– Photos by Donald Norton and Andrew Firestone

- Photo by William Tauro

By William Tauro

A motor vehicle fire kept Somerville firefighters busy  early Friday morning at the intersection of Glenwood and Broadway.

By Jim Clark

While responding to reports of excessive noise in the Somerville Avenue and Prospect Street area last Saturday, police officers reportedly observed the driver of a pick-up truck honking his horn non-stop at another motorist.
As traffic proceeded through the intersection, the truck, still sounding its horn, made an abrupt change from the left to the right lane, causing traffic to stop suddenly to avoid accidents, police said.

By Mayor 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.)

When it comes to planning we spend a lot of time talking about buildings, infrastructure and roads. Obviously those are the physical structures we have to pay for or permit when a new project comes along, but those are not the reasons why we engage in planning in the first place. People are our priority.

A Somerville man has been indicted on two counts of motor vehicle homicide after he allegedly drove under the influence and crashed his vehicle, resulting in the death of two teenage girls, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public.

Kenneth Belew, 21, of Somerville, was indicted by a Middlesex County Grand Jury today on charges of motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence of liquor (2 counts) and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

The rink in Conway Park will provide skaters with a new and much needed venue for their activities.

By Andrew Firestone

Get ready to bust out the ice blades! The Somerville Board of Aldermen approved the authorization of borrowing a $2,435,355 bond for construction of a new outdoor skating rink. Highlander Hockey may have a new house, in the form of a new rink built adjacent to the old one at Veteran’s Memorial Ice Rink on Somerville Ave.

By Jim Clark

Last Friday Somerville Police Detectives and the Cambridge Police Special Investigations Unit conducted surveillance in the area of Lower East Somerville and successfully served arrest warrants on a man suspected of drug trafficking.
Police report that at the time of the arrest the man was in possession of what was believed to be cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana.

By Jim Clark

Police were summoned to a College Avenue apartment complex in the wee hours of the morning last Saturday on a report that an unwanted man had locked himself into a common area of the building, according to reports.
Police say that residents of the building told them that the intruder had entered, uninvited, and took over the TV room, refusing to allow anyone else to enter.

The Somerville High School Outdoor Awards were presented at Dilboy Stadium on Monday, June 27. The cookout was sponsored by the Trac-Pac and attended by the SHS girls track team members, Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi, Principal Tony Ciccariello, Assistant Headmasters Joe Burke, John Oteri, and Athletic Director Nicole Viele.

As the MaxPac site is suspected of being the source of recent rodent sitings in the area, officials are demanding that the developer, KSS Realty, lead the effort to take control of the situation. - Photo by Ashley Taylor

By Andrew Firestone

In Somerville, the daily rat race sometimes takes on a more literal meaning. In this case, it is the increased number of rat sightings in Ward 4, seemingly coming from the MaxPac construction site. Currently being prepared by KSS Realty, some residents say that recent holes being dug have displaced a host of vermin, and they mean to do something about it.

Which is why on Monday, June 27, Aldermen Bruce Desmond and Sean O’Donovan were joined by George Landers, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds for the DPW, for a meeting at Albion Park, where rats had recently been seen. There, they spoke with members of the community and unveiled their game plan.