Participants are
provided with a step-by-step guide, which can be found on the
non-profit organization's website – www.10percentshift.org.

There,
individuals will discover the reasons why the program is beneficial and
Somerville residents' participation is imperative. "The local
calculator and the household budget are broken into twenty different
categories," said Grafton. By using those tools, each participant will
discover, in which parts of his or her annual spending, reallocation to
local independents could ultimately occur.

"They would
ultimately be given an opportunity to sign a pledge saying, 'I'm going
to do an inventory of my purchasing, and find a way to shift 10
percent,'" he said. Therefore, "What we're going to be doing is working
on a very social networking level in the community."

Interested
individuals may pledge by logging onto the website. However, it is
mandatory for residents to sign it, in order for them to truly
participate.

"The pledge is just a way for people to publicly
acknowledge, or privately acknowledge that they are going to make the
shift," said Grafton. Further, "We're not tracking people's spending.
It's personal responsibility. We're trying to give people the message,
and the tools to go out and change their behavior."

If an
individual would like to sign the pledge, the information, which is
required includes: his or her first and last name, zip code, city,
state, and e-mail address. The organization will not be holding any
pledge drives. Therefore, online sign up is the only option.

Events
will be held to promote the 10% Shift. "Everything that we're going to
be doing this year is going to have to something to do with the 10%
Shift because really, this program is just, sort of like the
manifestation of our message," said Grafton.

On April 23, one
such event will be held at Bread & Company, a new local restaurant,
which is located in the Winter Hill section of the city. A few artists,
as well as live music, will add to the occasion. In addition, Dave's
Fresh Pasta of Holland Street will be celebrating its opening on April
16, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

In the relatively near future, SLF
is planning to launch in Boston, and the Greater Boston area, according
to Grafton. Although the details have not been finalized, he foresees
that the Boston launch of the 10% Shift will probably be a press
conference.

The initiative will pump money back into the local
economy in Somerville. Grafton does not yet "have an exact figure," but
he anticipates a great result because of the implementation of the 10%
Shift.

The program began in October 2008. It was formulated by
The New England Local Business Forum, (NELBF) a group of approximately
15 to 20 networks, such as Somerville Local First. To attempt to remedy
the current financial fiasco, which is gripping New England, as well as
the rest of the country, the NELBF discussed possible options to "and
restore the economic crisis" on a local level.

"Within 100
days, we launched the program. It was really a completely volunteer
effort." To date, approximately 13 or 14 companies throughout New
England are involved," said Grafton.

Local franchises were not
included in the program. Instead, businesses must be locally-owned and
independent, for that is the definition of "local independents."

He
feels that if chains were included, it would not be more beneficial for
the City of Somerville. "The reason why is a vigorous financial return
for the community. We're not saying that any business is bad, it's just
that we're saying that the businesses that we're talking about, local
independents are better."

On a daily basis Grafton has begun
to spend more money in Somerville. "Since I am the one telling everyone
to shop locally, I have to be extra vigilant. I have done my best to
look for more ways to shift." Grafton even transferred his bank account
to a Somerville bank. "When we launched, I did a project, where I tried
to spend 100 percent of my money at locally-owned businesses in
Somerville."

Most Somerville residents will support the Shift,
according to him. "The more we have a chance to have a dialogue with
folks and the community, the more people are going to be supportive.
People, generally, in their mind, believe that locally-owned,
independent businesses are better," he said.

Besides helping
local businesses, Grafton believes that other gains — those, which
are not monetary in nature, will arise. "The more local we are in the
way that we shop, the greener we are. We're reducing carbon
footprints."

According to Grafton, SLF has predicted that the
program will spread to different regions of the country. In fact, that
has already begun to happen. "We are currently working with four
organizations — ironically all from red states," he said. Idaho,
Utah, Arizona, and South Carolina comprise a portion of those states,
which have implemented such initiatives, in various communities, which
promote the 10% Shift.

