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)

A couple of years ago I changed the name of my column from On the Silly Side to Life in the Ville. “Ville” is just a simple abbreviation for Somerville. A Villen (according to the new pop culture) is someone from Somerville. This Villen thing has calmed down lately, but when it first hit it was all the rage. Everybody wanted a Villen sticker or a Villen shirt or hat. The Villen Cooperative Society came out as the source for these items. They even copyrighted the word “Villen.”  Really? Isn’t that like trying to copyright the word “Townie,” or “West Ender”? Nevertheless, the terms Ville and Villen are now a part of Somerville’s fabric, even though some old-time Somerville loyalists don’t like it. As one young lady stated to me, “The Ville is better than what they used to call Somerville.” (I refuse to even write that derogatory word because it burns me up to no end. But if you want to know what it is, check out Somerville, Mass., in Wikipedia.) While we are on the subject, I think we should petition Wikipedia to have that horrible slang term removed.

— Photo by Donald Norton

The 2013 Red Sox World Series Trophy was on display last week at the Xfinity Customer Service Center on Beacon Street.

Delegation traveling to Denver in June seeking second win in five years; Interested community members sought to participate in prestigious awards conference.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced today that the city is seeking community member participation in a 40-member delegation to travel to Denver, Colorado on June 13, as the City of Somerville seeks to win the All-America City Award for the second time in five years, a feat only a handful of communities have accomplished in the Award’s 65-year history. Somerville previously won the award in during the 2009 competition, as well as in 1972. Community members of all ages are welcome, however those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Throughout the month of May and a bit into June, the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) partners with other local organizations to host events honoring Somerville’s history and historic assets.  All events are open to the public and free unless otherwise noted.

• Saturday, May 3,10am – noon. The SHPC,in concert with the Cambridge Historical Commission staff, is sponsoring a “Jane’s Walk” to honor urban activist and writer, Jane Jacobs. A world-wide event, this year’s walk will explore the Orchard Street neighborhood north of Porter Square. The cities of Cambridge and Somerville have been studying the area for possible nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. It will end in time for lunch in the Square and visits to various Somerville Open Art Studios from noon to 6pm.   Rain or shine. Meet at Porter Square Plaza along Somerville Ave. across from the T station. For more information about this Jane’s Walk see janejacobswalk2014

By Jim Clark

Police officers were dispatched to a Beacon St. location in the early morning hours of Saturday on reports of a hit and run accident. They had been informed that the vehicle responsible for the damage was parked in the Whole Foods parking lot on Beacon St.

Jubilee.

By Nidhi Mathson

Four hundred artists in Somerville will open their doors to the public for the Somerville Open Studios event this week. Since artist studios are typically not open to the public on a regular basis -except by appointment- it’s an opportunity for art lovers to visit favored artists or discover new ones. Mixed-media artist Keith Maddy will be among the artists opening their studios to the public.

Joshua Ojo sang “I Have A Dream” with musician Jessie Holdenat during last year’s Teen Empowerment Somerville Youth Peace Conference. — Photo by Pamela Cyran

The eighth annual Teen Empowerment Somerville Youth Peace Conference takes place from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the East Somerville Community School (50 Cross St.). This year’s theme is “Rising from the Ashes: Movement of Improvement.” Tickets are $3 and can purchased at the TE office at 165 Broadway or from TE youth organizers.

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.