Tuesday Morning: Maybe You Did See ‘Whitey’

Published June 28, 2011

Dismissed as fantasies or mirages, some of the hundreds of James “Whitey” Bulger sightings that have been reported in the Boston-area since he skipped town ahead of an indictment in 1995 may have actually been real. According to court documents, the reputed former mob boss told investigators that he had visited Boston several times while on the lam to “take care of some unfinished business.”

Bulger’s girlfriend, Catherine Greig, hired high-profile defense attorney Kevin Reddington yesterday to represent her in court. Meanwhile, prosecutors and Bulger’s defense team continue to wrangle over whether the public should foot the bill for Bulger’s representation. Should the judge order him to, it may be difficult for Bulger to find a private practice lawyer because the case will be so difficult.

A young boy, perhaps as young as four-years-old, was shot and seriously wounded at a park in Dorchester last night. Police are looking for teens on motorized scooters that might be responsible.

Lawyers for Salvatore DiMasi are attempting to protect DiMasi’s pension payments after the former House speaker was convicted on corruption charges earlier this month.

You think your commute is bad? There could be a “traffic meltdown” on a congested stretch of Route 128 in the next 10-20 years, according to a local planning agency. Yikes.

In other commuting news, the T rolled out “quiet cars” on all 13 commuter rail lines yesterday. Passengers riding in the the cars located nearest the locomotive will be required to refrain from conversations above a whisper during peak commuting hours in an effort to bring “civility and sereneness” to the daily commute, according to MBTA General Manager Richard Davey.

Boston Mayor Tom Menino said that a threatened strike by the city’s unionized part-time bus drivers would hurt disabled kids the most.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on a Beacon Hill summit devoted to driving down health care costs, the Holyoke fire chief who allegedly prank-called his own fire station and new methods of evaluating local teachers.