So far, how has the 10% Shift worked for
businesses? "At this point I'd say it's much too early to say. This
type of change is one that's not going to happen overnight," said Jon
O' Toole, Co-Owner of GRAND, which is located in Union Square. He is
also the Co-Chair of Somerville Local First. However, "Ask me a year
from now and then I'll have more data." Although, "I will say,
anecdotally, I do hear things like 'I like shopping at local shops'
more from our customers," O' Toole said.

The fire was brought under control at approximately 3:45. They received mutual aid from Medford, Cambridge and Boston.

There
was extensive fire damage to the upper floors and water damage to the
first floor. The residents on the first floor evacuated safely. Nobody
was home at the time on the second floor where the fire originated. The
family cat was safely removed from the first floor apartment by fire
fighters. Two families were displaced and the Red Cross responded to
assist them in finding shelter.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.

~Deputy Chief Peter St.Clair

***************

Ward
2 Alderman Maryann Heuston had an extremely successful time Monday
night at the Mt. Vernon – over a one hundred supporters and
constituents throughout the night. Good for her, she is a hard worker
for Ward 2 and the rest of the city.

***************

This
Saturday night at Anthony's Function Hall at 156 Highland Avenue from 6
to 11, St. Benedict's (Little Flower) Parish is having a fundraiser –
full dinner and live entertainment – starring Michael Viselli, a live
Elvis tribute. Contact Kim Goodman at 617 625-0029 x. 5 cost is
$45/person, $80/couple and $15.00/children 12 and under.

***************

Seems
like Princess Rebekah is at it again…demanding transparency in
government when in fact she should look in the mirror. She held a
"secret" meeting last week – yup you heard it here and not the farm
team – a "secret meeting" with only select neighbors along with the
developer Emerald and the VFW post – it wouldn't be so bad but we hear
she made the remark that if it leaked out she would cancel it – imagine
her surprise when one of our reporters showed up! (We were the only
local media outlet present) And she wonders why we refer to her as
Princess…We'll be criticized again we figure for making comment again
by the PDSers henchman KB, but we challenge the Princess to deny she
called it a "secret meeting" – heck, we can't make up this stuff – oh
well, you know those PDSers – they're always right and everyone else is
wrong, Next time she cries for more transparency in government everyone
should remind her of her "secret meetings." We remember the PDS email
by their fearless leader and 3-time loser Marty a few months back
regarding their meeting with no place or time – you had to privately
email him for the place and time for meetings with their organization.
Yeah, transparency really is a word they like to use on others not
themselves.

***************

Popular Alderman at Large
Dennis Sullivan is now engaged (finally) and off the market as one of
the most eligible bachelors here in the 'Ville. He's having a
fundraiser Wednesday the 22nd at the Olde Magoun Saloon in Magoun
Square from 6 to 8 pm – we hear he's being asked to consider higher
office next year – he certainly has a popular name as well as
reputation, doesn't he?

***************

Congratulations
to Ken Kelly and his wife Kim on their recent newborn son Michael
Clayton Kelly, who was born last week weighing in at 6lbs 3oz.

***************

We
love the recent comments from the PDSers who have made remarks recently
referring to the Farm Team as the "good paper" and the News as the "bad
paper" but then we hear it also in the opposite way. At least the News
doesn't edit news and human interest stories slanting them like the
Farm Team – we have Newstalk for that. Speaking of which, have you seen
the Farm Team lately? We read it all the time, but we don't pay for it
just like many of their readers don't either. It costs a dollar (unless
you're on that 3,000 free mailing list like several of our newstalkers
are) and is shorter in size and content and has less and less
Somerville stories – and their ace reporter can't get names straight
even when she asks the people directly. No wonder they have George over
there to help out in stories – that must say something for The
Somerville News if the former senior editor is now writing stories for
the Farm Team – can you say budget cuts and stock prices falling?

