South Boston Today December 8 2022

‘Good News’ Christmas Season

Stories Deserve The Front Page

Too often the ‘Bad News’ gets on a newspaper’s front page be cause as the age-old adage goes – “ If it bleeds, it leads”. Newspapers, including ours, have a tendency to put controversy, criminality, and otherwise sensational lead stories on the front page to attract the reader.

Today we found a 50-year-old ‘feel good’ Christmas story that we hope sets the tone for the run up to Christmas.

Don Lambert worked at a small news paper in Kansas 50 years ago when an example of Christmas Eve kindness made its way onto the front page. He submitted the story to the Good News Network, saying, “It has a message that is important to us every single day.

Package Thieves: The Grinches Exist But We Can Stop Them

Tis the season of peace, love and good will toward all as far as most people are concerned. But police remind us to be aware that even though most would never think of doing so, like most years, there still are those who are prowl ing our streets looking for delivered packages to steal. Yes, it happens in many places including South Boston and especially dur ing the Christmas season when there are consider ably more delivered items left on doorsteps by FE DEX, UPS , the US Postal Service, Amazon and other delivery services.

Losing those special gifts that often cost quite a bit of money can put a damper on anyone’s Christmas spirit. And it’s not just the monetary worth that makes the gifts so valuable. Most often a lot of thought and love goes into selecting just the right item for the special people in our lives which makes it even worse if they are stolen. But there are precautions we can all take to cut down the odds

that we will be victims of these thefts.

Our local police are great and are here to help but can’t be everywhere at once. Police sources have suggested a type of neigh borhood watch agreement between neighbors that can foil even the most deter mined thieves. One plan is to select one or more neighbors to work with. Whenever someone sees a package on the door steps of a nearby neighbor, they take it into their own homes and either bring it by when the neighbor returns home or at least notify them that they have the delivered pack age which can be picked up at their convenience. If each neighbor involved in the agreement does the same for each other it will greatly lower the chance that the item will be stolen. This method really works and has been quite success ful in other locations.

Cameras: Security cam eras are coming down in price at a rapid rate. You can go high tech and spend a lot of money on a state-

of-the-art security/video system. As most know, in 2022, there are security systems like ‘Ring’ and ‘Blink’ that will shoot live video footage to your phones whenever there is movement outside your home and you can even communicate by audio to anyone on the premises. But you don’t have to spend a lot to get good re sults. Stores like Walmart, Bass Pro-Shops and Cabe las sell ‘Game Cameras’ used by hunters that cost as little as $25 and take excellent still pictures as well as video. Positioned at the proper angles, they can catch on SD cards, the image of the thieves themselves and even the license plate numbers if the thieves are using vehicles for their getaway.

But in addition to camer as, the neighborhood watch method is probably the way to go as well and if all are in agreement, it won’t cost a dime; just neighbors helping neighbors. As law enforcement sources will tell you, word spreads quickly among criminals.

If they know that there are people watching out for one another in a certain area, they will go elsewhere to commit their crimes. And South Boston people have always been famous for watching out for one anoth er. Oh, and you new arrivals can get in on this too. It will add to your piece of mind,

your security and be a great opportunity to meet your neighbors if you haven’t yet done so.

So, we hope this word of caution will remind all to keep your eyes open for the package thieves this year. If we all work together it will ensure that this Christ mas season will be Merry.

“A Good Conscience Is A Continual Christmas.” - Ben Franklin

Information Center

The New Congress Will Give The Military A Christmas Gift

The military will get a nice Christmas present now that the Republicans have ousted Nancy Pelosi as speaker and are set to take over the US House of Rep resentatives. One of the first orders of business they announced will be to put an end to the Biden Regime’s ‘absolutely stupid’ mandate that all military personnel take the Covid vaccine shots.

As most know, the foolhardy move by the Democrats caused literally thousands of troops to be forced out of the service, because they refused to allow an experi mental substance to be injected into their bodies; a substance that by all accounts, medical experts could not guarantee would not have serious future side effects.

Not only did the policy cause the removal of thousands of America’s finest, it also discouraged thousands more potential service members to decide not to enlist. As if America doesn’t need soldiers, sailors and marines, especially with the dan gerous, reckless and directionless foreign policy being conducted by Washington DC.

Recruitment efforts, because of that policy, are falling far below acceptable levels, causing a national security crisis to go along with the other idiotic policy of draining our Strategic Emergency Oil Reserves for political purposes. That one was mainly put in place to ‘con’ voters into thinking the administration was lowering gas prices the correct way.

What the new Congress will do is see to it that not only will the man date be ended, but also they will bring back troops who had been kicked out and be reinstated and with back pay. In fairness, those troops that were booted should not only get their rank back with back pay, but, if justice is to be

served, they should also get a raise and bonus pay to go with it. If the government can spend billions for freebies and perks for illegal aliens, they can give those who serve our country by laying their lives on the line what they deserve and have earned. This would be justifiable ‘reparations’. The same treatment should also be given to all the police, firefighters and other first responders that were victims of a flawed and thoughtless policy that was pushed on them by government agencies that as it turned out, didn’t know a damn thing about what they were doing.

Moving on. It’s pretty obvious and shocking to most Americans just how the thought of freedom of speech so terrorizes liberals in this country. The news media, government agencies, most social media platforms go totally spas tic at the idea that the views and opinions of everyday Americans are allowed to be expressed and given public forums to do so. Of course, it makes it much easier to control the public when people are only receiving information that the leftists in the country want them to see and hear.

The purchase of Twiiter by Elon Musk has the left wing in a panic. Why? Because the change in policy of that mega social media organiza tion has begun to expose how the other side has been suppressing news, interfering in elections and tailoring information to the voting public to fit the leftist agenda in America. The monopoly that the left once had has been exposed and broken and they are scared. The fact that all sides of the issues will be allowed to be expressed now so frightens them speaks volumes about what these people have been up to all these years.

