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Articles by Sandra Storey
JP Observer: JP reading series Chapter and Verse begins 26th season
“It is difficult/to get the news from poems/yet men die miserably every day/for lack/of what is found there.” — William Carlos Williams, from Asphodel, That Greeny Flower & Other Love Poems. The inaugural reading of the 2025-2026 season of Chapter and Verse on Friday, Oct. 17 will feature two popular Massachusetts poets followed—for the first time ever—by an open mic where people from the audience can read a poem of their own or someone else’s.
October 2025 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 23, via Zoom. Chair Renee Stacey Welch presided over the session.
JP Observer: Root for wetlands, natural turf, mature trees, and neighbors
Also, root for the brook, breezes, cooler summers, wildlife habitat, dense vegetation, air quality, and well-maintained wetlands. And support reasonable peace and quiet as well as stable home values for residents in an official Environmental Justice (EJ) neighborhood. At first glance, deciding what use is best for the woodland/wetlands at 550 Morton St. might seem difficult.
JP Observer: Local people asked to help choose new name for city street in Arboretum
In a “Call for Community Input” (CCI), people connected to Jamaica Plain and Roslindale are being asked this spring to consider five possible new, historic local peoples’ names for the city street that bisects the Arboretum. Responses are due by Sat., April 27. “Bussey Street is named after Benjamin Bussey.
Public trees to be protected here as of March 28, But what’s next for the majority of trees—those that grow on private land? | Jamaica Plain Gazette
Permission of the Parks and Recreation Department, through a Tree Warden, will soon be required for anyone—including city officials themselves—to have healthy trees removed from City of Boston property. Getting that permission will require a well-publicized public hearing.
JP Observer: How not to waste a vote for president
Voters Beware Tip #3 to prepare for the Nov. 5 election, in song: “Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be vote-wasters.” (Thanks to Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson for the “cowboys” lyrics inspiration.) Everybody knows it’s important to register and then vote in the presidential election. Period. Unfortunately, some people waste their final votes for president on a candidate or blank ballot that won’t achieve anything.
February 2024 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
By Adam Swift Mayor Michelle Wu and members of her administration touted how a redeveloped White Stadium will benefit the city’s students and residents at a virtual community outreach meeting on Feb. 12. A little over a week after the… Read more → The Housing and Development Committee (HDC) of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held its regular monthly meeting this past Tuesday evening.
JP Observer: Election Warning #2: Watch out for media hype of poll ‘results’
“Don’t rely on misconceptions about aging when thinking about President Joe Biden’s—or any other person’s or candidate’s—competency.” That was Presidential Election Warning #1 in the JP Observer published in September. Voters should look at his specific job performance and actual facts about aging and competence in general before letting a simple birth year, cautious gait or a slip of the tongue by one candidate influence them negatively.
December 2023 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
JPNC Housing Comm. votes to send letter to the MBTA regarding new Arborway garage by • December 22, 2023 • 0 Comments The Housing and Development Committee (HDC) of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held its regular monthly meeting this past Monday.
JP Observer: City to Community on Recent Projects Seems To Be: ‘We Tell, Not Listen.’Needed Changes Can Bring Genuine, Productive Public Participation | Jamaica Plain Gazette
Jamaica Plain residents and business people are dealing with some large, complex public projects this year including City of Boston plans for creating additional sections of a bike-lane network on JP streets; renovating White Stadium in Franklin Park to host a women’s professional soccer league team in addition to school sports; and preserving community uses instead of salt piles on the long-planned Arborway Yard development.
October 2023 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
By Michael Coughlin Jr. During the city’s Municipal Election on November 7th, voters will finally crown a victor in the battle between candidates Ben Weber and William King for the right to be called District 6 City Councilor.
