I’m breathing deep sighs of relief. Not just because of the sudden beach weather, but because the media is no longer perceived as the sharpest thorn in black Boston’s backside. At least not yesterday; and at least not from where I sat at last night’s small assembly at the YMCA on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Roxbury.

Chuck Turner didn’t call this morning’s press conference at his Dudley Square district office to talk about media harassment, like he did this past Monday outside City Hall. Instead, he came “to talk about media incompetence.”

But before he got to spanking those of us who have been reaming him in editorials, Turner reiterated his innocence: “I don’t have the slightest fear that I’ll spend one day in jail,” he said.

Anyone who believes that only Republicans detest the press should have checked the scene outside Boston City Hall today. Maybe reporters aren’t as biased as talk-radio blowhards allege; in the wake of City Councilor Chuck Turner’s arrest, even liberals who cheer when we expose right-wing tomfoolery are tormenting us like Howie Carr does union bosses.

Walking around Government Center this morning you would hardly know that the City Council’s premier fraud got locked up here a few hours ago. Maybe because it’s less of a surprise than when Lance Bass fled the closet.

There are no wild packs of notebook wielding reporters. Nor are Chuck Turner’s constituents storming the entrances outraged that their guy allegedly palmed payoffs like their former state senator.

I had the best flan that I’ve ever had last night. It had two distinct layers – one thick and creamy and another light and eggy – with a miraculous caramel swirl on top. Let’s hope the Union of Minority Neighborhoods (UMN) has more receptions in the near future; I can go for freshly smashed guacamole and accompanying sweets more often.

THE GRISLY DETAILS
10 years ago
November 6, 1998 | Michael Crowley collected choice quotes from celebrities regarding the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

"Just when you thought there was nothing new to say about the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the latest issue of Rolling Stone offers opinions on our overfellated president from an all-star cast.

I’m almost certain that I caught State Senator Dianne Wilkerson doing something slimy earlier today. The only problem is that I’m too lazy to pursue the mundane dirty work required to weave my hunch into a credible story. The truth is, despite living in the Second Suffolk Senate District, I could care less about who wins this race.

The opponents in happier days (for Wilkerson, at least)

I’m trying to be as objective as possible with this Wilkerson vs. Chang-Diaz showdown. I recognize merits in both candidates, and I absolutely believe that the former has the right to continue fighting for her seat; even if she lost the primary election.

Dianne Wilkerson’s Jamaica Plain and Beacon Hill supporters who are unfamiliar with the Grove Hall area likely had no problem finding the senator’s first post-primary rally last night. No matter which direction people arrived from there were hordes of red-shirted Wilkerson enthusiasts greeting folks and hoisting signs as if the eight-term incumbent hadn’t lost to political newcomer Sonia Chang-Diaz less than one week earlier.