Seems the city of Somerville does a "happiness" survey every couple of years. Cambridge Day reports Somerville residents are pretty content, although most worry about being prices out of the city. But Somerville is united as one in hatred of rats:
Responses showed "an extensive hatred for rats," Gartsman said. "It got violent in the comments."
Alaina Gonzalez-White shows a bag of the birth-control pellets at hearing today.
City rat fighters have largely stopped using anti-coagulants that kill not only rats, but any wild predators and pets that might eat them and is instead now relying on relying on pumping carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into burrows to asphyxiate them, according to John Ulrich, who oversees ISD's rat control efforts. Read more.
WBZ reports Boston ISD and Public Works officials whose portfolios include dealing with rats are traveling to New York for a rat summit of their counterparts from other big cities plagued by, no surprise, rats, to see if they can pick up any good rat tips.
Mayor Wu today announced Boston's latest rat plan, in a series of rat plans that now date back more than a century, under which several city departments will better coordinate their anti-vermin efforts and businesses and residents will be asked to do their part to put a lid on rats - by putting a lid on their rat-enticing trash and even cleaning their barbecue grills after each use. Read more.
The Boston City Council today agreed to look at using rodent birth-control pellets to try to control the city's burgeoning supply of rats, by building on a pilot started in Jamaica Plain last year that one councilor said had meant an 80% reduction in the gnawing, long-tailed vermin. Read more.
The Rat City Arts Festival, which as its name implies, is in Allston, is sponsoring a program to artists to paint a bunch of empty black rat-bait stations, which will then be spread around the neighborhood for residents, and the more artistically inclined rodents, to enjoy, sort of like the city's utility-box painting program, just lower to the ground: Read more.
Death to rats - and any dogs that eat the things (from second complaint).
At 8:41 a.m., a concerned citizen filed a 311 complaint asking the city to do something about the rats digging holes along a wall of the dog park on Snow Hill Street in the North End. Read more.
An alarmed citizen files a 311 complaint about a battle at the RUFF dog park on Snow Hill Street this evening: Read more.
Swachter writes:
I love the questions that living in Somerville brings up. Questions like, “Are squashed rats compostable?”
A concerned citizen filed a 311 complaint this morning about a rat that is both injured and blind and yet still managing to scare passersby on Commonwealth Avenue near Exeter Street in the Back Bay:
Rat seems to have been in a fight and is blind. Has been wandering in this area all morning scaring people and pets.
A grossed out citizen filed a 311 complaint from the fire swamp that is Commonwealth Avenue at Strathmore Road this morning:
WE'VE HAD RATS FOR A WHILE BUT THIS ONE WAS THE SIZE OF A SMALL HORSE
Two at-wit's-end citizens file 311 complaints about conditions in the North End.
Let's start with the screaming veteran suicide guy and the firecracker guys on Hanover Street: Read more.
The Huntington News reports on rats and mice running roughshod over Huskies. One student was bitten, another reports putting towels under her doors to try to keep one hallway mouse from getting around, a third describes the situation of students competing for the best rooms only to get rodents as "ironic."
A concerned citizen files a 311 complaint about the situation at Bartlett Street and Lambert Avenue in Roxbury now that the coyotes that used to live there have moved on: Read more.
A frantic citizen files a 311 complaint about the unstoppable rats swarming Commonwealth and Chestnut Hill avenues: Read more.
A South Boston citizen files a 311 complaint about furry things scurrying about the area of L and East 6th streets that are the size of bunnies but aren't bunnies: Read more.
A concerned citizen files a 311 complaint about the situation on M Street near East 6th Street in South Boston: Read more.
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
