The Dorchester Reporter

He’s on a mission to turn Boston into a collection of food forests

Framed under a dusky purple sky and sandwiched between three-deckers near Four Corners, the vacant lot was out of place in the urban landscape surrounding it.

Renovated Wayne at Columbia development earns hearty praise

In a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Wednesday in Mattapan, local politicians and officers of the Cruz Companies celebrated the unveiling of the newly renovated Wayne at Columbia housing development on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan.

From two Neponset boys, a vote for ROTC and the value of a military life

Michael and Patrick Murray are cut from the same cloth: The brothers live in Neponset, they play hockey, they are Harvard men, and they both joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) on the campus in Cambridge.

Patio dining at Dot’s restaurants stirs up a ‘neighborhood’ feeling

As summer nears its end, restaurant owners in Dorchester are making the most of their outdoor dining options.

State funds to help launch Dot, Mattapan housing projects

At a groundbreaking ceremony at Mattapan’s Olmsted Green development site on Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker announced $72 million in state funding for 25 housing projects across the Bay State, eight of them in Boston.

New café fills a niche on Savin Hill Avenue

In the newly opened Honeycomb Café on Monday, Eric Hutchinson’s “OK, It’s Alright With Me” played as a group of women ordered sandwiches. A barista prepared iced coffee and tea for them while they waited. One of the restaurant’s owners, 32-year-old Lara Miele, moved quickly back and forth, speed-slicing red onions, helping a barista navigate orders on a Square-equipped iPad, and talking with customers.

Will this state-owned comfort station be next Greenway amenity?

With the latest section of the Neponset River Greenway now open to the public, a historic building that once housed a comfort station in Mattapan Square remains unused.

Man shot to death at Ronan Park

A man shot near Ronan Park Wednesday afternoon later died, according to Boston Police.

Mixed-use pitched for vacant Blue Hill Ave. parcel

Mattapan residents will have the opportunity to express their opinions about a proposal for a mixed-use, four-story building on Blue Hill Avenue at a public meeting next Tuesday, Aug. 1.

Greenway caution: Watch out for the poison ivy!

Earlier this month, neighbors exploring the new Neponset River Greenway extension in Mattapan and Milton encountered an unexpected hazard- poison ivy, hanging right at eye level.

Person on tracks at JFK/UMass delays service; transported for medical emergency | Dorchester Reporter

A medical emergency involving a person on the tracks at JFK/UMass Station brought shuttle buses and transit police to the Red Line and commuter rail station on Thursday afternoon.

Studies seeking ‘perceptions’ of city life in Boston on the rise

With an increasing interest in neighborhood-level data by city residents, in recent years research experts have been gathering metrics that explore perceptions of the neighborhoods of Boston.

FCC issues warnings to unlicensed radio stations in Dot, Mattapan

Federal officials are promising a more aggressive crackdown on unlicensed radio stations in Dorchester and Mattapan in a new approach signaled by a flurry of notice letters sent out by the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Enforcement Bureau to three stations this month.

BRING ON THE KAYAKS: Club seeks to encourage more exploration of Neponset, Dorchester Bay

Equipped with six kayaks, a small cargo van, and an intense love for Dorchester’s natural beauty, John Larson is on a mission: He wants to unite Dorchester residents through kayaking. The 62-year-old Larson goes out on the Neponset River once or twice a weekend, although he says he’d kayak every other day if he didn’t have to work.

EMK panel aims to put ‘human face’ on the battle for immigrants’ rights

Civic leaders from across Massachusetts convened at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate last Thursday morning to discuss immigration policies and programs. The event, “Municipal Leaders for Immigrant Advancement: Stronger Communities for All,” was hosted by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

Feasibility study set for harbor ferry expansion

With its 180 miles of shoreline, Boston Harbor boasts a vibrant waterfront community, one that the group Boston Harbor Now believes could benefit from new and increased passenger ferry service. The non-profit announced a partnership with the consulting firm Steer Davies Gleave and engineering firm KPFF last week to launch a nine-month study and planning process to identify possible ferry launch sites.

Dorchester-built Oriole IV ship joined in Sail Boston festivities

For six days, Boston looked like the maritime hub of the 1850s, with wooden masts grazing the sky and sails carrying ships through the harbor. On Saturday, Sail Boston’s Grand Parade of Sail saw 54 Tall Ships from 14 countries on display as they traveled from Charlestown north through the Boston Harbor, before docking throughout the Seaport District and south along the coast.

