Recently, the Mystic
Learning Center, which is an after school program, started a bicycle
club, which has a ratio of 2 adult supervisors to 15 children.

"They
[the children] were riding and came across a community police officer,
and he thought that some of them didn't have helmets, and they had a
talk about helmet safety. Then, later that day, the Chief from the
Somerville Police showed up, Mr. Holloway, and two of his other
officers. They gave the children helmets," said Florence Bergmann,
Executive Director of The Mystic Learning Center.

The Somerville
Housing Authority serves as the umbrella organization, under which the
MAC is included. The Mystic Learning Center (MAC) in Somerville the
Mystic Learning Center, the Welcome Project, the Computer Education
Center, the Community Activity Room, The Mystic Tenants Association,
and Tenant Selection Department, and the Bunker Hill Community College
Somerville Satellite campus.

The center's idea concerning why
children should sport helmets is "to prevent any head injuries," said
Bergmann. "We certainly can't have children hurting their heads,
especially not while their in our care in our after school program —
and it's the law."

This year marks the first annual helmet
distribution event at the Center. "I would certainly like to see it be
an annual event," she said. Children, ranging from 5 and 13
participated.

What prompted the Center to hand out helmets to
children, at this time? "It seemed appropriate since we were starting a
[bicycle] club, to start on a good note, with everybody having
helmets," said Bergmann. Participants enjoy a ride on Mondays from 3:30
p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Additionally, "Parents need to know that
when they buy their children a bike, they should also be buying a
helmet. I don't think all parents think about that, or maybe they've
scrounged the money to get the bike, and don't have the money for the
helmet."

Bergmann is unsure, whether the distribution will become a city-wide project.

Although
there was no monetary requirement for children to get a free helmet,
most of the children who are served by program are low-income,
according to her.

She thinks that children should "definitely"
wear helmets for activities, other than bike riding, such as ice
skating, skateboarding, and sledding. The reason is that, "It's just so
easy for them to hurt their heads."

Because this is the week
of April vacation for students, field trips will be plentiful. "At the
end of the week [on Friday night], we have a roller skating trip from 6
to midnight," said Bergmann. Participants of all ages are welcome to
attend because it will be a family event, according to Bergmann. The
bus, the final destination of which will be Rollerworld in Saugus, will
depart from the Activity Center. "And I'll be nervous because people
won't have helmets there," she said.

"This
is the most serious economic situation in my lifetime," says the
Senator. "People have no idea. There are still state funded programs
that are asking for money. They don't realize that there is absolutely
no money to get out there."

Galluccio predicts that truly
difficult times are still ahead of us, and that the general public will
begin to feel the ramifications of the current state of the economy
over the next year as the middle class is more harshly affected.

"Poor
people know how to be poor. The working class that is suffering is
doing what they've always done. It's the middle class families that
will be affected over the next year that have the most to lose," says
the Senator.

Galluccio expresses very little patience for
exhaustive discussion about the current economic crisis. He aims to
effectively problem-solve and takes issue with legislators and pundits
that focus on the severity of the situation. "I can't sit around and
talk about the problems we're facing for hours. I want to talk about
what we are going to do about them and how we're going to make the
programs work with less money." The Senator believes that these are the
times in which legislators and activists have to get creative in order
to keep our communities moving.

Galluccio, a first term State
Senator, former mayor of Cambridge and long-time City Councilor in
Cambridge, is now the Chair of the Joint Committee for Higher
Education. This is an appropriate appointment for Galluccio after
chairing the Cambridge School Committee from 2000 to 2002. Galluccio's
sincere affection for and dedication to the school systems of
Massachusetts and the children within it is evident.

Massachusetts
has made education funding the top priority in discussions over the
budget and state funded programs so that education and the public
school system will remain level, while most other programs will suffer.
Galluccio anticipates that many social services and community programs
will lose all funding due to the deficit, and there will be cutbacks in
the fire and police departments all over the state.

The state
is also receiving a significant amount of money from the Stimulus
package, however Galluccio says that the stimulus money will be used
primarily to back up programs that are already struggling severely.
"The [stimulus] money will help. Don't get me wrong. But it won't dig
us out. It will backfill," Galluccio says, and hopes that it will
potentially provide the Massachusetts government with a little
breathing room.

