social media website called ASK.FM.

After a series of anti-gay hate crimes in Manhattan over the last couple of weeks, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced an initiative requiring anti-bullying programs in all schools before the end of the year.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Queens girl, 12, commits suicide after alleged ASK.FM cyberbullying appeared first on Metro.us.

Die Hard plankers might feel a little nostalgic come Saturday.

It’s the two-year anniversary of the first International Planking Day, a makeshift holiday honoring an internet meme that had its heyday in 2011.

When UberFacts recently tweeted its 4.2 Million followers that planking day was coming up on May 25, the announcement got 502 favorites and 1,284 retweets, showing that although the memorable meme may be past its prime, it’s still appreciated.

According to David Gerzof Richard, a social media professor at Emerson College, quirky viral memes speak to people’s interest in amusing their followers.

“We’ve all become content generators; self publishers. People have a way of wanting to keep their stuff interesting,” said Richard. “Having an excuse to go planking, like an International Planking Day, could be a catalyst for a number of people to get involved and have fun… It becomes like a social media flash mob.”

So what’s the secret to creating the next viral meme?

“If you had the formula for what made things go viral on the internet you’d be a billionaire,” he said. “Every brand wants to do something with social media going viral.”

In memory of planking, local social media powerhouse @BostonTweet offered Metro his top picks for viral planking success in Boston.

1. Red Auerbach in Faneuil Hall
2. Teammates at Fenway Park
3. Swan Boat in the Boston Public Garden
4. Ted Williams’ Red Chair in Fenway Park
5. The Tortoise in Copley Square
6. 100 Smoots
7. Larry Bird’s Shoes
8. Bobby Orr “The Goal”
9. The Democratic Donkey at Old City Hall
10. George Washington Statue in the Boston Common

Metro readers who choose to do some good ol’ fashioned planking Saturday can email photos to morgan.rousseau@metro.us.

Follow Morgan Rousseau on Twitter: @MetroMorgan
Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBOS

The post International Planking Day: Boston’s top spots for a faded fad appeared first on Metro.us.

On Monday, after over a month of investigation, cops rescued the Ecuadorean national allegedly kidnapped in Jackson Heights on April 18, and apprehended three of his suspected kidnappers.

Now police say they have a photo of one of the suspected kidnappers who got away, and are asking the public for help in tracking the suspect down.

According to police reports, the 52-year-old kidnapping victim, Pedro Portugal, a tax accountant and insurance broker, was last seen around 7:30 p.m. on April 18 closing the front gate to his office at 88-06 Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, about 32 days before he was rescued in a joint mission between the NYPD’s Major Case Squad and FDNY Fire Marshals.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the Major Case Squad observed food deliveries going into a seemingly empty, darkened warehouse at 38-09 43 Avenue in Long Island City, Queens. They conducted a ruse fire inspection of the warehouse at 3 p.m. on Monday, targeting an area on the top floor where they had noticed, from the outside, a small light.

There they found Portugal being “babysat,” Kelly said. The “babysitter” fled, but two other suspects were apprehended. A third was captured on Tuesday.

Christian Acuna, 35, and Dennis Alves, both with listed addresses in Queens, and New Jersey resident Yeri Moncayo, 38, were all arrested and charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and criminal possession of a weapon. If convicted, they will each face up to 25 years to life in prison.

According to reports from Queens District Attorney Richard Brown’s Office, Portugal was allegedly burned with acid, beaten, and threatened with having his fingers cut off during the 32 days he was allegedly held captive in the warehouse. He reportedly was found with teeth knocked out and swelling and bruising all over his face and body.

D.A. Brown called the kidnapping “a terrifying story.” 

According to the criminal charges, Portugal was approached by Moncayo in front of 88-06 Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens. Moncayo called out Portugal’s name and displayed what reportedly appeared to be an NYPD badge. Cops said Moncayo confessed this to them in a statement, and said he was with Acuna at the time.

Moncayo and the suspect still at large allegedly grabbed Portugal and forced him into an SUV, where Moncayo, the suspect-at-large and another suspect police have not yet apprehended punched Portugal repeatedly and then put a mask over his face so he could not see where they were taking him. In a statement to police, Alves allegedly said that Moncayo and Acuna were the ones who jumped out of the car and snatched Portugal, but that he was present, and all three were present for the ransom call, along with another unidentified suspect.

In the car, the criminal report alleges, a kidnapper lifted Portugal’s shirt and held a knife to his stomach, warning him that if he moved, he would be stabbed. Cops said they caught, on surveillance video from a camera outside 88-08 Roosevelt Avenue, the SUV driving off with the backseat door open and Portugal’s leg hanging out of it.

