Boston briefs: MFA to open grand entrance two years ahead of schedule

BOSTON. Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is reopening a long abandoned entranceway as part of a major $345 million expansion.

The entrance faces the Back Bay Fens, part of Boston’s famed series of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and known as the Emerald Necklace.

The grand entrance with its 22 Ionic columns was first opened in 1915 but was shuttered in the 1970s when the nearby parkland grew muddy and overrun with reeds.

Now, as part of the MFA’s expansion, the museum is rebuilding the entrance’s steps and landing. It’s set to officially reopen on June 20, two years ahead of schedule.   

Worcester in race for Bicycling HOF

WORCESTER. Worcester is in the race to become the new home of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.

The New Jersey-based group, incorporated in 1986 by a group of bicycling enthusiasts, say they’re ready to expand and are looking for a new home. Worcester is among five top contenders.

Worcester has at least one claim to fame in the bicycling world. In 1899, city native Marshall “Major” Taylor, known as the “Worcester Whirlwind,” won the 1-mile world championship.  AP

Ticket brokers tap DiMasi confidante

BOSTON. House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi says he never discussed a bill lifting restrictions on the ticket resale business with longtime friend Richard Vitale.

Vitale isn’t a registered lobbyist but was tapped by a group of ticket brokers looking for help getting their message across on Beacon Hill. Besides being a friend of DiMasi, Vitale also gave him a $250,000 third mortgage.

The bill easily passed the House.

A spokesman for Vitale told The Boston Globe he didn’t engage in lobbying but refused to say how much he was paid. If he was paid more than $5,000, Vitale would have had to register as a lobbyist — and his loan to DiMasi would have run afoul of the conflict of interest law.    AP

MBTA conducts first response drills

BOSTON. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and towns along the Greenbush Commuter Rail corridor, including Braintree, Weymouth, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate and Hull, conducted a a full-scale emergency response exercise yesterday. The exercise was a simulated collision between a car and a school bus that pushes the bus in front of the crossing.     SHNS