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Parents, faculty, debate school's future Lauren C. Ostberg Pluralism is democratic; it can also be inefficient. A week before the superintendent's recommendation and a public hearing on the Healey School's future, parents, educators, and curriculum directors presented analyses of three proposed reform options, one of which would move the Choice program to a different building. Officials agree that the status quo – two strands of project-based Choice classroom education and one strand of traditional "neighborhood" lessons – is not acceptable.
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By William Tauro Dozens of Shaw's warehouse workers protested today outside the Somerville branch in Twin Cities. Labor protesters arrived in buses and motor homes with loud speakers continuously shouting "Boycott Shaw's!" Somerville police were present. Workers are asking the grocery giant "not to take them backwards by making health care unaffordable for its Methuen Warehouse workers and their families." They are asking patrons of Shaw's to "Pledge not to patronize this store until Shaw's does what is right for their Methuen Warehouse workers and their families." The United Food Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) arranged transportation for dozens of protesters to meet at the Somerville location. The UFCW recruited protesting supporters to arrive in Somerville from local 1360 in New Jersey Protesters said, "we will stay here for as long as it takes!" |
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By Tom Nash Fans of karaoke and free popcorn have only a few more nights to enjoy a popular Somerville Avenue bar. Razzy's, which in its five years has amassed a loyal following, will be shutting its doors for good on Saturday. Co-owner Nancy Maiullari said that the five-year lease on the building is up at the end of May, and the owner is seeking to sell the building for $900,000. "We tried to make a deal and it just didn't happen," Maiullari said. The bar will be open through May 29, and she stressed that no special events have been planned. Maiullari opened Razzy's in 2005 with her sister, Ruth Aylward. Friends cautioned against it after seeing the dive bar they were replacing, Jon's Place. |
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| By George P. Hassett
A Somerville man became so enraged at his elderly upstairs neighbor on May 21 that police were concerned for his health. Austin Avelar, 23, of 48 Florence St., allegedly threatened his neighbor and when police came to the door began shouting and yelling obscenities at them. |
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| By George P. Hassett
A Somerville man speeding down Powder House Boulevard could not hear police sirens behind him because he was wearing headphones as he drove on May 20, police said. Mark Rais, 47, of 121 Central St., was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, unsafe operation of a motor vehicle and speeding. He allegedly drove 40 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone. When an officer pulled him over, Rais allegedly became irate and cursed at the officer. |
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| This Sunday, May 30 at 1 p.m., the Memorial Day parade starts at City Hall and winds through the city, as folks march up Highland through Davis up to Teele ending at North and Broadway. Every year it gets bigger and bigger and this year is no different, we hear that it's the biggest one yet. Much thanks and appreciation to the Head of Veterans Services Frank Senesi who has worked hard to raise money in the private sector to pay for it. You see him in the parade say hi and thank him; we are big fans of him and his department. |
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The residents of Bailey Road and Mystic Avenue deserve justice. The interstate highway that has disrupted the neighborhood for five decades pollutes their air with little, if any, transit benefit in return. There has been a real cost: residents of Somerville have seen friends and family die of lung cancer at significantly higher rates than suburban dwellers who use I-93 for their commute. |
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$750k federal initiative to study rt. 93 pollution Andrew Firestone Since it first cut through the Mystic Avenue and Ten Hills, route 93 has been a source of controversy in Somerville. "I remember as a kid, we all went out and demonstrated," said Phillip Trapanni of the 1960s protests. Today, Trapanni said, the highway's effect on Somerville is clear. "It's ridiculous," he said. "It destroyed our neighborhood." After months of research and the combined efforts of several community organizations and Tufts University, the city last week was awarded a $749,893 federal grant to study the direct effects of route 93 pollution. The study will place air filtration units in 26 homes for three years, using blood samples and detailed air quality monitoring to study the effects on pollution from Route 93 on Somerville residents. Ellin Reisner, an East Somerville resident and Green Line activist, originally approached Tufts University to form a partnership in studying pollution in the city. Reisner said Somerville has the highest rate of heart attack deaths and lung cancer in the state. "The state knew that the levels of pollution [from I-93] would exceed the Environmental Protection Agency standards but they built it anyway," she said. |
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| O'Donovan: Loss could be 'devastating'
By George P. Hassett A contract dispute is threatening a 35-year-old Somerville health organization and could eliminate local options for 800 Somerville citizens who need mental health treatment. The Somerville Mental Health Committee is in danger of losing a contract that allows them to provide services for children, the homeless and the addicted, Chairman Michael Dwyer told aldermen Monday. |
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