By George P. Hassett

A Somerville man was busted for buying a $70 bag of cocaine from a drug dealer on Summer Street March 3, police said.

Police said Raymond Noiles, 29, of Boston, delivered cocaine to Kaveney’s Summer Street home, police said.

By Andrew Firestone

A union contractor hired by KSS Realty to work on the MaxPak site changed her story when interviewed by Somerville Police March 9.

Jill Miller of Lowell Demolition Firm RSG claimed that Tom McIntyre, of the Bricklayers Union, had spit on her as she tried to enter the MaxPak site. She told the Somerville News that she had personally seen McIntyre spit on her.

Jonathan Richman

By Charlie Lynch

Jonathan Richman played Thursday night to a crowd of all ages at the Somerville Theater.

Richman has been a prolific cult figure since he first began recording music in the mid-1970s with the Boston punk outfit, The Modern Lovers. In his long and ever-evolving career he has been dubbed “The Godfather of Punk,” has frequented “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and played the Greek chorus in the Farrelly Brothers’ “There’s Something About Mary.”
The seated venue proved to be a fitting setting for his intimate performance style.  There was no opening act. The stage was empty, but for Jonathan, his guitar, and percussionist Tommy Larkins, playing a sparse drum set. The focus was on the music and Richman’s powerful charisma, which held the audience through the performance.

By Ashley Troutman

Everyone has a story, and several Somerville residents are going to share theirs on stage, in front of a live audience on Thursday night. Long-time Somerville residents and newcomers to the city will participate in Tales from Somerville: A Community Storytelling Slam March 10 at PA’s Lounge, and attendants will vote for best story.

By George P. Hassett

A Cambridge man ditched his car and broke into a home to elude police after they allegedly saw him make a marijuana deal March 1.

Alberto Brito, 29, of 30 Newtowne Court, was arrested at 14 Governor Winthrop Road and charged with drug violation near a school or park, possession to distribute a class D drug, resisting arrest, failure to stop for police, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, breaking and entering in the daytime for a felony and warrant charges.

Somerville Ward Four Alderman Walter Pero

By George P. Hassett

Ward Four Alderman Walter Pero announced this week he will not run for reelection in November.
Pero, who served as Ward Four alderman from 1996 to 2001 and again since 2003, said he wanted to “move on and let someone else do the job.”
“None of us are supposed to be there forever, it’s not a lifetime appointment,” he said.
Pero said he was proud of his initiative to form a commission on monuments, memorials and dedications. He did not rule out endorsing a candidate to replace him in Ward Four.

By Andrew Firestone

Who says the old spirit of the New England farmer is dead?

Not here in Somerville, as the city turned out to see more than 200 gallons of sap from Somerville sugar maple trees be boiled down into edible, delicious syrup of the local variety.

A union contractor said she was spit on while trying to cross a picket line at a Somerville construction site this week. - Photo by William Tauro

By Andrew Firestone

A union contractor said she was spit on while trying to cross a pocket line at a Somerville construction site this week.

City officials said they are investigating Jill Miller’s charge that she was attacked and harassed by Tom McIntyre as she finished her work at the old MaxPak factory site slated to hold a 184 unit condominium building.

Development in underused sites can spur growth

By Andrew Firestone

In a showing of hope for the future, Mayor Joseph Curtatone last week pledged his administration would pursue a complex, holistic approach to development in the city of Somerville. In a meeting with aldermen and Assembly Square developers, Curtatone  presented a portrait of a new Somerville, one that included increased access to transportation, more jobs and development projects.