The Somerville News

Student stabbed in fraternity versus locals fight

By George P. Hassett

A Tufts sophomore was stabbed Saturday when he and his fraternity brothers clashed with three men, including one from Somerville, who don’t go to the school, according to police.

Authorities said three men and one female were trying to get into the Delta Upsilon fraternity house at 114 Professors Row Saturday around 2:00 a.m. when a physical altercation broke out and Brendan Vraibel, 19, of Saugus, pulled out a knife, opened it and threatened the group.

Moving Somerville forward: investing in our parks

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

Winter is finally over and spring is promising warmer weather around the corner.  I, for one, can't wait to get outside and enjoy the city's parks with my family. And this spring and summer our Parks and Open Space Department will be drafting an Open Space and Recreation Plan that details the city's goals for the renovation and expansion of our parks and open space during the next five years.

Somerville is the most densely populated community in New England and only 4.7 percent of our city is open space. Of this 4.7 percent more than half is maintained and operated by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The combination of these factors means we have had to be creative in finding ways to increase our green space and renovate and improve our existing parks. And we have been. The last three years have seen the renovation or creation of eleven parks and community gardens throughout our city including last year's opening of the renovated Perry Park and several community gardens.

A Bagel Bard is new head of the Cape Cod Writers Center

Off The Shelf by Doug Holder

Anne Elizabeth Tom, among other things, is a member of the Bagel Bards, a writers group that meets every Saturday at the Au Bon Pain in Davis Square. Late in 2007 Tom was appointed the new executive director of the Cape Cod Writers Center. Anne who lives on the Cape with her husband Steve grew up in Boston but remembers her summers on the Cape with great affection. Tom got an MFA from Tufts University, worked as a writer/editor for the MITRE Corp., started a family, lived around the country, but wound up back on the Cape.

Centuries old lodges welcome the public

Photos by Donald F. Norton

On March 8th, the two Masonic Lodges in Somerville - King Solomon's Lodge A.F. & A.M. and Somerville Lodge, A.F. & A.M. - had an Open House all day to invite members of the community in to view their building at 125 Highland Avenue, learn about the history of their lodge and answer questions for those looking to join the fraternity. The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts is celebrating its 275th year and King Solomon's Lodge is celebrating its 225th year in 2008. Many members of the community and their families belong to one or both of these two lodges and if you would like any additional information, please call the Master of King Solomon's Lodge - James Norton at 617-718-2110.

An embassy in Somerville?

On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

It used to be called Smitty's, on Somerville Ave, but when it became the Embassy Lounge, that's when the real fun began. The year was 1974 and the Fabulous Pharaohs were the big attraction. Inspired by The Great Pretenders, The Pharaohs were a pantomime act that did '50s and '60s music on Thursdays and Sunday nights. The members were Mark, John, Mike, Billy, and Brian. Mike's brother, another John, ran the equipment (p.s. - get well soon, John), Mark's brother George was part of the group for a short time and their father- George Sr. - managed them for a while. Joe W. and Dave Emery were also on the tech crew at various times.

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The View From Prospect Hill

There are no ivory towers here in Somerville. And that is especially true when it comes to substance abuse.

Sadly, that plague has likely been experienced by every member of our community, directly or indirectly. It is too widespread a problem in this world for anyone in our city's neighborhoods not to have a brother, sister, spouse, parent, child or friend caught up in it.

And because we have had that experience as a community we must be sympathetic and supportive of people in recovery trying to get help.

But that doesn't mean we have to tolerate the scam that is going on at 31 Wilton St. for even a second. In that two family house, there are 11 men squeezed into six bedrooms paying $135 a week and getting no treatment or services for their money - just shelter.

Owner of property in arson investigation dies

By George P. Hassett

The owner of a problem property on Medford Street that is at the center of an arson investigation has died.

Rocco Polino died suddenly in Florida last month, said Alderman-at-Large William A. White at a committee on public health and public safety meeting last week. The committee had become involved with the property at 492 Medford St. because of neighborhood complaints that Polino was violating zoning laws.

Solicitor: City is ‘hamstrung’ in dealings with sober house

By George P. Hassett

City officials may not be able to regulate a “sober house” on Wilton Street that neighbors say is a center of drug activity.

Bruce MacDonald, the attorney for Sober Surroundings at 31 Wilton Street, said the residents of the house, - recovering alcoholics and drug addicts – qualify as handicapped and, under the Federal Fair Housing Act, are exempt from local zoning regulations that limit the number of unrelated people living together in a home.

Drive-by shooting on Sewall Street

A 15 year-old boy was shot on Sewall Street last night. The suspects fired from a passing car, described as small and dark, police said. Three or four people were in the car at the time, police said.

The 15-year old is from Malden and was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Police are not releasing any more information at this time. They are urging anyone with information about the shooting to contact detectives at 617-625-1212.

Mayor wins over one of his last detractors

By George P. Hassett

In July, Lenny DiCiccio wanted to bury Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. By September he was voting for him.

Despite a nasty falling out and his previously pledged support to Curtatone’s opponent Rick Scirocco, DiCiccio stepped into the voting booth and cast his ballot for the man he once called his godson (though he is not actually Curtatone’s godfather, he was a sponsor at the confirmation of Cosmo Curtatone – the mayor’s brother).

