Restaurants

Another Arepa Restaurant Coming Soon, This One in Jackson Square

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A popular West Roxbury arepas restaurant is bringing its authentic Venezuelan cuisine to a new location in Jamaica Plain's Jackson Square. A sign of the window at 270 Centre St. says Viva Mi Arepa is coming soon.The space was previously Il Panino, which closed during the pandemic in 2022. The menu includes various arepas such as a Pabellon (shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and cheese), reina pepiada (Venezuelan-styled chicken salad and avocado), pernil (oven-roasted pork), and more. There are also cachapas -- a Venezuelan hot corn pancake with cheese and assorted toppings (chicken, pork, beef, etc).

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Business

Allandale Farm’s Store Will Be Year Round + New Barn for Curtis & Willard

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Allandale Farm is opening for the spring season on April 5, and unlike previous years, will not be closing after Christmas, because from now on, the store will be open all year long. Plus Highland steer Curtis and Willard, and the chickens, are getting a new barn! "For over ten years now we have been improving the infrastructure that supports our farming business and we have now arrived at the final goal: A new year round store that will sustainably provide food, plants and jobs into the future," wrote Helen Glotzer, General Manager & CEO of Allandale Farm, on the farm's website. Glotzer said the square footage of the store will be very similar to the existing store and greenhouses. The new location will have improved access in and around the store with special consideration for safety and mobility.

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Environment

Get Your Binoculars Ready for First Spring Bird Walk in Franklin Park

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Are the orioles back in Jamaica Plain? You'll find out on Saturday at the first spring bird walk at the Franklin Park. This walk is with Nature Man Mike, sponsored by the Brookline Bird Club, Franklin Park Tennis Association, and the Emerald Necklace Bird Club. And they'll be hosting bird walks all spring. Meet at the Shattuck Tennis Courts on Saturday, March 30, at 8 am.

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Jamaica Plain People

Jamaica Plain’s Vanessa Vélez Nominated to Boston Municipal Court

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Jamaica Plain resident Vanessa Vélez was nominated by Governor Maura Healey to be an associate justice for the Boston Municipal Court. The nominees will now be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation. Rebeca G. Figueroa and Steven S. Kim were also nominated. The Boston Municipal Court Department serves Boston, and handles both criminal and civil matters. The Boston Municipal Court Department has 30 judges in eight court divisions located in Brighton, Central (downtown), Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, South Boston, and West Roxbury.

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Restaurants

Evergreen Eatery & Café Wants Beer & Wine License

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The Evergreen Eatery & Café is looking to get a beer and wine license to go along with their menu. Representatives of the restaurant will be discussing their desire for an alcohol license at the Jamaica Plain Business & Professional Association on Wednesday at the JP Seafood Cafe, which by the way, is owned by Phil Paik, a super name person who also owns Evergreen. Evergreen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but drinks are limited to coffee, water, and soft drinks. But it sure would be delicious to have a cold beer with one of the cafe's smash burgers. In many places in the U.S. a restaurant's desire for a beer and wine licenses wouldn't be much news.

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Environment

Planning Ahead: View the Solar Eclipse from Peters Hill

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A solar eclipse will happen on April 8, and people are making plans all across the area to view it in certain places. So how about the summit of Peters Hill in the Arnold Arboretum? Join Arnold Arboretum docent Kevin Schofield for a tour of Peters Hill, the Arboretum's tallest hill, and home to white pines, dawn redwoods, bamboo, ginkgoes, larches, and a truly magnificent crabapple collection. The tour will start at 2 pm end at the summit, where you will get a chance to view the partial eclipse through eclipse-safe sunglasses provided by the Arboretum. Note: How well the eclipse can be seen will depend on how much cloud cover there is that afternoon.

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History

Help Rename Bussey Street Renaming: Choose 1 of the 5 Finalists

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Bussey Street is being renamed, and the community leaders behind the initiative want the community's input on which of the five finalists to rename the street after. The 5 finalists are:

Cuffe
Dick Welsh
Flora
Margaret Fuller
Shiu-ying Hu

Profiles of the five finalists are below

Bussey Street is a vehicular street that intersects the Arnold Arboretum. The street is named after Benjamin Bussey, whose legacy is complicated due to some of his wealth deriving from the profits of trade in products produced by enslaved people in the American South and the Caribbean, according to the Presidential Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery, a major initiative by Harvard University "focused on researching and day-lighting connections between Harvard and its community to both the institution and economy of slavery." A large portion of the Arnold Arboretum, land now owned by the city and leased to Harvard to operate the arboretum, was donated by Bussey, according to the Arnold Arboretum. There are numerous things named after him including Bussey Hill, Bussey Brook and Bussey Brook Meadow on the Arboretum grounds.

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Government

Gov. Healey Issues Pardon for Misdemeanor Marijuana Possession Convictions in Massachusetts

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Governor Maura Healey announced on Wednesday that she is taking executive action to pardon misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions in Massachusetts, which needs to be approved by the Governor’s Council. Healey's pardon will apply to all eligible convictions, and most people will not need to take any action to have their criminal records updated. The pardon would apply to all adult Massachusetts state court misdemeanor convictions before March 13, 2024 for possession of marijuana. “Nobody should face barriers to getting a job, housing or an education because of an old misdemeanor marijuana conviction that they would not be charged for today,” said Healey. She said it would be would be the most comprehensive action by a governor since President Joe Biden pardoned federal marijuana possession convictions and called on governors to take similar actions in their states.

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