***************

Police
Sergeant Billy Rymill, while in his cruiser, got rear ended on Sunday
night and taken by ambulance to the hospital, the driver of the other
vehicle was unlicensed as well as unregistered and got arrested on the
scene. Sergeant Billy is a good guy, he'll be back in no time if not
already, he's like a lot of the Police Officers who put their lives on
the line every single day for us – hard workers and extremely
dedicated.

***************

Somerville Lions Club is
hosting it's annual Charity Breakfast on Sunday April 26th at their
club house located at 9 New Washington Street (behind the Holiday Inn)
from 10 to noon! All proceeds go to various local charities that the
club sponsors year-round.

***************

Don't forget
about Register of Deeds Gene Brune (former Mayor) – he is having his
25th anniversary breakfast over in Malden on May 3rd at Anthony's
Function Hall.

***************

Speaking of Gene Brune,
don't forget he's also selling SHS Scholarship Foundation tickets for
their annual fundraiser that will be giving away a top prize of $10K
and many other prizes – tickets are $100.00 each.

***************

A
very popular lady here in Somerville recently passed away – Ms. Vera
DeAngelis from East Somerville – who recently celebrated her birthday
of 102 years. Over the years she was very active in politics and civic
affairs, a strong voice in the community for change and to make the
community better for all – our condolences to her family and the many
friends she leaves behind, she will be missed.

***************

This
annual Paul Revere/Patriots Day ride up Broadway/Foss Park to beyond is
this coming Monday April 20th at 10a.m. at Foss Park – last year only a
small handful of elected officials and hardly and PDSers were present
as well – maybe this year a bigger turnout – come out and bring the
family and kids and enjoy the event.

Over
the last 40-50 years, this city has made quite a transformation and
like other urban settings in and around Boston, we have had our share
of misfortunes. Today, the future, even with a current fiscal crisis,
looks better than it ever has.

Today we all take a more global
and long-term look at decisions that will affect our city 20 to 50
years from now, not just what is going to happen today, or tomorrow. It
takes vision, it takes commitment to the community, it takes a sense of
pride in the community.

Rizkallah's troubles
began in 2006 when he was notified by the American Disabilities
Association of a requirement to provide access to the handicapped. The
required compliance dated back to a 1989 construction project on the
building, a stipulation never brought to Rizkallah's attention when he
bought the property in 2004. "That was what I would call the first
knife", says the Doctor. After looking into possible options, all of
which required an elevator large enough to fit a gurney, Rizkallah
found that the construction costs would amount to a whopping $750,000
on a property he purchased for less than $2 million. To offset these
expenses, he proposed an addition of a third floor which could then be
rented out. After gaining the necessary approval from the City and
paying for notices to be distributed to residents in the area,
construction began in the spring of 2008. And then, on that same day,
it stopped. "The City of Somerville kindly and respectfully called me
and said that there was a problem they had to look into," Rizkallah
said. "Being a decent neighbor I said 'of course, I'll let you get your
ducks in a row." The problem was simple enough: the indirect abutters
had never been notified, due to a "computer glitch", said City
spokesman Tom Champion. This would prove to be a small mistake with
outsized consequences.

At a neighborhood meeting to address
the concerns of residents, Rizkallah first saw the wall of opposition
that he was facing. "I went in thinking that the project 'is what it
is'," he explained. "It's not my choice and I figured people would
understand that." Instead, the accusations of corruption and of
profiting at the expense of neighbors began. One resident demanded to
know "What is the relationship between the Mayor and Mouhab Rizkallah?"
All the while, in a "catch-22" worthy of a Kafka novel, as the city was
postponing construction, Rizkallah continued to receive letters from
the Architectural Access Board pressuring him to make the necessary
changes to his building.

A year later, construction has
finally recommenced after having gained a second approval from the
zoning board. The additions are mandated to be done by 2010; however,
they should be completed by December of 2009. The Doctor is not sure,
however, if his reputation will recover. "All of this has an impact
further reaching than the construction project," he said. "I fear that
some will believe that I'm the villain people make me out to be. That's
simply not who I am."