Our Founding Fathers, when they created this country, purposely put into our Constitution that citizens can always speak freely. This was unique among nations around the world back then and still is today. And that’s just one of the things that make America the greatest country in the world. The old-style monarchies, Socialists, Commu nists and Nazis always had their boots on the throats of the masses and considered free speech to be treason. America was created to be different and unique. It’s some thing that all Americans should to commit to protecting.

In last week’s column, I made a partial but growing list of all the ridiculous things that are being labeled as racist. This week brings us two more to add to that list. The Disney Company has now labeled it’s ‘Splash Mountain’ ride as racist and has shut it down and the loons who run CNN (Yes, CNN still exists for while longer) are calling ‘Day Light Savings Time’ racist. Can it get any more ludicrous? Asking that question apparently is taken as a challenge to the race baiters. There is no doubt there will be more being added to the list by those who have nothing better to do.

Note: talk back to John Ciccone by email at jciccone@southbostontoday.com

SOUTH BOSTON TODAY

John Ciccone

David Casper

Window Into The State House

Window Into The State House provides our readers a synopsis of important issues of interest, past and current, that are being proposed, debated or acted upon by the Massachusetts Legislature. Many issues that are not related to local city government services are acted upon and have a direct impact on daily life. They are tax policy, transportation infrastructure, judicial appointments, social services and health, as well as higher education. We will excerpt reports from the gavel-to-gavel coverage of House and Senate sessions by news sources focused on this important aspect of our lives. These sources include a look ahead at the coming week in state government and summaries and analyses of the past week, re-caps of a range of state government activity, as well as links to other news.

The money chase is on: We’ve never been here before. Billions in funding still unspent and additional billions yet to come. One loses track of how much is at play. Ap proximately $4 billion between unspent ARPA money and state tax surplus funds (though some will be used towards the recent economic development bill). That’s the financially dizzy ing situation on Beacon Hill as various groups and causes try to get first in line for the combina tion of federal and state largess, money destined to burn a hole in the proverbial pocket.

As problems go — having more money than the government has yet figured out how to spend, even after rebating taxpayers about $3 billion — this is a good one to have, but not without its complexities and tensions. Higher education? Yes, it’s been rela tively shortchanged. Early educa tion funding, expanded childcare? Clearly a valuable long-term investment. Coalitions are ramp ing up to make their case and lobbying for dollars will be just as intense as the last session. New revenue sources will only up the ante. The Fair Share Amendment, which applies an additional 4% surtax to personal

income over $1 million per year, will generate, conservatively, $1 billion per year. No one yet is counting new sports betting revenue, which, in the current budget context, is practically a rounding error: a mere $70 mil lion per year. And the Rainy-Day Fund? Estimated to be $8.4 bil lion by this summer. Producing a FY 2024 budget will be job one for the Healey administration, a document that is due March 1. Nice to start with an embarrass ment of riches.

Gov.-elect Maura Healey has been keeping a low pro file since her Nov. 8 victory almost a full month ago, largely keeping out of the headlines and the public eye as some travel and the holiday have cre ated a shield for the Democrat as she prepares to take office in January. Save for some early public events and a made-forthe-cameras sit down with Gov. Charlie Baker, Healey has also been able to avoid direct ques tions from the media. Last week she quietly slipped in and out of the State House for a meet ing with House Speaker Ron Mariano. Beacon Hill is waiting anxiously to see how the new governor builds a team around her. But she’s taking her time.

Hearts, Hugs & Hope

Healey went to City Hall this week to meet with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, their first formal get-together since the election. Neither shared much of the full details of what was discussed, but these were likely on the agenda for the two women whose relationship has and will be fully put under the microscope starting in the New Year.

Substance use recovery and treatment: No one would say Baker and Wu have a bad re lationship. But it’s not exactly tight either. And more recently, the Baker administration and City Hall have been publicly at loggerheads over whether the state is doing enough to support the city’s effort to find places for those living on the streets near Mass. and Cass housing and treatments for substance use. Wu wants the state to build more supportive housing outside of Boston to discourage more people from flocking to Boston, while Baker has pointed the fin ger at the rampant drug dealing in the area and called for more law enforcement. Healey and Wu will want to reset that relation ship, but it’s unclear whether Healey believes, like Baker, that the state has done its fair share to create housing options for

those struggling with addiction.

Local control: Boston, not unlike other cities in Massachusetts, has had little luck in recent years con vincing the Legislature to approve home-rule petitions that would allow it to experiment with things like property transfer taxes to fund housing development. The City Council and Wu tried last session to no avail to sweeten the pot for Beacon Hill by combining a pro posed 2 percent tax on real estate transactions valued north of $2 mil lion with senior property tax relief. Baker opposed the idea, but per haps Wu can convince Healey to bring some pressure on Democratic leaders to take another look.

Owning the MBTA: For better or worse, Boston’s public transit system (yes, I know it extends be yond the city lines) is controlled by the state. The city has been trying for years to get a dedi cated seat on the MBTA board to have a more established voice in the leadership of the T, and with Healey preparing to make major changes there it could be the time.

Rent Control: Not to harp on housing, but rent control was a major part of Wu’s campaign in 2021 and she’s gonna need some help if she’s to get it done. But can she convince Healey it’s the way to go? Healey said dur ing her own campaign that she opposes a statewide rent control policy to limit spikes in already high housing prices, but she has said she’s open to local option policies if cities and towns want to try to make it work. Will she help Boston get there?

