We’ve heard a number of stories in recent days of people whose flights or train trips between various cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic were canceled or delayed for days as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Many of them stuck it out, while others rented cars to get to their destinations. But one UK doctor chose to hail a cab to make the 300+ mile trip from Philadelphia to Boston. [More]
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Silly Trojan! Boston Mayor Doesn’t Want Any Of Your Free Vibrators In His Public Plazas
By 10.19.12
Trojan is having a hard time building up a buzz over its free vibrators promotion — first New York City put the smackdown on the company in August after its giveaway got out of hand, and now Boston’s mayor is asking that Trojan Vibrations not set up shop in a public plaza. Mayor Tom Menino’s office wrote a letter to Trojan’s marketing company stressing the “family-friendly” atmosphere of the City Hall Plaza in a bid to put the brakes on the promo. [More]
If You Steal A Bike From The Store, Don't Go Back Right Away To Buy A Lock
By 8.3.12
They say that crime doesn’t pay. But we have a feeling that this is mostly due to the fact that a lot of criminals happen to be really stupid people. [More]
Verizon’s Deal To Buy Spectrum From Cable Companies Could Mean Fewer Cable Options For Consumers
By 8.2.12 — Updated: 2.15.13
It seems like it’s been oh, about eight months since Verizon Wireless announced its proposal to buy billions of dollars worth of wireless spectrum from cable companies who aren’t using it anyway. At first glance, it seems like a not-horrible idea, as Verizon Wireless doesn’t compete directly with the likes of Comcast and Time Warner Cable. But with regulators nearing a decision on the deal, several high-profile folks have come forward to voice their concerns about how Verizon might be sacrificing the growth of its FiOS business in favor of its wireless network. [More]
Bloomberg Comes Out Against Boston & Chicago Mayors’ Anti-Chick-Fil-A Messages
By 7.27.12
While New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a supporter of same-sex marriage, he says he disagrees with the way some of his fellow mayors have responded to the ongoing Chick fil-A controversy. [More]
Here’s The Letter Where Boston Mayor Tells Chick Fil-A To Stay The Cluck Out Of His Town
By 7.25.12
The controversy surrounding Chick fil-A and its leadership’s stance on same-sex marriage will likely not die down anytime soon, especially now that the Internet has the actual letter sent by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to the eatery’s president Dan Cathy. [More]
Forget Food Trucks And Rolling Retailers; This Guy Operates His Gym From The Back Of His Pickup
By 7.25.12
Yesterday we told you about retailers who were following the food truck model of taking their wares to customers on the city streets. But that’s nothing compared to the guy who decided the best way to get customers to his gym was to bring his gym to the public — in the back of his pickup truck. [More]
Comcast Tech Saves Sleeping Customer From Fire
By 6.15.12
A woman in Boston says she has a Comcast tech to thank for her being alive today, after he alerted her to a fire in her building. And before you ask, no, the tech did not start the fire. [More]
Boston Mayor To FCC: Please Don't Listen To Comcast
By 5.25.12
In April, cable subscribers in Boston were offered a glimmer of hope after the FCC ruled that the city would once again, after a decade of price increases from Comcast (the only cable company in town), be allowed to regulate cable pricing. But the war isn’t over, as Comcast has asked the FCC to rethink its ruling while Boston’s mayor has asked the FCC to just please not listen to Comcast. [More]
Parking Lot To Offer Discount To Hybrids & EVs, Charge More For SUVs
By 4.25.12
It’s one thing for a parking lot to simply offer a discount to people who choose to drive fuel-efficient hybrid and electric vehicles. But does that lot go too far when it charges a premium for people to park their SUVs and Jeeps? [More]
FCC Gives Boston Go-Ahead To Regulate Cable Prices Again
By 4.9.12
It’s been 11 months since the mayor of Boston asked the Federal Communications Commission if he could pretty-please-with-sugar-on-top be allowed to regulate what cable companies charge in his fair city. Well, it appears the FCC Entmoot has finally wrapped up and Boston can once again rein in soaring cable rates. [More]
JetBlue Selling "Boston All" Passes Through Thursday
By 8.17.11
If you fly frequently through Boston, here’s a deal for you. Now through Thursday night, JetBlue is selling $1,999 passes that give you three months of unlimited travel, as long as you fly to and from Boston. When offered earlier this month, the “Boston All” passes sold out within a week. [More]
"Foreclosure Factory" Draws Critics
By 8.8.11
It’s a one-stop foreclosure shop. Under one roof is a law office, title company, and auction house. They act as their own notaries and can foreclose. Its owner and several of his top attorneys are even VPs at the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc (MERS) which gives them the ability to transfer mortgages from owner to the other. The Boston Globe profiles a local law firm that has attracted criticism from homeowners and consumer advocates for its vertically integrated approach to foreclosure that can speedily ride over homeowners who thought they were in the middle of working out a deal with the bank. [More]
Restaurant Apologizes For Mistake With Free Chocolate Cake For New Mother
By 8.3.11
A little bit of kindness will get you far. A little bit of chocolate cake will get you even farther, as one restaurant manager, a husband, and his wife who had just given birth found out. [More]
Restaurant Turns Away Diners For Having Too Many Service Dogs
By 6.28.11
Police were summoned to a Boston-area restaurant over the weekend after a group of 13 diners, including six with service dogs, were turned away by the manager for fear that so many canines could cause chaos. [More]
Sick Of Comcast Rate Hikes, Boston Mayor Asks FCC To Let City Regulate Cable Prices
By 5.9.11
In the city of Boston, where most residents only have access to Comcast service, the price of basic cable has soared 60% over the last three years. So the city’s mayor, Thomas Menino, has asked the Federal Communications Commission to let the city regulate the cost of cable. [More]
Man Randomly Tosses $100 In Singles At Starbucks Customers
By 3.22.11
Like a scene out of some wacky ’80s comedy, customers at a Boston Starbucks were showered in cash on St. Patrick’s day when a man decided to let fly with 100 one-dollar bills inside the coffee shop. [More]
Unemployed Law Student Will Hand Back Degree For Tuition Refund
By 10.25.10
An out of work Boston College law student wrote an open letter to his college’s dean with an unusual proposition. [More]
