The changing of the Chief's ceremony was held Monday night at the police station - Chief Robert Bradley was presented with some nice mementos, including a Hitchcock chair. Chief Bradley officially passed the badge over to the new Chief Anthony Holloway. A small group of police officers were in attendance and everyone had a good time. We wish Chief Bradley the best of luck in the future, as well as Chief Holloway - best of luck in his new role.
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Speaking of the new chief, we heard that the brand new car he was given has already been christened in Somerville traffic. Around noon on Thursday of last week, the chief's new Ford Crown Victoria got side swiped by a white van on McGrath Highway. After a quick reconstruction investigation of the accident and the paperwork was exchanged, both parties went on their merry way. Can you image the look on the guy who owned the van - when he realized that he hit the police chief's car?
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One more thing we heard about the new chief: he has no tolerance for silliness. We heard he had to call a couple of his high ranking commanders into his office last week for a dressing down after they wouldn't stop their petty bickering.
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Our sympathy goes out to Jimmy Veneziano and his family for the loss this week of his father - he was a long-time Somerville resident who lived on Prescott Street. He was a nice guy and well known here in Somerville over the years.
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Vinny DeCecca, founder and owner of the La Hacienda Restaurant on Medford Street, also lost his life to a long time battle with cancer. Many of us here in Somerville remember going into his restaurant with our families over the years for a pizza and some of the best home cooking styled meals around. Vinny would often be there going around to the various customers, especially the ones with kids - he would give them bags of candy after their meals. Vinny was a great guy and will be sadly missed!
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Congratulations to the Somerville Highlanders boy's basketball team for their 80-53 victory over Medford last week - they're hopefully on their way to grabbing the Greater Boston League
title!
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Somerville Adult Evening School is opening soon and this year, under the leadership of Mike Chiampa, the evening school is offering a larger selection of classes for everyone. Registration is over the next few weeks at the SHS main office at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays & Wednesdays or call the Evening School for their brochure of classes being offered.
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If your household falls under the $60K income limit, you maybe qualify for VITA or Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Trained student volunteers from Tufts will prepare basic tax returns for eligible working community members of Somerville. Call 617-591-9400 for information or go to smeangel@nsp-
net.org
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Main Streets third birthday bash will held on February 27th at Machu Picchu - 307 Somerville Avenue - guest speaker will be Meri Jenkins and the donation is $30.00, which provides admission and individual membership in Union Square Main Streets.
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Congrats to Somerville for being awarded one of our nation's “100 Best Communities for Youth” by America's Promise Alliance last week - the mayor and the school department have worked closely on the issues that stand in the forefront of such an honor and their
efforts have paid off.
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This Friday, February 8th from 6pm to 8pm, the Healey School PTA will be sponsoring a dance for Grades K-4 in the cafétorium.
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That fire at 492 Medford Street is a suspicious one. We're curious to see what the investigation turns up. Our money is on arson. Quite a coincidence that some aldermen were ready to push the city to take legal action against the property owner and then a fire starts at the building after a week of people seen moving stuff out? Hmmmmmm.
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Mayor Joe is inviting the public on a community trip to our sister city in Italy-Gaeta. Offered at $2,299 for two or more individuals per room ($2,699 for singles), the price for the ten-day excursion to Rome and Gaeta includes round-trip air fare, hotel accommodations, bus transportation, and most meals. The mayor of Gaeta actually lived in Somerville as a boy and his parents came over to America on the same ship that Mayor Joe's parents did. That's something.
Once again the Somerville High's girl's basketball program gets no mention for their outstanding year. The varsity has a chance to go all the way. The Junior varsity is playing well and the Freshmen team is now undefeated with a record of 12-0.
The girl's sports programs always don't receive their due..........can you say.....DISCRIMINATION!
Posted by: Girls ignored | February 06, 2008 at 09:40 AM
What are the implication of the owner's death for the Hacienda restaurant and the parking lot it owns on Ward Street? Will it stay as is or will the children sell/develop?
Posted by: nobody3 | February 06, 2008 at 02:10 PM
I don't think that the girls basketball program can claim that they have ever been ignored. For years you heard only about the girls, never the boys. .Perhaps if the girls GBL had any competition at all winning games would mean something. As it is even a really medicore team (overall) as this years' girls team can beat most of the GBL. Even former powerhouse Cambridge has dropped down a notch this year. The boys have to work for most every win. Put the girls team against any Merrimack Valley team and watch what happens!!