JP Observer: Heat Pump Time: Energy-Efficient Home Heating-and-Cooling Options Available
Lots of people, including rafts of journalists and tons of Americans polled recently, say they want to put an upper age limit on who can be president of the United States. More than 70 percent of respondents—Democrats, Republicans and independents alike—said in a 2022 poll conducted by CBS News that they want such a limit. (Ironically, fewer than the other age groups, 68 percent of people ages 18-29 wanted limits.) More recent polls show more than 50 percent of people want age restrictions.
August 2023 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held its regular monthly meeting this past Tuesday evening. Chair Renee Stacey Welch and fellow members Michael Reiskind, Bernie Doherty, Sarah Freeman, Gert Thorn, Peg Preble, Leah Simmons, Peter DeCotis, Dave Baron, Purple Reign,… Read more → By Michael Coughlin Jr. The Boston Planning and Development Agency’s (BPDA) Board of Directors approved a project at 96-100 Rockwood Street in Jamaica Plain during a meeting on Thursday, August 17.
July 2023 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
JP Observer: It’s time we check on air quality like we do the weather; here’s how Open the windows. Take a walk. Get some fresh air. Sounds like good, commonplace advice. And it used to be, depending on the location.
JP Observer: Heat Pump Time: Energy-Efficient Home Heating & Cooling Options Available
When I was a third-grader in Alabama I remember my dad pointed to a metal box near our house in the backyard. He said it was a heat pump that warmed the house in the winter. “It pulls energy from the ground,” he explained. “No need for fire. We can use this here in the South because it doesn’t get very cold here.” “No fire! That sounds like magic,” I said, remembering our coal-burning furnace up north the year before.
JP Observer: ChatGPT: Is AI Armageddon Upon Us?
As if newspaper columnists and other journalists needed something else to freak people out about this year, along came ChatGPT. It was released by nonprofit creator OpenAI in late November so people can have things written to order for them. Most media praised its writing abilities while expressing fears about just that. University professors, teachers and other highly verbal people are worried in the reports.
February 2023 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
Wu Announces Investment of $67 Million To Create and Preserve 802 Income-Restricted Homes in Boston by • February 24, 2023 • 0 Comments Special to the Gazette On Thursday, Feb. 16, Mayor Michelle Wu came to Jamaica Plain and joined the Hyde Square Task Force, affordable housing developers, and community organizations at the site of the former Blessed Sacrament church to announce $67… Read more → JPNC Housing Comm.
JP Observer: The Monument Soldier’s Eyes
I thought I knew Monument Square at the Centre and South Streets intersection well. How many times have I driven or walked by the landmark Civil War memorial with the soldier on top over the past 50 years? Like many residents, it must be thousands. The island where the monument stands was set aside for the area’s first schoolhouse in 1676. It’s across from what was the town hall, Curtis Hall, built in 1868 across the street.
January 2023 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held its regular monthly meeting this past Tuesday. Chairman Will Cohen and members Dave Baron, Michael Reiskind, vice-chair Bernie Doherty, Nick Chaves, Alexis Rickmers, Gert Thorn, Peg Preble, Omer Hecht, Paige Sparks, Renee Stacey… Read more → The Housing and Development Committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council held a meeting last Tuesday, January 17.
JP Observer: Take a Hike Through JP, Boston Along a Unique Urban Trail
Special to the Gazette A new way to socialize, get some exercise that’s not strenuous, and become immersed in Boston green spaces is being unveiled this summer by the Jamaica Plain man who invented it. Miles Howard created what’s called “The Walking City Trail,” 25 miles divided into four sections across 14 Boston neighborhoods, including JP. Howard has led the first two guided tours this summer, one section at a time, and people say they have enjoyed it despite the heat.
August 2022 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
A new brewery will join Turtle Swamp and Sam Adams in Jamaica Plain later on this year—Liz Nicol, owner and founder of Drawdown Brewing, hopes to open her brewery in the commercial space at 3200 Washington St. this coming December.… Read more → Mayor Michelle Wu held a press conference on August 23 from the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)—one of the city’s new polling locations—to provide information ahead of the upcoming Sept. 6 primary election.
