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.)

I had the pleasure of talking to a very interesting gentleman recently – his name is Frank Scimone and he came to Somerville in 1951. He liked the Teele Square area so much that he bought 1112 through 1118 Broadway. It’s the block that now houses the muffin shop, the ATM, and Christo Insurance, which was formerly Frank Scimone Insurance for 40 years. He told me he bought and sold 1108 Broadway twice. He has been dubbed ‚ÄúThe Mayor of Teele Square‚Äù and he has been interviewed on Boston TV. Here is some of the history we discussed.

So how’s the five-week vacation going, Congressman Capuano? You can’t drive all that far with gas hovering around $3.90 per gallon now during the summer and will most likely be $4.25 or higher by the time winter gets here. By that time, home heating oil is expected to be anywhere from $4.90 to well over $5.00 per gallon -that hurts people from all types of economic backgrounds‚Ķfrom money makers to fixed income seniors.

Maybe your whacko-liberal friend, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, doesn’t care about her constituents and the coming winter months – but you should care. It’s ALL about partisan politics in Washington, D.C. these days‚Ķthe bitterness and hatred between the two parties is shameful and we, the people, are the ones who will suffer in the end.

Publicover details histories of AIDS and this newspaper

By George P. Hassett

In 1968 Frank Privitera published the first issue of The Somerville Times, a local monthly dedicated to taking down one of his enemies: Mayor James Brennan.

Privitera formed an alliance with Joe Marino, a lawyer from Medford who was renting a house on Westwood Street so he could challenge Brennan for mayor, and the attacks soon followed. The Times mailed 31,000 copies of the paper to Somerville voters each month, with eye-catching, if sometimes misleading, headlines.

By Jack Nicas

City officials are “seriously considering” taking legal action against the federal government after the number of planes flying over Somerville has tripled in the last two years, and according to city officials, the feds have turned a cold shoulder to local noise complaints.

City spokesman Tom Champion said the city could sue the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and potentially the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) in response to the increase in airplane noise over Somerville skies.

By Jack Nicas

The Mystic Avenue Summer Basketball League concluded its fifth year on Thursday night with down-to-the-wire finishes in both championship matches. In the younger division, Mohammed Borus led the Hornets to a 20-18 victory over the second place Celtics. Celtics stars Salieme Warsaw and Evelyn Ayala climbed back from an eight-point deficit in the second half, but Borus proved too much for the Celtics in the end.

In the main event, the top two teams from the older division, the Lakers and the Spurs, faced off for bragging rights of the Mystic Avenue projects. Somerville High School teammates and stars Franklin Salvador and Ricardo Bonhomme suited up for opposing teams, only to have Salvador’s Lakers come out on top. It is likely the pair’s last season with the league, as players at least; Bonhomme coached the league champion Hornets.

Middlesex County Register of Probate and former Somerville alderman John Buonomo was arrested yesterday in connection with his alleged theft of public monies.

Buonomo, 56, of Newton, was put in handcuffs Wednesday by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. He was charged with 18 counts of breaking and entering into a depository, eight counts of theft of public property by a City/Town/County Officer, and eight counts of larceny under $250.

By George P. Hassett

A controversial proposal that brought hundreds of landlords to City Hall in protest is back and this time, according to the mayor, it is not slanted in favor of tenants. But the proposal, which would revise the regulations surrounding the condo conversion process, comes after the local condo market reached its peak and conversions in the city have slowed dramatically.

In fiscal year 2006, when the ordinance was first proposed by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, there were 565 multi-family homes converted into condominiums. In fiscal year 2008, there were 217, a 61 percent decrease.

The Magoun Square Neighborhood Association and the Mass Executive Office of Transportation will conduct a neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposed Lowell Street MBTA Green Line Station. The meeting is tonight (August 6) at 6 p.m. at the VNA – 259 Lowell Street, third floor community room. All residents and business owners are invited. For more information call Joe Lynch at 617-623-0891 or email him at jplcorp2004@yahoo.com

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We hear that Torpedo Lady recently filed a “restraining order” against co-worker CW, and at the hearing on Monday the court/judge was dismayed that the Union wasn’t involved for either side – we heard that the judge dismissed the case, saying the basis of complaint was unfounded. Has CW been out of work without pay (unjustifiably) going on a few weeks now? What’s going on down there at the DPW and with the Union?

Interactive garden attempts to change lives

By Jack Nicas

For close to a month now, pedestrians wandering down Elm Street have noticed a mysterious garden beckoning them to enter. It is a daring task to walk into a stranger’s yard, but that’s exactly what the owner wants. It is a challenge to participants in hopes of inspiring change in their lives.

After following the tiki torch-lined stone path and crossing the spiral marbled ‚Äúabyss,‚Äù risk-takers come to what appears to be a colorful punching bag. Upon further inspection, it is revealed the color comes from countless multi-colored notes marked with part participants‚Äô deepest questions.  As the hanging cards twirl in the wind, one can see each question is thoughtfully answered on the back. To one‚Äôs left a sign reads: ‚ÄúConfess a fear, a secret, a question. Leave it in the box. Return in two days and the back will speak.‚Äù Completing this task is the first step to ‚Äúcrossing into the abyss.‚Äù 

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.)

The reorganization, expansion and modernization of the Somerville Police Department has been a long, drawn-out process – and we still have plenty to do. Still, the Board of Aldermen’s vote on July 17 to take two Deputy Chief of Police positions out of civil service has to be seen as the finishing touch on a long series of interlocking changes that has fundamentally transformed the department and prepared it for the 21st Century.