Arrests:
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Stephen Remick, 54, January 27, 6:29 p.m., arrested at 212 Elm St. on charges of failure to appear upon recognizance and violation of city ordinance open container, and on multiple warrant charges of larceny under $250.

Rickey Edwards, 18, January 28, 7:15 p.m., arrested at Mystic Ave. on a charge of drug possession to distribute.

On Saturday evening, February 1, Somerville firefighters responded to a house fire at 39 Church Street. The fire was reported at 10:13 p.m.
Arriving fire companies found smoke pushing from the eaves of a 2 ½ story home containing two apartments. A fire, apparently of electrical origin, originated in the second floor kitchen ceiling and spread across the ceiling and into the attic. Firefighters had to pull down the kitchen ceiling, several walls and cut several holes in the attic floor as well as the roof to extinguish the fire.
Seven adults and one child have been displaced. Damage is estimated at approximately $75,000.

~Somerville Fire Department

Be part of history in the making! Somerville Public Library is one of ten public libraries across the United States to be selected as a StoryCorps @ your library pilot site. Through this project we aim to record the voices of a diverse mix of Somerville residents and to capture their stories, thoughts, and ideas. Somerville teens, families, and adults, come by to find out more, sign up for a time, and to share your story. Refreshments will be served.

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)

There has been a lot of talk about slots coming to the Boston area, but did you know Somerville had slots years ago? I’m not talking about those illegal machines that were in the back rooms of some bars in the Ville back in the day. I’m talking about model slot car racing in the mid-to-late-1960s.

Burt Mayer and Tom Ward at a Somerville Arts Council’s previous Beardfest.

The All-American Beardfest has made its way to Somerville yet again. Come get your fill of crazy hair twirling, moustache combing.

Join in for a fun creative hair contest Sunday, February 2 from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave.  Contestants will vie for prizes in 5 categories: natural full beard, free-style full beard, free-style moustache, free-style partial beard, (which includes goatees, sideburns and any other creative combination of the above), and for follicle challenged, best fake beard.

Bombing victim aiding 13-year-old in need of prosthesis
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Melissa Estefania Salinas and her family are looking forward to their forthcoming visit to the U.S., as soon as the red tape and logistics involved are resolved.

By Max Sullivan

After losing her leg and her best friend in the Boston Marathon bombing last April, Somerville resident Karen Rand has spent the last few months working to bring 13-year-old El Salvadorian Melissa Estefania Salinas to the United States for treatment of a similar affliction.

 Massachusetts School Building Authority’s vote kicks off feasibility process

Somerville is one step closer to a renovated or new high school after the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted on Wednesday to invite Somerville Public Schools into MSBA’s eligibility period, which is the first step in the application process for state funding for renovation or replacement of the school.

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)

Assembly Square’s development remains Somerville’s biggest and most timely opportunity to bring jobs and expand our commercial tax base.