Cambridge News Weekly

Halloween Open House at the Fire Stations

Once again this year the Cambridge Fire Department will be hosting Halloween Open House at all fire stations from 2:00 to 4:00pm on Sunday, October 31, 2010.

Stone Soup Poetry founder Jack Powers: Looking back

 

The last time I saw Jack Powers was the last night I worked at McLean Hospital in the summer of 2009. Out of the blue he visited me with his companion Margaret at Waverly House, the hospital program that I worked at for the past seven years. The house was empty save for my co-worker Richard Wilhelm, who also has been involved with my Ibbetson Street Press since its inception in 1998. Jack obviously had seen better times. He had suffered several strokes, so this always articulate man was alarmingly mute. That was the last time I remember seeing him. I knew he was in a nursing home in the North End of Boston. My friend, the poet and artist Deborah Priestly recently told me he was near the end. She later told me that he passed.

Preschool-A-Palooza marks the arrival of Agassiz Preschool in Somerville

The Agassiz Preschool after spending 39 years in Cambridge will celebrate the completion of their new location Oct. 30 at Arts at the Armory

By Lee Durocher

Preschool-A-Palooza is coming to Somerville.

The Agassiz Preschool after spending 39 years in Cambridge will celebrate the completion of their new location Oct. 30 at Arts at the Armory from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Cambridge Health Alliance Bolsters Community Health in Somerville with Enhanced Somerville Hospital Campus

Local political leaders joined Cambridge Health Alliance executives and staff on Tuesday, October 19th, to commemorate the reopening of the Highland Building at CHA’s Somerville Hospital campus.

Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) has unveiled its new Highland Building, a key component of the revitalized CHA Somerville Hospital campus. CHA invested $5.75 million in facility improvements and enhancements at the Highland Building and the hospital itself to transform the campus into a major 100,000-visit ambulatory center and administrative hub.

Cambridge resident to be awarded the Massachusetts Outstanding Woman Veteran Award

On Thursday, November 4th at 11 AM in the State House, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be honoring all Women Veterans at the Sixth Annual Women Are Veterans Too! Event. 

This year the event will be in Memorial Hall (next to Nurse's Hall on the Second Floor of the State House in the Rotunda.)  In addition, the Commonwealth will present the Outstanding Woman Veteran of the Year Award to Cambridge resident CAPT Mary Jo Majors, Nurse Corps, USNR.  Mary Jo is a Vietnam Era Nurse who served on Active Duty in Tennessee caring for wounded warriors from the Vietnam Conflict, and again in Bethesda during the Persian Gulf War. Mary Jo continues to serve her country in the Naval Reserves and has been a mentor to many military women. 

46th Head of The Charles Regatta

By William Tauro

The 46th Head of The Charles Regatta be held on the Charles River this weekend Saturday, Octorber 23 and Sunday October 24. Over one hundred-thirty countries have entered the annual race including for the first time ever,Iraq has entered this year.

 

Deputy Lester Sullivan Retires After 38 Years of Service

On October 4, 2010, Deputy Lester Sullivan retired after serving the Cambridge Police Department, the City of Cambridge, and its citizens for 38 years.

He began his service in 1972 as a Cambridge Police Cadet, and through hard work and dedication, graduated to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Cambridge residential parking fees going up

By William Tauro

Cambridge City Council approved a plan to more than double the residential parking permit fees in the city. Cambridge City Council voted 8-1 in favor of increasing the fee from $8 to $20 to start in 2011. The permit fee will then increase again in 2013 to $25. Since 1992, fees for residential parking stickers had been only $8.00. With the increase next year it is expected to generate about $480,000 in additional revenue for Cambridge. City Councilor Tim Toomey cast the only vote against the fee hike, calling it an unfair increase at a time when many people are enduring economic hardship. “I think it’s a slap to the residents of the city,” Toomey said. It was City Manager Robert Healy's recommendation that the fee be increased during the summer saying that the additional revenue could be used to fund programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Nobody likes to see fees increased…but on this particular one I do see the public benefit,” said Cambridge Mayor David Maher.

Search for MIT stabbing suspect

By William Tauro

The search is on in Cambridge for a man that is suspected of stabbing another man in the stomach on the MIT Campus. The incident occurred at 4:30pm on Wednesday on a busy public way in front of many passing by.

Cambridge Police say that the suspect is not an MIT  student nor an employee of the university but knew the victim. The incident is still under investigation. 

CPD Shares Resources for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

 

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and as a sign of the department’s commitment to informing citizens and protecting victims of abuse, the Cambridge Police Department participated in the Annual Domestic Violence Vigil on October 6th at Cambridge City Hall. The Cambridge Police Department also hosted a Community Presentation and Breakfast in the Community Room at the Robert W. Healy Public Safety Facility for representatives from Cambridge, Arlington, and Belmont on October 14th.