Allegedly, when they arrived at the warehouse, Portugal was taken to the room at the top floor where he was eventually found, and forced into a chair where his arms and legs were tied up. The kidnappers allegedly punched and kicked him as they demanded money and told him they knew he owned property in the U.S.

Cops said the day after, around 4:30 p.m., Portugal’s cousin called 911 from Portugal’s home in Maspeth and told police Portugal may have been kidnapped, after a phone call from Portugal’s mother in Quito, Ecuador. Portugal’s mother reportedly told him that she received several phone calls between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. that day from her son asking for money for a business deal with someone named Tito. Later she received other calls from someone she described as having a Columbian accent, cops said, demanding money before putting her son on the phone. She told police her son told her that if she didn’t give them the money they would torture him.

The kidnappers demanded a $3 million ransom from Portugal’s mother in Ecuador in exchange for his safe return, the D.A.’s office said.

When Major Case Squad cops conducted their false fire inspection to get into the warehouse on Monday, a detective reportedly saw Portugal leaving a small room inside of a makeshift apartment on the third floor of the warehouse with his hands bound with cloth and duct tape. Another Major Case Squad detective saw Acuna, one of the accused kidnappers, running out of the warehouse. The detective caught him on the corner of Skillman Avenue and 39th Street.

Cops said Acuna told them he was hired by Alves to watch Portugal for $800 a week. He and Alves reportedly watched Portugal together during the day, and Moncayo watched him at night, and Moncayo reportedly told police he watched Portugal every day except Sunday, and that Portugal had his hands bound and a mask over his head for the duration of the month they had him. Alves told police he planned the kidnapping with another person, who told Alves he would be paid $5,000 to watch Portugal, cops said.

Alves reportedly told detectives, “I didn’t treat him bad, I told him it was just business.”

Five NYPD detectives were sent down to Ecuador to assist in the investigation there, according to Commissioner Kelly, and “significant work” was done by detectives overseas. The Major Case Squad’s investigation was reportedly conducted with the cooperation of the U.S. State Department and the Ecuador National Kidnapping Squad.

Kelly did not definitively say whether the kidnapping was drug-related, but when asked, replied that the NYPD is “not ruling anything out.”

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Suspects still at large in Queens kidnapping of Ecuadorean national appeared first on Metro.us.

Following the launch of Anthony Weiner’s campaign, a cagey Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a scornful Governor Andrew Cuomo separately offered their thoughts about the former congressman on Wednesday.

Dodging questions at an East Harlem press conference regarding New York City’s new professional soccer team, Bloomberg steadfastly avoided saying whether he believed Weiner’s 2011 sexting scandal would hurt the city if he were elected.

Finally, one reporter pinned him down by asking if good judgment and good character were important.

“I don’t know there’s anything else that matters,” Bloomberg said finally—before going on to caution against judging people.

Cuomo likewise attempted to remain poker-faced on the topic early on Wednesday, but he was decidedly more blunt just hours later while speaking to the editorial board of the Syracuse Post Standard about his opposition to term limits.

“So if Anthony Weiner wants to run for mayor, he can run for mayor,” Syracuse Media Group chairman Stephen A. Rogers said.

“He runs? He runs,” said Cuomo.

“And if we elect him?” Rogers asked.

“Shame on us.”

The post Bloomberg, Cuomo offer mixed reactions to Weiner’s campaign appeared first on Metro.us.

An infant suffered a head injury and a 25-year-old man suffered a back injury today after the SEPTA bus they were riding on was involved in a car accident, officials said.

A car crashed into the back of a Route 53 bus around 1:45 p.m. this afternoon on the 4800 block of Wayne Avenue in Germantown. The car erupted into fire after striking the bus, but the extent of the blaze was not known, SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said.

The 6-month-old baby suffered a “bump to the head” and the man suffered a “minor back injury” and were taken to Einstein Medical Center for treatment, Busch said.

The driver of the car did not suffer any known injuries, Busch said.

Authorities are investigating the incident.

The post Infant and man, 25, hurt in SEPTA bus accident appeared first on Metro.us.

The MSPCA-Angell’s 6th annual Spring Gala raised nearly $450,000 Wednesday night for the shelter’s myriad animal protection programs.

The fundraiser, which took place at WGHB-TV studios in Brighton, brought together nearly 400 animal lovers and 30-plus four-legged friends. The funds help support the MSPCA’s law enforcement, advocacy, shelter and veterinary care programs.