The Senator supports the proposed sales tax
increase as well as increases in meal, gas and hotel taxes. "We should
have raised the gas tax six months ago," Galluccio says, "back when gas
prices were so low that I was walking away from the station wondering
what to do with all the money in my pocket."

Galluccio realizes
that Somerville residents have much different needs than those of
Western Massachusetts. "If you so much as breathe 'gas tax' in
Springfield, people will go crazy." Learning to legislate alongside
senators from all corners of the state has been a learning experience
for the Senator and it is something he has tenaciously and
enthusiastically applied himself to.

Galluccio is no stranger to
tenacity. Much of his political and professional careers result from
his willingness to apply himself whole-heartedly to a task,
communication with those around him, and little fear of rejection.
Galluccio conducted his first political campaign for city councilor
while in his first year at Suffolk Law School, which he lost. He has
lost several campaigns throughout his career, which have only propelled
him to try harder.

Galluccio was encouraged by a guidance
counselor to apply to college and for financial aid when he was
accepted to Providence College. This encouragement, which Galluccio
admits changed his life, is the origin of his affection and
appreciation for teachers, guidance counselors and those that shape the
lives of students and kids.

While focusing on his job as an
elected official and governing throughout the current economic crisis,
Galluccio still finds time to coach youth football and to spend time
with kids. "There is no bull with kids. It's refreshing."

Co-Defendant Marc Piro, age 46, of Wilmington,
is charged with Larceny Over $250, Personal Use of Campaign Funds, and
Willfully Misleading Investigators. Piro is expected to be arraigned in
Middlesex Superior Court at a later date. Piro is the owner of Guy T.
Piro Printing ("Piro Printing"), located in Somerville.

In
April 2008, the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) began
an initial investigation into suspected violations of campaign finance
laws by Buonomo. In November 2008, OCPF referred the matter to the
Attorney General's Office for further investigation. Authorities
believe that on various dates between December 2004 and July 2008,
Buonomo withdrew funds from the Committee to Elect John Buonomo for his
personal use. Buonomo allegedly stole these funds using two methods.
First, investigators discovered that Buonomo allegedly wrote checks to
himself from the Committee's account, falsely stating on the checks
that he was reimbursing himself for postage he had bought with cash.
Second, investigators discovered that Buonomo also allegedly stole
funds from his campaign account by writing checks from the Committee to
Piro Printing for fictitious print jobs. Authorities believe that
Buonomo wanted to make it appear as though the printing company was
printing materials for the campaign, when in actuality these services
were never rendered. Investigators discovered that after receiving the
money from the Committee, Piro would allegedly refund the funds back to
Buonomo immediately, minus approximately $500 for each transaction.
Authorities believe that Piro also allegedly participated in the
creation of fake invoices for these transactions, so that it would
appear as if Buonomo had indeed used the company's printing services.
All of these fake invoices were created on the same day, and were
entered into Piro's accounting system in an effort to make the
transactions appear legitimate.

During the course of their
initial investigation, OCPF found that Buonomo allegedly submitted to
OCPF forged and altered bank records, forged and altered printing
invoices, as well as false written statements he had obtained from
postal employees. Investigators believe this was an effort by Buonomo
to mislead OCPF and to justify the taking of funds from his Committee.
Investigators from OCPF and the Attorney General's Office believe that
Buonomo stole approximately $100,000 from the Committee.

A
Middlesex Grand Jury returned indictments against Buonomo and Piro on
March 31, 2009. Buonomo was arraigned today in Middlesex Superior Court
where he entered a plea of not guilty and was released on personal
recognizance. He is due back in court on June 18, 2009, for a pre-trial
conference. Piro is expected to be arraigned in Middlesex Superior
Court at a later date.

*****************

Lots of stuff and functions
coming up this week including tonight – Wednesday, April 22nd at the
Olde Magoun Saloon from 6pm to 8pm for Alderman At Large Dennis
Sullivan, should be packed and lots of gossip going on.

***************

Mayor
Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 7 Alderman Robert C. Trane invite all
interested individuals to attend Somerville's Arbor Day celebration on
Friday, May 1st at 10:00 a.m., at the West Somerville Neighborhood
School, 177 Powderhouse Boulevard. The event will include two tree
plantings in front of the school grounds, as well as a brief ceremony
acknowledging the renewal of Somerville's "Tree City USA" status for
the 14th consecutive year. The Arbor Day tree plantings are part of the
City's ongoing efforts to increase overall tree cover and improve the
health of the urban forest. For more information, please contact the
Mayor's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development at
617-625-6600 ext 2500.