JP Observer: Fixing our Democracy – First ethics code ever proposed for SCOTUS | Jamaica Plain Gazette
Most of the recent extreme Supreme Court (SCOTUS) rulings have made no sense. We live in a representative democracy where the majority is supposed to pretty much prevail. Yet SCOTUS rulings to loosen gun controls and CO2 emissions regulations, allow abortion bans by states, permit prayer at school events and give tax money to religious schools don’t reflect thought in the real world.
July 2022 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
Prolific, LLC is looking to open a retail cannabis dispensary at 684-702 Centre St. in the former 7-Eleven space. CEO Eric Lawrence and Vice President Maya Gaul were on hand to make a presentation and answer questions and address comments… Read more → On Thursday, July 7, the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Police Department hosted its monthly community relations meeting. The meeting is an opportunity for residents to ask questions of local law enforcement.
JP Observer: MA + 14 other states support National Popular Vote; more states needed
If things go well in the next two years, Massachusetts electors will vote for whomever wins the national popular vote for president on Nov. 5, 2024. And the United States would be guaranteed for the first time that its president got the majority of votes. No more giving all 11 of our electors’ votes to whomever wins the popular vote in Massachusetts alone. Instead, our electors would be pledged to give their votes in the Electoral College to whomever wins the national popular vote.
June 2022 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
The MBTA held a virtual public meeting regarding the Forest Hills Station accessibility upgrades on June 9, where the team presented some changes to the proposal and addressed comments and questions from residents. MBTA project manager Arthur Gillis said that… Read more → La nueva Unidad de Cuidados Críticos (CCU) de Angell Animal Medical Center ay está abierta en su sitio en S. Huntington. Ave. El departamento de emergencias de Angell atiende alrededor de 35.000 casos al año.
JP Observer: When Media is Media: Social media and freedom of speech
What’s been written and said about free speech and social media lately could fill a server farm. Unfortunately, much of the discussion and many disagreements so far are based on fundamental gaps in understanding. Kingpins of “social media” platforms tend to be anti the former and ignorant about the latter. They know a lot about digital technology and making money, but that’s not enough to manage a complex media business that’s specifically protected by the Constitution.
May 2022 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is asking residents to not swim, fish or boat in Jamaica Pond due to a dangerous algea bloom that can make people and pets very sick. The BPHC issued the warning for… Read more → This gallery contains 7 photos → Jamaica Plain Progressives, along with Mijente, NAACP Boston, and RTC Vote, held a virtual forum for the candidates for the 2nd Suffolk Senate seat on May 23. The seat is currently held by Sonia Chang-Diaz, who is running for… Read more → Sgt.
JP Observer: Urban Forest Plan crucial for Boston’s trees
Everyone who understands the importance of preserving and enhancing the number and well-being of all trees in Boston can be especially happy today, Earth Day, April 22. This year’s Earth Day theme is, appropriately, “Invest in Our Planet.” A draft Boston Urban Forest Plan (UFP) released recently by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department (BPRD) is set to be finalized in late spring or early summer, after further input is considered.
JP Observer: Ending homelessness here benefits from strong social services
Part 2 of a 2-part Series Boston fights homelessness by providing housing first, plus an array of support services for the people in need of housing. The City of Boston—through the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) Homeless Services Bureau (HSB), and the Mayor’s Office of Housing—with many local nonprofits, like the legendary Pine Street Inn—are key to Boston’s efforts.
March 2022 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
With 30 percent of the design complete, the MBTA held a public meeting for the Forest Hills Station improvements project on March 9, at which questions and comments from residents were addressed following the presentation. The project goal is to… Read more → El 9 de marzo, la MBTA presentó una reunión pública sobre las actualizaciones de la estación Forest Hills. El proyecto tiene como objetivo aumentar la accesibilidad.
