Matthew McLaughlin, at Thursday's public hearing, said KSS Realty has a responsibility to hire local labor for their 184-unit condominium building. - Photo by Andrew Firestone

By Andrew Firestone

Somerville residents and union activists appealed to aldermen Thursday to put pressure on condominium developers KSS Realty to use union workers at their construction site.

KSS is building 184 condominium units at the old MaxPak paper factory site. On Thursday, citizens went before the Legislative Matters committee and explained their grievances in the coming conflict.

By George P.  Hassett

A 24-year-old Cambridge woman was arrested and charged with selling crack cocaine in Somerville Friday.

Drug unit investigators originally came in contact with Shatika Conward when they observed her Mercedes Benz in the parking lot at 32 Kent St. where they were conducting drug surveillance, police said.

Well winter has arrived awhile ago with buckets full of snow. Manson Solomon writes a poem about our winter of discontent that should depress you all, and make you pine for the fragrant breath of spring. Solomon writes the LYRICAL:

Arrests:
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Laura Oliver, 38, of 79 Derby St., Feb. 14, 9:43 a.m., arrested at home on warrant charges.

Charitza Mateo, 22, of 9 Carter St., Everett, Feb. 14, 10:29 a.m., arrested at 19 Properzi Way on warrant charges.

Olga Fridman, 34, of 14 Wigglesworth St., Feb. 14, 6:38 p.m., arrested on Broadway and charged with disorderly conduct.

Alex Gomes, 21, of 127 Green St., Brockton, Feb. 15, 4:55 p.m., arrested on Broadway on a warrant charge.

From left to right: Nana Garrity, Father Paul Garrity, Kelsey Garrity ’11 and Brother Mark Garrity.

In a 52-46 loss against Wachusett High School, Senior guard Kelsey Garrity scored 24 points scoring her 1,000th point in the third quarter for the Lady Highlanders at the free throw line. Kelsey is the third Lady Highlander in school history to reach 1,000 points behind Joelle Martin in 2002 with 1,280 career points and Stacey Dell’Anno in 1995 with 1,159 career points. She is the fifth overall Highlander to reach this career milestone.

First step in City Website overhaul includes user-friendly Traffic and Parking Website; New City Website to debut later this year

The City’s Traffic and Parking Department (T&P) introduced a new website, according to Acting Director, Matthew Dias.  The new website boasts improved, user-friendly features, including online payment and streamlined permitting options, direct links to traffic-related information and policies, and updated parking information.  Since joining T&P in September 2010, Dias has implemented several changes, which, in addition to the new website, will include experimenting with new wireless meters that accept credit cards, capital improvements to the building’s lobby, and streamlining the appeals process.  The new T&P website can be viewed at http://www.parksomerville.com/.  The City plans to roll out its full, updated website later this year.

Gold Key: Alexandra Garczynski, Gr. 12: Mixed Media, Encaustic (Teacher: J. Cohen)

Seven Somerville students in grades seven to 12 will have art on display with other Boston Globe Scholastic Art Award winners at the Boston Transportation Building from February 14 to April 7 during business hours. Students with art on display in downtown Boston are Gold or Silver Key Winners and their work will advance to a national Scholastic Art Award competition. Visit www.somerville.k12.ma.us/arts for a slide show of all Gold and Silver Key winners, along with the 20 honorable mention winners.

By George P. Hassett

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.)
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When I got my first legitimate part time job at 16, the minimum wage was a whopping $1.60 an hour. Gas was around 36 cents a gallon and a year later, I paid $50 for my first “car.”
The job was at Lyndell’s Bakery in Ball Square. I dumped 50 pound bags of sugar and flour into the bins, carefully removed cakes from baking sheets and filled jelly donuts. It took me a while to grasp the proper technique and I had  to carefully discard many ruined  pastries.