Rt. 16 goes green this weekend as Somerstreets takes over just for the fun of it.

“Going Green on Rt. 16,” the city’s third installment of the 2012 SomerStreets series, is scheduled for Sunday, August 19, from noon –4:00 p.m. along Route 16 (Alewife Brook Parkway), from Dilboy Stadium to Broadway.

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.)

From Dilboy Stadium that kisses the Arlington line all the way down to lower Broadway near Charlestown there is something in the air. The feeling in the ‘Ville is different. It appears every year around this time. It’s not the soupy, muggy humidity that I am talking about, it’s the impending start of…school.

By Donald Norton

A moving truck sprang a gas line leak while traveling through Union Square, around 2 p.m. Friday afternoon. Somerville Police and Fire departments responded to the scene and cleaned up the spill. The truck was towed and traffic resumed back to normal.

– Photos by Donald Norton

Vinyl rules at the Annual Somerville Rock and Roll Yard Sale, hitting Union Square this Sunday. – Photo by Annie Messier

The annual  ArtsUnion Rock  &  Roll Yard Sale takes place Sunday, August 19, from 11 a.m.  to 5 p.m. in Somerville’s Union Square Plaza.

By William C. Shelton

(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.)

Many of us fondly remember the time when Somerville was a tight community with commercially vibrant squares and dozens of volunteer groups. Here’s a good indicator of how closely-knit neighbors were:  If a kid smoked or cussed anywhere in the neighborhood, someone would probably tell his or her parents. Such a sense of community is rare in American society.

By Kristen Hale

This coming Saturday, Comicazi Comic Shop presents a new event called ComedyCazi. What is ComedyCazi, you might ask? It is a comedic stage show of the improvisational nature concocted by Emerson graduates Sam Kusek and Gideon Bautista. It features a unique mixture of performers from Improv Boston, Emerson, to Destination Imagination.

Plan Includes Several Property Acquisition Phases, Provides Framework for Development Surrounding GLX and Next Steps for Zoning

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced today that, following a vote by the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) at its August 15  meeting, he will submit a draft of an Urban Revitalization Plan (“The Plan”) to the Board of Aldermen this evening during their Special Meeting, scheduled for 7:00 p.m.  The Plan, covering 117 acres in the Union Square area and including seven development blocks slated for acquisition by the city over a period of several years, would implement the development vision set out through the re-zoning that was approved by the BOA in 2009.  Phase 1 of The Plan, including acquisition of properties east of Prospect Street between Somerville Avenue and the existing rail bed– “North Prospect Block” – will begin by early 2013.

By Jim Clark

Police responded to a report of a vehicular crash on Conwell Ave. last Friday evening.

According to reports, a reckless driver had hit a parked car and then struck a house immediately thereafter.

By Jim Clark

A report of an assault brought police to the vicinity of Taylor and Dane Streets last Tuesday morning.

Responding officers were told by the alleged victim that as he was crossing the street a car stopped short at the crosswalk and that a heated verbal exchange ensued between himself and the driver of the vehicle.

Mayor Curtatone, with his mother, holding a Tiella de Gaeta, one of the many recipes featured in the book.

By Tatiana Kombo

As part of the Somerville Arts Council’s Arts Union Project, the book Nibble: Exploring Food, Art & Culture in Union Square—and Beyond, tells the culinary story of Union Square.

As Rachel Strutt, program manager at the Somerville Arts Council, puts it, the book aims to “cultivate and celebrate the Square’s food landscape.”