Nobody likes dealing with the Registry of Motor Vehicles. It seems like the dregs of society are always renewing their licenses at the same time as us, and we almost always forget some receipt or proof of insurance form we need to complete a transaction.

Even the courts get frustrated by communicating with the RMV. Boston.com reports that a state audit found thousands of drivers whose licenses had been suspended by the courts got to stay behind the wheel for years because the Registry has no system to make sure the rulings are entered into their database.

Somebody get Joseph Lally on the phone! It sounds like the state is ready to overpay for some more software.

(more…)

As habitual readers of Boston Daily well know, we love our local sports reporters. (Especially the cute blonde ones.) They share in the joy of a championship, and are there for us in the agony of defeat at the hands of the Rays. We can’t help but grow attached to them.

Which is why we were shocked and saddened to hear that Channel 7 sports reporter Julie Donaldson was allegedly abused by her Slamball-player boyfriend.

(more…)

We were shocked this morning to pick up the Globe’s sports section and find a story on a letter received by former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight that contained death threats aimed at the late Red Auerbach. Since the FBI had gotten involved, we figured the letter must have been really crazy, especially since the bureau tried to find its author.

Not sure what this means for our society, but to us, it sounded like your average wingnutty blog comment.

(more…)

It’s fascinating to watch our local media handle the case of alleged bumbling mobster Carmen “the Cheeseman” DiNunzio. The Herald has run with the obvious, pssssst he’s fat, angle, pointing out that the 400-pound cheese store owner requested a stronger toilet for his cell. Globe columnist Kevin Cullen used the Cheeseman as a punchline in his column about how much Boston magazine sucks.

But perhaps the most bizarre article written about DiNunzio appears in today’s edition of the broadsheet. It seems the Cheeseman’s business is suffering because a judge barred him from entering the store.

(more…)

It’s always nice to have a second set of eyes on your work. What may seem fine to you may prove to be wrong to someone else. It’s why we have editors, auditors, and ethics commissions.

Today we learned that the Suffolk County DA and the Boston Police department’s investigation into the death of David Woodman after he was in police custody during the Celtics victory celebration will be reviewed by the FBI.

(more…)

While police officers deserve credit for their dangerous work, it seems that everybody has a story about a less than perfect cop. Somebody got pulled over because they were doing 70 in a 65. Sometimes, you spy an officer taking a nap in his cruiser.

In the days before the Internet, these complaints happened in bars or around kitchen tables. But now Boston Police are dealing with Badgewars.com, a Web site that accuses cops of violating the rules. (more…)

The investigation into the death of 22-year-old David Woodman hasn’t even begun, but already there is a new twist to the case. The Globe reported today that two of the officers involved in Woodman’s arrest had been disciplined by the department in the past.

One of the officers had been cited for domestic violence, and another for demonstrating a “lack of judgment” when dealing with a shooting suspect. Naturally, the lawyer for the Woodman family immediately cried foul, raising the theory that perhaps the cops were too rough on him. (more…)

The FBI continues to look really hard for James “Whitey” Bulger. From the shores of the Caribbean to the cafes of the South of France, no location is too scenic remote for investigators. Yet the fugitive remains elusive, showing up only on German television from time to time.

In a new maneuver to capture the mobster, the state has set a trap of sorts. State Treasurer Tim Cahill announced that Bulger has some unclaimed property he’s welcome to come pick up.

(more…)

The death of David Woodman, a 22-year-old who was arrested during the Celtics victory celebration and died more than a week after police restrained him, is not the first time Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis has had to deal with highly-charged allegations against his officers.

Early in his tenure, he had to contend with charges against a cabal of crooked cops that worked with undercover FBI agents to help protect a shipment of drugs headed for Boston, and Davis’ efforts to clean up the force were lauded in many quarters.

Woodman’s death will be another test of his leadership. The young man’s friends have told the media that officers were unnecessarily rough when they arrested him, and his parents are calling for a federal investigation.

Davis has resisted those efforts and is instead calling for an internal review, along with the Suffolk DA’s investigation.

(more…)

A Boston Daily tipster passed along a link to this announcement from the Middlesex County DA’s website. District Attorney Gerard Leone Jr. will indict two Tufts University employees on charges that they stole nearly $1 million from accounts that belonged to the Office of Student Activities.

That could have paid for a lot of punch and pie at student group meetings.

(more…)