Master songsmith Marshall Crenshaw will be entertaining the crowd at Johnny D’s on Thursday, May 22.

By Blake Maddux

As is the case with most musicians who sustain a three-decade long career despite not becoming superstars, many people would recognize Marshall Crenshaw’s work even if his name does not register with them.

Crenshaw’s 1982 hit Someday, Someway, his lone Top 40 entry, has appeared in productions as varied as the 1985 Madonna movie Desperately Seeking Susan and a 2005 episode of The West Wing. Other songs that he has written can be heard in Superman III, Empire Records, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and Baby Mama.

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 remember when going to see a rock band in concert meant a few things. It meant sitting in a crowded stuffy venue with the aroma of pot all around you. It also meant a lot of drunk people bumping into you with the stale stench of booze on their breath. As soon as the band started, everyone in the place stood up, which meant you had to stand up … for the entire show. Well, on this past Saturday night, most of that changed. It was different because my girlfriend, Michele, and I went to see The Moody Blues in concert at The Boston Convention Center on Summer Street. We bought the tickets months ago, and the day finally arrived. The concert was sponsored by AARP, and that was who was in the audience: a lot of retired or soon-to-be retired people coming out to see a band that were pretty much the same age.

What happened in Somerville Neighborhood News episode #14? Read below to find out more and make sure to watch the news videos online and on SCATV Ch.3! Here are some featured stories: Ducks and boaters don’t seem to mind, but many humans and associations do, and so does the Environmental Protection Agency. The water in the Mystic River is consistently graded “D” for its poor quality. More on this story at www.scatvsomerville.org/SNN.

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)

Somerville joined an exciting new partnership this week that aims to make our region a leader for the life sciences industry. Somerville, Boston, Cambridge, Quincy and Braintree united this week to launch the Life Sciences Corridor initiative to attract more life science businesses and jobs to the region. By promoting both the individual strengths of our cities and our collective draw as a region, the initiative aims to ensure that this vital and expanding industry grows right here. Our goals are to retain the innovative companies we already have, promote collaboration between those businesses and our world-class universities and institutions, and draw new high-quality life sciences jobs to the region. In other words, we’re putting Somerville—and the corridor—on the life sciences map.

Delivery of rodent-resistant trash carts to begin in June

To help control the rodent population and reduce the city’s solid waste tonnage, the City of Somerville will begin distributing uniform trash carts to residential units in June. Every household that receives trash service from the city will be provided, free of charge, with one 64-gallon, rodent-resistant wheeled trash cart similar to the Zero-Sort recycling carts already in use.

 — Photos by Claudia Ferro

Ms. Rice’s 1st grade class from ESCS visited The Somerville Fire Dept. headquarters at 266 Broadway last week.

The kids toured the facility and various types of fire fighting equipment was demonstrated.

By Jim Clark

A reported attempted armed robbery brought police officers to a Chester St. location last Friday night.

The victim reportedly told police that he was robbed at knife point while exiting his vehicle that he had parked in the Day Street parking lot.

Friends and neighbors will share music and good times as this year’s edition of PorchFest hits town this coming weekend.

By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

The artistic community in Somerville is highly active, and will once again participate in the highly unique PorchFest event this Saturday, May 17, when neighborhoods come alive with song and conversation. This is anything but a typical festival, as residents come together for a community event in which musicians play on their porches and stoops, allowing passersby to enjoy the tunes while walking around the city.

Last Saturday, the Union United coalition met to discuss priorities for the Union Square redevelopment process and begin to craft a community benefits agreement that can eventually be negotiated with the city and the master developer.