Congratulations to Joey Del Ponte for being accepted into Suffolk University’s elite honors program.  Joey, son of Cathy and Jimmy Del Ponte, will be graduating from Matignon High School in May.

On the first weekend in May, over 400 Somerville artists will open their doors and invite the public into their studios for one of the largest single-weekend open studio events in the nation.

Now in its 16th year, the weekend continues to grow throughout the city, drawing in scores of local businesses and becoming a festive destination. In the US, only New York has more artists per capita than the City of Somerville.

— Photo by Bobbie Toner

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced today the City of Somerville’s plan to honor the victims and families of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings, and to provide support services to all community members who should need them on the one-year anniversary of the tragic events in Boston, as follows:

Jerry Bowser, also known as the “Boston Brawler” from his professional wrestling days, will carry, in a wheelbarrow, 2,350 pounds 900 feet across Ball Square in order to raise money for two friends of his who each lost a leg during last year’s Boston Marathon bombing. It will cost each man $1.4 million to get and maintain a prosthetic leg through the age of 70. He will begin the power push at 2 p.m. Saturday April 19.

This event is for Boston Marathon victims and will recognize MIT Police Officer Sean Collier who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Here is another story by my good friend Anthony Accardi Jr. 

(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)

As far back as I can remember, there has always been an abundance of eating establishments on Winter Hill. Besides the old standard of pizza and sub shops, at one time we had a White Tower Restaurant, a fresh fish market that also served fried seafood, a delicatessen, a coffee shop and even a Brigham’s Ice Cream Restaurant, among others. With all of these eating places, other small businesses and a Star Market, Winter Hill was at one time a bustling area with both high foot and vehicular traffic. It was a place where people could do their food shopping, run their errands and grab a quick bite to eat – and all within walking distance of each other.

Somerville’s commitment to the highest principles of governmental budgeting has been recognized in the City earning the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, a “significant achievement” according to awarding nonprofit Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).

In earning the award, the City of Somerville met nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. The GFOA reviewers evaluated the City’s FY14 budget, available on the City Finance Department’s webpage, on 27 specific criteria to assess how well the budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device.

By William C. Shelton

(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)

Economics has been called the “dismal science” ever since Thomas Carlyle turned that phrase in 1849. But a blazing discussion is illuminating the gloom. Its light source is the English publication of Capital in the Twenty-First Century by French economist Thomas Piketty.

By Jim Clark

A police officer on duty in the early morning hours of April 6 at a Summer St. location took notice of a crashing noise in the nearby area.

In checking out the immediate vicinity, the officer spotted two males, later identified as Conor McArdle, 20, of Amherst, and Edmond Quirke, 22, of Jamaica Plain, as they travelled down the Summer St. sidewalk, reportedly kicking cars as they passed them.

By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

The ongoing fight to improve the livelihood of individuals living with disabilities has continued on the local, state and federal levels. In an interview with The Somerville Times, Colin Killick, chairman of the Somerville Commission for People with Disabilities (SCPD), explained some of the goings-on occurring in the community.