By Jim Clark

While on patrol last Thursday evening, police performed a routine RMV inquiry on a vehicle that had pulled alongside the police cruiser near the intersection of Broadway and Cross St.

Volunteers come out to help boil down the sweet maple tree sap, while others come to sample the resulting syrup. — Photos By Douglas Yu

By Douglas Yu

Few people equate good quality syrup with Somerville. But when the Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival was first held in the city 16 years ago, many locals instantly pushed their Somervillian pride a bit further.

By Rebecca Danvers

6th, 7th and 8th grade students from throughout the district and their families are invited to celebrate Family Math Night by joining the fun at Pi Night at the Healey School on Friday, March 13. The annual event, sponsored by the Somerville Mathematics Fund, will focus on π (pi), the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. There will be various pi-related activity stations where participants can actually win a delicious pie. There will also be “pizza-pi” for attendees, and everyone gets to take home a small pie as well.

From Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi

— Photo by Bobbie Toner

Late Tuesday evening, a flat section of the Brown School roof that is above the second-floor girls bathroom collapsed. Thankfully, the building was empty and no one was injured, but we are no less concerned about this collapse. Student safety is always our utmost priority, which is why the city and schools undertook a massive snow removal effort to clear snow from our school and city building roofs.

Today while in Florida Former Alderman Tom Taylor passed away.

Full details of arrangements will be posted as soon as they become available.

They may not be everywhere, but hackers did get into Backbar’s website this past weekend.

By Jim Clark

Staff and visitors to the website of Backbar, a Union Square drinking establishment, got quite a shock on Saturday when they pulled up its homepage only to discover that the site had been hacked with a message purportedly placed there by the extremist group ISIS.

Teen Empowerment has a long history of bringing area youth and community leaders together to establish dialogs that help each side to better understand the other’s wants, needs and expectations.

By Haley Houseman

For the first time, CHNA and Teen Empowerment, in conjunction with Mount Auburn Hospital, will host a Community Health Youth Summit for Thursday, March 19, in Cambridge. It will draw participants from six surrounding towns, including Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, Waltham, and Watertown. These cities involved are connected through CHNA 17, a coalition made up of representatives from public, non-profit and private sectors from all six communities.

The Executive Director of MassBike Richard Fries praised state legislators for their support of improved conditions and safety measures for Massachusetts cycling enthusiasts.

By Tom Bannister

The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (“MassBike”) recently expressed its deep appreciation of each of the state legislators that sponsored bills to make roadways safer and more convenient for bicyclists. Among them, 27th Middlesex Rep. Denise Provost supported both bills that were presented, and 34th Middlesex Rep. Christine Barber supported the Bike Lane Protection Bill.

Somerville Pop Warner is hosting a Cookies and Cocoa Registration at Clarendon Hill Towers Wednesday (today) from 6-8 p.m. at the community room, 1374 Broadway. Somerville Pop Warner and Cheerleading registration for boys and girls, aged 5–15, by July 31. Fee: $20. Scholarships available. No child is ever turned away for inability to pay.

By Tom Bannister

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced grand jury indictments against the following Somerville residents: