-- Wellesley might be the hottest new place to encounter a prostitute, but Brighton's brothels continue to service customers who take the Green Line or the 57 bus. Boston police are tackling online sex rings as a part of "Operation Rubout," an effort to wipe out prostitution in Allston and Brighton that began in 2005. The newest thing in the neighborhood? The emerging market in transexual encounters. There are some things you still can't get......

-- A woman was attacked in the North End early yesterday morning. While walking down Richmond Street, the victim was attacked from behind and assaulted sexually before she broke free and fled, police say. The alleged perpetrator is described as a 5'10" white male in his 20s with dirty blond hair. Police believe that this attack might be a part of a series of sexual assaults stretching back to July, 2007. [BPDNews; Globe] -- More......

-- Luis Marquez, a 26-year-old blind man from Brighton, pleaded not guilty today in the stabbing murder of a woman who was found dead in his apartment yesterday. The victim was 56 years old, and authorities have not revealed her identity or her relationship to Marquez. She was stabbed multiple times on her torso and head. Police say that Marquez, who reportedly suffers from psychological problems, admitted to the murder at the time of his......

-- Boston police are looking for a man rumored to be in the South End or Downtown who is wanted in connection with an alleged murder by arson by police in Trenton, NJ. Tormu Pralle (pictured), also known as Denzel Willington is considered dangerous. [BPDNews] -- Three Harvard students have been assaulted in May. The third attack came Wednesday night when a male victim was attacked from behind near Grant and Banks Streets. He fought......

--Two firefighters were stabbed last night at the Club Caravan in Revere. They were off duty at the time. [WBZ] --In Waltham yesterday, a youth football and baseball coach was arraigned on child pornography charges. He has pled not guilty and says that he was surfing child pornography websites in an attempt to catch pedophiles. [Boston Herald, AP/Boston Globe] --A BPD officer on a detail in Dorchester yesterday morning was a hero. He heard sounds......

--State Senator James Marzilli, of Arlington, has been accused of assaulting a woman over the weekend. [WBZ] --Props to Globe writer Mark Feeney, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his criticism on the visual arts. [Boston Globe's Brainiac] --The new Dunkin Donuts sign in Brighton? DO NOT WANT. [Allston Brighton TAB Blog] --Skycaps, $325,000; American Airlines, $0. [AP/Boston Globe] --A $1 raise in the tax on cigarettes could be reality. [WBZ] --No matter what......

The sign was taken down yesterday, the Allston-Brighton TAB reports. The company had planned to take it down because it had become so old, but it's still a little sad. Let us know if you see a replacement. It better look good. Photo by Caroline Roberts.......

--A 25-year-old man was shot to death while sitting in his car early this morning in Allston. An image of the shot-out window and info on WBZ indicates that whoever killed him walked to the rear passenger window and fired. [WBZ] --The alleged child rapist who escaped from police in New Bedford was sighted at a YMCA. [WBZ] --In Brighton early this morning, a 22-year-old fell off a second-story porch. His injuries were not life-threatening......

--Massachusetts earned a C in state government from the Pew Center. Given the state of the Big Dig, is it any wonder? [Boston Herald] --The Boston Center for the Arts (BCA, which includes Calderwood Pavilion and the Cyclorama) is undergoing a sudden change in leadership. [Boston Globe] --Glenn Ordway, local sports radio host on WEEI, is taking some time off the air because his wife and daughter sustained injuries during childbirth. [Boston Herald] --In related......

--Five men were arrested for the stabbing death of Terrence Jacobs, 16, last May. Everyone arrested is from Dorchester, except one man from Brockton. [Boston Globe] --In a follow-up to the case in which a man stabbed his ex to death, stabbed another woman 8 times, bit a man, and then stabbed himself to death in New Bedford, Jane Doe Inc. notes that the incident marks the sixth domestic violence homicide in Massachusetts this year.......