A Virtual Alzheimer’s Support Group Offered by Compass on the Bay December 15, 2022, 6:00 pm. Dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia isn’t easy, so it is helpful to share your concerns and personal experiences with others who completely understand what you’re going through. You will also learn about proven strategies to help you better care for your family member. This group will be held in conjunction with our sister community, Standish Village. Call 617-268-5450 or email Program Director Dean Tricarico at dtricarico@compassonthebay.com for more infor mation and to register for the virtual meeting.

This is a virtual event sponsored by Compass on the Bay Assisted Living and Memory Support Community, 1380 Columbia Road, South Boston.

Mayor Celebrates New Colin’s Courtyard

Mayor Michelle Wu joined the Boston Housing Authority, Boston Parks & Recreation Department, Depart ment of Housing and Community Development and South Boston neighbors to recognize the $9 million modernization and newly dedicated Colin’s Courtyard at Monsignor Powers Apartments in South Boston.

The Building Envelope project modernizes Monsignor Powers, a BHA elderly/disabled public hous ing development, by providing new insulation, roofing, windows, doors, railings and exterior pan els, greatly improving the condi tions for residents who live there.

. Colin’s Courtyard is a multi generational plaza that was built to provide a safe green space for families, seniors and children to gather and play on L Street. It was dedicated to the memory of Colin McGrath, a child who died in a tragic car accident on L Street in front of Monsignor Powers Apart ments in 2018, shortly before his third birthday.

“I want to thank the BHA and all our South Boston community members for helping us officially open Colin’s Courtyard at the Monsignor Powers apartments. This is a beautiful multigenera tional space to forever memorial ize the joy that Colin McGrath brought to this community & that

the McGrath family continues to spread across our city.”

The event marked the completion of two projects that have beautified the neighborhood and improved the quality of life for residents in South Boston. BHA and DHCD partnered together to bring much needed capital upgrades and exterior im provements to Monsignor Powers, which will improve the building’s environmental sustainability and resident quality of life.

“The accident was a traumatic moment for many in the communi ty--first and foremost the McGrath family—but some of our residents saw the accident firsthand, and it’s hard to even begin to quantify such a loss,” BHA Administrator Kate

Bennett said. “This moment is a testament to a community that has rallied together under the worst of circumstances and taken care of each other by investing in seniors and investing in kids.”

Colin’s Courtyard at Monsi gnor Powers Apartments features a newarc-style great lawn, along with site furnishings that are wel coming and attractive to the com munity of seniors and families. The new park contains a passive plaza area including tables and gathering space for the residents near the entrance of their build ing, landscaping, fence restoration with a new bright entrance planted with Colin’s Joy daffodils at the site of the accident, an area for the

painted rocks (donated by the com munity in support of the family), a little library and an interactive pump water feature where kids can play and learn.

The courtyard construction was funded through the City of Boston Capital Improvement Program and the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund with support from the Co lin’s Joy Project.

The second phase of the proj ect currently underway will fully upgrade the building’s HVAC & Energy systems. In addition, $100,000 in state funds have been allocated to the ongoing mainte nance of Colin’s Courtyard with the assistance of Senator Nick Collins and the Boston Delegation.

Thank YOU SB Catholic Academy Students And Staff

Iwant to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to the students in K2C and in fact all the students and staff at South Boston Catholic Academy for the big, beautiful 4-page, handmade Thanksgiving card they sent in to all of us here at South Boston Today. The caring, the thought and the talent that went into making this beautiful thank you card touched the hearts of all of us here at SBT Newspaper. The time and effort you put into it is very much appreciated. It brought smiles to our faces and brightened our day when we opened it.

The message on the card was to thank US for putting your activities, photos and news on our pages. But we in turn sincerely thank all of YOU for the great job you are doing, for being part of a great school with a traditional education and by the way you conduct yourselves, during school and when you are out in the neighborhood as well. It’s not only a pleasure to give you exposure; it’s also our honor to do so. God Bless you all, We hope you had a great Thanksgiving and we wish you all a Merry Christmas.

John Ciccone and ALL of us at South Boston Today

Sincerely,

I Was Just Thinking…

private thoughts.

In his book, Big Brother, that be ing the political hierarchy, controls the party and the people through “Newspeak” - the official language of the totalitarian state which is overseen by the Thought Police who stamp out any impure, anti-govern ment sentiment. Consequently, the “Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested in power-pure power.”

tive narrative, not the objective truth and freedom of ideas, that’s desired by the ruling elite.

They alone want to control what we can read, say, discuss, and think. Dissenting views are anathema to their world views.

Their reality is the only reality.

That is why they are in favor of censorship.

To maintain control.

To maintain power.

by Kevin Devlin

“He who controls the discourse controls what we know and what we believe.”

In 1949, English writer and critic George Orwell published his now famous book, Nineteen EightyFour (or 1984 in later editions), a dystopian novel and a must read for everyone. Orwell wrote what would happen if the government controlled the details of our lives, down to our

Whoever controls the flow of information is in control of what people believe, know, and consider what is the truth.

And with this control the power of the party is secure

Which brings me to the issue of free speech and freedom of the press in America today.

Some would like to see speech and the press censored to fit the needs of their party and ideology, but the Supreme Court has already ruled that these rights cannot be infringed upon.

But nevertheless, it’s the subjec

The press, the Dems, and Big Tech are aghast at the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk.

It is a threat to their power and control.

Control the flow of information and control the public square.

Censor any threats and call them misinformation, disinformation, Russian propaganda, or other such untruths which must not be taken seriously and allowed to breathe.

The Dems didn’t want any nega tive influences, that being the truth, which could possibly affect the outcome of the presidential election. The media, Big Tech and the gov

Commissioner’s Trophy Game features 2nd Army vs. Navy Flag Football Matchup

The Office of Veterans’ Services for the City of Boston will host the second annual Army Navy Flag football game at 11 AM on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Clemente Field located at the Back Bay Fens. The Office of Veterans’ Services along with the FLAG Flag Football League, and The New England Patriots will serve as partners for this event.

