News Briefs

Councilor Janey Likely Council President

Roxbury and South End Councilor Kim Janey proclaimed on Tuesday to have the necessary votes required to become the next City Council President this coming January. To get the position, a councilor must secure a majority of the votes from their 11 colleagues. The current Council President is Dorchester/Mattapan Councilor Andrea Campbell.

Other names that had been discussed, according to sources and to the Boston Herald, were Matt O’Malley, Lydia Edwards and Michelle Wu.

Jail Time for Dartmouth Trench Collapse

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Mitchell H. Kaplan on Dec. 4 sentenced Kevin Otto, owner of Atlantic Drain Services to sentenced to two years in the House of Corrections after being found guilty of two counts of manslaughter for the deaths of employees Robert Higgins and Kelvin “Chuck” Mattocks. Otto will have three years’ probation following his sentence, and he can never employ anyone in a job that involves excavation. The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) hopes the sentence will serve as a warning to employers that place profits over the safety of their employees that society will punish them for needlessly putting lives at risk.

“When a worker is killed on the job, it is incredibly rare that an employer is held responsible, despite knowingly putting their workers lives at risk,” said MassCOSH Executive Director Jodi Sugerman-Brozan. “This case was even more egregious in that Kevin Otto and Atlantic Drain had already been issued multiple OSHA violations, had been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program, and even attempted to deceive investigators with falsified safety and health records after the tragic event. We hope the Mattocks and Higgins families get some peace from justice served.”

“[We are] glad there is coverage so the world will know that [Kelvin] did not die in vain and some good has come out of this,” said Melinda Mattocks-Ushry, sister of Kelvin Mattocks.

Back Bay Happenings

Mandarin Oriental, Boston Introduces Puppy Love Package

This Valentine’s Day and beyond, show your pet the love with a getaway for you both at Five-Star Mandarin Oriental, Boston with the Puppy Love package. Upon arrival, four-legged guests will enjoy a plush sleeping pillow, mineral water, puppy place-setting, in-room “Doggie Dining” menu and a special “doggie bag” delivery, which features homemade artisan dog biscuits and a Woof Clicquot dog toy. Enjoy a relaxing “Lady and the Tramp-” inspired three-course Italian feast in the comfort of your guestroom. Menu highlights include guest’s choice of Risotto Alla Milanese or Spaghetti Aglio Olio and homemade Tiramisu, while pets enjoy meatballs made with ground beef, oats and vegetables such as carrots and kale. The package also includes a 30-minute pet photo shoot at the hotel with a professional photographer who will provide a digital image gallery for guests as a special memento of their stay. The John Paul Pet care package will come in handy for getting your pet “photo-ready” with items such as Body and Paw Pet Wipes.The Puppy Love package is priced starting at $1,195.00 plus taxes and gratuities. A portion of all Puppy Love package proceeds will be donated to MSPCA-Angell, a premier “pawtner” of the hotel that provides kindness and caring for all animals.

The package is available from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2020, is based on double occupancy and one pet per guestroom and is subject to availability. Pet fee is included in package price. It must be booked a minimum of seven days prior to arrival and additional nights can be booked at the best available rate. Reservations can be made by visiting www.mandarinoriental.com/boston.

South End Dates

•The Sound End Forum Opiate Working Group meeting on Dec. 17 has been canceled due to an Opiate Task Force meeting on Dec. 20. The next meeting of the Opiate Working Group will be on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m. in the Hampton Inn and Suites, Mass/Cass.

•The Zoning Board hearing for Ming’s Market to expand a warehouse use to a vacant building at 148 East Berkeley St. will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 10:30 a.m. in City Hall, Room 801

•The Boston Flower Exchange demolition will officially begin on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 10:30 a.m. on Albany Street. The Abbey Group and Suffolk Construction will hold a short ceremony to mark the occasion as they begin construction on the first phase of Exchange South End – a next-generation life science and technology campus.

Fenway Times

•Tiger Mama to host feast of the seven fishes,  a multi-course, holiday seafood extravaganza featuring exclusive dishes and wine pairings tuesday, Dec. 17

Making the season bold, merry and bright, Tiger Mama is hosting a tiki Christmas bash and a New Year’s Drag Brunch. On Tuesday, December 17th, Tiffani Faison’s award-winning Southeast Asian restaurant will riff on the classic Italian Pescatarian Christmas Eve tradition, Feast of the Seven Fishes, with a seven course, seafood-forward extravaganza told through Tiger Mama’s bold point of view and exciting flavor profiles. Tiger Mama will also host its wildly popular Drag Brunch on New Year’s Day. Reservations are now being accepted for both Feast of the Seven Fishes and Drag Brunch. www.tigermamaboston.com, 617-425-MAMA (6262).

•The BPDA is holding a meeting on December 16 from 6:00-8:00 at the Alumni Center at Columbus Place, 716 Columbus Ave. to discuss Northeastern’s proposed Institutional Master Plan Amendment and student residence building (a joint venture with American Campus Communities) at 840 Columbus Avenue in Roxbury. Public is invited and encouraged to attend.

• The BPDA is holding a Phase 2 public meeting regarding the Fenway Center project on December 16 from 6:00-8:00pm at the BU Sargent College, Room 101, 635 Commonwealth Ave. The revised program consists of 692,000 square feet of lab space, which includes associated office and support spaces, along with 48,400 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The Proponent proposes to construct approximately 501 parking spaces as a component of Phase 2, for a total of 790 Project parking spaces. The Project Change will therefore reduce the overall project parking count by approximately 550 spaces as compared to the previously approved project. *In addition to this meeting, a public meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee will be held in January 2020.

•Billy Joel to Return in 2020 Last week we announced another concert coming to Fenway Park in 2020: Billy Joel will make his return for the seventh consecutive year on Aug. 28, 2020. The news comes less than two months after closing out our 2019 concert series in

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