Chocolate cake lined with rolled white chocolate mikados.

By Ashley Troutman

Every morning, Linda Hein opens the doors of her new shop, The Chocolate Tarte, ready to serve her famous handmade tartes, truffles, cupcakes, and custom cakes. The cozy store at 199 Highland Avenue smells of rich chocolate, and houses decadent desserts guaranteed to make your mouth water.

Hein’s signature tartes are made with a Swiss chocolate shell, filled with Belgian bittersweet chocolate Ganache. The shop offers a selection of tartes filled with a tart curd and fresh fruit or mousse.

- Photo by William Tauro

By William Tauro

Two SUV’s collided on McGrath Highway by the Medford Street Tunnel exit causing a commuter’s travel nightmare.
At the time of the accident traffic signals were on flashing mode during Thursday’s evening’s drive time.
No injuries were reported.

By George P. Hassett

Two masked men robbed a Mystic Avenue store at gunpoint Nov. 30, police said.

Police described the suspects as a black male, six foot two inches with a heavy build and approximately 18 to 20 years old and a white male, five foot nine inches with an average build. Both men were wearing ski masks when they robbed the Go Latino Market at 376 Mystic Ave., police said.

Exchange students from Gaeta, Italy and their Somerville hosts recently visited Plimoth Plantation.L-R: Marco Montagna, Aaron Nevin, Sara Di Florio, Sara Leccese, Siobhan Murray, Mitch Freitas, Nathilla Magalhaes Santos, Costantino Vecchio, Cristina Capomaccio, Fabiana Di Ciaccio. The two girls kneeling in front are Melissa Martinez and Lara Jimenez. ~Photo by Jackie Rossetti

Italian exchange students visit Somerville High

By Elizabeth Sheeran

American bagels get a big thumb’s up. American pasta? Well, let’s just say it’s not as good as the stuff back home.

Those were just a couple of the discoveries made by a half-dozen high school students from Gaeta, Italy, who recently spent two weeks visiting Somerville High School.

Ex-college coach to take over for terminated Harris

By Mike Rubin

A new coach can bring new hopes, outlook and opportunity, and that’s what Shannon Clark aims to bring to the Somerville High girls’ basketball team.

After the controversial termination of Brian Harris, who had won seven league titles in 18 years, Clark said he is looking forward to taking the reins.

By George P. Hassett

A woman was attacked from behind and robbed as she walked down Wallace Street on Dec. 1, police said.

The woman was walking toward Leonard Street from Holland Street at 5:29 p.m. when she was attacked. The suspect forced her purse out of her arm and ran down the street, police said.

A crowd of around 70 people, representing various unions and community organizations, gathered beginning at 6 am on Clyde Street at the site of a new residential development by KSS Realty and GFC Development to urge the developers to enter into a Project Labor Agreement with unions and to hire local, union workers for the project.- Photo by Ashley Taylor

Labor groups want local employment at condo construction site

By Ashley Taylor

Before the sun rose on Thursday, union painters, plumbers, electricians and bricklayers,  had already gone to work at the construction site of a new apartment complex at the former MaxPac industrial site on Clyde Street.

They were working not for pay but for the promise of securing local, union jobs on the construction of the 199-unit luxury condominium building.

We hear Detective Mario Oliveira has returned to the hospital this week with an infection. Mario was shot while serving a warrant Nov. 2 and many in the city, including us here at Newstalk, are eager for him to return home soon. On Saturday night at the Overtime Sports Bar at 208 Rantoul Street in Beverly from 8p.m. to 11p.m., there will be a benefit for Mario; tickets are available at the door and on facebook.

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We would like to welcome home long time Somerville resident and friend of the News, Nicole Blundon who was recently in the hospital and we hear is on the mend from her surgery, we wish her well.

‘Twas a few weeks before Christmas, and all through the neighborhood, the boys and girls of Somerville pretended to be good. With their hopes all a flutter, how best to feel glee? Why in front of City Hall, with a tall, dazzling tree!