Say hello to new columnist Ol' Scratch, who is posting on all things retro in Boston. Here's how he describes "Retroville" to us: "Amongst Boston's many underground scenes and small, quirky social groups, a segment who are passionate about the 'classic' lifestyle has arisen. Whether it's the greasers who love rockabilly, the classy cabaret kids, the swing dancers, or the bodacious burlesquers, they've all got one thing in common: They all live in Retroville." With......

--More fire department turmoil: A panel of union firefighters determined that the alcohol and drugs found in the bodies of firefighters Paul Cahill and Warren Payne in August's Tai Ho Restaurant blaze did not cause their deaths. But the fire commissioner begs to differ. [Boston Globe, background: Bostonist] --While it's good that the mayor is throwing his efforts behind saving Hendry Street from the foreclosure crisis, the housing problems in Dorchester aren't limited to......

We just read Boston.com's update on our developing snow situation, and, honestly? We're more confused than we had been before. Read the following two quotes to see if you can spot a snow emergency plan: Point: "Governor Deval Patrick sent home all nonemergency state employees, and officials urged private businesses to do the same so snow crews can safely clear the roads." Counterpoint: "Mass Highway officials were recommending commuters leave later and keep the roads......

For some of you, welcome back from a long weekend. In case you missed it, the Herald ran a shocking story about the MBTA cutting rides from its schedule without telling riders about it. They did it on purpose to save money, effectively punking riders who are told a bus or train will come at a certain time, only to wait for a ride that will never arrive. Bostonist already posted on the subject when......

--A 9-year-old was injured in a hit-and-run in Dorchester overnight. [WBZ] --The BPD put out an alert regarding a man who attempted to kidnap a girl in South Boston on Tuesday. The man attempted to get her into his car, but she ran away. He is described as "a white male, in his late 30’s, with black and gray hair, an oval face, a dime-sized mole under his right eye, long nose and deep voice."......

--Flu isn't just prevalent in Boston right now. It's "raging." Don't leave home without the Purell. [Boston Globe] --Comm Ave is getting a 5-foot-wide bike lane on both sides between Kenmore Square and the BU Bridge by summer. [Boston Herald] --Chinatown continues to evolve into Condo Central. [Boston Herald] --GateHouse Media is cutting about 60 staff positions. Brighton Centered analyzes how that will impact one of GateHouse's local papers. [Brighton Centered] --Enjoy a slideshow of......

--With this winter's especially foul weather, we have entered a new level of pothole hell. [Boston Globe] --Although some local figures might be gearing up to run against Mayor Menino, the mayor might be earning votes by working to help Hendry Street residents floored by the mortgage foreclosure crisis. [Boston Herald] --Despite all that planning, construction on the new Harvard Allston Science Complex has already pissed off Allston residents. Neighbors had been told construction......

Awkward Lectures Cory Arcangel's best known artwork Super Mario Clouds turns the world's first scrolling video game into a digital environment of placid repetition. It percolated on the internet and spilled into the Whitney's Biennial, making Arcangel a digital art superstar. But his true calling may have been as a lecturer. Whether the topic is hacking old electronics or copyright; his willful ignorance of art history or his place in it, Arcangel always entertains.......

Unfortunately National Pancake Day is not a federal holiday--yet! National Pancake Day just commemorates all the pancakes gave their lives 20 years ago today at John Candy's house. You still have time to make a snack or meal out of a short stack (3) of pancakes. Every year IHOP gives away pancakes in hopes of guilting you to give some cash to support local children's hospitals. People actually gave $625k last year, not counting......

Music Few acts in hip-hop's young guard come more correct than Berkeley, CA crew The Pack. Roiling, minimalist beats, raps about partying and sneakers, and a whispered menace that keeps you off guard: it's like degree zero of the art form. Sounds great on record (or Myspace), but can they rock an audience? Harper's Ferry, 158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 7:00 pm, $12/$14. Could your music options for tonight be any different? "Lady rapper" Leslie......

