Voted “Best Cook” in the 2013 Best of Somerville awards, Omar Djebbouri has been serving up delicious food at the Ball Square Café for many years. In addition to being the man behind the meals, he is also a partner in the business with Mike Moccia. Pictured here, “Best Cook” Omar Djebbouri, Somerville Times Publisher Ross Blouin and Mike Moccia, Omar’s partner at the Ball Square Café. Voted “Best Combination Breakfast & Lunch,” the Ball Square Café is located at 708 Broadway.

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At our table in back of the Bloc 11 Cafe in Union Square, I asked Poet Myles Gordon what he felt it meant to be human – a theme his poetry is deeply involved with. Gordon hesitated and seemed to be wrestling with the question. He finally opined, “We have great thoughts and deep emotions, but we have to live in the real world, pay taxes, feed parking meters – all this at the same time.”  Gordon is a poet of the profound and banal, and he is indeed a very human poet.

There are many kinds of artists – Somerville poet Kirk Etherton explains…

Arrests:
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Craig Thomson, 51, of 50C Memorial Rd., December 16, 4:51 p.m., arrested at 400 Somerville Ave. on a charge of larceny over $250.

Christopher Doherty, 36, of 824 Allen Rd., Wolfeboro, NH, December 16, 6:08 p.m., arrested at Park St. on a charge of disorderly conduct.

A body was discovered near the intersection of Interstate 93 and Route 38 Sunday. Foul play is not suspected, so authorities are not releasing the name of the deceased man.

Police were called to a George St. residence Sunday morning in response to a report of a knife wielding man barricaded in the house, along with members of his family.

Singing for their suppers, Adela & Jude are on that dusty road less travelled.

By Blake Maddux

AnaMaria Broding and Matthew Moran are a musical duo that performs under a moniker that is made up of their middle names: Adela & Jude.

Many years prior to meeting, Moran attended the New England Conservatory, while Broding earned a full scholarship to study piano at Berklee College of Music. She later pursued graphic design.

Replacing McCarthy overpass with ground-level boulevard to undergo environmental review

– Photo by Elizabeth Sheeran

McGrath Highway is one step closer to coming down after the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) released a final report recommending that a six-lane boulevard design replacing the McCarthy overpass undergo an environmental review. Separately, MassDOT has also agreed review the possibility of a four-lane option.

By William C. Shelton

 (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and  do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

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It’s coming on Christmas,
They’re cutting down trees,
Putting up reindeer,
Singing songs of joy and peace.
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on.
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– Joni Mitchell

A few days before my eighth Christmas, I confronted my mother with my growing suspicion that Santa Claus was a hoax. To her credit, she was truthful and forthright in her response.