In my 30 plus years working at a major psychiatric hospital just outside  of Boston, I have worked with countless patients and staff on both  locked and unlocked settings. One of the most creative of these people  is Sheree Pollock, a veteran psychiatric nurse. Pollock is a dramatic  personality, and uses her knowledge of theater, literature, gardening  and other creative passions to engage the patients on a more human  level, rather than the purely clinical. The minute she walks through the door her presence is known, and  she is not too shy to quote Bette Davis, or Joan Crawford–or belt out a few lyrics from a Judy Garland song to make her point. She is a natural storyteller and thespian–and makes what can often be a purely clinical experience into a richer milieu.  I had the pleasure of interviewing  Pollock on my Somerville Community Access TV show Poet to Poet Writer to Writer.

An old friend of mine–I mean old–he is 96, sent me some poems recently. Ed Galing, from Hatboro, PA. still writes– from a wheelchair, blind in one eye, suffering from a variety of ailments that come with the territory. Galing grew up on the Lower East Side of NYC, that at the time was a home to many Jewish immigrants, and immigrants from all parts of Europe. Some years ago I published a book of poetry of his “Poems from a Tenement Rooftop” (Ibbetson Street Press). Over the years Ed has been published in hundreds of journals and he was recently profiled in the Philadelphia  Inquirer. Yes– Ed sent me some poems…  here is one of them.  He wants to leave a little bit of history before his big sleep.

Arrests:
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Howard John, 30, of 21 Carlton St., August 26, 7:17 p.m., arrested at 30 River Rd. on a warrant charge of disorderly conduct.

Michael Edwards, 37, of 3610 Mystic Valley Pkwy., Medford, August 27, 1:17 p.m., arrested at 9 Bond St. on multiple warrant charges of possession of a class B drug.

The Jimmy Fund Walk raises money for Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helping patients in their battles with cancer and funding research to improve their chances of winning the fight.

On Sunday, September 8, 18 residents from Somerville will walk up to 26.2 miles along the historic Boston Marathon® route in the 25th anniversary of the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai. They will be among the 8,500 walkers expected to participate with the collective goal of raising more than $7 million to support lifesaving adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund.

The Mµseum is open to any small enough to fit inside. All others are welcome to look from the outside.

By Mike Molloy

A new art installation in Somerville’s Union Square proves that the best things sometimes come in small packages.

Mayor Cutatone was present at the August 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony of the inaugural exhibit of the Mµseum, a “micro museum” co-founded by Somerville artists Judith Klausner and engineer Steve Pomeroy, who say on their website that they “work to make art physically and psychologically accessible by presenting it in a familiar, low-pressure environment, while bringing a sense of wonder to the urban landscape.”

Maureen Kelley and Mary Stackpole in front of the replica whaling ship, Lagoda, in the Azorean gallery at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. This was the third and final “Fun Fridays” cultural event of the summer. Watch for a new lineup of cultural outings for the fall.

Life in the Ville By Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The  Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and  do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff  or publishers)

My fear of the first day of school changed entering grade 9 in 1968. I was going to public junior high fter eight years of parochial school. Let me elaborate a little. Eight years of bossy, grouchy, mean spirited nuns. I still can’t believe my parents paid good, hard earned money to send their three kids to a place where they were berated, embarrassed and abused. I got off easy, but some of the poor kids may have been scarred for life.

Three Somerville High School students have been arrested in connection with a sexual assault that took place in Otis this past weekend.

Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless says 17 year old Galileo Mondol and two 16 year old juvenile males were arrested today by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to his Office.

By Jim Clark

A police officer on his way to work by car around 4:30 a.m. on Monday morning took notice of three males as they walked along the sidewalk near 282 McGrath Hwy.