The annual event was emceed by WCVB-TV anchor Randy Price and chaired by Boston fashion maven and lifestyle guru Erica Corsano. Other guests included best-selling writer Dennis Lehane, real estate mogul Bob Beale; real estate agent Jasna Mikkelson and socialites Ashley Bernon, Laura Baldini, and Kathleen Vandernoot.

More information about shelter services is available on its website.

Follow Morgan Rousseau on Twitter: @MetroMorgan
Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBOS

The post Annual MSPCA gala raises nearly $450K for Boston-area animal protection appeared first on Metro.us.

The younger sister of a man wanted for a Charlestown murder allegedly made intimidating phone calls and sent Facebook messages to potential witnesses in an effort to derail the case, authorities said. 

Jelaine Flores, 18, of Charlestown, pleaded not guilty to witness intimidation and other charges Wednesday and was ordered held on $3,500 cash bail.

Flores’ brother, Pablo Flores, Jr., 20, is wanted for the murder of Steven Jones earlier this month. Jones was found shot May 7 near Monument Avenue and Medford Street.

In the days following the shooting death, Flores allegedly contacted potential witnesses and threatened bodily  harm, authorities said. She called one potential witnesses and sent a Facebook message to the other in which she called the person a “snitch.”

“If you threaten a witness to stymie an investigation, we’re going to charge you,” said Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley. “It’s that simple. No one should be threatened, insulted, intimidated, or coerced because of what they know.”

Anyone with information on Jones’ murder or on the location of Pablo Flores can contact police at 617-343-4470.

Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.

The post DA: Murder suspect’s sis intimidated witnesses on Facebook appeared first on Metro.us.

Officials with the firefighter union on Wednesday accused the FDNY of fudging its emergency response time numbers.

The union analyzed response time data from the last two weeks and found that the FDNY excluded the amount of time it takes a caller to reach an operator through the city’s beleaguered 911 call system.

“They’re not counting the time a 911 caller spends with the 911 operator,” union head Steve Cassidy told the Daily News. “The time is significant — over a minute.”

Both the FDNY and the NYPD are understaffed and have been known to rely on forced overtime to handle their call volume, which is up 20% from 2009.

The post FDNY accused of underreporting response time appeared first on Metro.us.

Mayor Michael Nutter’s proposed cigarette and liquor-by-the-drink tax bills were introduced in City Council today, and were met with some suggestions.

City Council President Darrell Clarke edited the cigarette tax so all the revenue would be used to fund the school district. Nutter’s original bill diverted a portion of the money to help fund a health department’s anti-smoking program.

Nutter’s proposal includes a $2 tax hike on cigarettes, and an increase on the liquor-by-the-drink tax from 10 percent to 15 percent. Along with plans for improved tax collections, the city expects to raise an estimated $95 million for the school district, which faces a $300 million deficit.

Clarke said state lawmakers must first approve the bills before City Council can vote on them.

At last week’s City Council meeting, Councilman Bill Green called Nutter’s tax plan won’t make it past the state house.

“While I support the Mayor’s revenue proposals for schools, they are unlikely to pass the general assembly, and frankly, missed the point,” Green added. “Even if they do, there is no more help coming from the general assembly so there will be a $200 million gap.”

The deadline for City Council to approve the city’s budget is June 30.

The post Cigarette and booze tax meets City Council appeared first on Metro.us.

Citing the typical spike in violence each summer, Boston officials said they are doing more this year to try to get ahead of crimes before they happen. 

This year’s effort includes flashlight walks in neighborhoods, more police officers on bicycle and walking patrols and enhancing the city’s surveillance cameras.

City health experts, neighborhood leaders and police officials joined Mayor Thomas Menino Thursday to discuss the city’s summer violence prevention efforts, which begin next week with a door-knocking effort to make people aware of events, programming and jobs for kids.

The summer is “also a time when some take the opportunity to settle scores or seek to do harm to others as a way of making their mark,” Menino said. “I’ve directed my summer safety team to do more this year. We’ll be more proactive, more visible and more available to the public than ever before.”

Besides the typical summer jobs program, which this year put 10,000 young people to work, the city is launching a new flashlight walk program. The program brings residents out together in their neighborhoods in the evenings.

Also, a new class of Boston Police officers will graduate this summer and 55 new officers will be assigned to the Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester neighborhoods. There will be new walking beats in hot spot areas including along Harvard Avenue. A safe street team of police officers will also be assigned to walk Newbury Street to curb shoplifting, car break-ins and panhandling, which has been a big complaint from the Back Bay neighborhood association, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said.