***************

This Sunday
morning on the 26th, The Somerville Lions Breakfast from 8 to 1130 at
the their Club house located at 9 Washington Street (behind the Holiday
Inn), The Lions is one of the three Services clubs that are active here
in the City, all proceeds from this breakfast go to local charities.

***************

We
want to say a big hello and a Happy Birthday to Marc Tulio Braga
Mariano, Marc is studying abroad in Brazil and reads "The Somerville
News" all the time, he is a big fan of the news…Happy Birthday Marc –
may you have many more…

***************

The 7th annual
Independent Film Festival of Boston will be the biggest one yet and it
starts Wednesday, April 22nd at 7pm and goes through Tuesday, April
28th at 12am. This year, the venues will be the Institute of
Contemporary Art, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brattle Theatre and of
course our very own Somerville Theatre. Over 90 films will be shown
over the week – tickets and passes are on sale:
http://www.iffboston.org.

***************

Also Happy
Birthday to our own "Secret Squirrel" Herb Vargas, we don't know how
old he is, but we have a pretty good idea by the name and undercover
outfits he has, straight out of the 60's?

***************

Condolences
to the family of Virgil Iannacone who recently passed away, he was a
nice guy and will be missed by many here in Somerville. Virgil was the
owner of Highland Avenue's "Virgies" until he retired a few years back.

***************

Again
as we have said for the past few weeks…The Somerville High
Scholarship Foundation tickets are available for sale; the cost is
$100.00 with many prizes…drawing to be the evening of May 8th at the
High School Restaurant.

***************

Kudos to
Somerville Police Sergeant Billy Rymill who returned back to work just
three days after that motor vehicle accident that totaled his car a
couple of weeks back. It's nice to see him back on the Job!

***************

Somerville
Community Access Television's (SCAT) youth media program, Next
Generation Producers, in collaboration with Somerville Cares About
Prevention and Somerville High School, will hold the Third Annual
Somerville Youth Film Festival on May 6 at 7:00pm at the Somerville
Theatre in Davis Square. The Somerville Youth Film Festival is free and
open to the public.

***************

The SHC (Somerville
Homeless Coalition) honors Mark Winkeller. Ph.D., for his outstanding
contributions to affordable housing development at its annual
fundraiser, Under the Roof. Under the Roof will be held on April 25th
at the newly refurbished Center for Arts at the Armory at 191 Highland
Avenue in Somerville. The event will include dinner from Redbones and
music by acclaimed rhythm and blues band, Barrence Whitfield & The
Savages. Our esteemed Gold Sponsors for the event are Brookline Bank,
Caritas Communities, Cornu Management, and East Cambridge Savings Bank.
Tickets are $75.00 each – for more information contact Jennifer Bonardi
at the SHC at (617) 623-6111 x234, jbonardi@shcinc.org or go to their
website – www.shcinc.org.

***************

Janeane
Garofalo is coming to the Somerville Theatre on Friday, May 8th as part
of this year's AltCom Festival. The outspoken co-star of "24" recently
appeared on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and had some choice words
for the right wing Tea Party movement, calling Tea Party-goers a bunch
of "racists" and "tea-bagging rednecks." Her live appearance in
Somerville is sure to garner attention from fans and foes alike! Show
time is 7PM at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square (Red Line:
Davis). Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster.com, the
Somerville Theatre box office (617-625-4088), and the AltCom Festival
website.

***************

"Shape Up the Old Somerville
Road Race" is planned for Sunday, May 3, the race will kick off City
Hall beginning at 10:00 a.m. The day's events will include a kids' Fun
Run beginning at 10am, for children ages 12 and under, a 2.7-mile adult
road race beginning at 11 a.m., and a Health & Wellness Fair at the
finish line. Registration fee for the kids' race is $5, and adult fee
is $20. To register, please visit
http://www.baevents.com/somervilleroadrace/, or contact the Somerville
Recreation Department at 617-625-6600 x2980.

