Things are pretty uncomfortable down at the DPW in the Sewer Dept since Dave (known as Squiggy) got the position as boss – it seems ‚ÄúTorpedo Lady‚Äù is making everyone’s life miserable down there. We hear she thinks they made a mistake not appointing her, since she feels like the boss anyway. Last we heard, the city could appoint anyone they feel can do the job to that position.

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The American Legion Post 19 located at 124 Highland Avenue is holding their annual Spring Bazaar at Noon this Sunday, April 6 – there will be dozens of prizes with a 3 p.m. drawing – all proceeds will benefit veterans and their families.

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At a recent house party in Winchester, we heard a large contingent of Queen Pat’s (Senator Jehlen) followers showed up to give support for a candidate who is running against the current Winchester Representative – Paul Casey. Just another example of how the PDSers are not interested in working with their peers, just interested in taking over. 

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Last week we mentioned that a lot of residents here in Somerville were calling on Rep. Paul Donato in Medford to get help when they needed a state legislator – well we were quickly corrected by a lot of our sources out there – and we are happy to correct that. It was pointed out that Representative Denise Provost is quietly and very effectively filling the void left from Queen Pat and her prot√©g√© Prince Carl here in Somerville. We are told that Denise has been returning calls, answering concerns of the residents and is really being an effective legislator on the hill for us here in Somerville – not like the other two – which is great! We also heard that she was up for a Vice Chairmanship recently, but didn’t quite make it, which is a shame‚Ķwe were told by our sources at the State House that she is a hard worker and is being taken seriously, not like the other two.

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Yes we heard that Prince Carl has a new office and yes we heard he’s wagging his mouth again (seems he has a lot of time since he doesn’t return calls, sitting in all the various coffee shops alone now) that if Alderman Bob Trane gets in the race against him, he (meaning Carl) will teach him a lesson or two. Hey Carl, here’s a tip: try not to be so arrogant and try to be an effective legislator first and earn your salary before flapping your gums. We also heard that Princess Rebekah of the PDSers was going to be Carl’s campaign manager – that’s what we hear anyways, we could be wrong (we have been in the past) – we will see.

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The Annual Spelling Bee that used to be held here in Somerville has been resurrected once again and this time the founders are hoping to make a come back with a bang‚Ķ Sean Fitzgerald and Cristin Lind of the Capuano School in East Somerville have been working hard on bringing it back – so far there are a lot of people from the ‘Ville getting together teams of three people each to run against each other. Mayor Joe and former Mayor Dot Gay will be forming their own teams, along with Congressman Mike and a lot of others. The date is Friday, April 25 at the Holiday Inn. If you want to get a team together, contact Sean at seanjfitz@comcast.net or Cristin at cdlind@yahoo.com. Sounds like fun – join in and find out who will be the champion spellers of Somerville.

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Street cleaning started yesterday (April 1), so don’t forget to read the signs for the day your street is scheduled to be swept/cleaned – the cost of a ticket is well worth remembering when to move your car – and the city is ready with a lot of Traffic & Parking personnel running around already.

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The state of the art Albert F. Argenziano (Lincoln Park) School price tag keeps rising even though it has already been built and is opened! The school was built to last like any new building for many years to come, but its already having problems we hear and its only six months into existence. Some problems have risen from the new soccer field, which drains into nearby streets causing ice and treacherous conditions – also, the front doors of the school are difficult to lock and unlock, which could pose a hazard if there was an emergency. Graffiti already covers one side of the exterior wall near the tracks and also the new building has had trouble we hear meeting the requirements for easy accessibility to handicapped people – Alderwoman Maryann Heuston, Chair of the BOA Finance Committee, is up in arms and has threatened to sue the contractors if these and other problems aren’t fixed immediately.

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Things have quieted down around the city regarding the demo man, but don’t let that fool anyone – we hear a lot of things happening behind the scenes with the owners of the property on Harvard Place and we certainly wish them the best of luck. We’re listening and waiting for the noise level to rise again.

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The “Somerville Money Fair” will be held at the Elizabeth Peabody House at 277 Broadway on April 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. There will be workshops and information on hand for all people Рyoung and old Рlooking to learn how to budget their money, discover strategies to increase income, find help and resources for money troubles and focus on young adults workshops so that kids will walk away with some real money skills. There will be a free lunch and free childcare provided that day. Sponsored by the Somerville Commission for Women with generous support from the Tisch College Citizenship and Public Service Scholars Program of Tufts University. For more information, contact (617) 625-6600, x 2406 or email sdarai@somervillema.gov. The Somerville Commission for Women is a part of the Somerville Public Health Department.

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In celebration of National Volunteer Week, the New England Regional Unit, Boston Chapter of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic  (RFB&D)¬Æ will host its annual Record-A-Thon from April 28th to May 3rd, at its studio at 58 Charles Street in Cambridge. The production goal is to have volunteer/readers staff all eight recording booths at the Chapter’s studio in Cambridge for 12 hours (8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.) during the six-day event. The event’s financial goal is $30,000. To participate in the 2008 Record-A-Thon, please contact Ron Wudarsky at (617) 577-1111 ext. 22, or rwudarsky@rfbd.org for more information.

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The 34th Annual PTA Scholarship Dinner Dance will be held on Friday, May 2nd at Anthony’s in Malden. This year they’re honoring Mary Jo Rossetti, Steve Tuccelli, Joe Vilaine, Marie DiFava and the late Joe Mackey by presenting five scholarships to deserving seniors in the honoree’s names. All contributions to the program book and to the dinner/dance will be the source of the funds for the scholarships – any donations can be dropped off at any of the public schools – put ‚ÄúAttention PTA Dinner Dance‚Äù on the envelope.

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Congratulations to Rosa Lobo Almeida, a Somerville resident who recently became a United States citizen. She said it is her lifelong dream to vote in the U.S. and she can’t wait until November. She won’t say who she plans to vote for but we say her vote will be one of the most meaningful ones cast on Election Day.