Courtney O’Keefe.

By Courtney O’Keefe

(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.)

Slowly, but surely the empty storefronts in Magoun Square are, not only filling up, but being occupied with businesses that are offering important services to residents, patrons and current business owners! They are complimenting the other great occupants that are already here, helping Magoun return back to the bustling business district it once was.

Somerville to be first U.S. City to offer Adaptive Leadership training to residents; 20 residents will be selected for free training course

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced this week that he has established the Somerville Academy for Innovative Leadership (SAIL), a new initiative to encourage and empower more residents to be effective leaders in the Somerville community. To launch the initiative, which is coordinated by the city’s ResiStat program, residents are invited to apply to take part in The Art and Practice of Public Leadership, a free, intensive course on adaptive leadership led by leadership expert Dr. Hugh O’Doherty. The course will begin in March, making Somerville the first municipality in the nation to offer adaptive leadership training to residents.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston and the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development invite all interested community members to a follow-up meeting on the proposed Beacon Street reconstruction and streetscape project, on Tuesday, March 5 at 6 p.m. in the Argenziano School cafetorium (290 Washington Street).  More detailed information on the meeting and the project in general will be available on the project website, www.somervillema.gov/beaconstreet, in advance of the meeting.

By Kenneth Gloss

We will soon be able to say that “Spring has finally sprung!” As this season renews our energy it also reminds of us of the need to cleanup and clear out, especially if shelf-space is getting tight. But don’t dump those books – you’d be surprised that there’s a market not only for books that are very old but also for new fields of endeavor that change so fast that a 50 year-old book can be more valuable than a 150-year old book. For example, science and computer books engage collectors whether from the 1500s or from the 1950s.

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.)

Somerville High School recently presented a production of The Wizard of Oz. It was a great show. When I was at the high school, it was the teachers who conducted the drama, music and other extracurricular activities that kept me from dropping out. Along with some guidance from some great…well…Guidance Counselors, the talent shows, musical revues and plays sealed the deal for me. I was a proud member of the class of 1971.

On the evening of Thursday, Feb. 28, Ensemble 451 will continue its season presenting music by Mozart and Liebermann, and featuring the music of Boston composer Mark Berger; and you are welcome to have a drink or eat a pastry while you enjoy these masterpieces.

By Jim Clark

Members of the Somerville Police Department Drug Control Unit engaged in ongoing drug investigations in the Winter Hill area focused their attention on a particular residence as a suspected location of trade in cocaine last week.

Following a local donation drive spanning several months, Mayor Curtatone and a delegation of city staff will travel to the New Jersey coast this weekend to deliver a truck load of supplies to victims of October’s Hurricane Sandy. In a partnership with the communities of Somerville, New Jersey and Summerville, South Carolina, the City of Somerville, Massachusetts collected cleaning supplies, food, and other items needed by victims in New Jersey to assist with cleanup efforts and rebuilding after the super storm demolished many communities there. The delegation will depart from City Hall Friday afternoon at 1 p.m.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(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.)

As we continue to dig out from the recent blizzard, even last weekend’s relatively minor snowfall presented significant challenges in terms of snow removal and cleanup. Our DPW crews continue to log anywhere between 16 and 40 hour shifts to make our streets and public ways safe and accessible, and in just over a week they have, along with some assistance from private contractors, contributed tens of thousands of man hours to storm cleanup alone. Even with the warmer-than-average temperatures last week, significant amounts of snow and ice linger across the city, and therefore any amount of additional, plowable snowfall not only hinders our cleanup efforts, but creates new concerns around parking and safety. All of these factors combine to make planning for subsequent snow emergencies more difficult and complex than if Somerville hadn’t just experienced a record-setting snowfall.

Rotary District 7930 will hold its 3^rd annual Polar Plunge on Saturday February 23, 2013 at Long Beach in Gloucester at 11:15 a.m.  The event is part Rotary International’s ongoing campaign to eradicate polio in our lifetime. The date will also coincide with the anniversary of the very first meeting of Rotary by the late Paul Harris who met with three of his colleagues on February 23, 1905.