***************

Somerville
Little League will hold there opening day parade Saturday, April 25 at
10 a.m. starting at the High School. The opening day ceremonies will be
held at Conway Park immediately following the parade. Mayor Curtatone
will be the MC. Immediately following the ceremonies there will be a
featured preseason game between teams sponsored by the Somerville
Police and Somerville Firefighters.

Flags
were flown at both the corner of McGrath Highway and Broadway and at
the top of Winter Hill – on brand new flagpoles donated by the local
Kiwanis Club – with the help of students from the East Somerville
Community School and the Healey School. There were some of us there who
live in that immediate area who have been going to the annual
reenactment at Foss Park for over 40 years straight and have seen the
attendance by the public ebb and flow over the years.

So we
stood there, enjoying the morning and the festivities and it occurred
to us that the annoying politicians and their hangers-on (aka Pod
People) weren't there. In fact, neither were the "haters" – you know,
the ones who start their own little groups because they claim there's
too much "old school" shenanigans going on.

According to them,
there's not enough transparency in local government, there's too many
"back room deals" happening and there's too much one-sidedness in the
news.

But they have their own "secret meetings" and they call
themselves journalists, having email interactions with elected
officials and then calling them "interviews." They are even now trying
to pass themselves off as historians because someone is stupid enough
to give them some space in a print medium. You have to love this stuff
– you can't even make it up, it's that comical.

Officer McNally told the
group about the GPS theft problem in Somerville and in many neighboring
cities. "We've got a couple people running around, probably substance
abusers, checking out cars. They don't even look at the cars, they just
look through the front window for lap tops or GPS's. If they see one
they can break the window and grab the devices and be gone in, say 45
seconds." The city distributes notices that look like parking tickets,
but are warnings to owners of parked cars with potential theft items
visible to officers checking as they walk by the cars.

The group
searched for problems on the street involving public safety and basic
street aesthetics. Things such as potholes, untrimmed tree limbs, stubs
from utility polls, un-kept storefronts and the like. "We look at what
I call 'quality of life issues'…This is really what an alderman's
work is," said Alderman Heuston. "The more sets of eyes, the better."

In
just a short time the group discovered dangerous holes in the sidewalk,
downed signs and potential trash problems in the yards of industrial
businesses. If a problem seems urgent enough, the group notifies the
NIT (Neighborhood Inspection Team), and a whole group of departments
(fire, police, DPW, and more) will visit the business to check on the
problem. These different groups often visit the business all at the
same time, Officer McNally said.

Nicole Rioles,
Shape-Up-Somerville Coordinator, walked with the group. Her group with
the Somerville Health Department targets obesity in the community and
helps people get and stay physically active. "Shape-Up-Somerville tries
to make the streets safer for walking and biking. We're looking at ways
that people feel safer and to make walking more desirable. Stuff like
trash, glass, holes. Also we're rezoning and you don't see it yet
because of the ongoing construction, but we're going to have more bike
locks and bike paths. We strive for less car supremacy and more equity
for biking and walking transit."

Business signs were also looked
at. "All we're trying to do with the zoning (on signs) is for people to
be more thoughtful with their signs," Heuston said. "We're constantly
calling inspectional services to get them to get people to take down
tattered banners that have been up for too long." Heuston praised
"Mike's Automotive," saying if she could have a "poster child" for
signs/storefronts that "Mike's" would be it.

Another member,
Theresa Cardoso, Ward 2 School Representative, admired the "Hope and
Glory" shop sign visible on the other side of the Square. Cardoso
observed keenly throughout the walk pointing out potential problems.

A
group member mentioned that when the green line extension comes through
Union Square things will really pick up. "It'll be hopping," said
McNally. He watched over the outdoor dining in front of the Precinct
restaurant Friday night and he said everything was nice and orderly.

In the same area the group found bread fed to the pigeons that was still lying around. This left out bread can attract rodents.

The
forty-five minute stroll was relaxing and informative. The group talked
about their favorite restaurants in the Square, praising the quality
and quantity of cuisine. "You don't really have to leave Somerville,"
Cardoso said. "It's all right here."

Heuston leads three to
four walks per month in her district. The walks are open to everyone.
Heuston can be reached at mheuston@hotmail.com and Rioles can be
reached at nrioles@ci.somerville.ma.us.