Sailors from the USS Constitution and Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) New England will take on Soldiers from U.S Army Boston Re cruiting Company in this annual event, Both teams are excited to create their version of this time-honored tradition.

“United in one purpose to recruit the best talent for our nation’s military, on Saturday the Army- Navy game high lights that our teams are strong and ready to compete. From Evacuation Day in 1776, to our victory last year, the Army wins. We believe winning matters and are looking forward to an exciting game,” said US Army CPT Collin Clark.

LT Schmiegel, Operations Officer at NTAG New England said, “As a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and an active duty service member of the Navy, I am honored to have experienced the time honored tradition and rivalry of the Army-Navy Football game. It’s one of those events that just gives you chills to be a part of; it is truly more than a game and is a competition that represents the fighting spirit, but also the comradery, of our armed forces. That the city of Boston would take the time to honor such a tradition in its own way, honoring our branches of service, is truly exemplary and has such a profound impact on bringing our community together. Go Navy, Beat Army!

Commissioner Robert Santiago, who served as a crewmember on board the USS Constitution, said, “As Commis sioner I’m not rooting for any team, despite my Navy service and ties with the USS Constitution. This game is just one way we get to honor and recognize

our service members and is a great way for our community to come together and see another side of our soldiers, and sailors. It’s an opportunity to get to know them. This is going to be a fun game to watch.”

“The Army Navy Flag Football game is a wonderful event, honoring our servicemen and women and bringing together members of the United States Army and Navy in the name of friendly competition and mutual respect,” said Phil Buttafuoco, Executive Director of

ernment were (and still are) in bed together, colluding unlawfully while censoring information. And that is why the Hunter Laptop story was blocked by Twitter and Facebook prior to the 2020 election.

They knew the story was true, but they still blocked it.

Violating the Constitution.

Betraying the people.

That’s why Musk is such a threat.

He’s allowing free speech on Twitter now and that means those in power lose control of their narrative, lose control of the flow of informa tion, and lose their control over the thoughts and deeds of the people they seek to maintain power over.

They lose power over the public square of discourse.

Simple as that.

It’s ironic that those who desire censorship to fit their narrative and maintain their power cry that they are only doing it to preserve democracy, yet by their actions, and by their actions alone, they are the real threat to our demo cratic way of life.

Special Events for Kraft Sports + Enter tainment. “We look forward to a similar opportunity as our organization and the entire New England region eagerly anticipate the honor of hosting the 2023 Army Navy Game presented by USAA. We are excited to continue to work in conjunction with the City of Boston’s Office of Veterans’ Services to create great memories and celebrate our mili tary in the lead-up to America’s Game at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 9, 2023.”

The Army won the inaugural game and took home the Commissioner’s Trophy last year.

For more information regarding this event or other resources, refer to the contact provided above.

The Veterans Benefit Fair In South Boston Was A Success!

The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council (SBAWVC) and Ipods For Wounded Veterans hosted a Benefit Fair last Saturday at the Lithuanian Club for all Veterans and their fami lies. The Providers who engaged were VA Boston Healthcare System, Chelsea Soldier Home, Boston Vet Center, OEI, MA Veterans Bonus and City of Boston Veteran Services. The Commander of the SBAWVC, Susan McDonough received a plaque of recognition

and appreciation for all she does for Veterans not only in her beloved South Boston but all over the Com monwealth of MA.

Commander McDonough per sonally donated a 32” Roku HD Smart TV. Stephen Greig repre senting the Knights of Columbus was very generous in their support of IPOD For Wounded Veterans and SBAWVC. Austin Prep stu dents volunteered in setting up the Fair and manning the tables. They were asked to call a few of the

raffle items. When asked why they volunteer for this event, they said because of their grandfathers ser vice. Outstanding young people!

The Veterans were able to sign up for services and benefits that they so justly earned and deserve. The ca maraderie of brother and sister Vet erans in the room was something to behold. The Non-Profit, IPODS For Wounded Veterans raffled off great prizes and every Veteran went home with tech gift along with some great swag. Thank you for your service!

Guy The Wine

Closer

Well, we’re one week closer to Christmas and among other things, many of them a pain in the neck, is one that is not - Christmas Par ties. Whether you’re going to one or giving one, here are some wines to consider having on hand….

Bogle 2018 Juggernaut Cabernet Sauvignon, California, ($19.99) is a recent addition to their line that’s received good reviews across the board. This well-struc tured wine reveals nice swaths of spice and fruit flavors, wrapping them in moderate tannins for a

grippy, appetizing texture. The nose shows subtle baking spices like vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, while the palate offers abundant spiced plums and black cherries. Native to Burgundy and notorious ly fickle, the Pinot Noir grape has found a home away from home in New Zealand. Pinot Noir is predom inantly grown in the cooler souther ly regions: Wairarapa, Marlborough, Nelson, North Canterbury and Cen tral Otago. The huge diversity in cli mates and soils enables a wide range of styles from these main Pinot Noir producing regions. Common to all, however, is structure and elegance overlaid by power and fruit-driven intensity. Goose Bay Pinot Noir (OU Kosher), Marlborough, New Zea land, ($31.99) is made in a style that is full in berry flavors, soft in depth, lingering in its fruit filled acidity and superbly balanced. A wine made to get your taste buds into, rather than pose alongside. It is a measure of Goose Bay’s commitment to quality. The French Champagne Grow ers’ Association says that this is their second highest selling period of the year and it’s no wonder. One of the French Champagne houses

that consistently produces outstand ing products is Veuve Cliquot. The company, celebrating 250 years, has a range of wines but the fa vorite, by far, is their ubiquitous Yellow Label series. Available everywhere at around $55.00, it exemplifies the varietal. Beautiful nose of plumbs, mountain flowers and citrus fruits , great balance and acidity with a long and fragrant finish, this one is a natural choice to get any party started!

