Arts

JP Porchfest is July 7th: Get Ready for 170 Performances on 90 Porches!

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The 5th Annual Jamaica Plain Porchfest this Saturday will be more awesome than the previous four as it will include music, theater, dance, spoken word, storytelling, comedy, circus arts and a politicians' porch. "We have 90 generous porch hosts this year – that is, folks who offer their porches to performers. In some cases, people perform on their own porches, but they often welcome others," said Mindy Fried, co-organizer with Marie Ghitman and Eli Pabon. "And in many cases, porch hosts simply offer their porches to whomever we assign to their porches, of course taking into consideration their available space, and if they have any special requests." Click on the map of porches to see a description of all of the performances (courtesy JP Porchfest).

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From the Community

120 Women-Owned Small Businesses Celebrated at Bella Luna

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Boston City Councilor At-Large Annissa Essaibi-George recently welcomed 120 women small business owners to Bella Luna Restaurant and Milky Way Lounge for an evening of networking and celebrating Boston's many thriving women-owned businesses. Bella Luna, a women-owned business, is also celebrating 26 years of being in business. The event, held on May 31, was co-sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Woman’s Advancement and Women Entrepreneurs Boston (WeBos). “As a small business owner, I think it is so important for us women to get together, talk and collaborate," said Essaibi-George. "When I talk with other women who own small businesses, even if we’re not in the same business, the conversations about what’s working and not working for us are really, really important.

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Elections

Walsh Cruises to Second Term; Six Women Now on City Council

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As expected Mayor Martin Walsh easily defeated District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson for a second term. But it was the Boston City Council races that were more interesting. Walsh took 65% of the vote to Jackson's 33%, according to unofficial results as of 10:30 pm on Tuesday. The only truly contested race in Jamaica Plain was the District 7 race (there's a little bit of District 7 in JP by Egleston Square). After a preliminary that had more than a dozen candidates Kim Janey and Rufus Faulk faced each other.

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Government

City Councilors to Massport and FAA: Plane Noise is ‘Unbearable’

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Much to the frustration of Jamaica Plain residents and those in other Boston neighborhoods, there has been a noticeable increase in airplane noise in recent months. Several Boston city councilors recently wrote a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration and Massport to express their own concerns, as well as their constituents' reported vexation. Seven city councilors representing Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale and West Roxbury penned the letter to Amy Lind Corbett, the regional administrator of the New England region for the FAA, and Thomas Glynn, CEO of Massport. "Nearly every morning, planes begin to fly overhead at or before 6 a.m. and often continue essentially non-stop for hours at a time. This can negatively impact an individual’s sleeping pattern, acuity, and quality of life," says the letter.

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Neighborhood Life

Sidewalk Chalk Writings Aim to Remove Stigma of Drug Overdoses

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Chalk writing on sidewalks in Jamaica Plain and throughout Boston are drawing attention to individuals who have died from drug overdoses in an effort to remove the stigma of ODs. Chalk messages seen Thursday outside the Jackson Square MBTA station (above) and by the boathouse at Jamaica Pond (below) mention a person's first name, their age and something special about them. They include messages referring to people like Justin, 34, who was "awesome and good looking. Forever missed and loved." Another refers to Julie Ann, who was 34 and was "adventurous and silly.

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Elections

Ayanna Pressley Got the Most Votes in JP in At-Large City Council Election

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At-Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley not only topped the ticket across all of Boston in Tuesday's elections, but she received the most votes in Jamaica Plain, too. Pressley netted a total of 3,571 votes from Jamaica Plain's 20 precincts. Fellow incumbent Michelle Wu, who finished second throughout all of Boston, also came in second in JP with 3,161 votes. At-Large City Councilor-elect Annissa Essaibi-George, who came in fourth overall. came in third in JP with 2,796 votes.

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Elections

Boston Elections: Essaibi-George Wins At-Large Seat; Campbell Defeats Yancey in District 4 Race

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Tuesday's Boston City Council elections saw two longtime city councilors lose their seats. In the at-large city council race, Annissa Essaibi-George of Dorchester earned a seat in her second time running for the position. Losing his seat is longtime city councilor Stephen Murphy, who was first elected in 1997. All results are from the City of Boston's Election Department. According to the department, about 13% of registered Boston voters turned out for this municipal election.

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Elections

Election Coverage: Q&A’s with All At-Large City Council Candidates and More

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This Tuesday's municipal election will most likely be a quiet election with few contested races. But there is a strong possibility that some challengers will defeat incumbents. All four incumbents are seeking reelection with only one challenger, Annissa Essaibi-George. Essaibi-George finished fifth in 2013 in the last at-large city council election, but started campaigning earlier and has gained numerous endorsements, including from current Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. Read a Q&A with Annissa Essaibi-George here.

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Elections

Q&A: Annissa Essaibi-George, At-Large City Council Candidate – Teacher, Business Owner and Parent

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Annissa Essaibi-George is the only challenger to the four incumbent At-Large Boston City Councilors for the Tuesday, November 3rd municipal election. She spoke with Jamaica Plain News about her candidacy. Q: Why are you running for the at-large city council? A: I’m running for a few reasons. Most important to me is to be able to use my experiences as teacher, business owner and parent to add value to the city council.

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