Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(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)

Originally published December 22, 2007

My kids Christmas lists include a PlayStation 4, iPads, iBooks and laptop computers. As my friend comedian Bob Marley noted, when we were kids we had an Etch-a-Sketch instead of a laptop.

What happened to just plain old toys?

Residents reminded to familiarize themselves with policies, including parking and shoveling information, at www.somervillema.gov/snow

Try as we may to avoid it, the inevitable New England winter is fast approaching. To help prepare new residents and seasoned veterans, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone issued a reminder this week to all residents and property owners to review and familiarize yourself with the city’s snow removal and snow emergency policies and procedures, which can be found at www.somervillema.gov/snow. The city’s policies include regulations for snow plowing, property owner and city responsibilities during and after snow events, parking restrictions during snow emergencies, and much more. Residents are also encouraged to sign up for or update your contact information in the city’s Alert system to receive notification by phone, email and/or text message in the event of emergencies or with important information for your neighborhood.

The Nave Gallery will host a group exhibition from through December 15 in its main gallery space in Teele Square. Featuring 10 regional and national artists, Reliquary focuses on the home as defined through concepts of enclosure, concealment, display, and the sacred and/or profane.

Alderman At Large Jack Connolly was present along with representatives of the Marathon Sports “Somerville Jingle Bell Run”

Marathon Sports “Somerville Jingle Bell” donated $3919 to the Somerville Police Officer Sean Collier Memorial Fund granite plaque which will be displayed at Somerville Police Department.

Presented by Somerville musicians of all ages
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El Sistema Somerville youth orchestra is tuned up and ready to perform at the 2nd Annual “Community in Harmony” concert at the new East Somerville Community School Auditorium next week.

By Robert Summers

Starting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17, the El Sistema Somerville youth orchestra and other gifted Somerville musicians of all ages will perform at the 2nd Annual “Community in Harmony” concert at the new East Somerville Community School Auditorium, 50 Cross Street.

The program will include Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Pachelbel’s Canon, Bach’s Minuet No. 2, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and other holiday favorites.

By Jim Clark

Police were dispatched to an Ossipee Rd. residence last Friday on reports that a group of juveniles had been spotted dragging a safe into the basement there.

Upon arrival, police questioned the legal guardian of the juvenile that resided at the address. They were reportedly told that the kids were around back of the house in the backyard.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(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)

We all wish that sometimes we could snap our fingers and solve problems. Car suddenly breaks down and needs repairs? Fixed. Sudden illness requiring an unexpected trip to the doctor? Healed. Bug in your computer’s software? Zapped. This is impossible, as we all know. An investment of time and research to identify the problem and find the appropriate solution is needed first. It’s the same with public policy. Good public policy takes time, research and analysis of data and facts. A knee-jerk reaction won’t solve anything, at least not for long. Effective policy takes careful, prudent action based on a long-term strategy that is only possible after you’ve done your due diligence. And that’s exactly what we did with our plan to battle rats in Somerville.

The Somerville Times has finally received the city permits, and we have many new boxes out on the streets as of this morning. Wherever you go throughout Somerville you will now see our boxes, with more to come over the next few months. We recently went through the new permit process here in Somerville and finally, after four weeks, we were approved. With the great help of City Clerk John Long we have our permits. You can’t miss us. Just look for the tall red boxes with the white and black lettering “The Somerville Times” all across the city and, again, more are to come over the next several months. We are also enlarging our distribution across the city, adding new places you can find The Times, thereby making it the largest locally owned and operated newspaper right here in Somerville.

A familiar eyesore may be nearing its final days, if the MassDOT and the Grounding McGrath working group have their say.

By Jim Clark

According to a preliminary report issued by MassDOT and the Grounding McGrath working group, it will be recommended that McGrath Highway be taken down and that a ground-level 6-lane boulevard be constructed as a replacement.