If you feel that a California spar kler is your preference, then you ought to try a bottle of SIMI 1876 Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine, Sonoma County, ($41.99). Aromas of straw berry, tangerine, and a touch of floral essence is followed by cherry, strawberry and tangerine notes with rich bubbles. This one is especially good with seasonal hors d’oeuvres, oysters and cherrystones, as well as any type of cheese.

If you’re looking for a Chardon nay that will be appreciated ar any party, reach for a bottle of 2019 Ramey Russian River Valley Char donnay, ($45.99). This wine, while generally judged to be mediumbodied, contains notes of pears,

green apples and peaches, framed in an Old-World style- clean and crisp. Be sure to have appetizers like Asian Potstickers, Crab Rangoon and meat-filled Dumplings for a pleasant pairing with this wine.

Finally, if your taste runs to a sweeter style of wine, try some Trimbach 2020 Riesling, Alsace, France ($19.99). This is the very definition of the Alsace Riesling, well anchored in the dry and bal anced Trimbach style. It shines with its elegant liveliness, crunchiness and notes of white flowers and citrus fruits leading to a minerally finish. It is the perfect accompaniment to seafood, marinated or grilled fish, salads, goat cheese, spring vegeta bles as well as all white meats.

‘Good News’ continued from front page Kindness is all around us.”

Here is Don’s recollection of the events from December 24, 1973.

I was a cub reporter at the time—not yet seasoned enough to have learned that an act of kindness, whether large or small, is sometimes found in the most unlikely of places and at the most need ed of times. On Christmas Eve, ‘The Boss’ had made this deal. If we all got our work done early, he would put the paper “to bed” a few hours early, giv ing us employees a few extra hours to be with our families.

Since I had the police beat, my main task was to check in at the local police department to learn whether there had been a crime such as a bank robbery or jail break to inform the public about. “Nope, nothing here,” the police chief said anticipating my first question, add ing with a chuckle, “It is too cold for the local criminals.”

As he did every morning, he handed me the police blotter, a hand-written list of the calls made to the police

department. With my finger, I went down the list. Mostly giddily, as usual. There was, however, one entry which caught my attention from the North side, the poor part of town. A husband called to report his family’s clothes had been stolen.

How terrible, I thought, especially on this day. The next day, an entry from the same man, reporting that all of their clothes had been found. I had a hunch there might be a story there. I asked the officer, “You know the scoop?” “Nope,” he replied. “In that neighbor hood, you never know.”

I hopped into my Volkswagen Beetle and made a beeline to the neighborhood in search of the crime scene. With a notepad in one hand and lead pencil in the other, I knocked on the door. I said I was hoping to write a story about her “incident.” She was holding a baby in her arms; two little boys were hiding be hind her skirt.

She explained that this had not been a good time for her family. Her hus band had been ill and lost his job. Pre

paring for Christmas, she washed all their clothes. The dryer was on the fritz again, the landlord hadn’t gotten around to fixing it. She could have taken the wet clothes to the laundromat on the other side of town. “But, that costs money.”, she whispered, Instead, she hung them on the clothesline behind the house.

When she checked a short time later, she discovered that all of the clothes were gone. Stolen! That was when she called the police for the first time. A couple of hours later, there was a knock at her door. By the time she got there, no one was there. Instead, there was a large cardboard box at the front door. In it were all the clothes: dried, pressed and folded. And there was a note: “Wish we could do more. Merry Christmas.”

Arriving back at the newspaper office, I hollered out for the first—and only— time in my career, “Hold the presses!”

“This better be good,” the Boss growled. “Since your story is late,” the crabby layout person said, “best I can do is try to squeeze it into page 7.” “Page 7,” I shrieked. “The obitu

ary page? No way!” I insisted, “My Christmas story goes on Page 1— and put it above the fold.”

My late-breaking story had delayed everything about an hour. By the time the press was warming up, the carrier boys were arriving, some with shiny new Schwinn bicycles, others with beat-up hand-me-downs. Each boy would fold about a hundred newspa pers and tuck them into a canvas bag over his shoulder, to be tossed onto awaiting front porches.

When the printing began, The Boss and I were the only staff members re maining. He pulled the first one off the press. There it was. My Christmas story on page 1—above the fold. “Good job,” The Boss said with a rare smile and even rarer pat on the back. “Because of your story the whole town will have a better Christmas, So will I.”

We at SBT hope you enjoy this “good news” Christmas Story, even if it’s 50 years old, and during a time when, and in a place where, life was so much sim pler and people were so much kinder.

South Boston Today Book Review:

‘FATHER JOE –SOUTHIE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU’

W. Thomas Stafford - Author

By John Ciccone

South Boston, throughout its existence, has had many heroes that residents have looked up to. Most were born and raised in the com munity and grew up to do great things. Some were and are athletes, some are politicians. Others were youth sports coaches, teachers and counselors. Some worked with the neighborhood’s seniors and of course, many MANY were and are military veterans, police officers, firefighters and an array of other first responders. Some names of South Bos ton’s clergy can also be counted among the admired of the town, but one stands out as a figure almost larger than life. And though not born and raised here, seemed to be sent to South Boston just at the right time. His name was Father Joseph E. Laporte or ‘Father Joe’ as he was affectionately called by the hun dreds of Southie youths who grew to know, love and respect him.

