Arrests:
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Ronildo Da Silva, 31, of 33 Marshall St., Feb. 21, 12:31 a.m., arrested at home and charged with assault and battery.

Tyraya Hargrove, 20, of 8 Eumee St., Boston, Feb. 22, 4:40 p.m., arrested on Broadway on a warrant charge of escape from Department of Youth Services.

Nicholas Suarez, 52, of 259 Broadway, East Boston, Feb. 22, 8:11 p.m., arrested at 52 Glen St. and charged with trafficking in cocaine and drug violation near a school or park.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced that the Somerville Veterans Memorial Ice Rink will host the first annual Massachusetts Army National Guard (MA ARNG) Military Winter Classic, “Settling the Old Rivalry Between the Infantry and Artillery,” hockey game on Monday, February 28th from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. While admission is free of charge, proceeds from a 50/50 raffle and additional donations will support families of the 1st Battalion of the 182nd Infantry Regiment, which will be deploying to Afghanistan in March.

Students in the culinary arts program, many of whom don traditional white baking hats and uniforms, bustle around the kitchen, to prepare the day's dishes.

By Cathleen Twardzik

The aroma of cheeseburgers, chicken pot pie soup and brownies fills the air of The Highlander Cafe at Somerville High School, as students in the culinary arts program, many of whom don traditional white baking hats and uniforms, bustle around the kitchen, to prepare the day’s dishes.

The cafe is a student-operated restaurant, which is open to the public. Discover it for yourself in the Career and Technical Education wing.

Grab lunch or a baked good there from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. each week on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and choose lunchtime staples, starting at $1.50 for a small salad or for a side, or meander in on Fridays for the all-you-can-eat buffet for $6.95.

Through Somervision, the mayor and his office have worked in tandem with committed Somerville residents and workers over the past year and a ahlf to develop a plan for the city's future.

By Carrie Stanziola

Change is constant in Somerville, as evidenced by the Somervision process, an idea of what Somerville will be in the years to come. As mayoral staff Keith Craig commented regarding Somervision, “Is three quarters of the way through comprehensive planning process…that’s trying to document and provide an action plan for how Somerville wants to capture its future.  We know we have a lot of change coming with the green line extension and orange line station.”

Currently, the infrastructure is old and ill-equipped for these technological advances.  Moreover, as Somerville changes, there must be job growth. “In order to do all that, we need to figure out how to do it,” Craig continues, “This plan, guided by state law, will effectively help us do that.”

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.)

As a kid growing up in Somerville, I always wanted to be a famous rock star.  We all know how that turned out!

I wanted to grow up to be Paul McCartney. My friend wanted to be Paul McCartney’s wife. (I hope it was the nice one!) Back then, I didn’t think about the money, just the coolness.
A friend of mine wanted to be a fire fighter from the time he was five years old, because his father was one. He saw his dream come true.

New exhibit on display at Diesel Cafe

By Peta Jinnath Andersen

Last week saw the opening of Rifrakt: an artist collective at the Diesel Cafe. The show features work by 11 members of the Rifrakt artist collective, a staple of the Somerville arts scene since 2009.

Although the funky and eclectic Diesel has hosted many local artists, none have seemed quite as at home in the space as the current Rifrakt show. Up front, near the Diesel counter, a collective wall gives patrons a taste of what to expect, inviting them into the space to explore the individual member walls. Particularly arresting are Erich Roehre’s Clarity, an 18×24” spray paint on canvas work, and Leah Cunningham’s Me & You, a mixed media piece using heart-shaped buttons creatively-and eerily.

- Photo by Siobhan Murray

The Somerville High School girls track team competed at the Division 1 state meet at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.

Nicole Genard finished in second place in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 8.33 to advance to the State Finals on Saturday.

“Nicole’s performance was particularly impressive because she has not been able to hurdle for two weeks since injuring her heel at the Elite Meet that was held on February 6,” said girls track coach Charlie O’Rourke. “She was on crutches the first week and has not been able to practice. Her trainer Michelle Kelly did a great job of rehabbing Nicole and getting her ready to compete. Not only did Nicole hurdle well, but she ran the last leg of the 4x200m relay and helped her teammates to a seventh place finish and possibly a spot in the state finals.”

By George P. Hassett

Police are investigating extortion allegations on Marshall Street.

The incident was reported to police on Feb. 20 but police Sgt. Neil Brennan said few details can be released.

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.)

One of the challenges city government faces in the modern world is to evolve as quickly as its customers. Many of our residents use social media like Facebook and Twitter to connect with the rest of the world, both as part of their personal lives and as part of their jobs. Our businesses interface with other businesses in the online world as much as they do face-to-face.

If we truly wish to serve the people who live and work in Somerville, then we need to embrace technological innovation so that we are consistently in line with what you are doing online. We have to do that in order to stay relevant, just like we had to pave the roads once large numbers of people started buying cars.

A Somerville man has been arraigned on charges in connection with a motor vehicle crash that resulted in the death of Sinead Lovett, 29, of Braintree, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public last week.
Richard Migliacci, 37, of Somerville, was arraigned today in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on charges of felony motor vehicle homicide and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. Middlesex Superior Court Clerk Magistrate Matthew Day ordered Migliacci held on $10,000 cash bail with the conditions that he undergo a substance abuse evaluation, refrain from the use of drugs and alcohol, and submit to random alcohol tests. Migliacci was then held without bail on a probation detainer issued out of Cambridge District Court.