The city will also work to sync its surveillance cameras so that any camera within 1,000 feet of an incident will automatically turn toward it.

“The summer is always a challenging time for us and we prepare every year like this, but we’ve learned every year and we get better at our partnerships every year and I think that this summer we’re going to the best example of what an urban area can do to combat violence,” said Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.

The post Boston’s summer violence prevention effort includes more cops, more outreach appeared first on Metro.us.

Republican mayoral hopeful and supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis will have to pay $3.9 million to the opposing lawyers in a case dating back to 2004, a Manhattan appeals court ruled yesterday.

The billionaire had vigorously opposed the hefty legal bill for workers at Catsimatidis’s Gristedes stores who years ago sued him for unpaid wages and overtime, saying it was greater than the $3.5 million settlement reached in 2009.

Catsimidis told the New York Post he was “disappointed” in the ruling, which comes two years after he reportedly considered shutting down Gristedes and filing for bankruptcy.

His net worth is estimated at $3 billion.

The post Catsimatidis to pay $3.9M in old Gristedes legal fees appeared first on Metro.us.

Matthew Royer was found alive.

Royer, the Collegeville, Pa. native who never made it back to Montgomery County after he left the University of Rhode Island for summer break on May 16, was found Thursday unharmed, state police said.

Where the 21-year-old student had been was not been disclosed.

Royer’s parents made public pleas for their son’s return after state police said it believed the student willingly went missing.

The post Matthew Royer returns to Collegeville, Pa. unharmed appeared first on Metro.us.

Two days after the bombings at the Boston Marathon, Boston University students Taylor Mortell and Luca De Gaetano were seated in painting class, their first since BU had resumed classes. But nobody painted that morning.

“We naturally formed a circle and were trying to talk about it,” Mortell says. “Everyone was very shaken up by what had happened. Out of this group discussion, Luca and I had expressed that we wanted to do something to help the community heal.”

Two days later the friends had created ‘Still Running: An Art Marathon for Boston.’ They put out a call for art through their contacts in the art community — as well as through various social media outlets including Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr — asking any and all to donate original works of art — inspired by the events at the marathon and by Boston at large — for the project.

“We hope to bring the art community and the general community of greater Boston together in an effort to give back and heal together,” says Mortell. “There are so many different art programs and art associations around Boston, and I think it would be awesome to see them working together on something. And, it is important to us to have the product of this cooperation be friendly and accessible to the general public. We want to show that each individual contribution matters, and that collectively, we could say something very powerful. We really like the idea of an art show for Boston, by Boston.”

And, as the name of their project suggests, it’s less a show than an ongoing community collaboration.

“We will be having a series of ‘Art Marathon’ events and smaller exhibitions in the year leading up to the 2014 Marathon,” says Mortell. “[At which point] we hope to have a larger final exhibition of these works and sell them to benefit local charities.”

A mixed-media submission by Mass Art student Alyssa Aviles

During this process, Mortell and De Gaetano plan to, in turn, give much of the donated artwork they receive as gifts of thanks and “gestures of kindness” to local police stations, runners, the injured, and anyone who was involved in the tragedy, in any capacity. They also hope to, eventually, raise enough money to be able to donate to the One Fund as well as other local non-profits that have aligned themselves with the cause.

To present their project to the public, and stimulate more involvement, they’re holding their first “marathon” this Saturday at BU’s 808 Gallery. To be clear, it’s not a show, but a participatory art event. It’s “confusing for a lot of people,” says Mortell. “We’re inviting all the different art communities of the greater Boston Area and the public to come together and make artwork together to kick off the Still Running effort. We are hoping to get a large enough volume of work from the event to get a small traveling exhibition going to continue to promote awareness and get even more people involved.”

The event is open to all, and Mortell and DeGaetano will provide all paper and art materials. Participants are invited to work from each other’s community portraits as well as to sketch sneakers and running shoes they’ll have on hand for inspiration.

“I think it would be interesting to have a collection of drawings of running shoes alongside drawings of shoes that people wore to the event,” says Mortell. “I personally like this because I think it puts an emphasis on the community aspect of the event while keeping the marathon theme relevant.”

Thus far, the project has received submissions and proposals from interested artists ranging in age from 7 to 89, a testament to the spirit of community both in this town’s art scene and Boston as a city.

For more information visit bostonartsmarathon.com.

The first Art Marathon is Saturday, May 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Boston University’s 808 Gallery, 808 Comm. Ave., Boston. The event is free and open to the public. 