“Of course I voted for him,” DiCiccio said. “Rick was a loser.”

Newstalk for Wednesday March 26th 2008

Our ears were burning last week - it seems even before the paper hit the streets, certain individuals were on the phones, making calls - all denials, they said - one or two were even threatening. Frantic calls were made to individuals around the city asking how we found out about certain items in Newstalk. Well, we have a lot of Newstalkers out there and the list keeps growing all the time - more and more individuals have joined, so that we now have eyes and ears in a lot of places. We think its called being thrown under the bus so to speak, so when we’re called, and we ask the famous question: “whom did you recently piss off?” - start there.
    

Easter chaos at Good Time Emporium

By George P. Hassett

Hundreds of people, some with bats and knives, fought inside the children’s birthday party area at Good Time Emporium on Easter Sunday, according to police.

When Officer James McNally arrived at the scene, he said he saw a crowd of 150 to 200 people fighting, with “tables and chairs being thrown in every direction.”

“I observed people climbing tables and jumping on other people. I observed several out of control altercations. [Police officers] were running around trying to break up each new altercation that erupted,” McNally wrote in his incident report.

Facts versus truth… or can't we all get along?

By William C. Shelton

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

A statement may be factually accurate, but not true. I may say that you have a hysterical fear of water, but I don't mention that you're on top of your house, praying for rescue from a rapidly rising flood. The first fact accurately conveys one meaning. Adding the second fact radically changes the meaning.

Interview with poet Mark Doty: A poet who goes from “Fire to Fire”

Off The Shelf by Doug Holder

When a publicist from Harper Collins in New York City emailed to see if I wanted to review Mark Doty's new poetry collection: “Fire to Fire,” I was on it like the proverbial hornet. Doty is high on the top shelf of American poets, a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Whiting Writers Award and the U.K's T.S. Eliot Prize. His poetry has appeared in the American Poetry Review, Ploughshare, Prairie Schooner, and many other well-regarded literary journals. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment of the Arts, the Ingram-Merrill Foundation, as well as the Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. In his new collection Doty peppers his work with beautiful studied images, and haunting apparitions he spies in the most unlikely of places. Doty has an astute ear for music, he can smell death's most subtle odor, and he can explain to you what you have been just dying to articulate. To be honest, few of the poetry books I get to review are dyed-in-the-wool page turners. But Doty's is hands down. I interviewed Doty recently for The Somerville News.

Happy Easter from The Somerville News

We hope that everyone has a wonderful Easter - safe, happy and healthy - from the Editors, Publishers and Staff of The Somerville News and Prospect Hill Publishing, Inc.

A real basket case

On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

Easter was a special time in my family because I had an Uncle Chick and an Uncle Bunny. Really! I used to love telling people that. It was that kind of holiday when we got new shoes and new clothes. I remember it was a struggle because my parents never liked the suit jackets I liked - I ended up wearing some dumb looking thing that I hated. The trip to Anderson-Little in Medford was a pain in the butt - the only good thing about it was that we always went to Howard Johnson's on Wellington Circle when we were done. We'd pile into my father's old Rambler American and take the drive to hell - it was an hour of trying on hideous suit jackets that made me look like an Italian version of a mini Wally Cleaver.

Debate stirs in Foss Park over mural repainting

By Mia Lamar

The neighborhood surrounding Foss Park is at odds over recent calls to have the Foss Park pool house mural repainted. Peter Ungar, chairman of the Foss Park Neighborhood Association, said he has experienced backlash and even some “threatening” phone calls after he initiated a community discussion over whether the mural should be repainted.

The View From Prospect Hill

The phrase “grease the skids” is an unfortunate one to use when discussing municipal business. Here in Somerville, it brings up decades-old memories of federal prosecutors playing audio tapes of local politicians demanding bribes and kickbacks.

But the phrase used by a NextG employee to describe how the company gained favor with the city is not the most disturbing piece of their proposal to put more than 3,000 feet of wiring through the city.

No the “grease the skids” comment made in an internal email accidentally released to the Lynn Department of Public Works Director seems to be nothing more than a poor choice of words. It simply referred to the company expressing a willingness to support a community program such as the Sunsetters if they are allowed to do business here.

Chartering a new course in Somerville

By Joe Lynch

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

Somerville voters adopted its city charter, which established the basic form of government upon its incorporation as a city in 1871. Back then, we had only 4 wards and elections for Mayor and Aldermen were held every year. By 1934, the population of the city had exploded to well over 100,000 residents. Our form of government still consisted of the executive position of Mayor and the legislative body called the Board of Aldermen. By then the city, by charter change, had been divided into seven distinct wards, we added four aldermen at large positions, and had already changed our election cycle to every two years. More routine maintenance items have been performed on the city charter over the years. We've deleted provisions of the charter that are no longer needed, we've added provisions necessary to adapt to our ever-changing current and future municipal needs and desires. But over the last 75 years, we have not revised, nor even had a significant widespread public discussion about, our charter and how our form of government is constructed.