Citing increasing concerns over the protection of locals, overcrowding and noise complaints, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the establishment of a Nightclub Enforcement Unit to crack down on disturbances at late-night entertainment venues around the city, according to a Dec. 19 press release. However, some Northeastern students and local vendors think the unit is redundant and unnecessary.

The MBTA is facing a projected deficit of $185 million for Fiscal Year 2013 and has proposed two plans to address this deficit, according to a Jan. 3 press release. Both options would not only raise fares, but also eliminate Green Line E service on weekends. If implemented, this would be the T’s first fare hike in five years.

In 2006, “Bicycling Magazine” set off a chain of events when it named Boston one of the worst cities in America to cycle – for the third time. In the five years since, the disgraced city has picked itself up, dusted itself off and gotten back on the cycle. Mayor Thomas Menino has made radical changes throughout the city that have not only gotten Boston off of the worst cities list, but also allowed it to enter the ranks of America’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities by “Bicycling Magazine.” This year, Boston ranked number 26 on the list. Part of what made biking in Boston so dangerous in the early 2000s was that bicyclists were expected to share the road with cars and trucks that can cause severe damage to the riders when collisions occurred. Recognizing this danger, Menino has indicated several busy streets throughout Boston that will add to the bike lanes. One such street is one that many Northeastern students are familiar with: Massachusetts Avenue.

The Occupy movement is approaching its fourth month and the self-termed “99 percent” have transitioned from a fringe protest group to one that, some say, might help decide the result of the 2012 presidential election.

Since April, the efforts of the Boston’s Business Improvement District (BID), a non-profit committed to achieving downtown’s full potential as an economic center and vibrant neighborhood, have cleaned the streets and set up events to promote business near Downtown Crossing. The project consisted of removing street trash, cleaning up vandalized sites and setting up public events such as galleries and performances. Yet the removal of street blemishes is overshadowed by the lack of progress to make use of the area’s vacant sites, such as the former Filene’s Basement location.

If you’ve ever snored with your windows open, sported a goatee without the required permit or went to bed without first taking a full bath, you’re in violation of Massachusetts law. It is also illegal in Massachusetts for tomatoes to be used in the production of clam chowder and to have a gorilla in the back seat of your car.

Between the 52 colleges and more than 300,000 college students in the greater metropolitan area, Boston has earned the title “College Town, U.S.A.” Despite having the highest ratio of 20- to 34-year-olds among big cities (according to the 2010 census), Boston’s nightlife is seen as lacking for those under 21 years of age. Boston’s nightlife is primarily focused on bars, which poses a problem for the mass of its population under legal drinking age. Fraternity parties and other activities available to college students often involve alcohol as well.

Despite the unusual weather, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) is already anticipating severe storms and planning ahead. The MBTA announced Nov. 3 on its website that it will run fewer trains and buses during harsh storms this winter. While this will mostly affect commuter rails, buses and T trains will also experience limited schedules in certain instances.

Residents of Mission Hill are looking to hold area colleges financially responsible for the damage done to their property, officials said. In a meeting held Oct. 27, the Mission Hill Problem Property Task Force (MHPPTF) proposed a fund in which Northeastern, along with Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), and three other colleges would pay a stipend each year of $5,000 collectively to be used as restitution to residents of the Mission Hill area whose property was damaged or vandalized – with the assumption that it was caused by college students, although no official plan has been implimented.

If group fitness at Marino Center is starting to get a little repetitive, take advantage of some of Boston’s fitness hotspots without paying big bucks. Here are five fitness studios within walking distance of campus that offer student or first-time member specials.

Occupy protesters acted in the Halloween spirit Monday. Students dressed as zombies staged a “die-in” at Krentzman Quad. Frank Marino, a junior human services and international affairs major with a focus on activism and an organizer of the Occupy Boston protests at Northeastern, said the demonstration was to represent the “ethically dead 1 percent,” as well as the American dream and “true” democracy. Marino and other students then held a mock funeral and a “resurrection,” where they proceeded to march throughout campus and the city.

The scene looks like something out of a 1960s peace march. Hundreds of people, many of them young students, swarm the street carrying homemade cardboard signs and chanting out slogans. Peace signs flash from the crowd. Police officers stand on watch, alert for the kind of trouble they have witnessed in recent weeks. This sight, however, is not from a civil rights demonstration or an anti-Vietnam war protest from days past – it describes the scene of downtown Boston near Dewey Square during protests and other cities around the world with Occupy movements alike. Some have drawn comparisons between the flavor of the rallies of the 1960s and ’70s and today’s Occupy Wall Street protests, including Oklahoma Senator Josh Brecheen.