A tale of two stories, or why Borderline loves the Herald

Clumsy editing errors aside, the Herald really runs circles around the Globe when it comes to crime-related news. Check these two headlines and introductory paragraphs, detailing the arrest of killer/mob dude Carmen DiNunzio:

From the Boston Globe:

Alleged underboss of New England Mafia is arrested

By Shelley Murphy and Raja Mishra, Globe Staff

Reputed Mafia underboss Carmen "The Big Cheese" DiNunzio was arrested on extortion and illegal gambling charges as he emerged from a North End social club yesterday, potentially ending the reign of an underworld leader credited with uniting the fractured Boston mob into a low-key, profit-focused machine.

From the Boston Herald:

Cops nab alleged Mafia boss: ‘Big Cheese’ busted after 5-year probe

By O’Ryan Johnson and Laurel J. Sweet

Carrying a wad of 100s and 50s as fat as a ball of mozzarella, Carmen Salvatore DiNunzio was busted by state police yesterday in the North End near the spot where the alleged Boston Mafia kingpin runs a cheese shop, authorities said.

The Globe reads like an obituary, the Herald like a thriller. Which story do you want to keep reading?

Borderline has said it before, and will say it again: This city needs the Herald. They are so superior to the Globe in a few key "beats," like crime, the neighborhoods, and official corruption. There are a few decent reporters at the Globe, but the Ivy Leaguers who run the Globe just don't how to consistently cover these areas that well.

Newton Police Department, circa 1889

This is great: An account of the size and responsibilities of the Newton Police Department in olden times, from M.F. Sweester's "King's Handbook of Newton" (1889):

The police force numbers 3 officers and 20 patrolmen. Of the latter, 4 are stationed at Newton, 3 each at Nonantum, West Newton, and Newton Center, 2 at Newtonville, and 1 each at Auburndale, Newton Lower Falls, Newton Upper Falls, Newton Highlands, and Chestnut Hill. There are also 6 police officers subject to call for special service. This vigilant civic force makes between 500 and 600 arrests each year, about one-third which are of persons who have imbibed too freely, while perhaps 100 are incarcerated for disturbances of the peace, and 50 or more for larcenies. Most of the rueful culprits are foreigners, some of whom are also represented among the 1,200 tramps that are yearly cared for by the city authorities. There are police stations at Newton, Nonantum, West Newton, and Newton Center. The City Council has just provided for the introduction of a police electric signal alarm.

Definitely not politically correct, but very interesting just the same -- this is an era before telephones and automobiles, and police could only be notified of problems in person -- which necessitated the force having an officer or two in every village of Newton.

Street life comes to Watertown - the Waltham connections

H2Otown has a post about the problems plaguing a certain neighborhood in Watertown, not too far from the Belmont and Waltham borders. The problems allegedly include drug dealing, and a recent drive-byish shooting.

There are two Waltham connections with this story. The alleged perps were caught by Waltham police after a Waltham officer heard the APB go out over Watertown police radio, and pulled over the vehicle in Waltham.

The other Waltham connection is one of the perps is a Waltham resident by the name of Herbert Bonds of 1000 Lexington St. in Waltham. Bonds has at least one other arrest, judging by this January 25 report from the Boston Police blog:

At 2:52am this morning officers from District 1 responded to Warrenton Place for a person hit by car. The victim, a 48-year-old male working as a parking lot attendant, told the officers that he was attempting to break up a fight when a white Cadillac SUV struck him. The suspect vehicle fled the scene and was stopped on Kneeland Street by a Detail Officer. The driver, 34-year-old Herbert Bonds of Waltham, and passenger, 28-year-old Alexis Martinez of Lowell, were arrested for Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident and Reckless Operation. The Cadillac SUV was seized as evidence and towed. Arraignment is today in Boston Municipal Court.

On a completely unrelated note to Mr. Bonds, H2Otown, in the course of talking about bad tenants contributing to crime in Watertown, also trashes a great Michael Keaton movie called Pacific Heights.

Pacific Heights is about the special terrors of being a landlord. It features a tenant who rips off every piece of molding and sells it, starts fires, deliberately releases cockroaches, and violently intimidates the landlord, all in a bid to drive them out of the house and get it cheap. Every time I've signed a lease, I've had a brief flash, a moment of wishing that I were on the other side of the lease again, a tenant whose housing mistakes are easily reversible by logging on to Craigslist and finding some new digs. As a landlord I've been exceptionally lucky, but like all landlords, I have that moment of doubt when a stranger becomes a tenant.

Pacific Heights is a bad movie; and it's as believable as any featuring Michael Keaton, Melanie Griffith, and power tools is likely to be. But there isn't a landlord on the planet who can watch it without getting the chills.

What do you mean, "bad movie"? Borderline loved the cockroach scene!

Waltham teacher accused of disgusting crimes. Let justice take its course

A Waltham drama teacher has been accused of some disgusting crimes, and Dancer gives a local perspective.

Sound familiar? Sure it does. We hear about stories of teachers taking advantage of students all the time, and there are some real sick predators out there. But before the baying mob rips this guy's reputation to shreds, let all the facts come out, and let justice take its course. As everyone in Newton knows, sometimes an innocent teacher gets fingered.

Road Rage in Waltham

An item from a few weeks ago in the News Tribune, about Stephen Villandry of 180 Prospect Hill Road being charged with road rage and driving with a suspended license:

An officer working a construction detail, then watched as Villandry stopped his tan minivan in the travel lane, got out, walked over to the alleged victim's Chevy Aveo, and yelled obscenities at her, he said.

Road rage is quite common. This article says road rage is quite common, and it seems like there's an item like this in the paper every week, either as a standalone article, or in the police log. A survey cited in the article found more than one third of drivers had personally experienced road rage in the previous six months.

The system is broken: Globe exposes the snakes that prey on the debt collection system

The Globe is doing a lot more investigative work these days, uncovering official incompetence, sleazy businessmen, and questionable court processes. If you haven't seen the Globe Spotlight investigation into Massachusetts' broken debt collection system ("Debtor's Hell"), you should check it out now. It will leave you fuming. Here's a sample from today's report on constables, who get paid to serve court papers. They are not trained in the law, have no oversight, and charge huge fees for their services, and have an incentive to screw the little people. Many even have criminal backgrounds:

In Boston alone there are 186 of them, and Mayor Thomas M. Menino has given arrest powers to every one, including (Kenneth) Dorsey and 87 others with criminal arrest records for offenses including firearms violations, indecent assault and battery on a child, and impersonating a police officer. Seven have been appointed in spite of guilty verdicts, among them one convicted twice in the last four years of beating his wife.

The other part of this series that was really scary was the second episode on how the small claims court system has been corrupted by lawyers and court staff who consistently favor business interests, even when these business interests accuse the wrong person or don't have evidence that someone owes them money. Disgusting.

These types of articles are traditionally more of the Herald's turf, but I am glad to see that the Globe is getting involved -- whereas the Herald often seems to lean toward sensationalism, the Globe investigative reports usually spends more time researching the problems and presenting more than one side of the story.