The post With ‘Still Running: An Art Marathon for Boston,’ BU students hope to help the city heal through artistic collaboration appeared first on Metro.us.

Richard Johnson and another man allegedly forced open a back door at Sam’s Grocery Store on 7100 Louise Street and stole a Glock 9mm handgun, a Dell laptop, an iPad Touch, two cartons of cigarettes and $200 in cash, police said.

Richard Johnson. PPD

Johnson, whose last known address is Wyncote Avenue in West Oak Lane, is black, 43-years-old with a trimmed beard and mustache.

The second suspect is described by police as a black male, 40- to 50-years-old, seen in surveillance video with a fisherman’s hat, gray sweater and blue pants.

The post VIDEO: Two West Oak Lane burglars sought appeared first on Metro.us.

Police are making headway in the investigation into the shooting death of a 14-year-old Daja “Asia” Robinson on a city bus in the Queens: with a suspect in custody as of this morning, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly confirmed that the shooting was gang-related.

According to law enforcement, the shooter is a member of the Snow Gang.

On Tuesday, officers with Operation Impact, the program that places rookie cops in tough neighborhoods, were approached by a person who claimed to know who the shooter was. The witness reportedly attended the Sweet Sixteen party that was held at the Onyx Lounge in honor of Tasheana Eubanks, and said that when the party ended the witness went with a friend to the bus stop at Sutphin Boulevard and Rockaway Blvd, cops said.

The witness reportedly told police that they saw shooter at the bus stop.

The witness’ friend got on the bus, and the witness stayed to wait for a ride with a family member.

Then, cops said, the witness saw several people the witness recognized as members of the Snow Gang walking towards the bus. The witness told police the Snow Gang members began arguing with a group of males on the bus that the witness believes are members of the Wood City Crew. Cops said the witness saw the shooter pull a dark colored firearm from his waistband and shoot at the bus, then flee through the Baisley Pond Park toward 125th Avenue.

The suspect the witness named was arrested this morning at his home without a struggle, police said. He is currently being interviewed by cops, but has not been formally arrested or charged.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly today emphasized that Robinson had nothing to do with the gangs involved.

“It was a terrible tragedy but it’s just indicative of the fact that we have too many guns, and too many individuals with access to guns,” Kelly said.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Gang suspect in custody in Queens bus shooting of girl, 14 appeared first on Metro.us.

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” has been filming all over New York City for the past several months.

Even a superhero like Spider-Man needs a break sometimes.

The film’s lead actor, Andrew Garfield, played basketball with local kids at PS 1 school in Chinatown – in costume. Donning a full Spider-Man costume Garfield shot some hoops with kids. Tell us this is not every child’s dream come true?

Gothamist is reporting that Emma Stone, Garfield’s co-star and real-life girlfriend was also there with her dog watching the game.

Reddit user Qspnest recounts what happened:

“I was one of the guys playing basketball on the far left side of the court. The movie guys were filming the same scenes of Spiderman on the front of an NYPD emergency vehicle driving down Madison Street. Garfield started playing ball with the kids when it started drizzling and thy stopped shooing for safety reasons. Funny thing is that it continued to drizzle and they decided to resume filming and on one of the next takes Garfield slips and hurts himself and they had to take a long break.”

Peter Parker isn’t only saving the world, but also spilling a web of jobs and cash in New York City.

According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” will be the largest movie production ever to be filmed in the city. The production will bring 3,500 jobs and cast 11,000 extras.

The post VIDEOS: Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man shoots hoops with kids appeared first on Metro.us.

The post Obama video maven produced Weiner’s announcement appeared first on Metro.us.

As news from Albany seems to involve little other than corruption and scandal, campaign finance reform advocates are putting pressure on Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the New York Times reported.

These advocates, 140 major political donors, including 50 fundraisers for Obama, want Cuomo to change state election laws to include public financing.

This proposal has some support from Democrats, but virtually none from Republicans.

In a letter to the governor, the donors expressed hope that a change in campaign finance laws in New York, with its “national prominence,” could have a larger impact nationally by sending “a strong message to Washington, D.C., that real change is possible.”

They referenced the recent Supreme Court case, Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, in which the nation’s highest court ruled that political donations by corporations are protected by the First Amendment, and should be unregulated to the same degree as those by individual citizens.

“We write to strongly encourage your continued active leadership in transforming New York State’s broken campaign finance system into a national model in the post-Citizens United era,” the donors said, emphasizing their “firsthand understanding of the country’s current money and politics law.”

“We believe dramatic change is needed so that our proud democracy lives up to the values of being ‘of, by, and for the people,’” the letter continued.