One such neighborhood youth was the author of this book – ‘Father Joe –Southie Will Never Forget You’. His

name is W. Thomas Stafford, known as Wally Stafford by his former neighbors. Stafford is a proud former US Marine. He was just a teen himself when he met Father Joe in the 1960’s and was so im pressed by him, that he felt the need to someday write about the influence this great man of God had not only on Staf ford himself, but on virtually everyone who had the honor and pleasure to call Father Joe friend.

Mr. Stafford’s book takes those who resided in South Boston back in the 1960’s on a journey back in time when South Boston was probably the closest-knit community in all of America. Everyone knew your name. They knew the news and what was happening in the town travelled at what seemed to be light speed. Pride and loyalty were virtues that were cherished and taken seriously. Much of that still remains in the South Boston of today and that’s a good thing. And if you were not alive back then or if you are new to ‘Southie’ as South Boston is called by the locals, the book will take you on that same fascinating journey back to another time; certainly, without

the memories, but it will keep you turn ing pages to learn more about this very unique neighborhood’s past.

With ‘Father Joe- Southie Will Never Forget You’, Stafford has managed to keep those who knew this beloved priest, those who have just heard stories about Father Joe and even those who never heard of him quite entertained. There is comedic relief as well as some heartache to be felt. Stafford goes into details about how this very special priest could and did put everyone, of every age he came into contact with, at ease and make them feel welcomed. Father Joe had a way of making everyone he met feel like they were a friend and that he sincerely cared about their wellbeing and wanted the best for them. He was able to do this because he legitimately did feel that way towards others, espe cially to the youth of the community and particularly those youth who may have been on the verge of taking a dangerous

path in life. He was able to effortlessly project those feeling. He brought them back from the edge – put another way, he saved them, and they knew it.

This book about Father Joseph Laporte will make you laugh, make you reflect and maybe even make some readers shed a tear. It touches the heart and tells us that yes, there really are people who stand out as good Samaritans – TRUE Samaritans sent to walk among us as not only a beacon of strength, but even as influenc ers that are able to show those who need guidance the most, that they have some one to turn to. Father Joe was just such a man and this book shows us just how he was able to win those hearts and minds in every possible and positive way. Those who knew Father Joe truly believe that he was sent to South Boston by God. This book will help explain in detail, why that belief is still held today. We recommend it and give it 5 out of 5 Stars and think you’ll love it too. SBT

The South Boston Holiday Christmas Stroll

Last Thursday, Santa and his helpers, Carly Underwood ,Tyler Levs, MusicBall

and professional boxer Frank “The Tank” Hogan came to town, our town of South Boston, to bring Christmas cheer to fami

lies and businesses along East & West Broadway. Santa made four stops and at all four stops, songs were sung, hot cocoa was served, smiles were wide and excitement was contagious.

The Original Dickens Carol ers in full character, strolled up and down Broadway serenad ing us with their melodic voices

outside of the businesses. While the weather had a chill about it, the Stroll was a success and the children were happy.

The Stroll is put on annually by the South Boston Chamber of Commerce in partnership with SBNDC. Keep strolling into the local businesses for your shop ping needs. Happy Christmas!

Entertainment Michael Caputo

The Mayor’s Enchanted Trolley Tour

South Boston children waited with much anticipation to see Santa at Medal of Honor Park last Sunday. Mayor Wu and

her friends from the North Pole and City Hall arrived in South Boston at 2:00pm to light the Christmas tree on East Broad

way. The countdown began and the switch was thrown as confetti filled the air. Santa and Mrs. Claus invited children up on to the trol ley for photos while Rudolph and Frosty greeted families and City of Boston employees passed out

candy canes to go with the hot chocolate. BPD (C-6), Council President Ed Flynn and Councilor Erin Murphy were on hand to make sure the Grinch stayed away and the children had fun. Until next year – Merry Christmas!

South Boston Catholic Academy News

Welcome, Cardinal Sean O’Malley!

On Thursday, December 1, 2022, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM, Cap.,

Academy and Blessed the new Early Childhood Education Center and Playground at the former St. Brigid Convent, and then he visited the up

per grades at SBCA. The children greeted Cardinal Sean O’Malley and Mr. Peter Lynch, of the Lynch Foundation. Thank you, Cardinal O’Malley, Peter Lynch, and all those who made this Early Childhood Education Center possible! Then at SBCA, the Choir sang beautiful songs for them and the entire school

greeted them in the gym. We are very fortunate and blessed to have Cardinal O’Malley visit SBCA and give us a very special blessing, too. It was a great day! New families are welcome to email our admissions team at: admissions@sbcatholi cacademy.org for more info. about South Boston Catholic Academy.

visited South Boston Catholic

St. Peter Academy

Breakfast with Santa

Breakfast with Santa was a wonderful event! There were over 200 people in attendance. The students put on a fantastic show. Toddlers through Grade 6 performed and put everyone in the holiday spirit. Santa’s arrival was met with so much joy and excitement. It was awesome day to celebrate with the staff, stu

dents, parents, grandparents, relatives and friends. It felt good to have the community back together again. Sending shout-outs and thank yous to Amrhein’s Restaurant who gra ciously donated breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon for 200 people!, Olga’s Kafe and Doughboy Donuts for the coffee, bagels and do

nuts! Everything was delicious. Last but not least, to the Ironworkers Union Local 7 for welcoming us into your awesome function hall and helping us throughout the morning. Every one of you is appreciated, thank you for partnering with St. Peter Academy for this fantastic event. It was perfect! St. Peter Academy is accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. St. Peter Academy is an independent, community-based private school and serves students from ages 15 months through grade 6. SPA is currently accepting applications for the limited

spaces available in the year-round toddler program (beginning at age 15 months) and for students in Pre-K (School Year and Full Year Programs), Kindergarten and grades 1-6. Financial Aid Available. Two Scholarships will be offered this year for applicants for Grades 1 through 6. You may request scholarship information from the Front Office (spa@stpe teracademy.com). Appointments for individual virtual tours can be made by contacting Maria Blasi, at 617-268-0750 or by emailing spa@StPeterAcademy.com.

