All July, Boston residents have the power to decide how to spend $2 million of the city’s budget to directly benefit city communities. So how would you like to spend it? This is thanks to the city’s Participatory Budget initiative called Ideas in Action. In the past funding has gone to to supporting an immigrant legal defense fund, neighborhood fresh food initiative, housing stability funding, workforce trading, youth financial literacy, and more. The fastest way…
Jamaica Plain News
Boston has issued an excessive heat warning for July 1 through July 3 due to expected temperatures of 100-plus degrees. The city’s excessive heat warning includes additional support for residents along with a recommendation to reschedule most outdoor events. Stay Informed Residents can sign up to receive updates through the city’s AlertBoston mass notification system, by phone, text, or email for information regarding extreme weather events. Places to Cool Off There are cooling resources across…
In July, the Arnold Arboretum’s landscape comes alive with the broad, luminous blooms of temperate hydrangeas—plants that reward close observation, particularly when encountered in their diversity. Across the Arboretum’s living collections, 183 hydrangeas representing 79 accessions—comprising 15 species and many varieties and cultivars—offer a vivid panorama of form, texture, and color as summer takes hold. Each species tells its own story in the landscape. Bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) represents perhaps the most familiar species in American gardens, offering an array of mophead and lacecap flowers whose colors shift with soil chemistry—from saturated blues to pinks…
Animal control officers are searching for a raccoon (or raccoons) that bit two people in a two-day span in Jamaica Plain. Both residents were being treated at area hospitals. One person was bit on June 26 at Jamaica Pond, and another person was bitten on June 27 near Kenton Street. From Jamaica Pond to Kenton Street is about a 10- to 20-minute walk for a human, so it would probably be longer for a raccoon…
A developer has proposed demolishing the existing Poor Clare Nuns Monastery and replacing it with a new building for 158 residential units. This new proposal is different than the previous iteration that included renovating the current 50,000 sq. ft. monastery along the Arborway. That proposal was due to people being upset about an original proposal to raze the monastery to create affordable senior housing. But after receiving feedback from neighbors, residents, and the Arnold Arboretum leadership…
Jamaica Plain resident Devin Kreinbring doesn’t care if he wins the election for the 10th Suffolk District state rep seat this fall. As a candidate for the Workers Party, running for office, is more than just a state rep race. “What I do want, is to help to organize working people against injustice and this is valid terrain for that struggle,” writes Kreinbring on his campaign website. Kreinbring is a medical equipment repairman and feels…
The city recently announced Zavia Dickerson as the new neighborhood liaison for Jamaica Plain. “Public service is deeply meaningful to me because I’ve seen firsthand the impact that strong communities and dedicated public servants can have on people’s lives,” said Dickerson. “My family has always relied on the strength of community, and I knew I wanted to be part of that work. I am excited to support residents, build connections, and help create positive change…
You’ll have the opportunity to speak directly to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in Jamaica Plain on June 25 as part of the city’s neighborhood coffee hours series. The Neighborhood Coffee Hours are a mayoral tradition in which residents can speak directly with the mayor and city department staff about the concerns, hopes, dreams, etc. Dunkin’ provides ice coffee and sweets, as well as lawn game activities, gift card give aways, and even a raffle prize.…
Along the northwestern base of Hemlock Hill at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, a broad sweep of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) grows where the woodland slopes down to meet the historic carriage road. Each June, in the filtered light beneath the hemlocks, these massed plantings offer one of the Arboretum’s most spectacular seasonal spectacles. A 22-acre woodland shaped by storm, succession, and scientific study, Hemlock Hill offers a rich diversity of shade-loving plants along…
To celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup, J.P. Licks created seven ice cream flavors inspired by countries playing in the tournament’s Boston-area matches. J.P. Licks World Futbol Flavors are inspired by desserts, beverages, and culinary traditions from around the world. J.P. Licks World Futbol Flavors include: Oatmeal Whiskey & Honey: A sweet ice cream pays homage to Scotland’s whiskey-making history and the traditional Scottish dessert, Cranachan, which features a few familiar ingredients: honey, oatmeal, whiskey, and…