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)

As I was writing the story of the old television shows a few weeks back, I started thinking about the commercials we grew up watching. I enjoy some TV commercials like the Geico ads. They are clever and amusing. But I wonder if people will remember them and even be able to recite some of them word for word in 20, 30 and even 40 years? I doubt it. Who could ever forget the old ad against littering that shows the Native American with the tear in his eye?

As part of their ongoing collaboration with the Somerville Fire Department, the Council On Aging will continue to offer free smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors.

There is a limited number of Photoelectric Smoke Alarms with ADA Compliant Strobe available to residents who qualify on a first-come, first served basis.

Learn to Skate (LTS)/Learn to Play Hockey (LTPH) for ages 4 and up begins October 18, 2014 and runs until early March, 2015. Sign up at the Somerville Rink Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m. until the program begins, then on or after October 18, from 8-10:30 a.m. on Saturdays. $90 registration fee for LTS/LTPH. For more information, visit www.somervilleyouthhockey.org.

“Once again, the state’s casino approval process and the Gaming Commission have failed. In recent months, several issues surrounding the site of the proposed Wynn casino have been brought to the Gaming Commission’s attention, including one of the landowners originally refusing to sign a pledge that no secret owners would profit from the land’s sale to the applicant and the acceptance of the applicant’s reduction of the purchase price from $75 million to $35 million. The Commission sold the public short. As their own investigators concluded last December, ‘the conduct of the sellers in this transaction during the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau’s suitability investigation gave rise to serious concerns as to transactional transparency, good faith disclosure and document misrepresentation and falsification.’ Nevertheless the Commission failed to outright reject the Everett property as a site for gaming. Sadly this was not surprising. We have seen throughout this entire process that it was designed, from start to finish, to only favor the gambling industry.”

— Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

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)

On Monday this week, State Auditor Suzanne Bump chose Somerville as the place where she announced the findings of her office’s audit of Massachusetts’s programs and initiatives that address childhood obesity. Auditor Bump wanted to announce the findings here because some of the recommendations—from SNAP sales at farmers’ markets to getting kids active before, during and after school—are initiatives that we’ve already undertaken as part of Shape Up Somerville. The success of Shape Up Somerville’s pilot program in 2002 and our accomplishments since have taught us an important lesson that is echoed in the now-released state audit: Combating childhood obesity is an adaptive challenge, not a technical challenge.

Buyer considering hybrid arts venue and café/restaurant space; Access to New Deal-era mural to be preserved

The City of Somerville has been informed that the U.S. Postal Service has completed the sale of the former Union Square Post Office at 237 Washington St. to Union Square Partners LLC, a Cambridge-based investor group associated with arts and entertainment promoter Don Law. Representatives of the buyer have informed the city that there is no formal proposal for the re-use of the building at this time and that they will be looking into the feasibility of a number of different uses, including the possibility of locating an arts venue with a possible additional café or restaurant use in the space.

 As work continues at the Medford St. Rail Bridge for the Green Line Extension project (GLX), Phase 1 work will require the complete closure of Medford St., between South St. and Somerville Ave., on Saturday, October 4, and Sunday October 5. Vehicle detours are as follows:

By Jim Clark

Police officers were dispatched to Holland St. last Thursday morning in response to reports of suspicious activity by a man in the vicinity.

Upon arrival, the officers were met by the reporting party and told that a suspicious looking man had placed a bag behind some bushes then walked away from the area.

CARAFOTES, Mary C. (Dalaklis) – 83, Of Somerville, passed away at her home on September 27, 2014. Beloved wife the of the late Charles. Loving mother of James and his wife Paula of Sutton, Sophia and Demetrios Hatzipanagos of Medford, Paul of CA, Victoria Macrokanis and her husband Chris of Somerville, Stephanie Serpa and her husband Roy of Wenham, the late Margo Popken and her surviving husband William of Reading. Sister of Mel Dalaklis and his wife Tanya, the late Frank Dalaklis and his surviving wife Elaine all of Belmont. Dear grandmother of Charles, Alexandra, Adam, Christina, Julia, Anastasia, James, Nicolas, Philip, Arianna, Jonathan, and Charles. Relatives and friends are invited to attend Calling Hours at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, 29 Central St. Somerville on Friday, October 3 from  4-8 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held in the church on Saturday morning at 10:00 am followed by interment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge.

Committee Chairman, Ward 2 Alderman Maryann M. Heuston, summarized the report for members of the Board of Alderman at their general meeting last week.

By Jim Clark

The Special Committee on Rodent Issues delivered a report to the Board of Alderman at their regular meeting last week.

In the report, Superintendent of Inspectional Services Goran Smiljic outlined steps that have been taken in the effort to bring the rodent population down to acceptable levels.