Mayor Thomas Menino signs the last construction beam at the “topping off” ceremony for the soon to be completed Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury this afternoon as iron workers from Local 7 secure the last beam into the soon to be completed building.
I snapped this photo tonight from Bayswater St. in East Boston. I used a Canon 800mm lens with a 1.4x extender. This jet was flying from the southwest to the northeast when it came upon a dying contrail of another jet that passed this position previously. I have written in the past about my nervousness, or uneasiness, about photographing so close to Logan with such a large lens. I get these nice stares from the neighbors đ
Boston firefighters from left, Dan Magoon, Paul Harvey and Jim Kenney will be playing in tonight’s charity hockey game at City Point’s Murphy Rink, better known as the rink at the sugar bowl. They go up against the Massachusetts National Guardâs First Battalion. Gametime is 5pm for only $5. The proceeds will go to the Grunts Family Readiness Group, which raises funds for the families the Guard leaves behind while fighting for our freedom. Herald scribe Joe Fitzgerald writes more here.
I knew something was wrong when I awoke from my sleep the morning of February 20, 2003. When I flipped on the television every network news channel was broadcasting the same crude photos and videos showing some type of escape from a burning building. I was stunned to find out the early fatality stats on this fire. First it was nine dead, then 12 dead. It would eventually reach a staggering number of 100 people who went to the West Warwick, R.I. nightclub that night never to return. I was dispatched to the scene by the Boston Herald photo desk morning editor Arthur Pollock. Staffers Matt Stone and Robert Eng had already been there in the very early morning hours and done yeoman’s work. I remember standing next to WCVB cameraman Curtis Bailey as we trained our lenses on the first responders trying to locate victims. I looked at him after about 20 minutes of seeing body bag after body bag coming out of the burned out shell of a building and in disbelief said: “Curtis, this has to be more fatalities than the 20 that (the authorities) had stated.” He said: “Mark, it’s up to 30 according (his) reporter.” I also remember feeling sympathy for not only the victims and the victims’ families, but also for the brave first responders who were seeing “battlefield” type numbers in that hell hole. here are three of the many photos I snapped that morning.
I covered this very sad story of a wonderful young woman who died in service to our country. Marine Capt. Jennifer Harris, a Swampscott woman and Naval Academy graduate, died when the helicopter she was piloting crashed Feb. 7, 2007 in a field northwest of Baghdad, killing all seven people on board. Below are my photos of her casket arriving at Hanscom AFB and of her funeral, on this date in 2007. Here is the very moving story that my colleague Peter Gelzinis wrote for the Boston Herald and the Swampscott Reporter.
Here is a small selection of the many photos I snapped today of the coyote who found him or herself  on the frozen Charles River during today’s snowstorm. More photos can be seen here, in the Boston Herald story by clicking the link “Photo Gallery.” Bill Tanguay, an animal technician at the Animal Rescue League of Boston donned a survival suit and hopped on into the Charles. Once the would be rescuer neared the animal, the coyote took off into the middle of the Charles and  was caught a little later.
Lucky for me that it was a near full moon tonight where I could simply lose myself in photographing two subjects that I love, airplanes and the moon. I packed an 800mm lens into my car and headed for Winthrop. I only had a few minutes, but it was bliss. No botched fake punt, no sports talk radio, no nothing. Just the moon and this departing Continental 737. I wondered where it was going.
I had just a few minutes to try and show a small “slice” of yesterday’s post blizzard cleanup, and how it was progressing. I chose Boston’s Logan Airport. Thanks to the good people of MassPort’s snow crew for being out on the runways and taxiways for those few minutes that I had. See the cool machines below. Come on you guys out there, doesn’t this kind of bring you back to being a boy, or was I the only kid who used to peer out snow encrusted windows to watch the snow plows. Photographed on my shift for the Boston Herald.
Here are some of the more memorable moments that I have photographed this year. I am based here in Eastern Massachusetts, so I am “hyper-local” if you will. One won’t find any international, or even national for that matter, photos in this collection. What one will find here is immediate news, or as we in the news industry call it, “spot news.” Â All these photos were taken by me and were snapped mostly on my shift at the Boston Herald, for whom I want to give a big shout out to and a thank you. Most of the following photos have photo galleries attached to them, so one can click on the photo and a series of photos from that event will pop up. Thanks for viewing and Happy New Year!
(09/23/10-Revere,MA) John Bottari hugs his cat "Piddles" after Revere fire chief Gene Doherty handed the cat to him during a 3-alarm fire Thursday afternoon.
(07/10/2010-Somerville,MA) Christine Broderick awaits rescue as flood waters pour into the Route 28 underpass near Mystic Ave. Firefighter Mike Marino, while off-duty was able to swim out to the stranded woman and help her swim to safety with the aid of State police and Somerville fire dept.
(04/07/10-Boston,Mass) Boston firefighters work the scene of a 9 alarm fire at 483 Beacon Street.
Boston, Mass runners are seen in their Speedo clothing saturday, December 11, 2010 during the 11th annual Santa Speedo Run.
Fisher College Police Sgt, S.A Egidio is seen comforting a driver involved in an accident June 3, 2010, at Clarendon Street and Commonwealth Avenue.
(09/15/10-East Boston,MA) A man, armed with a shard of glass and a shovel, holds police at bay today at 337 East Eagle St. He was making indications that he might jump from this 3rd floor fire escape. He finally climbed into a window and was then secured by police nearly 6 hours later.
(03/18/10-Chelsea,MA) 3-alarm fire at 31 Lewis Street in Chelsea mid-afternoon
As snow is a real possibility this weekend I figured I’d break into my stash of photos and show this photo, that I snapped exactly 3 years ago today. Here, Boston EMS personnel receive a helping hand from civilians in Kenmore Square after their ambulance got stuck in heavy snow.
