On Friday May 2, the Irish American Police Officer’s Association of Massachusetts (IAPOA) will hold its 15th Annual Awards Dinner at the Malden Irish American Club, 177 West Street, Malden, MA, Their mission for the dinner is to recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of local law enforcement officers during the previous year, and to honor those who died in the performance of their duties. This year there are a total of (39) for (11) separate awards that include recipients from (11) different agencies. Many of this year’s recipients will be honored for their heroic actions on April 15, 2013 at the Boston Marathon Finish Line and subsequent events on April 18 and 19 in Cambridge and Watertown, MA.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Chief Fire Engineer Kevin Kelleher announced this week that all Somerville Fire Department companies are equipped with nasal Naloxone (Narcan), a prescription medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. In a joint effort with the Cambridge Health Alliance, Cataldo Ambulance, and the Somerville Board of Health and Trauma Response Network, Somerville Firefighters completed training on administering the prescription to victims of drug overdose. In March, Gov. Deval Patrick declared a public health emergency in Massachusetts due to the growing epidemic of opioid addition and increasing rates of fatal overdose.

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)

In early April I joined in the reopening celebration of Hubway, one of the smartest bicycle infrastructure investments our region has made—and one of the most telling when it comes to understanding how our city and our nation are evolving. The country is undergoing the greatest demographic shift since the 1950s when people fled cities for the suburbs. Today that trend is reversing. People are returning to the urban core at historic levels as they seek the vibrancy and connectivity of bikeable, walkable, transit-oriented urban neighborhoods. Somerville, and the Boston region, are experiencing this shift too as we seek to make Greater Boston the most bikeable and walkable region in the country. But it’s about far more than sustainable transit. I believe what’s driving this trend is also a desire for community, which is at the heart of what makes Somerville the city we love.

By Jim Clark

A police officer on patrol spotted a car stopped in the middle of Walnut St. last Saturday evening and headed towards the area to get a closer look at what was happening there.

As the officer got closer to the scene he reportedly observed a male leaning out of the open passenger side door, facing the ground. Before the officer reached the vehicle the passenger straightened up and closed the door, at which time the car sped away, police said.

Federal authorities are stepping in to see to it that historically significant post office buildings, such as the one in Union Square, are properly preserved or sold off by the USPS. — Photo by Harry Kane

By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

An advisory council tasked by Congress has released a new report on the legality and scope of the U.S. Postal Services’ (USPS) practices when selling its historic buildings.

Over the past several years, post offices deemed historic have been closed nationwide and sold to various buyers as the USPS works to reconsolidate its assets. In many cities, including Berkeley, California, Winsted, Connecticut and right here in Somerville, officials and residents have raised red flags because of the intrinsic communal value the post offices possess.

Ward 1 Alderman Matt McLaughlin expressed the city’s gratitude to Stiles (right) as he was presented with a citation honoring his 40 year career with the Somerville Police Department.

40-year police officer commended for decades of service
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By David R. Smith

Nicholas “Nicky” Stiles made a lot of friends in his years – his 40 years – as an officer with the Somerville Police Department, so he wasn’t going to sneak into retirement without just a little bit of fanfare from family, friends and even the mayor and Board of Aldermen, which presented him with a citation for his decades of service during its April 27 meeting.

Tonight (Wednesday, May 1) at 7, there will be a “Home Buyers Seminar” presented by The Norton Group RE, the law offices of O’Donovan & Dwyer, along with Barry Shields of Primary Residential Mortgages. The seminar is free and takes place at 699 Broadway (Ball Square, The Norton Group office). The event will explain the process of buying, and a credit counselor will be on hand to help and assist and give advice on how to get your credit score up. The seminar is open to the public, and light refreshment will be served.

Artist’s rendering of the proposed Wynn Everett Esplanade and Winter Garden.

By David R. Smith

The city is not looking to gamble on the odds of whether Everett will be awarded the region’s sole casino license.

The United States Postal Service, as a federal agency, may not be legally bound to answer to local boards or individual residents, but seeing how it has handled the closure of the post office in Union Square and the subsequent delivery issues residents claim have resulted from moving operations out of the historic building does, at the very least, merit some level of explanation.

Thanks to a generous donation to the Somerville Masonic Lodge, one of our favorite Villens, Mike Browne, took his 7-year-old nephew Liam to his first Red Sox game against the Yankees on Wednesday, April 23. Mike and his wife AnnMarie were lucky enough to win the Red Sox/Bruins gift basket. The basket included Bruins and Red Sox tickets and was awarded to the Brownes at the recent Comedy Night fundraiser for the Masons. The raffle also included an early entry to Fenway where they enjoyed a private top to bottom tour of the park, an on field view of batting practice, an opportunity to catch some homerun balls on top of the Green Monster, an assortment of great gifts from Liam’s favorite player (David Ortiz) and a pair of VIP seats to watch the Sox beat the Yankees.