RESPOND is working to increase awareness of teenage dating violence issues in our community.

Somerville-based RESPOND takes action

By Tatiana Kombo

February was Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Once a hidden problem, teenage dating violence is currently getting substantial attention from the public. Indeed, the public discourse over abuse is gaining momentum as domestic abuse agencies increasingly emphasize intervention, prevention and education on this dangerous plague. Statistics indicate that teenage dating violence is on the rise, along with teenagers’ desensitization to, and acceptance of it. “In a 12 month period, one in 10 high school students nationwide reported they were physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend,” said President Barack Obama in a presidential proclamation last month. “And still more experienced verbal or emotional abuse like shaming, bullying, or threats.” Inexperienced in dating or overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, teenagers often struggle to escape abusive relationships or even to recognize that they are caught in them.

Sophia Carafotes. – Photo by Donald Norton

Sophia Carafotes is a Somerville 5th Grade Teacher out of the West Somerville Neighborhood  School on Powderhouse Blvd.  She’s also the head of the Evening School at the High School.   Sophia was Voted Best Teacher in Somerville 2011 by The Somerville News readers and we are proud to also name her “Person of the Week.” She’s a great teacher, we hear, and why not? She’s got a smiling face and charming wit. She has to be one of those teachers we all remember going back to elementary school that leaves a good mark on our memory. A very good teacher.

What are they thinking now? Raising fares and cutting services? This in the face of continuous new hiring? We knew things were going badly at the MBTA as far as budgetary concerns go, but this more than obvious disconnect seems to be going over the heads of the many who have their hands on the throttle, so to speak.

(For You…, Dec 18th 2011: Airport site, performative action done on Dec 18th to commemorate International Migrants Day by Kathleen Bitetti)

Like T.S. Eliot who wrote in his famed poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”–I have indeed “measured my life in coffee spoons”…and interviews I might add. So over coffee at the Au Bon Pain cafe in Harvard Square I interviewed artist, curator, Public Policy Advocate, Kathleen Bitetti. Bitetti originally from Quincy, Mass. is a slim, energetic woman who for over twenty years has been advocating and advising on the local, national and state level for the rights of artists. She also happens to be an accomplished visual artist in her own right.

Arrests:
*

Roland Hill, 31, of 3 Eldridge St., Taunton, February 27, 11:30 a.m., arrested at 212 Elm St. on warrant charges of motor vehicle lights violation, operating a motor vehicle with suspended registration, and uninsured motor vehicle or trailer.

Salvatore Lombardo, 45, of 1 Oakland St., Malden, February 27, 12:05 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on warrant charges of motor vehicle lights violation, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, attempt to commit a crime, false motor vehicle insurance claim, possession of a class B drug, false crime report, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

 
On the English faculty at Bunker Hill Community College we have a number of talented poets. One such poet is james de crescentis.  So I give this poem “Direct To You”–well…directly to you.

Aldermen, business and community leaders, academic partners to offer guidance on job banking, skills training and work readiness strategies for Somerville residents

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced today that he had established a new advisory group to assist the city in the development and implementation of programs designed to encourage and support efforts by area employers to hire local residents.  To be known as the Somerville Jobs Advisory Committee (SJAC), the eleven-member panel will begin meeting later this month.  The group will examine best practices for matching local job candidates to local training and hiring opportunities as a service for both residents and employers.

By Elizabeth Sheeran

Wintry weather left many of us seeking a sweet respite from the seasonal blues last week. And nothing says “spring is just around the corner” in New England like a good old sugaring off. At Somerville’s Community Growing Center last weekend, the evaporator pan was steaming, the sap was boiling, and the syrup was flowing.

Mayor Curtatone and the Office of Veterans’ Services invite you to the 8^th annual Memorial Day Parade fundraiser on Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m. in the Somerville High School Auditorium, 81 Highland Ave.