An Owl was spotted in a tree on Thurston Street in Somerville’s Winter Hill area yesterday.

– Photos by John Pratti

On Friday, Andrea Florence Koutis, age 30 of Arlington and Erick Guy Stout, age 35 of Somerville were arraigned in the Third District Court of Middlesex County for their involvement in the January 8, 2013 robbery of the East Cambridge Savings Bank in Arlington, Ma.

– Photo by Zoe Blickenderfer

The Somerville High School Chorus, under the direction of Ms. Beverly Mosby, will be performing at the WorldStrides Heritage Inaugural Music Festival on Saturday, January 19 in Washington D.C.  A group of 29 students will perform three selections that include a song in French, an acappella Spiritual piece, and a contemporary choral selection.  The group will attend the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, and is scheduled to visit numerous historic and cultural sites.  They will also be participating in an awards dinner/dance as part of the Inaugural Music Festival activities that weekend.

The fourth suspect in Monday night’s  police pursuit has been arrested. Patrick Farris, age 21, of Charlestown, was arrested yesterday. He turned himself in at Somerville District Court. He is charged with the same offenses as the other three suspects.

On The Silly Side 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.)

If you look around Somerville you will still see some grand old brick structures that used to be elementary schools. The Brown, on Willow Ave., which was built in 1900, is the last one still actually being used as a school. Some of them have been converted into condos, such as The Lowe School on Morrison Ave. and the Carr School on Atherton.

By Jim Clark

A Somerville police officer, working a paid detail at the Market Basket store on Somerville Ave. last Sunday morning, was alerted to the activities of a suspected shoplifter.

The store manager told the police officer that he had been watching a man in the store as he reportedly placed items into the knitted sleeves of a jacket that he was carrying.

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.)

Bob Publicover was a genuine local hero. When the publisher emeritus of The Somerville News and a onetime city employee died last week at the age of 63, Somerville lost one of its best-known and best-loved public citizens.

– Photo courtesy of Somerville Fire Department.

Somerville firefighters responded to a fire at 62 Bonair Street at 2:33 p.m. on January 10, 2013. The fire was confined to a first floor bedroom, however, smoke damage resulted throughout the home and water damage to the first floor and basement.

Avis Medrano, 23, of Charlestown, was arraigned in Somerville District Court on charges of carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.  Alexis Gonzalez, 20, of Charlestown was also arraigned on the same charges. Somerville District Court Judge Maurice Flynn released the defendants on personal recognizance with conditions that they stay away and have no contact with witnesses, stay one-quarter mile away from Gilman Street in Somerville and possess no dangerous weapons or firearms.  A juvenile was also arraigned in the matter in Cambridge Juvenile Court.