By Andrew Firestone

How much is the power of incumbency worth? In a rematch for a Somerville state senate seat decided by only 170 votes four months ago, Senator Sal DiDomenico and Timothy Flaherty, both Democrats, are about to find out.

DiDomenico, former chief of staff for the previous senator Anthony Galluccio, defeated Flaherty in April and the two are now set for a Sept. 14 rematch. The district includes two precincts in wards one and two in Somerville.

Board member recuses herself from vote

By Andrew Firestone

Progress on the Green Line Extension hit another snag last Wednesday after a state official recused herself during a vote to extend the rail designers’ contract.

The surprise led members of the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP) to say they were “frustrated” with what they perceived as a lack of honesty from state transit officials on a $24 million contract extension.

Last night was the second neighborhood meeting on the proposed Ocean State Job Lot to replace the vacant Winter Hill Star Market store. The City Planning Board meeting is scheduled for August 24 at City Hall at 6 p.m. if you would like to find out more contact Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero at wpero@comcast.net or call him at 617-628-0137.

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Happy Birthday to Courtney O’Keefe, well known lifelong community activist here in Somerville.    Also Birthday wishes to Judy Louchi Jacobs another lifelong activist, to both we wish a great day and good year, they are both nice people and love Somerville.

Somerville is funky. Here, we have ice cream showdowns, we go to oddball craft fairs and we party under highways.

Sure Somerville is many things to the many people who live here but the inventiveness and and art in the city is unique. Last week a short web video made by three Somerville residents in honor of a dead squirrel found in their neighborhood was a minor online sensation. It had all the ingredients for web success: dry humor, a mummified squirrel and a huge mustache.

And on Saturday, Somerville is full of exciting events at a time of year when other cities get lazy in the summer heat. Four arts events hit the streets, providing almost-free entertainment for all ages from 2 p.m. until 1 a.m.

There’s a “bizarre” crafts fair, an ice cream showdown, an art exhibition at Prospect Hill Park and a party underneath McGrath Highway.

We can all agree Somerville is different – maybe it’s the funk that sets us apart.

- Photo by Andrew Firestone

By Andrew Firestone

It’s been a long time coming, but after several years of planning, Assembly Square’s development is on schedule to break ground in the second half of 2011, bringing in new residential, professional and recreational features to Somerville.

Now entering the final phases of design, the Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT) is clearing its last bureaucratic hurdles to begin construction of the first phase of long-planned square, which will include two new apartment buildings with 400 units between them, a cinema to replace the abandoned one, and a hotel along a brand new Main Street which will house small and medium-sized retail.

Somerville artist Michael J. Epstein's online video scored almost 2,000 hits in a few days last week.

Popular web video latest in string of hits

By George P. Hassett

A dead squirrel, city official and local rapper have this in common: they’ve carved out a spot for themselves in the world of Internet sensations and put Somerville on the cyber map for funky, irreverent web humor.

Last week, Somerville musician Michael J. Epstein released a satirical web video purporting to show the unveiling of Mummified Squirrel National Park – “a place where mummified squirrels will be allowed to roam free without bias, without mistreatment” – at a small spot on the sidewalk on Elm Street.

- Photo by Andrew Firestone

By George P. Hassett

Clearing poppy fields in Thailand is not the usual experience for new Somerville police officers but Tom Pasquarello is not coming onto the force as the usual officer: he’ll be starting as chief in about three months after Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone selected him last week.

Pasquarello, who has worked with Drug Enforcement Agency for 28 years, has spent the last five years in Bangkok, Thailand leading narcotics enforcement in 34 countries, from China to Austrailia.

By George P.  Hassett

A Malden man was arrested Aug. 11 after he allegedly stole $590 worth of electric wire from Home Depot and tried to fight responding security officers.

Paul Murray, 34, of 55 Hunting St., Malden, was arrested and charged with possession of a class E drug, larceny over $250 and a warrant charge.

Arrests

Keith LaPorta, 23, of 199 Pearl St., Aug. 10, 12:34 p.m., arrested on Prospect Street on warrant charges.

Emanuel Lausana, 27, of 5 River Rd., Aug. 10, 2:23 p.m., arrested on Ash Avenue and charged with resisting arrest and possession of a dangerous weapon.

Passing the casino’s buck, sinking the bottle bill, and throwaway living: The high cost of not redeeming more bottles

By Kathleen Willis Morton

(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.)

At the end of the last senatorial session the Bottle Bill wiped-out in the Ways and Means Committee sunk under the weight of a controversial Casino Bill, which was a recycled issue from a year ago, where they both crashed and got rag-dolled in the whitewash.

Now we’re all taking a greater gamble that the world’s oceans will stay safe, fishable, and recreational against increasing research that has many thinking the odds are they won’t.