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)

I attended Somerville High School from 1969 to 1971 (Yes, I graduated!). One of my fondest and funniest memories was the bus ride home at the end of the school day. We used to walk down School Street and get the Clarendon Hill via Broadway bus. The driver would park until the bus was pretty much filled up and packed with a bunch of wise guys who would do anything for a laugh. It was very noisy on that bus as we let loose all the pent-up energy from the school day (school wasn’t as laid back in those days). Finally, we were free of that egomaniac “tough guy” math teacher Mr. #%@+@&! We had escaped the taunting of the mean “building master!” Yes, no one could bother us now because we had made it to the safety and comfort of the bus. It was a hassle-free zone. A teacherless refuge. A safe haven from bullies. A place where we could goof around!

The schedule for the Spring 2014 ResiStat meeting series has been revised. Remaining dates, times and locations are below.

Ward 2: June 3, Union Square South, Somerville Ave. & Beacon St. areas, Lincoln & Perry Park areas

•          Meeting: 7 – 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 3, Argenziano School cafeteria, 290 Washington St.
•          Meet and Greet, refreshments: 6:30 p.m.

The Afro D All Starz will be a featured attraction at this coming Sunday’s Carnaval @ SomerStreets event.

By Sanjeev Selvarajah 

“Thinking about music, people say things like, ‘Well, are you are a trumpet player, MC, or spoken-word artist? Is your band hip hop, jazz, or soul?’ My answer is, “Yes. All of the above,” Pete Shungu, aka “Afro D” said. People can get a taste of his eclectic style when he and his band, the Afro D All Starz, perform June 1 at the kick off of the 2014 SomerStreets festival on East Broadway (McGrath Highway to Pennsylvania Avenue). The band’s most recent album, Strength in Numbers, was recorded, mixed and mastered by Yuki Kanesaka and Wil Renderos of the Audio Chemists.

On Wednesday, May 21, Cataldo Ambulance Service held its 22nd annual charity golf tournament, Swing Fore Hope, to benefit the American Cancer Society’s AstraZeneca Hope Lodge Boston. Thanks to the generosity of Cataldo Ambulance and all those involved, this year’s donation to the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge Boston is $30,000. In the past 22 years of tournament play, Cataldo Ambulance Service has donated over $600,000 to ACS and other nonprofit and community organizations.

Union Square and East Somerville residents invited to events and workshops on building community and active neighborhoods

Union Square and East Somerville residents: learn how to change the landscape of your city, encourage physical activity, build social connections and make a positive impact on your neighborhood during Somerville’s first-ever “Tactical Urbanism Week”.

By Jim Clark

Police were called to Somerville High School by the Vice Principal last week to assist in having two students removed from the premises.

The Vice Principal reportedly indicated that the boys had been disruptive and were asked to leave the school grounds more than once, after becoming involved in a minor incident.

Random Hacks of Kindness hosted by Code for Boston, City of Somerville and Greentown Labs

Proving once again that they may just be one of the coolest volunteer organizations in Greater Boston, Code for Boston is throwing a weekend-long civic hacking event at Greentown Labs in Somerville with the support of the City of Somerville and Greentown Labs.

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)

Last week I signed an executive order that limits Somerville’s participation in the flawed federal Secure Communities program, through which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asks—but does not require, as this is a program and not federal law—local law enforcement to hold undocumented immigrants after they have already posted bail or been ordered released by the courts. Somerville is taking this step to bring people who are already valuable, contributing members of our community out of the shadows. We want to encourage and boost cooperation with local law enforcement and keep families together, a factor that can stop crime before it happens. This is pro-public safety and pro-family values. News of my executive order inflamed passionate debate on both sides of the immigration issue, but too many of the arguments against this action are based on flawed logic and ignorance of the facts about undocumented immigrants in our country. Let’s clear up some of those myths.

All performances take place Monday-Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in July and August

Residents are invited to reserve performance dates available for the 2014 Somerville Sunsetters, who will begin shows on Monday, July 1. Led by Somerville Youth Arts Coordinator Jimmy Del Ponte, the Sunsetters is a traveling youth music troupe, performing popular show tunes and contemporary pop music hits on city streets throughout July and August at sunset. The group began in the 1970s, performing through the 1980s until they were reinstated by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone in 2004. The 45-minute shows are a great way to spend an early summer evening with the kids, neighbors, family and friends.

By Jim Clark

A police officer patrolling the Davis Square area last Saturday afternoon heard someone shout, “Fight!” in the vicinity of Statue Park and proceeded to the scene to investigate.

Upon arrival the officer reportedly spotted one woman striking another woman, as well as a man who was apparently attempting to intercede and break up the fight.