Cuomo has repeatedly called public financing “essential” and promised to push for change to the state’s campaign financing laws, but he has also noted the opposition that such measures will face from the state’s Republicans, who share control of the state Senate.

Donors are concerned that with only a month left in the legislative session, the governor will give up on the issue.

But David Magleby, a political scientist at Brigham Young University who is writing a book about donors, told the Times it’s in the governor’s interest, given his grander political aspirations, to pay attention to these letter-writers.

“These are the kinds of people that a Cuomo candidacy for president will need,” Magleby said. “They’re influencing Cuomo to go full-speed ahead on reforms at the state level, while knowing full well that he likely has national ambitions, and therefore he will be back to them should a set of circumstances arise where he is going to seek the nomination.”

The donors who wrote the letter include billionaire George Soros, “When Harry Met Sally” director Rob Reiner, and Robert McKay, the heir to the Taco Bell fortune.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Bigwig donors push Cuomo on campaign finance reform appeared first on Metro.us.

A Falmouth-area priest placed on leave for a year has returned to service after being cleared by the Archdiocese of Boston. 

The Rev. Joseph Byrne is no longer on administrative leave and is currently assigned to the role of senior priest, the archdiocese said Thursday in a statement.

“The Archdiocese of Boston today announced that the allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by Father Joseph F. Byrne has been found to be unsubstantiated,” the archdiocese said. “In reaching this decision, Cardinal Sean O’Malley reaffirmed his care and concern for all persons impacted by the reality of sexual abuse of children. The cardinal and the archdiocese remain committed to resolving cases of this nature in a manner that is as just as possible for all involved.”

Last May, the archdiocese received claims that Byrne had sexually abused a child during the 1970s, and he was placed on leave.

Before being assigned to Cape Cod, Byrne served in Waltham for eight years.

Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike

The post Archdiocese of Boston clears priest of abuse claims appeared first on Metro.us.

In a Daily News opinion piece, Anthony Weiner laid out three of his 64 ideas in his “ideas book” to “get the conversation started.”

He focused primarily on health care costs, education and taxes, and he urged New Yorkers to make sure the mayoral campaign “is a full-throated debate about real solutions,” as opposed to “a contest of who can say ‘I ain’t the other guy’ the loudest.”

Weiner’s plan to control rising health care costs and cover the uninsured relies largely on having city employees and retirees pay some part of their own health care costs in order to avoid continuing to slash other things from the budget.

Weiner noted that benefits are “due to go up 40 percent in the next four years.”

He wants to “take a ‘whatever works’ approach to education,” and noted again, as he did in his launch video, that his mother was a math teacher.

He did not suggest any specific approaches, but worried “about the safety of children in yeshivas,” among other concerns.

His tax conversation revolved largely around rent-payers and homeowners, and he proposed paying for a middle-class tax cut of 10 percent by “increasing the tax on the foreign oligarchs and potentates who are parking their money by investing in super high-end New York apartments.”

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Anthony Weiner pens first op-ed of mayoral candidacy appeared first on Metro.us.

A 35-year-old man was critically injured in Wilmington, Del., on Wednesday night when his car was struck by a firefighter on his way to a fire.

The accident occurred about 10:25 p.m. at West Second and North Harrison streets, DelawareOnline.com reports.

The firefighter, identified as a battalion chief with the city fire department, was en route to a blaze on Woodlawn Avenue. He reportedly was driving a fire department SUV, with its emergency lights activated.

The 35-year-old Wilmington man was flown by Delaware State Police medevac helicopter to Christiana Hospital for treatment, according to the DelawareOnline.com report. The firefighter was treated and released from the hospital.

The post Man injured in collision with responding firefighter appeared first on Metro.us.

After he callously ate pretzels as she tried to tell him that a colleague had raped her, Elizabeth Crothers did not hold back slamming Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in interviews two years later, when it was revealed that the same colleague who raped her had raped another young woman.

The speaker’s office apparently sent Crothers a threatening letter in an attempt to shut her up when she started granting interviews vilifying him and her accused rapist, Assembly lawyer Michael Boxley, she told the Daily News.

The threatening letter was sent to her attorney from top assembly lawyer William Collins and appeared to suggest she would be trashed in the press if she did not back off.

The lawyer’s letter accused Crothers of lying, and said the interviews she had been doing waived her right to confidentiality under the assembly’s sexual harassment policy.

“I am compelled to conclude that Ms. Crothers has chosen to waive whatever protections would otherwise be afforded her by the confidentiality provisions … of the assembly’s sexual harassment policy,” Collins wrote in the June 30, 2003, letter, according to a copy obtained by the Daily News.