Market season opens Friday in Ashmont

armers markets in and around Dorchester are gearing up for the summer, with many of them looking to open in the next couple of weeks. The Ashmont Farmers Market will be among the first to set up shop as it begins its ninth season on Friday on the plaza just outside Ashmont Station where it will be open from 3 p.m.

Fifteen from Dot bound for BU with full scholarships

Sixty-five Boston public high school graduates will attend Boston University on scholarship this fall. Of those, 15 students are from Dorchester.

On deck: Summer baseball in Fields Corner

Children from age 8 to 13 soon will begin spending their summer under All Dorchester Sports & Leadership, playing baseball at Town Field in Fields Corner.

Dorchester forum will take aim at lack of diversity on police, fire departments

Advocates concerned about a lack of diversity among civil servants in Boston will host a community forum focused on the city’s police and fire departments on Tuesday, June 20.

Public meeting to explain Red Line test track in Southie

The MBTA will discuss how they plan to use a stretch of track in South Boston to test-out new Red Line cars at a public meeting later this month. Testing of the new Red Line cars will begin in 2019, with 252 new cars set to replace the entire existing fleet by the end of 2023.

Advocates see progress in Dot beach quality: Tenean still lags

A new report from non-profit organization Save the Harbor/Save the Bay indicates that some progress is being made to improve water quality at Dorchester’s three beaches as public agencies work to repair pipes and other infrastructure that can lead to pollution.

224 Boston Street on the market for $2.5M

224 Boston Street, a restaurant Yelp reviewers have called a “hidden gem” with an “intimate nature,” was put on the market on Monday, according to a listing from Coldwell Banker real estate. The asking price is $2,500,000 and includes the business, a fully transferable 1 a.m. liquor license, and two residential apartments.

Markey, at a town hall session in Boston, challenges Trump agenda

Climate change, health care, and the future of the Democratic Party were on US Sen. Edward J. Markey’s mind when he held a town hall meeting at the downtown Paramount Theatre last Thursday. Some 200 people packed in to converse with the senator on those issues and more.

BPS valedictorians take a bow at city fete; diversity of heritage distinguishes the class

Leaders from the city and its school system saluted 38 valedictorians from the Boston Public Schools at a luncheon on Tuesday. Of the students who were recognized, 16 hail from Dorchester. “Today, we are celebrating an elite group of young people,” said Callie Crossley, the event’s emcee and a WGBH host and commentator.

Dot beaches earn low grades in six-year safety study

Dorchester’s beaches scored among the lowest in beach safety over a six-year period, according to a report from the nonprofit Save the Harbor/Save the Bay organization. Tenean Beach stayed near the bottom through the years, with an average score of 81 percent in primary beach safety.

‘I just started crying’ Biden makes surprise appearance at NEWLA dinner

Attendees at the 24th annual New England Women’s Leadership Awards last week received a huge surprise in the form of a bona fide political superstar: former Vice President Joe Biden.

A sort of homecoming for Port Norfolk-built Oriole

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Oriole, a sailing ketch and the longest-serving commissioned ship in the Royal Canadian Navy, is coming home to Boston next month. The Oriole was built at Port Norfolk’s George Lawley & Son shipyard in 1921.

A Q&A with the Mayor of Dorchester

Throughout his life, newly named Mayor of Dorchester David Anderson, an operations manager for Greater Boston Management, split his time between Dorchester and Braintree, before he and his wife Jennifer decided they wanted to raise their three daughters in his native neighborhood.

New mural adds botanical flair to Adams Corner

Bright yellow-green flowers cut through a muted gray background on the wall of Lopez the Florist in Adams Village. The almost-fluorescent daffodils, reminiscent of the bouquets sold inside the building, crawl up the facade and brighten the otherwise concrete-and-brick corner.

Anderson earns ‘mayor’ seat with $21k push

After a nearly two-month-long race that raised some $27,000, the Dorchester Day Parade Committee has announced that David Anderson, a 34-year-old Dorchester resident and operations manager for Greater Boston Management, is this year’s winner of the Mayor of Dorchester contest.

Boston police gear up for ‘busiest months’

Against the backdrop of Monday night’s terrorist bombing at a Manchester, England, concert venue, Boston Police on Tuesday released a community advisory, closed Lansdowne Street next to Fenway Park, and upped their presence in the city.

Library marks JFK’s centennial with new exhibit, forum

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum will host a five-day celebration over Memorial Day weekend to mark the slain president’s 100th birthday. John F. Kennedy, who was born in Brookline and had deep maternal ties to Dorchester, would have turned a centenarian on the holiday, May 29.