Somerville Poet Dennis Daly writes: “The following ekphrastic poem, Odd Man, I based on a highly affecting 1947 British noir film set in Northern Ireland entitled Odd Man Out, directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason. The movie had in turn been inspired by F.L. Green’s novel of the same name. – DD”

ResiStat neighborhood meetings are back. Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone invites residents to the Fall 2015 ResiStat Community Meetings, a twice-yearly effort to share the latest City news and neighborhood updates directly with residents and gather their feedback. ResiStat is more than a great way to get an overview of what’s happening specifically in your neighborhood as well as citywide. The social time before and after the meetings also offer an easy opportunity to talk one-on-one to the Mayor, your Aldermen, and City staff and police—and to connect with your neighbors. (We serve pizza and kid-friendly, healthy snacks to make it more fun to come and chat.)

Arrests:
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Brittany O’Donnell, of 15A Tibbets Town Way, Charlestown, October 19, 4:51 p.m., arrested at McGrath Hwy. on a warrant charge of operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

Andrew Carneiro, of 422 Main St., Medford, October 19, 8:44 p.m., arrested at Temple St. on warrant charges of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle.

Will offer guidance and technical assistance on business operations to eight businesses

The City program that helped small retail and restaurant owners in Magoun Square, Winter Hill and Union Square improve their businesses earlier this year is now aiming to support East Somerville businesses, through a partnership with East Somerville Main Streets and Retail Visioning.

$700K available to eligible nonprofits and private entities for remediating contaminated properties

Thanks to a recent grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the City of Somerville now has $700,000 available to lend for assessment and cleanup of contaminated properties that can threaten environmental and public health—and can then be turned into new homes, offices, parks and more.

Somerville Neighborhood News is a community service production of Somerville Community Access Television and the SNN team produces a bi-weekly newscast.

A couple of headlines in the latest newscast are:

By Blake Maddux

Howard Jones brings his musical artistry to Johnny D’s on Tuesday, November 3. — Photos by David Conn

Prior to becoming a mainstay of 1980s radio and Music Television (MTV), Howard Jones gave piano, keyboard, and synthesizer lessons as a way of “keeping money coming in whilst working on [his] grand project.”

When that project succeeded, it led to a string of Top 40 singles in Jones’s native UK and the US. Although he never reached the superstar levels of some of his contemporaries, his unique videos, distinctive synthesizer, and lyrics of a somewhat philosophical and optimistic bent made him one of the more memorable pop stars of the decade.

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)

The term “anchor store” usually invokes the idea of a large department store, grocery store or some national chain in a big shopping center, but in our neighborhoods, it’s actually small local businesses that are collectively our anchor stores. Instead of one megastore trying to offer everything, our neighborhoods and squares have independent entrepreneurs who specialize in a particular product or service, often in a way you can’t get anywhere else. Nowhere is that more evident in Somerville than on East Broadway. From boutiques to eateries, the businesses along this newly reconstructed and improved stretch of East Somerville are intrinsic to the neighborhood’s identity and success. They are a cornerstone of its foundation. So, the City is targeting support for these businesses as we launch the next round of our Small Business Assistance Program.

By Donald Norton

The Somerville High School Scholarship Foundation celebrated its 25th Anniversary last Saturday evening, October 17, at the Holiday Inn.

By Jim Clark

Police officers were dispatched to the Home Depot store on Mystic Ave. last Thursday on reports that a suspected shoplifter was being detained by store loss prevention personnel.

Upon arrival, officers were briefed by store employees and taken to the loss prevention office where the suspect, Noah Phillpotts, was being held.