I never thought of this when Somerville resident and poet Harris Gardner and I started the Bagel Bards at Finagle- A- Bagel in Harvard Square in 2004. But I happened to be teaching a Creative Writing class at Endicott College and we were studying the poetry of San Francisco poet A.D. Winans. In an interview I conducted with him (that I used for a class discussion) he mentioned a hangout of his: the Co-Existence Bagel Shop. Bagels, Bards and poetry do have an illustrious history. The Co-Existence Bagel Shop in the 1950’s and 60’s North Beach section of San Francisco was a big hangout for the likes of Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Kaufman, Spicer, Winans, and countless other Beat poets, and poets of other schools. So the Bagel Bards, a group of poets and writers that now meets in the Au Bon Pain in Davis Square, Somerville, Mass (Finagle-A Bagel closed years ago)is a sort of a small coda to this.

– Photos by William Tauro

By William Tauro

Dozens of fire fighters from both Somerville and Cambridge Fire Departments were called to the scene to rescue  occupants of a motor vehicle that was run over by a multi-ton cement truck early Tuesday morning.

The rescue was actually  a simulation accident that took place on Medford Street in Somerville behind the Holman’s Building in Somerville.

By Donald Norton

Six Motor Cycle Traffic Enforcement Officers from Cambridge came over to Ball Square to enjoy Ball Square Cafe’s famous breakfast Tuesday morning. Even Cambridge peeps know where the best breakfast is, don’t they?

Citywide effort aimed at adults purchasing alcoholic beverage multi-packs
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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Somerville Cares About Prevention’s (SCAP) youth group, “Somerville Positive Forces” announced their 6th Annual Holiday Sticker Shock Campaign. It will consist of SPF100, 10 high school students, and SPFJr, a group of 10 middle school students and the two advisers Director Cory Mashburn and Community Organizer Lovelee Heller. SPF100 will work with the Somerville Police Department and several local retailers and restaurants over the last several months to alert community members about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

– Photo by William Tauro

By William Tauro

Two Somerville Police Officers arrested and detained a female suspect on Washington Street early Monday morning with alleged possible outstanding warrants.

The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) has extended the deadline to submit nominations for the 2012 Preservation Awards.  Nominations will now be accepted through Thursday, December 1.  The Awards will honor Somerville residents having performed significant restoration or maintenance efforts on designated historic buildings, or on non-designated buildings erected before 1959.  

The Christmas holiday yields a veritable plethora of collectible memorabilia, according to Brattle Book Shop’s Kenneth Gloss.

By Kenneth Gloss

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the obvious perennial favorite for holiday books. However, many people might not realize that holiday-themed items can be exciting and rewarding choices, simply because there is a plethora of options available. That’s not to say 1834 Dickens classic isn’t wildly popular, even today. There are people who will come into the store, seeking a first edition and will spend upwards of $70 – $1000 for that particular volume. There are people who collect all versions of A Christmas Carol, whether it be all the different illustrated versions or all the different covers. There are literally thousands of unique versions of that Christmas classic, giving a Dickens collector years of hunting.

Eugene C. Brune, current Register of Deeds, will be retiring soon.

By Cathleen Twardzik

Mayor of Somerville from 1980 to 1989, Eugene C. Brune, current Register of Deeds, has announced he will retire soon.  As register, he serves the Middlesex County Southern District, which is comprised of 44 cities and towns. Middlesex South is the largest registry in the state and, possibly, the eighth largest in the country.

The Somerville Pop Warner B-team competed valliantly, taking their game to the Eastern Mass Championships, proving that they are a hard working and talented group of kids who play to win.

The Somerville B-team is the first team in 15 years to make it to the last round of the playoffs and play in the Eastern Mass Championships. The B-team finished their season at 8-3. They were coached by Roger, Tom, Donald, Eric and Shane Desrochers, Angel Gonzalez, Hollywood Stephonson, Jude Felix, Leo Eyong, Emmanuel Molin and Team MPR person Laurie Clark.