Is it Time for a Screening of Monument Ave?

Today is Monday, March 14. Here are five things you need to know today.

1. If you’re a parent and you’ve yet to navigate the Boston Public Schools lottery system – or if you have already and have a strong opinion about the experience – you may be interested in a series of stories the Globe started on Sunday about the infamous process. Reporters are following 12 families, including one from Charlestown, in the pursuit of their top choice school and in complicated debate about whether to stay in the city. With the prominence and popularity of the Warren-Prescott, Charlestown families have a unique positioning when it comes to school choice. But what this story sheds light on – inadvertently – is the flip side of the lottery: what happens at schools that aren’t top choices and what happens to children who don’t have strong parental advocates guiding them along the way. Definitely worth a read.

2. Last week our columnist Jack Kelly, like most of America, . And in typical Jack Kelly fashion, he treated the great unraveling of Mr. Sheen with amusement, a thoughtful critique and wisdom. In the process of so doing, Jack mentioned Monument Ave., a straight-to-TV movie (1998) about Charlestown starring Dennis Leary and Martin Sheen. Well, a few of us who read the column got kind of hung up on that point and a bit preoccupied with the need to see this film. There’s now a dialogue about this happening in the comments section of the column and Jack’s proposed this: “I never thought when I wrote this it would turn into a revival of Monument Ave. I guess this is something Charlie Sheen has indirectly affected. But, if people are interested [in screening this], let's do it and attach it to a fundraiser for a local group with CHAD, Kennedy Center and CSAC leading the way.” Anyone up for it?

3. Tax Day is now about a month away. But good news: If you’ve got a complex return and you’re looking for help, volunteers at Bunker Hill Community College are available to help, for free, now until April 15. For more details on when you can make appointments and how, click .

 4. So the city’s got this great app for smartphones where you can report things like potholes, graffti and vandalism, to help public works crews stay on top of what needs attention. One of the finer things about this app, called Citizens Connect, is you can see what other users have reported – so as to not duplicate efforts. On the Universal Hub blog, this Citizens Connect complaint out of Charlestown got some attention this weekend. Want to see it? It’s a baby stroller chained outside a townhouse. According to the complaint, it’s chained there nightly. Not sure exactly what the city can or will do about this, but here’s a head’s up if the owner of that stroller is reading this.

5. Today’s forecast: Mostly cloudy with a high near 39. Tonight: more clouds with a low around 30. Scurvy alert is medium.

For more info on what's happening around the neighborhood, check out our events calendar.