It took awhile, but Farrington makeover underway

When the Farrington High School auditorium roof fell in the day after Thanksgiving in 2012, there seemed little to be thankful about. And it was ironic, too: Only a year earlier, there had been a groundbreaking for an entire campus redesign.

Now — finally — officials are soliciting bids for the makeover of this building, a $12 million project that will deliver much more than a new roof.

While the exterior shell is preserved (the vintage building does have a pleasing, period look to it), there will now be office space, added seating, accommodation for the school’s media and technology program and more.

Some graduating senior who will miss their last years in the auditorium may feel chagrined, but it does sound like a renovation worth the wait.

Starbucks may soon offer more for your bucks

For those of us who go to Starbucks only every morning, the ubiquitous coffee company has introduced "Starbucks Evenings" with beer and wine service after 4 p.m.

There are 26 Starbucks locations offering the service — out of 11,000 in the U.S. — so it’s just a pilot project at this point. They’re scattered around Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

But if Starbucks Evenings goes nationwide, just about every neighborhood in America could suddenly find itself with a new bar in the neighborhood, albeit a nice friendly one that also sells "frappuccinos."

Fortunately, the pinot gris comes by the glass or bottle — not tall, grande or venti.