Happy Birthdays this week to many Villens from here and here now in Somerville. A big happy birthday to our good friend Ken Kotch, a photographer originally from New Jersey who now lives here in the Ville. Local attorney and good guy Bob Daut is celebrating this week as well. And we can’t forget about Somerville’s up-and-coming specialty chef and all-around fantastic lady Dorothy DiMarzo. We hope she has a great day this week. And to Steven Pinkham, who comes from a longtime Somerville family and is now married and living just a little north, we wish him a good day. Joey Del Ponte, son of our own Jimmy, is celebrating this week. What a talented guy! He has his own band, “The Poison Girls Club,” and we hear that it’s a great band. Keep an eye here on this guy, folks; we might be seeing him at the Grammy’s sometime in the future. And happy bday to Shannon de la Paz, another local celebrating this week. We wish Sean Sullivan a happy birthday this week as well. To James McGowan, another local Villen, we wish a good day. And the same goes out to Linda Silva-Lambert. Finally, to Lou Brink, who is originally from Connecticut and is now living here in the Ville, happy birthday! To all the many other January birthdays -and there are a lot- a big HB to all of you.

By Jim Clark

Police were summoned to a Belmont St. residence shortly after 1:00 a.m. on Saturday in response to reports of a loud party taking place in the third floor unit, as well as on the roof of the building itself.

Upon arrival, officers were met by the reporting party and were told that he had just been assaulted by his third floor neighbor, police said.

The city’s assessing department and Chamber of Commerce’s decision to hold information sessions on the triennial revaluation process and how property owners can appeal and apply for abatements comes after some commercial property owners saw increases ranging, in some cases, from 50 to over 100 percent.

By Somerville Times Staff

The city of Somerville, Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) will hold three public forums starting the first week of February to discuss housing issues in the city with an eye towards shaping future housing policies.

The forums, titled Housing Roundtables: A Discussion Series on Housing for Families and Individuals in Somerville, will be held on the following Tuesdays: Feb. 4 and 11 and March 4. Each forum will begin with registration and refreshments at 5:30 p.m. followed by discussions that will run from 6 to 8:30. All meetings will be held at the Argenziano School, 290 Washington St., and will include childcare and interpretation services.

SHS Girls JV Basketball hosted Winthrop on Monday, losing the game with a score of 44 to 39.

Wednesday, Jan 22, 2014

No School due to snow

Thursday, Jan 23, 2014

Ice Hockey: Boys Varsity Tournament vs. Arlington or Triton at 6 p.m. – TBD

Boys Varsity Indoor Track: vs. Everett at Field House – 3:30 p.m.

Girls Varsity Indoor Track: vs. Everett at Field House – 3:30 p.m.

 Eagle Feathers #44 – The Finest

In 1927, life changed dramatically along the Mystic River marshes in Somerville.  Headquarters for the nation’s first retail supermarket chain was built at the intersection of Middlesex and Mystic Avenues.  It was a huge complex that encompassed a packing plant, a bakery complex, and multiple produce warehouses.

Mayor Curtatone and Meridith Levy stand proud with their CPA awards together with Rep. Carl Sciortino, Rep.Denise Provost, Senator Pat Jehlen and Emily Monea, the City’s Community Preservation Act Manager.

On Tuesday, January 14, Mayor Joe Curtatone and SCC Deputy Director Meridith Levy became recipients of the 2014 Kuehn Community Preservation Award, presented by the Community Preservation Coalition at the Massachusetts State House.

I braved the unforgiving winds of the Polar Vortex on a recent January afternoon to reach the warm shelter of the Somerville Community Access TV studios. There I was to interview two key staff members of this fine organization: Erica Jones and Gordon Nelson. Jones, an upbeat woman hovering around the 30 year old mark, has a slightly subversive sense of humor, and a knack for snappy dialogue. For the past year or so Jones has been the Program and Outreach Coordinator for SCAT. Nelson, a laid back man, with a graying beard and an avuncular manner, is the Youth Coordinator for this non-profit.