— Photos by Claudia Ferro

East Somerville Main Streets’ Third Thursday Block Party called “World Groove Dance Party” took place last Thursday at Chuckie Harris Park.

The Food and Nutrition truck is loaded with healthy provisions for the city’s hungry youngsters.

By Jim Clark

The City of Somerville’s award-winning Food and Nutrition Services Department will be providing free breakfasts and lunches to area youth under the age of 19 through August 22, 2014.

Although the present day McCarthy overpass is destined to become a thing of the past, the public is being reminded that change can often come gradually, and sometimes annoyingly so.

By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

The McGrath Highway/McCarthy Boulevard Project has been moving along, although perhaps not as quickly as many residents in the city would prefer. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and City of Somerville recently held a public information meeting to explain some of the current goings-on with the grounding of the McCarthy overpass.

By Jim Clark

Police were called to the Magoun Square area on Monday after the alleged victim of a car burglary phoned in a description of a man who had reportedly engaged in the intrusive activity.

The patrol car was directed to a Trull St. location where the suspect, Russell Rossi, 26, of Medford, was reportedly being followed by the victim and his friend. The victim continued to give reports to police dispatchers as they closed in on the suspect.

The standing District of Attorney of Middlesex County, Marian T. Ryan, took time to speak with The Somerville Times to share her thoughts on issues facing the county. — Photo by Jeremy F. van der Heiden.

By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

This is the first part of a three-part series for The Somerville Times interview with Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan.

Marian T. Ryan, the standing District of Attorney of Middlesex County who grew up right here in the City of Somerville, recently sat down with The Somerville Times to discuss goings-on throughout the area. Ryan was born in Cambridge, raised in Somerville and attended school at St. Joseph’s in Union Square before moving on to Emmanuel College and then the law school at Boston College.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

The Somerville Arts Council and The City of Somerville presented the 2014 edition of ArtBeat last weekend in Davis Square. Artisans and patrons of the arts rubbed shoulders in celebration of the best that the local creative community offers.

The Metro Mayors Coalition has publicly endorsed the legislation passed by the House and is urging the State Senate to make the bill’s passage complete.

By Jim Clark

The Metro Mayors Coalition, a group of 13 Mayors and city and town managers that includes Somerville’s Mayor Curtatone, saluted the Massachusetts House of Representatives recently for their passage of House Bill 4278, which seeks to help in the reduction of gun violence. The Coalition is now urging the Senate to go onward and pass the bill.

Over 100 people attended Monday night’s community meeting for the Powder House School location. Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development hosted the meeting for residents to discuss the future of the former Powder House Community School site. One development proposal we heard of was for 40 units there at the old school. We hope that no development goes there and that the property is used for housing. Time will tell. What do you think the school property should be used for?

Current Somerville Police Deputy Chief of Operations David Fallon (left) and Current Manchester, NH Police Chief David Mara (right).

By Donald Norton

 

With the final two candidates left in the process, Chief of Police of Manchester, NH, David Mara and Deputy Chief of Police Somerville David Fallon, the mayor set up a “Site Visit Committee” to help in the selection of the final candidate for chief of the Somerville Police Department.

Eagle Feathers #57 – Fifty-Seven

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

If you like ketchup on your hot dogs, burgers or fries, then you have a lot in common with most people. The largest seller in the world of tomato ketchup is the H. J. Heinz Company. It sells over 650 million bottles and 11 billion packets of ketchup each year. The company, named after its founder Henry John Heinz, is 145 years old. The seeds of the company sprouted when Henry started making horseradish from ingredients found in his mother’s garden. This was the first of many food varieties to come.