Why we still need newspapers

***The Globe has a wrenching article about the night five months ago that two men jumped into the Charles River from the Mass Ave. bridge:

Put yourself in this horror for a minute. Despite your best efforts, your closest friend has just jumped off a bridge, right before your eyes. What do you do? Call 911? Scream into the night for help? Collapse in a heap of despair?

Vilgrain Richemond, a 27-year-old father of two, chose a different option: He jumped in to try to save his friend. The Globe's Neil Swidey tells the harrowing story.

***Today's Globe also has the first of two parts on improvements to athletic programs in the Boston schools, a response to a Globe series last year that chronicled the woes of athletics programming in the city's public school system.

***Eastie freelance writer Steve Holt has a piece on being married in his 20s in today's Globe. Steve and his wife are also in the process of adopting.

Eastie notes

***A Globe editorial today advocates for development of the former Hess tank-farm site along the Chelsea Creek, which a local community organization is seeking to have converted to wetlands. The Chelsea Creek Action Group is attempting to secure funding to restore the seven-acre parcel to salt marsh and bird habitat. The Globe, however, feels that the spot would be better used for economic development.

***Boston.com notes that the new Santarpio's on Route 1 in Peabody is regularly mobbed. The new place has the same limited menu -- pizza, lamb, sausage -- as the East Boston landmark. The piece touches on the history of the place and mentions the longtime pizza maker who I knew as "Joe Fat" and who always wore what seemed to be the same stained T-shirt.

Boil order lifted

The state has lifted the boil-water order that has been in place for Greater Boston since Saturday and issued these guidelines for flushing home systems:

From the Office of the Governor

Residents are advised to "flush" their water following the lifting of the boil order in order to clear plumbing of potentially contaminated water. Flushing your household and building water lines includes interior and exterior faucets; showers; water and ice dispensers; water treatment units, etc.

* Cold Water Faucets: Run tap water until the water feels cold, 1 minute or more, before drinking, tooth brushing, or using for food preparation.

* Hot Water Faucets: To clear hot water pipes and water heater of untreated water, turn on all hot water faucets and flush for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot water tank and 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger. Never use water from the "hot" faucet for drinking, cooking, or other internal-consumption purposes. After this flushing, hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, and for hand-washing of dishes, pots and pans, etc.

* Refrigerators: Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one quart of water.

* Dishwashers: After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run dishwasher empty one time.

* Humidifiers: Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water.

* Food and baby formula: Be sure you have discarded any baby formula or other foods prepared with water on the days of the boil order. (If unsure of the dates contact your water Department.)

* Ice cubes: Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of ice made during the boil order. Then, discard ice made over an additional 24 hour period to assure complete purging of the water supply line.

Due to the flushing of the lines by residents and the flushing of the hydrants, some customers may experience a lack of water pressure and/or discolored water. However, this is an expected result and does not pose a health risk. Contact your local Water Department if you have any questions.

Additional information for food establishments can be found at www.mwra.com.

Boil-water order issued for region

A "catastrophic leak" in a pipe that brings water to Boston and surrounding communities has sprung a leak and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has cautioned people not to drink tap water until further notice and to refrain from unnecessary use (washing cars, watering lawns) to make solving the problem easier.

A pipe in Weston is apparently dumping eight million gallon of water an hour into the Charles River, and people in that town and east of it are under the advisory. Crews and engineers are on the scene.

Updated to reflect new information (5-1-10, 9:05 p.m.)

Rolling on the river

I was at the Condor Street Urban Wilds today when an oil tanker, the Panagia Lady, passed beneath the raised Meridian Street Bridge and made its way up the Chelsea Creek. I took some photos, including the one above, which captures a gentleman at the bottom right who had a much better camera than I did. (Click on photo for a larger image.)

Quabbin threatened

It may seem like a small issue, but an invasive mollusk could jeopardize our drinking water supply. The Globe reports that the zebra mussel, originally from Russia, came to the US in the 1980s and is now in western Massachusetts. The zebra could "wipe out native aquatic life, clog water intake pipes, and foul drinking water supplies," according to state officials, who are developing emergency plans to deal with the potential menace. In the meantime, fishing will be limited, as boats can trabsport the mussel from different bodies of water.

The Quabbin, created by the flooding of four central Massachusetts towns in the 1920s, is one of the finest sources of drinking water in the country. Fishing is usually allowed using rowboats, but motorboats and swimming are prohibited.