--Cambridge was the scene of a violent attack on a homeless man. Early on January 29, the man was walking with his girlfriend in Central Square on Norfolk when three men attacked him, and one of them stabbed him in the back. [Cambridge Chronicle] --Although the incident happened in June, Dorchester is still reeling from an online video showing local Vietnamese American teens and young adults brutally beating a teenage boy and a teenage girl......

--DA Dan Conley has announced a suspect in the murder of Jeffrey Santiago at King Arthur's Lounge in Chelsea--19-year-old Jesse Camacho. Conley has authorized a warrant and wants the public's help in finding him. Here's a description: Camacho goes by the street names of ‘Fat Jesse,’ ‘Baby Jay,’ and ‘Syke.’ He is described as a heavyset Latin male standing between 5’5” and 5’7” tall, weighing about 280 lbs. He is believed to be armed and......

--Two employees at the International House of Pancakes in Brighton got into a knife fight yesterday evening at 5:00, just in time to scare the hell out of the early birds. Bostonist nominates O'Ryan Johnson for best crime-writing line of the year thusfar: "A knife duel between two workers at a Brighton greasy spoon turned the eatery into the International House of Pain." While the fight's setting makes it funny, the fight itself was anything......

After much wrangling and justifiable concern, Boston has approved Harvard University's plans to build what the Allston-Brighton TAB calls a "$1 billion science complex." The complex was in doubt because the community wasn't happy with a benefits package that Harvard was going to give to the community. A massive science complex will bring plenty of change, not to mention traffic, and Allston wanted something in return. Here's what Harvard offered that met with the city's......

While sitting in traffic on your way to work, the last thing you'd expect to see as you look out your car window is a bigger-than-life basket of pears, grapes the size of your car tires, and... a giant bundle of asparagus? That is, of course, unless you live in Brighton and are on your way into Cambridge by way of Parsons Street: Then, friends, you are looking at history. Commissioned in 2005 by......

Wrestling The Boston League of Women Wrestlers (BLOWW) will clobber each other tonight at Church. The Allston-Brighton TAB has a great profile of BLOWW that will give you an idea of what to expect. Let's just put it this way--don't go expecting to see Stacy Keibler. (For the record, Bostonist is rooting for Green Line Greta.) Midnight, $8. Music Editors, with Louis XIV and Hot Hot Heat, will be at the Orpheum, 7:30 pm. Get......

After Dunkin' Donuts was going to take down its legendary sign in Brighton, the question arose--what next? What are the options if you want to make sure that Dunkin' Brands Inc. doesn't put anything boring or ugly in its place? Inspired by the preservation of the Citgo sign in the 1980s, Bostonist called the Boston Landmarks Commission to see if the sign could be designated a landmark. A representative said that, to become a......

The Globe and WBZ are reporting that the beloved, beautiful Dunkin' Donuts sign in Brighton is coming down. A Dunkin' Donuts spokesperson said the sign is in bad shape and must go. Change is inevitable and usually a good thing, but the sign is a part of history. And, besides, it just looks nifty. Bostonist put in a call to Dunkin' Donuts and received a statement from Margie Myers, Senior Vice President of Communications:......

--New England Confectionery Co., aka NECCO, was sold to a company in Bethesda, Maryland. So, will the name be changed to Maryland Confectionary Company, or MACCO? We certainly hope not. [Boston Globe] --More reasons to give up your car. On New Year's Day, tolls at the Allston-Brighton and Route 128 plazas will go up from $1 to $1.25. The price jump is even higher for the Ted Williams Tunnel and the Sumner Tunnel: $3 to......

--A 22-year-old man was shot in Roxbury outside Packy's Pub early this morning. He is now in critical condition. The Globe reports that police learned about the shooting from ShotSpotter. --BPD News is back with a flood of Christmas news. On Friday, allegedly inebriated young men annoyed the police. Four young men from Milton (who were a little old to be from the Academy) showed up at a party in Brighton. They had not been......