Judge Removed from Whitey Bulger Case

Judge Removed from Whitey Bulger Case. In a win for Bulger, the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this morning that US District Judge Richard Stearns must step down from the case. Bulger’s attorneys argued for the Stearns’s removal because he was a federal prosecutor at the same time Bulger was an FBI informant and, Bulger claims, received immunity from another federal prosecutor working in the same office.  [Globe]

Boston Public Schools Will No Longer Have School-Assignment Zones. On Wednesday night, the School Committee approved a new system for assigning students to elementary schools, which will begin with the 2014-2015 school year. The new system was designed by Peng Shi, a 24-year-old doctoral student at MIT.  [Universal Hub | New York Times]

Newtown High Alumni Planning March 24 Fundraiser at Fenway Park. “Honestly,” Pete Oggeri told the Globe, “I haven’t talked to any of these people in Boston since high school. Now, I talk to them more than I talk to any other friends. We’re building a huge bond while doing something for a common cause.”  [Boston.com]

Quincy Developer William O’Connell To Plead Guilty to Drug Charge. A prosecutor and lawyer for O’Connell will present a plea agreement that drops all charges against O’Connell, including four counts of statutory rape and one charge of cocaine trafficking, in exchange for pleading guilty to cocaine possession. O’Connell was charged in connection with allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, who died in a car crash in December.  [Patriot Ledger]

How a Boston Makeup Artist Became a Makeup Artist to the (Porn) Stars. A Slate Q&A with Melissa “Makeup” Murphy, originally from Boston, who has found a line of work that she loves.  [Slate]

Email Monitoring Conspiracy Theories Start at Harvard. Students now think that the administration monitors student listservs.  [The Crimson]