By Jim Clark

Police responded to reports of a man making threats with a handgun on Washington St. last week.

Upon questioning, the alleged victims reportedly told officers that they had gotten into a road rage incident with a man, later identified as Taylor Grover, 37, of Wilmington, while driving along Washington St. Police were, at that time, called in to mediate the dispute and a report was taken. Grover reportedly claimed that he had been struck by one of the alleged victims. Police reportedly advised Grover to file a complaint for assault at Somerville District Court.

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.)

Within hours after Superstorm Sandy departed the area, some of the local papers were calling to ask how much the storm had cost the city in damage, in overtime, in supplies. We didn’t answer – and we still haven’t answered – because cities have to be very careful about compiling and verifying the costs of natural disasters that the state and federal government have declared emergencies. Some of those costs are reimbursable, and you want to make sure your calculations are watertight before submitting them for compensation.

Singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard wowed audiences at the Somerville Theatre last weekend as he fielded favorites from the Death Cab For Cutie catalog, as well as other projects from his musical past.

By Blake Maddux

By fronting the hugely popular Death Cab for Cutie and the beloved but short-lived Postal Service, singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard has maintained his visibility among fans of indie rock for more than a decade. Of course, his brief marriage to and recent divorce from actress Zooey Deschanel certainly did nothing to lower his profile.

U.S. President

Johnson / Gray  543

Obama/ Biden  28,467

Romney / Ryan 4,865

Stein / Honkala 747

write in 108

blank 332

William “Bill” Donovan sat as Mayor of Somerville from 1953–1959.

By Blake Maddux

On May 26, 1988, the obituary of former Somerville mayor and longtime city clerk William “Bill” Donovan ran in the local newspaper.

The obituary described Donovan as having “dominated the city’s political arena for the better part of the 1950s.”

The elections are finally over and normality quickly comes back as of today. All of those  TV commercials, mailings,  plus those hated robo calls are over. A few months to go before the local city elections start. It’s great that they won’t be able to pay for TV ads, although they can advertise in The News.

By Cathleen Twardzik

At a recent Ward 2 ResiStat Neighborhood Meeting, which was well attended, essential issues were discussed by those who attended. The meeting served as a forum for people to bring up points and for the mayor and department heads, among others, to hash out issues.

Burt Mayer and Tom Ward at the Somerville Arts Council’s Third Annual Beardfest.

By Terence Clarey

According to Burt Mayer, the best way to prepare for a beard contest is to, “Stop shaving.” That, a little mustache wax and a little creativity was good advice, but winning was not the primary goal of contestants at the Somerville Arts Council’s Third Annual Beardfest last Saturday at the Arts at the Armory. The true purpose of the event was to have fun.

Was there something outstandingly different about the issues voters faced this year that caused so much heated debate, accompanied by such a deafening roar of campaign ballyhoo it could make our heads swim?

Arrests:
*

Paul Gallagher, 42, of 18 Gladstone St., Everett, October 30, 2:04 p.m., arrested at 775 McGrath Hwy. on charges of distribution of a class B drug and violation of city ordinance possession of a dangerous weapon.

Amy Hill, 23, October 30, 5:15 p.m., arrested at 109 Cross St. on warrant charges of sexual conduct for a fee, possession of a class B drug, and conspiracy to violate drug law.