JP Observer: Housing crises, homelessness, confronted firmly here
Residents of the prominent Forbes Building at 545 Centre Street voiced major worries at what was called an “Emergency Summit” on Zoom on Feb. 17. The dinner-time gathering was attended by more than 74 residents, neighbors, friends, officials and other supporters also fearful about the building’s immediate and long-term future.
February 2022 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
At a press conference Wednesday Mayor Michelle Wu said, for anyone who has had to try to find an early childhood education seat in Boston navigating the many complicated systems, registrations and applications can be a daunting task. “This… Read more → Three Boston projects were recently awarded MassWorks grants totaling about $9 million: The Nubian Square Ascends Project in Roxbury, the Mildred Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain, and the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment in Charlestown.
JP Observer: A Nation Divided: Peaceful discussions across U.S. required
Divided, fractured, segmented, split, polarized… we don’t need to wait long these days to hear someone using one of those words to describe this country. “More divided than ever,” is a common expression. Hot issues that separate people headline today’s news: masks, vaccinations, race relations, political parties, religion, immigration, voting rights, education, Roe v.
January 2022 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
For the third year in a row, the Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts will receive a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The grant will help fund the school’s Artist in Residence project, which… Read more → Standing in Maverick Square in East Boston last Thursday Attorney General Maura Healey officially announced her candidacy for Governor of Massachusetts. Healey has long been touted as the successor to Gov.
JP Observer: Bike transport is great, but climate benefits from expansion are limited
I’m conflicted. (Is that even allowed for a columnist?) I really like bicycles and bicyclists. I love community participation in government decision-making, including about climate change and transportation Nevertheless, I like science, too. I even like crunching numbers, if that helps clarify situations so we can make the best-informed decisions when timing is critical, as it is with climate change.
JP Observer: Faulty formula deprives deserving residents of affordable housing here
“That’s not affordable here!” Every time the federal income qualifications for a below-market housing development in Jamaica Plain get announced in public, you can hear people muttering or even calling out that the numbers look too high to be affordable to people here. Those folks with common sense—along with people make similar comments in meetings—are right.
November 2021 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
The Housing & Development Committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) met virtually on November 16 to discuss a couple of Article 80 projects as well as a few other matters. The group head from developers before asking questions… Read more → On Tuesday inside the Boston City Council Chambers, Michelle Wu made history and was sworn in, as the first female and first woman of color to ever serve as Mayor of Boston in the city’s history.
JP Observer: Climate change battle needs to go bigger, faster
By Sandra Storey / Special to the Gazette When I saw the photos of dry, barren Mars—courtesy of NASA’s latest rover early this year—I started feeling nervous. When the scientists said that the presence of water under the surface indicates there was life on the planet a billion or so years ago, a chill went up my spine. If life on another planet could disappear, it could vanish from ours, too. I was overcome by a stronger sense of foreboding than I’ve ever had before.
JP Observer: JPNDC Raising Funds to Create Center for Equity and Prosperity for Boston Families
Special to the Gazette Known mostly for creating jobs and affordable housing in the Jamaica Plain area for the past 44 years, the JP Neighborhood Development Corporation’s (JPNDC) current strategic plan calls for going deeper and wider to increase services it provides to Boston families. The nonprofit’s “Capital Campaign for Equity and Prosperity” is in full swing to provide more families with the tools to overcome a notorious wealth divide in the U.S. as it exists in their lives in Boston.
July 2021 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
The Teaching Kitchen at Community Servings is back in full swing, with a number of changes from previous years to benefit the program participants. Community Servings, a JP-based nonprofit that provides medically tailored meals to people with chronic and critical… Read more → The MBTA Green Line Transformation (GLT) team held a public meeting on July 14 to discuss upcoming track work between Brigham Circle and South Huntington Ave. stations.
