— Photos by Bobbie Toner

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne invited all residents to a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new North St. Veterans Playground on Saturday, Nov. 15. The new park will includes new LED lighting; security cameras; ADA accessibility; a water spray feature; children’s play area; climbing structure; café-style seating area; permeable rubber surfacing; ½ basketball court; tennis backboard; combination street hockey and soccer goal; and enhance plantings and green space. The playground will also be increased in size by one-half. For more information on parks and open space projects in the city, visit http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/ospcd/parks-and-open-space.

Attorney Francis D. Privitera; Former Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone; Malden Court Presiding Justice Lee Johnson; 2012-2014 Middlesex County Bar President Philip J. Privitera; Middlesex County Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian.

By The Somerville Times Staff

On November 6 2014, Somerville Attorney Philip J. Privitera was honored by the Middlesex County Bar Association in appreciation of two terms of service as President of the Bar Association (2012-2014). The 114th Annual Bar Association Banquet was held at Montvale Plaza in Stoneham. That evening, the Bar Association also honored State Senator Michael Barrett and Former Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone.

It’s been a long time since I last mentioned Mount Vernon Restaurant in East Somerville. The Mount Vernon is an institution in Somerville as generations of local citizenry have eaten and drank there. John Henry opened the bar in 1935 just after Prohibition ended. John was the consummate host and bartender. He believed in the basics of hospitality: a good drink, good food and a reasonable price all served with a warm smile. John has passed on now but his son and grandchildren are carrying on the tradition. Mount Vernon Restaurant is still a great place to go and has not lost its charm. Years ago I coined the phrase “Somerville Begins At The Mount Vernon.” It is the first restaurant you come to when you exit the Orange Line at Sullivan Square.

What’s in an old building anyway? Memories, and plenty of them. That’s for sure. Such is the case with the much-beloved Somerville High School auditorium, which just this week celebrated its official reopening with a short ceremony that brought city officials and the public together to welcome the old landmark back into service in grand style.

It is always a pleasure to get a new book published by a new local press. A colleague of mine at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Enzo Silo Surin, the founder of the Central Square Press, has published a new book of poetry (A Hard Summation) by poet and Somerville resident Afaa Michael Weaver. Weaver is a professor at Simmons College in Boston, and recently won the prestigious Kingsley Tufts Award. He has penned a collection of 13 poems that cover the history of African- Americans from the Middle Passage to the present day. Weaver’s intention, according to Surin, is to give the reader, “an opportunity to listen, celebrate, commemorate, and appreciate the success and failures of the past in order to develop a current and contextual understanding of what it means to be an African-American.”

Professor William Harney of Endicott College has the gimlet eye of a newspaper reporter and the sensibility of a poet. Look below and see why.

Arrests:
*

William Cruz, November 10, 9:04 a.m., arrested at 220 Washington St. on warrant charges of felony nighttime breaking and entering and larceny over $250.

A juvenile, November 10, 2:35 p.m., arrested at Grand Union Blvd. on charges of failure to stop or yield, credit card fraud over $250, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, credit card forgery, receiving a stolen credit card, and receiving stolen property under $250.

The identity of the individual in this photo is sought by the Somerville Police in connection with a string of thefts from local athletic clubs. Please contact Det. Paul Duffy if you know this person’s identity: pduffy@police.somerville.ma.us, 617-625-1600 x7219

— The Somerville Police Department

(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)

I am writing to thank my supporters during my bid for the 34th Middlesex District seat. Although I did not win the race, I know that Medford and Somerville will continue to thrive. I have walked the streets of this district, knocked on almost every door and talked to the residents and listened to their concerns. Although there is still a lot of work to be done in the district, I believe the commitment the residents have to their community will prevail.

Somerville High Auditorium. — Photo by Donald Norton

Join Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi, Somerville High School Headmaster John Oteri, and members of the Board of Aldermen and School Committee on Monday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. for the reopening ceremony of the Somerville High School auditorium. The auditorium had been closed since Oct. 2012 for extensive repairs following damage that occurred during Hurricane Sandy. The brief ceremony on Monday will include a short speaking program, and entertainment by the Somerville High School Orchestra, Drumline, and Chorus.