The Somerville News Blog

Somerville Police: Drunk driver nodded off behind wheel

By George P. Hassett An Arlington woman was arrested for drunk driving Friday night after a concerned citizen called police to report an erratic motorist driving with her head down. Kristen Good, 28, of 31 Highland Ave., Arlington, was arrested and charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, drunk driving and warrant charges.

Criminal and family intrigue surround Somerville hotel plans

~Photo courtesy of the city of Somerville By Tom Nash A planned hotel at 371 Beacon Street has yet to begin construction, however, it is already bringing drama, mystery and criminal intrigue to a Somerville street corner. Exactly who wants to build a 35-room hotel and restaurant on a vacant gas station lot at Beacon and Oxford streets near Porter Square is still not available in public documents. And two people involved in the project may have been involved in a felony assault earlier this year.

A Green place to live in Somerville

This new condo was built with 41 percent green material. ~Photo by Ashley Troutman Craigie Street condos focus on 'green' ideals Ashley Troutman The new condominiums at 42 Craigie St. are covered in environmentally-conscious, green ideals - literally. "Anything that we could use that was recycled, we did," said developer and Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan. The entire exterior of the building is made out of a refurbished cement called hearty plank, eliminating the need for vinyl or aluminum siding.

Flash flood photos of the public safety building in Somerville

~Photos by William Tauro

Somerville city officials outline '25-year flood' response

(Taped by Vaughn Simkins outside the SCAT building)

By Tom Nash

Somerville officials outlined the city's response to last Saturday's flash flooding on Wednesday, beginning with Mayor Joseph Curtatone noting the storm was an anomaly that overwhelmed the city's infastructure.

"This is a 25-year storm occurring in one hour," Curtatone said of the 3.5 inches of rain that overwhelmed streets and homes throughout the city. "You could tell based on the forecasts of this storm [that] it was different."

ArtBeat the summer heat in Somerville

Hit the streets in Davis Square Friday and Saturday to catch ArtBeat. This year's theme is water.~Photo by Christina Acosta Water theme to cool down annual art fest Friday and Saturday Patrick Gough ArtBeat returns to Davis Square this week with an appropriate theme to cool down the scorching Somerville streets: water will be showcased, celebrated and discussed through various exhibitions of dance, music and interactive installations on Friday evening and Saturday throughout the day. GroundWorks Somerville will be hosting a game called "Water Miles", which encourages participants to think more about how far water has been transported before they drink it. Two of the showcase events are interactive installations that allow festival-goers the opportunity to participate in the artistic experience. Worcester-based artist Susan Champeny will be setting up a "Totem Island" on the main traffic circle in Davis Square. The event will encourage participants, both young and old, to decorate recycled detergent bottles that will be used as the building-blocks of several large totem poles that will be placed throughout the event.

Somerville immigrant advocates celebrate victory in Popeye's Chicken wage dispute

Alex Pirie, board member of The Welcome Project, presented Centro Presente with several books about community-building in the face of discrimination.~Photo by Lauren Ostberg Lauren C. Ostberg A Somerville-based immigrant rights group celebrated recent labor and legislative victories at their annual picnic last week. Centro Presente worked with five employees of a Popeye's Chicken franchise in downtown Boston. After nearly a year of going without payment, the workers received $9,748 on the morning of July 1, the day of a scheduled press conference. It was just one of the victories Centro presente celebrated Saturday, as they recognized student activists and the Welcome Project, another Somerville immigrant advocacy group.

Somerville Police: Car break-in suspect stole inhaler, GPS

By George P. Hassett A Dorchester man was arrested July 6 after he allegedly broke into a car in Somerville to steal a GPS device and an abuterol inhaler. Stephen Jackson, 22, of 784 Washington St., Dorchester, allegedly broke into a car on Packard Avenue around 2:49 a.m.

Life saved, $1 million in damages after floods in Somerville

~Photo by Lauren Ostberg By George P. Hassett Weekend flash floods in East Somerville will cost the city millions in damages but it could have been worse - one Somerville woman almost lost her life as she was trapped in 18-foot waters under the Assembly Square Bridge. Now, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone is wondering if it all could have been avoided. Curtatone said this week that city officials are looking into issues at the Amelia Earhart dam on the Mystic River. "We heard that the flood gates may not have been opened, may not have been opened timely enough and we still need to understand what that would mean," Curtatone said to the television station WBZ.

Green line extension through Somerville delayed until 2015

By Tom Nash The Green Line extension project will not be appearing in time for the federally mandated 2014 deadline, according to a report discussed by the state's Department of Transportation last Friday. Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan has reportedly said the project would be delayed until at least October 2015 as a result of the two-year battle over a plan to place a maintenance facility next to Somerville's Brickbottom artists community.