It’s the Greatest Time of the Year –Girl Scout Cookie Season!

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massa chusetts kicks-off the 2023 Girl Scout Cookie season as Girl Scouts and their troops rally the community to support the world’s largest entrepreneurial program for girls. The annual cookie program will run through Friday, March 10th. Consumers can support their lo cal Girl Scouts by purchasing their favorite varieties including Thin Mints®, Caramel deLites®, Peanut Butter Patties®, Adventurefuls™, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Lemon ades™, Trefoil®, Caramel Choco late Chip Cookie (gluten-free and peanut-free) and Toast-Yay!™.

In addition to everyone’s quintes sential favorites, Girl Scouts has a new, online exclusive cookie, Raspberry Rally, which is a thin crispy cookie infused with rasp berry flavor and dipped in the same delicious chocolaty coating as the beloved Thin Mints cookies. This new cookie will be the first in the Girl Scout Cookie lineup to be exclusively offered for online sale and direct shipment only, enhancing

girls’ e-commerce sales and entre preneurial skills.

“The Girl Scouts Cookie Pro gram is iconic in developing future women entrepreneurs. I have heard many times from women that their first experience in sales was through Girl Scouts,” stated Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts CEO Barbara Fortier. “As we enter what I think is the greatest time of year, I encourage people to remember that when you are purchasing a box of cookies, they are not only delicious but you are supporting a future entrepreneur.”

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the world’s largest entrepreneur ial program for girls. Girl Scouts’ newly updated Financial Literacy badges offer entrepreneurial play books for every age level. From the Cookie Goal Setter badge earned as a Daisy to the Entrepreneur Acceler ator for girls in high school, the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches girls financial literacy, planning, budget ing, teamwork, innovative thinking, and confident decision making.

Girl Scout Cookies are $5 per

package. There are many ways to support the Girl Scout Cookie pro gram this season:

• If you don’t know a Girl Scout, visit gsema.org/buycookies to find a cookie booth (pop-up shop) near you to purchase cookies from a lo cal Girl Scout troop, or to connect with a local troop’s online cookie shop to purchase cookies for a do nation or shipment.

• If you know a registered Girl Scout, reach out to them to find out how they’re selling cookies.

• Customers can make a purchase in-person or online and designate their purchase for donation to Cookies for a Cause to benefit first responders and healthcare profes sionals, the military and veterans’ services organizations, local food pantries, and more.

·Visit www.gsema.org to have Girl Scout cookies shipped directly to your door. GSEMA will cover 50% of customers’ shipping costs for all online Direct Ship orders of nine packages or more from February 1st – March 10th.

Girls in grades K–12 can join Girl Scouts any time during the year to begin their Girl Scout journey. As girls grow with Girl Scouts, they learn hands-on leadership skills they’ll use to make their mark through the Gold Award and beyond. To join or volunteer, visit www. gsema.org.

For more information on Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, please visit www.gsema.org, or follow their social media chan nels, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, for the latest updates on the organization.

About Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts

Girl Scouts of Eastern Mas sachusetts (GSEMA) is 30,000 strong, with 20,000 girls and 10,000 volunteers in 178 commu nities in eastern Massachusetts, building girl scouts of cour age, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. GSEMA is the largest girl serving organization in Mas sachusetts and the 10th largest Girl Scout council in the United States. Girl Scouts is the preemi nent leadership development or ganization for girls. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, join, or learn more, visit gsema.org.

Afew weeks ago, on my weekly Youtube livestream, me and my producer Paul Price toyed with the idea that Tom Brady had at tended Robert Kraft’s wedding with a purpose: He wanted to talk to Kraft about a potential return to New England. Kraft’s wedding took place just before the NFL trade deadline. Brady — along with many other former Patriots players — took part in the festivi ties. The wedding was on a Friday night. Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a game in Pitts burgh two days later, on Sunday. But Brady missed his team’s Sat urday walk-through and traveled to Pittsburgh on his own.

Seemed like a very strange thing for Brady to do, especially considering he stepped away for a week during the middle of training camp in order to take care of some personal matters, which we later found out was most likely related to his divorce with Gisele. His response to the media about his absence from training camp was also odd. He said, “I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of [expletive] going on.” Now, I’m sure he’s the only

guy in the Buccaneers organiza tion who had “a lot of [expletive] going on” during training camp. I’m being sarcastic, of course. But I digress.

Back to Kraft’s wedding.

For somebody who’s been so committed to football the way Brady has been his entire career, it makes very little sense to see him miss a team walk-through in the middle of a season, in order to attend his former owner’s second wedding. It breaks my brain, ac tually. So, we entertained the idea that maybe, just maybe, Brady was attending the wedding with an agenda: to plant the seed for a potential return. We did so in jest. But last week, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe wrote a story that enter tained the idea that Brady could somehow return to New England when he becomes a free agent in the offseason.

“Don’t ever write off the Patri ots,” said Howe in the column, when looking at Brady’s options for the 2023 NFL season. “The Patriots are slated to have more than $50 million in cap space in 2023, so they can again ad dress their flaws, this time on the heels of a couple impressive draft

classes,” said Howe. “Brady and [head coach] Bill Belichick still have an abundance of respect for one another. They’ve made points to say it publicly on multiple oc casions since the QB departed for Tampa. They also spent 23 min utes together in the visiting locker room at Gillette Stadium follow ing Brady’s return in 2021 — an appointment they set up prior to the game.”