Assembly spokesman Michael Whyland reportedly dismissed the letter as “old communications.”

Boxley, the accused rapist, is still in Silver’s inner circle and reportedly played an integral role in the confidential settlement arranged by Silver’s office with two women who reported being sexually harassed by former Assemblyman Vito Lopez.

A recently released 68-page ethics committee report detailed sexual harassment claims against Lopez by several other female staffers. The accusations range from him forcing a staffer to massage his hand after she told him she was raped in college, to staffers contracting pink eye after being made to apply eye drops to Lopez’s infected eyes.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post Legislative staffer: I was threatened by Sheldon Silver appeared first on Metro.us.

Firefighters found the body of a 47-year-old man in a burning apartment building in Allentown early Thursday, but believe the man may have been dead before the fire even started.

Authorities do not believe the man’s death is related to the relatively small fire and don’t suspect foul play was involved early on in their investigation into the blaze, NBC10 reports.

The Allentown apartment fire broke out about 3:30 a.m., possibly the result of an electrical issue with a bathroom fan inside the dead man’s residence, according to the NBC10 report.

The apartment building is located on the 2400 block of South Fourth Street.

The post Body found in Allentown apartment fire appeared first on Metro.us.

The NYPD is beefing up security at the British Consulate in New York City in light of the gory attack on a soldier in London, cops said.

A British soldier was beheaded in broad daylight on a busy street in London on Wednesday afternoon, apparently by British nationals of Nigerian descent angry about Western interference in Muslim countries.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne emphasized that the increased security was not the result of any information that these places were being targeted.

“But in an abundance of caution, the NYPD has increased coverage on the British consulate … and other locations in the city as a result of the fatal attack on an active serving British soldier near the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich Common in southeast London,” Browne said in a statement.

The NYPD is also increased security at military recruiting stations in the city.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly discussed the importance of security cameras today, and dismissed questions about privacy concerns citizens may have, noting that a recent poll found that 8 in 10 New Yorkers want more surveillance cameras around the city.

“Critics say… people are concerned about privacy,” Kelly said. “Apparently people aren’t concerned about it, because they realize the genie’s out of the bottle.”

“Y ou go into a department store, your picture’s taken 30 times,” Kelly pointed out. “That’s the world in which we live. We need cameras, in my judgement, to protect the city.”

Kelly noted that London and New York both have 5,000 cameras citywide.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post NYPD ups security at British Consulate, Kelly calls for more cameras appeared first on Metro.us.

A 25-year-old man whose phone was stolen on the Q train used the phone remotely to take a photo of a person of interest, cops said.

On May 11 at about 4 a.m. the man fell asleep on a southbound Q train and woke to discover his cell phone had been stolen from his pants pocket.

The Lookout Mobile Security app was used to take a photo of this person remotely. Police would like to question him in regard to this theft.

Police are asking that anyone with information about this person call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

The post Man captured on photo taken with stolen phone wanted for questioning appeared first on Metro.us.

JetBlue Airways on Thursday began five daily flights between Philadelphia and Boston.

The airline’s first-ever Philadelphia to Boston flight was scheduled to take off at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, about two hours after its first Boston to Philly flight.

Philadelphia International Airport becomes New York-based JetBlue’s 78th overall destination city and 48th out of Boston’s Logan Airport.

“This is a great day for Philadelphia,” Mayor Michael Nutter said in a statement posted on the airline’s website. “JetBlue is a fine airline that has distinguished itself in the industry, and we are thrilled that travelers in the Philadelphia region can take advantage of JetBlue service with easy access to their flights. I want to acknowledge JetBlue for recognizing the value of doing business with the greater Philadelphia region and business community.”

To mark the occasion of its first flights to and from the City of Brotherly Love, JetBlue will donate 1,776 (get it?) books to Stonehurst Hills Elementary in Upper Darby and KenCrest Services, an infant/toddler home community program with 325 pre-K students with developmental disabilities located in Philadelphia.

It is also offering really cheap flights between Philadelphia and Boston, if you’re looking to get away.

The post JetBlue now flying Philly to Boston appeared first on Metro.us.

A lawyer for accused mobster James “Whitey” Bulger wants prosecutors to reveal the name of a confidential government informant.

During a pretrial hearing Wednesday, attorney Henry Brennan argued that the informant provided details to investigators that would undermine the credibility of two key prosecution witnesses.

Brennan said Bulger’s defense team should be allowed to interview the informant, because Weeks and Martorano are expected to testify against Bulger.

