By Jim Clark

Police were dispatched to an Ossipee Rd. residence last Friday on reports that a group of juveniles had been spotted dragging a safe into the basement there.

Upon arrival, police questioned the legal guardian of the juvenile that resided at the address. They were reportedly told that the kids were around back of the house in the backyard.

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)

We all wish that sometimes we could snap our fingers and solve problems. Car suddenly breaks down and needs repairs? Fixed. Sudden illness requiring an unexpected trip to the doctor? Healed. Bug in your computer’s software? Zapped. This is impossible, as we all know. An investment of time and research to identify the problem and find the appropriate solution is needed first. It’s the same with public policy. Good public policy takes time, research and analysis of data and facts. A knee-jerk reaction won’t solve anything, at least not for long. Effective policy takes careful, prudent action based on a long-term strategy that is only possible after you’ve done your due diligence. And that’s exactly what we did with our plan to battle rats in Somerville.

The Somerville Times has finally received the city permits, and we have many new boxes out on the streets as of this morning. Wherever you go throughout Somerville you will now see our boxes, with more to come over the next few months. We recently went through the new permit process here in Somerville and finally, after four weeks, we were approved. With the great help of City Clerk John Long we have our permits. You can’t miss us. Just look for the tall red boxes with the white and black lettering “The Somerville Times” all across the city and, again, more are to come over the next several months. We are also enlarging our distribution across the city, adding new places you can find The Times, thereby making it the largest locally owned and operated newspaper right here in Somerville.

A familiar eyesore may be nearing its final days, if the MassDOT and the Grounding McGrath working group have their say.

By Jim Clark

According to a preliminary report issued by MassDOT and the Grounding McGrath working group, it will be recommended that McGrath Highway be taken down and that a ground-level 6-lane boulevard be constructed as a replacement.

Somerville schools share the music
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Music teacher Adam Epstein rehearses with first graders for this week’s winter concert in the new auditorium at the East Somerville Community School. – Photo by Elizabeth Sheeran

By Elizabeth Sheeran

No matter what kind of holiday you’re celebrating this time of year, Somerville school kids are ready to bring music to your ears.

The Somerville Public Schools’ winter concert season opened last week with Friday’s kindergarten performance at the Capuano Early Education Center, followed by last night’s concert at the Brown School. After a full roster of school music events this week and next, the season will eventually wrap-up with a Martin Luther King -themed concert at the Kennedy School in late January.

– Photos by Bobbie Toner

The city’s annual Christmas Tree and Menorah Lighting Ceremony took place last Thursday night on the City Hall concourse, followed by a meet and greet with Santa Claus in the Somerville High School Highlander Cafe.

By Jim Clark

Police were called to the Marshall’s Department Store on McGrath Hwy. last week on a report of a detained shoplifter.

Arriving officers conferred with store loss prevention personnel and were told that a shoplifting suspect, identified as Crystal Bielakowski, 30, of Cambridge, was spotted attempting to remove concealed items from the store without paying for them.

Teresa Cardoso received a special commendation from the Board of Aldermen and Mayor Curtatone at the most recent Board meeting, honoring her 22 years of service as a Somerville School Committee Member.

By Erica Scharn

Three superintendents, four mayors, and six new or reconstructed schools later, Ward 2 Somerville School Committee member Teresa Cardoso is retiring from her position after 22 years of service.

Eagle Feathers #41– Illuminations

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Everyone has heard of Thomas Edison, but did you know he had a Somerville link?  Charles Williams, who lived at One Arlington Street at the corner of Lincoln Street in East Somerville had a flourishing fire telegraph business in the 1860s and 1870s. Charles was an early pioneer of electronics and was on the cutting edge of this early technology.  He was a go-to person in the Boston area for people who had ideas but didn’t have the means or the equipment to bring them to fruition.

The announcement that Partners Healthcare will be placing a huge administrative office complex at Assembly Row is a welcome one, and we should be welcoming the organization with open arms.

This impressively large and well-operated company should prove to be quite a positive and dynamic addition to the Assembly Row mix.