JP Observer: Local nonprofit boosts greener world with and for energy consumers
Transportation—including electric cars—a major focus Green Energy Consumers Alliance, located in the JPNDC Brewery Complex at 284 Amory Street, has the climate-saving mission “to harness the power of energy consumers to speed the transition to a low-carbon future.” To do that, the non-profit has programs and services for residents and businesses that help them improve their energy choices. At the same time, Green Energy Consumers advocates for green policies and programs locally and beyond.
JP Observer: Neighbors join voices outdoors in spirit of community
The sound was perfect for the day. Twenty-two neighbors joined to sing “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” on a Hall Street sidewalk at 5 p.m. this past April 13. The sun was shining brightly as it moved lower in the sky. The Hall Street Howlers, as the residents call themselves, have been gathering for a Sing-Out every day since the beginning of the pandemic. Afterwards, they linger to chat for a while—always masked and socially distanced, of course.
April 2021 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
State holds public hearing for Shattuck campus proposal On April 13, a public hearing was hosted by the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) to present the project proposal for the Shattuck Hospital campus on Morton St. in Jamaica Plain, and to allow for public… Read more → Judge sides with School Committee on Exam School admissions policy Federal Judge William Young late last week issued his decision on the challenge to this year’s altered Exam School...
JP Observer: Conspiracy groups emerge as major domestic threat
An angry mob made up of thousands of members of various conspiracy groups and their believers burst through barricades, then windows, and into the fully occupied U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, waving weapons and flags and yelling their heads off. From all over the country, including Massachusetts, believers worked in concert to do violence in support of the most publicized conspiracy theories of the year.
JP Observer: Impartial Investigation Needed for Family, Community into Police Shooting of JP Native
Special to the Gazette Everything went wrong and in public for 41-year old Jamaica Plain native Juston Root almost a year ago, and it cost him his life. The mentally ill man died in a hail of daylight gunfire from six police officers that left 26 bullets in his already wounded body and 31 at the scene—a mulched area near a busy intersection on Route 9 in Brookline on Feb. 7.
January 2021 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
The First Dose: Residents, Staff of Mount Pleasant Home, Goddard House Receive COVID-19 Vaccine by • January 22, 2021 • 0 Comments Jamaica Plain’s Mount Pleasant Home was among the first residential care homes in the state to vaccinate its residents and staff at a clinic on January 13.
JP Observer: Better electric supplier just around the corner
Nervous and excited as Nov. 3 approaches? After we cast our ballots and while we wait for results will be a good time to take a minute to look at a recent electric bill and see what it says under “Total Charges for Electricity.” Sounds silly, but what people in Jamaica Plain and all Bostonians see will turn out to be important to them and the entire community in the next few months—and then for years to come.
JP Observer: Copious Trump emails, texts to supporters dish up flattery and fear
When I was involved in reporting and editing at the Gazette, I was always interested in finding out how candidates for office were managing their campaigns. Along with learning about their relevant experience and policy stands, we looked at their campaign literature and asked them about their strategies. How a person runs for election and what they say and do to persuade people are strong indicators of how they will govern.
September 2020 - Jamaica Plain Gazette
Days after announcing her candidacy for mayor, City Councilor Michelle Wu held events in communities around Boston where she discussed issues with constituents. If elected, Wu would be the first Boston mayor with small children in about 30 years. “Being… Read more → La Consejera Municipal del Distrito 4, Andrew Campbell, anunció su candidatura para alcalde de Boston el 24 sept., agregando un tercer candidato (y el segundo ex presidente del consejo) a la carrera.
JP OBSERVER: Popular, much-needed housing here should not be held up
The final and most important in a series of wonderful votes occurred to benefit Jamaica Plain and the Boston area just as the covid 19 pandemic was first arriving here this spring. At a hearing on March 10, the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) unanimously approved 202 much-needed living units—140 for formerly homeless individuals and 62 units for low and moderate income people at 3368 Washington St. near the Green Street intersection.
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