Somerville Police: Woman indecently assaulted walking home from Porter Square train station

By George P. Hassett

A woman walking home from the Porter Square train station was knocked to the ground and attacked by a man on Sunday night, police said.

Police are looking for a suspect described as a white male, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, medium build, brown hair and clean shaven.

Child passenger injured riding MBTA on McGrath Highway

~Photo by William Tauro By William Tauro Somerville Police and Fire units were dispatched to the intersection of McGrath Highway and Medford Street in Somerville Thursday morning for an incident involving an MBTA bus and an injured passenger. A child sustained minor injuries due to an apparent fall that occurred as the bus was stopping while approaching the bus stop next to Glass Stop.

U-Haul gets a facelift

By William Tauro The U-Haul facility located on Linwood St. is undertaking a major facelift. With a complete powerwash as well as a fresh paint job, the Linwood St. storage company will soon have a new look while continuing to being a good neighbor.

Somerville pizza place makes history

Grover Taylor of Eat at Jumbo's is a pioneer of environmentally conscious pizza. ~Photo by George P. Hassett Hybrid boxes first in New England By George P. Hassett Call it cutting down on your pizza footprint. A Ball Square pizza spot is the first restaurant on the east coast, and the ninth in the country, to offer environmentally-conscious customers reusable plastic boxes for take-out pizza orders. The best news for pizza purists: the new boxes actually make a pie taste better - unlike cardboard, the cheese never sticks to the plastic. Owner Grover Taylor said he was inspired to pursue plastic boxes last year when he served 250 pizzas at Tufts University's freshman orientation and saw the pies and cardboard boxes destroyed in less than 10 minutes. "It was awful," he said. "There was cardboard everywhere."

Major League Soccer still possible in Somerville

By George P. Hassett A decision by state officials to locate a Green Line maintenance facility away from a residential and commercial area could re-open the possibility of a soccer stadium in East Somerville. For three years, city officials and the Kraft Group, owners of the Major League Soccer team New England Revolution, have discussed building a new stadium in the Inner Belt district to raise the team's profile and capitalize on nearby immigrant-rich and soccer-crazed neighborhoods.

Somerville Officer recognized for saving toddler

~Photo by Tom Nash By Tom Nash Somerville Police Officer Albert Gee received a citation from the Board of Aldermen and Mayor Joseph Curtatone last Thursday for saving the life of 2-year-old Jayden Gilmore. Gee, while working a police detail on Somerville Avenue in May, saved the toddler from choking on a drain plug.

Mayor Curtatone Hopes to Enlist Unions in Effort to Save Jobs in Somerville

Fire, police, school teacher and municipal employee unions have been asked to join non-union workers in providing budget savings (from the city of Somerville) In an effort to preserve more City jobs a midst a budget crisis, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has approached Somerville's largest unions and asked them to follow the example of their non-union co-workers, who have taken a temporary pay cut in order to save three library technician jobs. Many other clerical and custodian jobs still stand to be eliminated if other savings are not found by the July 1 start of the new municipal fiscal year. On Thursday, Curtatone spoke with the heads of the police superior, police patrolmen, firefighter and municipal employee unions, asking them to show solidarity with their union brethren who face layoffs. Curtatone is seeking a 2.5% cost reduction from each of those bargaining units. In addition, the School Committee has approached the school teachers' union asking for similar savings.

Somerville Police: Drug users taken by surprise as they cook heroin

By George P. Hassett

Police took two convicted drug users by surprise Saturday morning as they prepared to shoot heroin in the parking lot of the Gulf Gas Station on Alewife Brook Parkway.

Robert White, 28, of 341 Alewife Brook Parkway and Walter Hussey, 29, of 11 Riverside Ave., Danvers, jumped in their seats when Officer Richard C. Lavey opened their car door without warning, police said.

'Hey Joe, you gotta go'

 

Custodian supporters stage City Hall demonstration in Somerville

By Tom Nash

Hundreds gathered at City Hall Tuesday evening to protest Mayor Joseph Curtatone's decision to lay off nearly 60 city employees - some with signs suggesting it's the mayor who should be getting a pink slip.

"I've been working for the city for 17 years," Winter Hill Community School custodian Steve Shea said of the decision to outsource the work to a private contractor starting July 1. "I'm an official civil servant just like a firefighter or a policeman. Every job has worth."

Happy Father's Day, wish you were here

Jimmy Del Ponte On The Silly Side (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.) Dear Dad: Today is Father's day, again, and Dad I've been thinking of you Sixteen years have passed since you left, although it seems like just a few. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you and smile We laughed at all the same dumb jokes, and man we had a pile.