By George P. Hassett

A 19-year-old homeless man was arrested for breaking into an office on Powder House Boulevard and using the computer March 17.

Steve Milice allegedly told police someone with a key let him into the building at 268R Powder House Boulevard. Police were called when a witness saw someone inside the office when no one was supposed to be there.

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.)

I’d like to take a moment to talk with you today about time and health. As part of our Shape Up Somerville initiative we try to promote healthy living here in Somerville, and what we generally find is that people are interested in living a more active lifestyle and in eating better. What they do not always have is the time to do those things.

“Bennington”

By Carrie Stanziola

This Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a local painter’s art showing at the Nave, entitled Matt Carrano: Evolution of a Somerville Artist.  In Carrano’s own words, “My work is in one way or other about observation.  It is connected representation, description is never an objective.  One of the most exciting things that I find happens in the act of painting is when the painting takes on its own reality and begins to suggest places either observed or imagined in my mind and in the mind of the viewer.  I consider myself an abstract artist these paintings, for me, are abstractions in the purest sense of the world.”

By George P. Hassett

A Somerville man was charged with failing to register as a sex offender March 18.

Thomas Boisvert, 44, of 31 Wilton St., registered as a level three sex offender in January but moved without alerting officers, police said.

Mr. Jim Elliott has accepted a transfer to the Assistant Principal position at the Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park beginning on July 1, 2011.  Mr. Elliott, currently serving as Assistant Principal John F. Kennedy Elementary School, will follow retiring Assistant Principal, Betsey Holland, in this senior instructional leadership position in the School.

In announcing the transfer, Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi said of Mr. Elliott’s administrative credentials, “In his time at the Kennedy School, Jim has demonstrated an ability to work collaboratively, he is well organized, has a strong focus on professional development focused student engagement and learning, and knowledge of the middle school grades. I am pleased we can offer him an opportunity to continue to grow professionally within the Somerville Public Schools so our students and families can continue to benefit from his commitment to education, inspiration and excellence.”

The twelfth annual Irish Film Festival returns to Somerville this week.

Rookie feature Director Ian Power arrives in Somerville

By Andrew Firestone

In the town of Mallow, County Cork, Ireland in 1983, a Colombian plane crashed, spurring a community effort to see the plane take to the air again.

Now on  Friday, March 25 at the Somerville theater, writer-director Ian Power will premiere “The Runway” showcasing the modern-day legend, and hopefully, sending a few people home happy.

The USO was in town Saturday to help raise money for the Memorial Day Parade.

By  Max W. Lauf

The USO Liberty Bells and “celebrity impressionist” Joey Voices performed Saturday night at a benefit fundraiser for the Somerville Memorial Day parade. Several dozen veterans arrived by bus to attend the event, which took place at the Somerville High School Auditorium.

The woman from the USO drew consistent applause and nostalgic sighs of recognition from the crowd with renditions of 1940’s chart toppers, including “My Boyfriend’s Back” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” The Bells graciously bantered with the audience during multiple sound engineering-related errors that caused their musical accompaniment to play out of sequence, finishing the first half of the evening with anthems from each branch of the US armed services.

By George P. Hassett

A Cambridge man pulled over for talking on his cell phone while driving was hit with drug charges March 16 after officers allegedly found heroin, a needle and pills in his car, police said.

Joseph Monteiro, 44, of 23 Hunting St., was arrested on Medford Street and charged with possession of a class A drug and possession of a class C drug after he ignored an officer’s command to stop. Monteiro struck one car, police said.

– Photos by Ken S. Kotch

Congratulations to Irving Johansen who was honored by the Grand Lodge here in Massachusetts for his 65 years of service to Freemasonry, Irving is 88 years old and is a crossing guard at Powderhouse & Packard Avenue, go by and beep and say hello, great guy always smiling.  He joined King Solomon’s Lodge here in Somerville  back in March 1946, and is still extremely active.

The latest word out of the Council on Aging is this:  Lady J was seen last week on Thursday taking it upon herself to remove large piles of The Somerville News from the building where the Council of Aging office is, apparently she was seen by a co-worker who put the papers back in the rack.  But apparently the next morning on Friday Lady J was once again seen, we heard, covering up The Somerville News pile of papers with other papers, so they couldn’t be found, again the other person uncovered the papers.  Once we heard what happened  we sent out our scouts to check out the boxes throughout the city and even though we know the paper is popular every single box was empty, hmmmmmm wonder if this means?    The last time someone did this was back in the Mayor August’s administration when the Farm Team printed some bad articles on the mayor several city employees ran around the city and scooped up a lot of the papers.  We probably should remind everyone now that we are online.