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.

An alarm was received from the Stop & Shop at 779 McGrath Highway this weekend. Arriving firefighters found heavy smoke in the penthouse area of the building. The fire was confined to a natural gas powered generator and was extinguished using several fire extinguishers. The cause of the fire appears to be electrical wiring connected to the generator. A representative from the Board of Health and an electrical inspector were called to the scene.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

Eagle Feathers #51 – The Packers

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The John P. Squire Company was established in 1842, the year the Bunker Hill monument was capped and the year Somerville broke away from Charlestown. Along with the North Packing & Provision Company, and the New England Dressed Meat and Wool Company, they made up the “Big Three.” The first packing company specialized in beef products, the second in pork, and the third in lamb products. Their presence caused other spin-off companies to be born in the Union Square area which, when combined, made Somerville the undisputed meatpacking capital of New England. She was known as the Chicago of the east.

Union Square concerns

Concerned over the pace of the Union Square redevelopment process, organizations, residents and local businesses have been organizing: circulating talking points, a petition and lists of priorities.