Posted by: To girls ignored | February 06, 2008 at 04:57 PM
It's because the town is governed by sexists pigs. They pay lip service to women's issues, but in reality they could not care less.
Posted by: Tank Girl | February 06, 2008 at 08:49 PM
To: (To Girls Ignored)
These are young girls we're talking about; they are in this for the love of the game, and (if things are the way they were in my day) they are also maintaining an acceptable grade point average, to be able to stay on the team.
It's not the fault of the Somerville Girls' basketball team that they don't have any stiff competition. A win is a win; they deserve congratulations, and their accomplisments should be mentioned. It seems that, unless someone is the parent of a female student athlete, they cannot get excited about girls' organized sports. That's unfortunate, because just like young men, these young women are the future, and they deserve our attention and support.
Posted by: Kate | February 07, 2008 at 09:42 AM
Why pit the girls teams against the boys when it comes to high school athletics. All of the athletic teams and the student athletes deserve as much publicity and praise as they can possibly get. This school year has been the best for SHS athletics in a long time. The football team had a winning record. The boys soccer team made the tournament for the first time in awhile. Girls soccer had their best season ever. Boys cross-country won the GBL. Boys basketball is doing very well and will be in the tournament. Girls basketball will win the GBL outright.(not sure why the Merrimack Valley being a stronger league should take anything away from the accomplishment of our girls). Boys and girls indoor track teams are both having great seasons. The boys hockey team is having their best season in at least ten years. Keep up the good work! Anything that the Somerville News does to recognize our student athletes and our teams is a worthy venture.
Posted by: shs fan | February 07, 2008 at 11:04 AM
When I wrote the post "Girls Ignored" I was alluding to the fact that the newspapers in this town seem to forget that girls actually play sports. The girls varsity team get a little "print" but when it comes to the other sports they play they seem to get no coverage or just a "footnote" at the bottom of a sports column.
She Fan; No one's pitting the girls against the boys. Girls just deserve the same amount of attention that the boys get. Simple as that.
Posted by: SHS Girls | February 07, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Kate:
I agree with you 100%. My main point was that all the athletic teams, boy and girls, deserve much more than they get from all of the local newspapers!
Posted by: shs fan | February 07, 2008 at 11:57 AM
SHS Fan - I agree with your points, also.
Posted by: Kate | February 07, 2008 at 12:12 PM
For once, I agree with Kate too. There should be more promotion of Sports all around. Boys and girls.
Posted by: Imux | February 07, 2008 at 02:09 PM
maybe we all should complain about the two bozos that braodcast the girls games. They're an embarassment to the city and the the girls. Grow up. They make the games a joke, so why do you want any other media to be serious.
Posted by: Larry Liberal | February 07, 2008 at 06:02 PM
To Larry Liberal:
Larry, my name is Bob Calautti. I am one the "bozos" you speak of. Thanks for the comment by the way. Why don't you ask the Somerville Girls Basketball Varsity team players, coaches, and parents if Jim and I are bozos or an embarrassment to the City. Better yet, why don't you come down to the Brune Field House for a game and talk to me about it.
Bobby Calautti
Posted by: Bobby Calautti | February 08, 2008 at 01:42 PM
The 0708 Somerville High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team is having a great year. They will win the GBL. Congrats girls! They deserve credit.
The Journal does not have the greatest sports coverage but the Girls do get mentioned almost every week.
Posted by: Bobby Calautti | February 08, 2008 at 01:44 PM
Those "bozos" have made watching girls basketball very entertaining over the years. I think they have contributed greatly to the tradition of winning the girls have enjoyed during the past several years. Theres nothing wrong with putting a little fun into high school athletics. Keep up the good work Bob and Jim. Your dedication to the girls basketball team and the other sports you announce are appreciated by the vast majority of Somerville sports fans.
Posted by: shs fan | February 08, 2008 at 02:25 PM
Bob and Jim may be a little eccentric, but the girls love them. All the way from the Somerville Pride Teams to the Varsity level. There dedication to girls basketball is tremendous and entertaining. If it wasn't for them the girls program would probably be more irrelevant to the sports pages in this town.
Posted by: Bob and Jim | February 09, 2008 at 05:09 PM
can't we all just get-a-long?
Posted by: Captain Arlington | February 11, 2008 at 11:10 AM