Former Cambridge City Councilor William H. Walsh dies at 65

By William Tauro

Former Cambridge City Councilor William H. Walsh died suddenly in his home in Maine on October. 15th.

Councilor Walsh was an influential local figure in the 1980s. Elected to the Cambridge City Council in 1985 and served until he was convicted of 41 counts of bank fraud and sentenced to 18 months in prison in 1994. He was Walsh of a  prominent  Cambridge attorney law firm, Ferraro and Walsh,  located on Cambridge Street opposite the Rosevelt Towers and was an opponent of rent control laws that governed Cambridge at the time during his term in 1991.

Central Square Business Association Honors Officers at CommUNITY Luncheon

 

The Central Square Business Association held its 2010 CommUNITY Luncheon at Le Meridien Hotel where they honored four Cambridge Police Officers for their service to Central Square.

 

 

Halloween Superheroes 5K Road Race to Benefit Cambridge Women’s Crisis Organization

Local runners can reveal their inner super-selves October 31 by donning crime-fighting costumes to participate in the second annual Halloween Superhero 5K Run/Walk through Cambridge, a charity event that benefits On The Rise, a local non-profit organization that offers homeless women and women in crisis a day-time safe haven.

Cambridge Police Department Holds Ceremony to Promote Eleven to New Ranks

  

Yesterday, the Cambridge Police Department held a Promotion Ceremony in the beautifully renovated Main Library in Cambridge where eleven men and women of the Cambridge Police Department were promoted to their new ranks. 

D.A. Leone, Cambridge Police Commissioner Haas, Arlington Police Chief Ryan, Belmont Police Chief McLaughlin, & Cambridge District Court Announce Establishment Of New Gun Court

Program Initiated to Expedite Gun Cases

A new gun court has been established in Cambridge District Court, which serves the communities of Cambridge, Arlington and Belmont, Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas, Belmont Police Chief Richard McLaughlin, Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan, Cambridge District Court Judge Roanne Sragow, and District Attorney Leone informed the public.

MAPS Intensifies Community Outreach during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) joined the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Massachusetts Affiliate on Sept. 25 for the 18^th annual Race for the Cure, which brought together thousands of people in Boston to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. The MAPS Pink Adventurers team raised almost $560—more than double last year’s campaign—and educated many community members about the disease.

Upcoming Public Meetings on Healthy Parks and Playgrounds in Cambridge

Free play is an idea that is integral to human nature. Unlike work, it is an activity that happens for its own sake, not to achieve a specific outcome. It happens when we ride a swing, build a sand castle on the beach, climb a rock for a better view or invent a new dance with our friends.   It is enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds, everywhere and at all times. We think of play as being especially important to kids, and it is – kids will seek opportunities to play wherever they are, and regardless of whether they are told to do so. But adults play as well, with their children, among themselves, or alone.

MAPS Plans Annual Meeting Oct. 20 in Cambridge

The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) will hold its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 6 pm in the second floor community center of its Cambridge Office, located at 1046 Cambridge St.  MAPS members and the public are invited to attend and hear about agency accomplishments during the past year.  Members will also vote in the annual Board of Directors election.

Get Smart about Credit!

Cambridge Neighborhood Apartment Housing Services
will be hosting  an hour of learning about the importance of managing your credit. Through interactive games and activities, you will find out what helps and hurts your credit score.
October 21st in Union Square
Contact:
Sam Davidson-Weiss
(617) 5931 x225 | sdavidson-weiss@somervillecdc.org

Presented by Cambridge Savings Bank and Somerville Community Corporation
Jennifer Jonassaint
Cambridge Neighborhood Apartment Housing Services

Columbus Day Holiday Schedules

Columbus Day Holiday Schedules: Rubbish/ Recycling Collection, Street Cleaning, and Cambridge Cemetery

In observance of the Columbus Day Holiday on Monday, October 11, there will be no rubbish/ recycling pickup or street cleaning in Cambridge. Rubbish/ recycling daily pickup routes will be one day behind schedule for the remainder of that week. The even side C district was posted and swept on Wednesday, September 29.

St Clement's Anchormen lose to Matignon Warriors

By William Tauro

With temperatures at a brisk 65 degrees the morning after heavy rains drenched the city,  St Clement's Anchormen played extra hard but couldn't  claim victory.

Matignon High beat St  Clements High Saturday morning at Somerville's Dilboy Field with a 21-20 victory.

Cambridge Man Indicted On Murder Charge For Medford Homicide

 

A Cambridge man has been indicted on a charge of murder in connection with the death of a Weymouth man, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today. Christopher Toppi, 28, of Cambridge, was indicted today by a Middlesex Grand Jury on a charge of first degree murder.

Cambridge under clear skies before the storm

 

By William Tauro

Under clear skies and temperatures at seventy-seven degrees, the City of Cambridge braces itself for some bad weather. A storm heading this way promises to bring severe winds and heavy rains to the area today.