This Thursday evening, April 5, the Somerville Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours is being held at MidiCi The Neapolitan Pizza Company from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. No cover, free appetizers, excellent networking, business card drawing and cash bar. Sponsored this month by the East Cambridge Savings Bank and hosted by Dana Iacopucci of Cubby Oil & Energy. RSVP with name and affiliation for you and your guest to smackey@somervillechamber.org.

By Donald Norton

Last week, a full room at Giggles Comedy Club in Saugus hosted a wonderful night of fun with lots of professional comedians, many prizes offered and a bunch of money raised by the club.

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

Dear Board of Aldermen,

We are concerned about the proposed transfer tax and the debate taking place around it. Much of the discussion taking place among elected officials seems to start from the conclusion that the tax is a good idea, focusing on the political considerations around how to pass it. There are many good-sounding ideas for what could be done with new tax revenue, but proponents are painting an overly optimistic picture of a future with this tax while dismissing real and substantial concerns about it. Some have even implied that anyone who questions the tax is against supporting those in need, and that maximizing revenue for affordable housing is more important than minimizing hardship on residents.

Eagle Feathers #150– The Somerville Seafarers

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

In 1614, British Captain John Smith, Admiral of New England, was the first European explorer to map the Northeast coast including what is now our city. At that time, the area now known as Somerville was an island.

A sure fact of life in our city is that our cars just aren’t allowed to stay put. Whether due to snow emergencies in the winter or street cleaning and maintenance in the balmier seasons, we are so often called upon to do the city’s bidding when it comes to getting our vehicles – and our wallets – out of harm’s way.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

A free and simple Easter egg hunt took place at the Connexion Community Easter Egg Hunt in East Somerville’s Chuckie Harris Park last Saturday afternoon, where there was tons of fun and plenty of eggs.

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Off the Shelf correspondent Dennis Daly recently made a pilgrimage to the wilds of Kentucky and met a monk. The monk writes poetry. Dennis reviews poetry. Here is the result:

Review by Dennis Daly

Paraclete Press is a publisher of Christian books, music and DVD’s from Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Jewish perspectives and traditions.

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Mark Stevick is a professor of Creative Writing at Gordon College in Wenham, MA.

Arrests:
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Ryan Melo, of 20 Fellsway West, March 26, 11:03 a.m., arrested at Fellsway West on warrant charges of possession of a class A drug and conspiracy to violate drug law.

Jonathan Machado, of 350 Revere Beach Blvd., Revere, March 27, 5:52 p.m., arrested at Moreland St. on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.

By William C. Shelton

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

I can’t count the number of people that I care about who have been priced out of our city. I suppose I could tell you some of their stories to add “human interest” to this column. But if you’ve been here even a few years, you can provide your own list.