According to the Boston Globe, Brennan pointed to Martorano’s 1999 plea deal on murder charges, which required the former hitman to testify against Bulger and corrupt law enforcement agents, but not other suspected criminals, including one-time Winter Hill Gang leader Howard T. Winter.

Brennan said Weeks also lied to investigators about a friend’s alleged involvement in a killing.

“There is information that exists that witnesses did not want to participate or ­include their friends in their testimony,” Brennan told ­reporters after the hearing. “And so we want to talk to people. We want to find out the truth.”

In April, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper denied a similar defense motion to obtain the identity of another informant, who Bulger’s attorneys claimed would contradict Weeks’ testimony about a $14 million winning lottery ticket.

Jury selection in Bulger’s trial is scheduled to begin June 4.

He has pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges related to 19 murders during the 1970s and 1980s.

Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBos

The post Bulger lawyers seek ID of federal informant appeared first on Metro.us.

Two people were killed in police-involved shootings in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

The fatal shootings occurred in Germantown and West Philadelphia, 6ABC Action News reports.

Police shot and killed a man on the 5600 block of Wyalusing Avenue about 6:30 after responding to a report of two men armed with handguns at Wyalusing and Frazier Street. Police were chasing the two men when one of them was struck by a car. As police moved in on the man, he reportedly pointed a gun at them, prompting the officers to shoot the man, according to the Action News report.

The man was later pronounced dead at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

About two-and-a-half to three hours later, police shot and killed a man in Germantown. An officer fired his gun at a man who reportedly pointed a gun toward officers who had responded to a report of an armed man at Devon Street and East Locust Avenue, Actions News reports.

That man died at the scene.

The post Two killed in police-involved shootings appeared first on Metro.us.

Starting Friday, Bostonians in search of salt water and sunny fun can hop a train, grab a beer and bypass traffic all the way to Cape Cod.

Cape Flyer, a summer train service running between Boston and Cape Cod, aims to alleviate traffic to the tourist hot spot.

Public transportation customers are notoriously hard to please, but that may change thanks to a special, vacationer-approved ingredient – alcohol. The coaches will serve beer, wine, Bloody Marys and Cape Codders as well as sandwiches and snacks.

“Our new café car is definitely something we’re excited about and expect customers will be as well,” said MassDOT Spokeswoman Kelly Smith.

Bicycle racks and tools will be available so customers can tune up their bikes while en route. The trains can accommodate up to 30 bicycles.

Officials expect a heavy turnout this weekend, and advise customers to buy tickets ahead of time, Smith said.

“We think the new CapeFlyer service will not only help people get down the Cape faster, but in a more relaxing and enjoyable way as well,” she said.

Cape Flyer, a summer rail service from Boston to Cape Cod, will cost travelers $35 for a round trip ticket from South Station to Hyannis, and $20 for a one-way ticket.  Service from South Station to Buzzards Bay runs $33 round trip. Beach goers can also hop the train at Braintree, $20 round trip, and Middleboro, $15 round trip.

Click here for a full schedule.

It’s the first time in over two decades that there will be rail service between Boston and Cape Cod.

The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, in cooperation with MassDOT, will run the seasonal service beginning Friday May 24, through Labor Day, Sept. 2.

A glimpse at the schedule:

• Friday night, the 5:12 p.m. MBTA Commuter Rail train on the Middleboro/Lakeville line will make its regular stops and then continue beyond Middleborough to Buzzards Bay, over the Cape Cod Canal Train Bridge and on to Hyannis.
• The train will arrive in Hyannis by 7:50 p.m.  This train will then return to Boston, leaving Hyannis at 8:30 p.m. and arriving in Boston at 10:45 p.m.
• On Saturdays and Sundays, the train will leave South Station at 8 a.m. and stop in Braintree, Middleboro, Buzzards Bay and arrive in Hyannis at 10:18 a.m.On Saturdays and Sundays, the train will leave Hyannis at 6:30pm and return to Boston at 8:45 p.m.

The service will operate on existing lines utilizing current equipment.

A spokeswoman for MassDOT said that reducing the traffic congestion between Boston and Cape Cod on summer weekends will not only reduce negative environmental impacts but will also “open up one of the commonwealth’s key tourism destinations to even more people; providing the region with the opportunity for a greater influx of tourist dollars into the local economy.”

Follow Morgan Rousseau on Twitter: @MetroMorgan
Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBOS

The post Cape Flyer service between Boston and Cape Cod starts Friday appeared first on Metro.us.