Deep breaths, Danny. Deep breaths. This column clearly had a lot of people talking about the possibil ity of Brady playing for the Patri ots again, especially given Mac Jones’ struggles in his second year. And as much as I want to believe a Brady return is possible, I do need to let this thing simmer, and then try to look at the situa tion with logic and clarity. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but logic tells me a Brady return to New England next sea son is not happening. Brady will never play another game for the Patriots. Ever.

My source? My brain. I’m my own source on this one. And I’m not going to allow myself to get all worked up and excited over the idea of Brady leading the Patriots

to the Super Bowl next year. It’s just not worth it. Because at the end of the day, there’s just no way it happens.

Brady is not walking back through that door. Not as a player, at least. I do expect Brady to return to New England one day. But it won’t be to lead the Pats to the Super Bowl. It will be to sign a one-day contract and retire with the organization, toss on the red “Patriots Hall-ofFame” jacket, and give a speech at halftime of a game at Gillette Stadium. That’s the only return to New England Brady will be making in the future.

The concept of him being Belichick’s quarterback in 2023 is, in all honesty, absurd on so many levels, that it kind of makes me angry we even have to dis cuss this right now. Don’t get me wrong. There is nobody on this planet who wants Brady to return to the Patriots more than me. But I’m responding to this rumor with my brain, not my heart. And my brain tells me, there’s no chance. Brady is never playing for the Patriots again.

Follow Danny on instagram @ DannyPicard.

This week, Danny shared his thoughts on the rumor that Tom Brady could return to the Patriots in 2023:

SPORTS TODAY

DISGRUNTLED PATRIOTS

LOSE SECOND STRAIGHT

The 2022 season for the New England Patriots can be summed up by watching Mac Jones yell at his own team on the sidelines last Thursday night, as the Buffalo Bills went into Gillette Stadium and pulled out a 24-10 win. It marked New England’s second straight loss, and kept the Pats out of the AFC playoff picture with their 6-6 record. Jones’ frustration on the side line late in the game was felt by everyone. It was the result of a sixth straight game in which the Patriots offense failed to score a fourth-quarter touchdown.

The last fourth-quarter touch down that the Patriots’ offense scored was back in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, and that was a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown run. The only other game this season that the Pats scored a fourthquarter touchdown was in Week 3 against the Ravens. That was also a Stevenson run.

In fact, a Patriots quarterback — Jones or Bailey Zappe — has yet to throw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass this season.

Last Thursday night, in Week

Tweet of the Week

13 loss to the Bills, New Eng land’s only touchdown of the game came on a short pass from Jones to Marcus Jones, who ran half the length of the field for a 48-yard score that gave the Patri ots a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. The Bills outscored the Pats 21-3 the rest of the game, to pick up their ninth win of the season.

Thanks to the Miami Dolphins’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the 9-3 Bills cata pulted up to the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture.

If the playoffs began after Week 13, the Patriots would be on the outside looking in, along with the 6-6 Los Angeles Char gers, and the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Pitts burgh Steelers, who are all 5-7.

The good thing for the Patriots is that they own the head-tohead tiebreaker over the New York Jets. The Jets are currently in the final Wild Card spot in the AFC, at 7-5. So all is not yet lost for New England.

But the issues with the offense is concerning. Jones finished Thursday’s loss to the Bills with 195 pass yards while completing 22 of his 36 attempts. He had one touchdown, zero intercep

tions, and was sacked once.

Many in New England are blaming Matt Patricia and the Patriots’ offensive play calling. It seems Jones is also blam ing the play calling, as he was visibly angry on the sideline towards the end of the game against the Bills. The assump tion is that he was yelling at the coaching staff.

After the game, Bill Belich ick was asked about those of fensive struggles.

“Well, I’ll just say tonight, like I said, we just didn’t do enough,” said Belichick in his postgame press conference. “Had some opportunities and weren’t able to take advantage of them.”

Jones explained his emotional rage afterwards.

“What I said was about throw ing it deeper in the short game,” said Jones in his postgame press conference. “I got to execute that part better. But it’s the short game we kept going to, which is working. But I felt like we needed chunk plays. I shout ed that out to kind of get ev eryone going. That’s emotional. That’s football.

“I’m passionate about this

WHAT TO WATCH

NFL THURSDAY, DEC. 8

Las Vegas (-6) at LA Rams 8:15 P.M. PRIME

SUNDAY, DEC. 11

NY Jets at Buffalo (-9.5) 1 P.M. CBS

Tampa Bay at San Francisco (-4) 4:25 P.M. FOX

Miami (-3) at LA Chargers 8:20 P.M. NBC

MONDAY, DEC. 12

New England (-1.5) at Arizona 8:15 P.M. ESPN

NHL FRIDAY, DEC. 9 Boston at Arizona 9:30 P.M. NESN

NBA SATURDAY, DEC. 10 Boston at Golden State 8:30 P.M. ABC

game,” added Jones. “Obviously, you don’t want to let your emo tions get the best of you. But yeah, I think that’s pretty much it. It wasn’t directed at any body. Just emotion coming out and we kind of needed a spark. When you’re playing from be hind against a pretty good team and a good offense, you need to go out there and make bet ter plays. That starts with me. Definitely wasn’t good enough by me tonight. All you can do is watch the tape and see where we can get better. Playing catch-up is hard. We didn’t want to do that all game. I didn’t do a good enough job of getting ahead early, making it work. So tough one, but hats off to the Bills for playing a good game.”

The Patriots’ next game is Monday Night Football against the 4-8 Cardinals in Arizona. The following week was sup posed to be New England’s fourth straight prime-time game, but their matchup against the Raiders in Vegas was flexed out of Sunday Night Football on NBC and into a 4 p.m. kickoff on FOX.

New England is a 1.5-point favor ite on Monday night in Arizona.