However, he received
no recognition for his sacrifice for six decades after the incident. It
took the efforts of Mr. Jack Tanner, his sister Sissy Wallace, and
Captain John O'Connor.

The plaque might not have happened. But
Tanner spent six years investigating the circumstances of Donovan's
death, finding his relatives, and enlisted the help of Captain O'Connor.

After three years, it was brought to the attention of the Somerville Police Department.

Tanner's
father, Officer John Tanner, served on the Somerville police force for
35 years, and knew Donovan well. He served as a pallbearer at Donovan's
funeral. "Growing up," said Jack Tanner, "we always had a picture of
Tim on the table. I never knew Officer Donovan. I was too young. But my
father talked about him a lot. He would be proud." Donovan's widow, who
never remarried, often visited the Tanners at their home.

Somerville
has recognized others who have given their lives for the sake of the
community, namely Officer Mike Dowd, who was shot to death while on
duty. The respects shown to Dowd made the absence of a Donovan tribute
even more conspicuous.

Furthermore, Donovan has been recognized
by both Massachusetts and National law enforcement memorials, in Boston
and Washington, D.C. respectively. Until now, though, Somerville had
never recognized his sacrifice.

Why, then, such a glaring omission?

"Maybe it was because of the war," Captain O'Connor said, stating the general consensus.

Captain
O'Connor spent several hours a day for three months digging through the
Somerville PD's archives for official documentation of Donovan's death.
"Once we found that," he said, "everything fell into place."

O'Connor
added that even the long research process was rewarding. "It was
interesting to find out what a bustling city we had back then," he said.

Speakers at the dedication ceremony included Captain O'Connor, Chief Anthony Holloway, and Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

"Donovan's
sacrifice could happen to any of us who wear the badge," Captain
O'Connor reminded the crowd of mostly fellow law enforcement officers.
"We should never forget our fallen heroes."

"It's sobering,"
said Mayor Curtatone. "It's a good way for the community to step back
and appreciate the service of our police officers.

"In November
of 1942, it was the height of World War Two. Everyone had relatives who
were making the ultimate sacrifice. But if something like this happened
now, we would never have overlooked it. This really means something
special."

"This plaque will be here for a very long time: as
long as the Somerville PD is still here," Captain O'Connor said. "He's
one of our own, and I think this reflects well on our department and on
our city."

Imagine
bus lines eliminated. Picture trying to get home from work, but your
commuter rail has stopped running in the evening or on the weekends. Or
better yet, imagine being a disabled person who depends on 'The Ride'
to stay connected to your community, your job, and your doctor, but
'The Ride' has been eliminated in your community. This is the reality
we as a Commonwealth are facing in a matter of months unless the
legislature takes action.

These are challenging economic times
for all of our families, and many of our small businesses are
struggling to keep their doors open. This requires that we, as
residents of the Commonwealth, work together to make thoughtful
decisions about our priorities. As a legislator, I believe this is the
time to act responsibly, be honest about the magnitude of the
challenges we are facing, and do what I can to maintain a decent
quality of life for our residents.

The MBTA is not without its
problems. We have heard a lot about the need for 'reforms before
revenue.' Reforms that we have already begun to implement, and more,
are critical to restoring financial responsibility to the T. And more
importantly, such reforms are necessary to restore the public trust in
the way our agencies are run.

It would be dishonest, however,
if I told you that reforms without new revenues would be enough. While
we strive for reforms that may bring savings in the tens of millions,
the T is facing a deficit in excess of $160 million. And next year's
deficit, and the associated service cuts and fare increases being
proposed to fill this gap, doesn't even capture the backlog of
maintenance that causes delays and service interruptions experienced by
T riders every day.

The story isn't complete until we take
into account the history of fare increases that have already happened.
While tolls and the gas tax have been left untouched, T riders have
faced fares that have doubled in just a few short years. Fare increases
may sound reasonable to some, but the reality is that an increase in
fares directly leads to a decrease in ridership. This is bad for road
congestion, this is bad for the environment, and this is taking us in
the wrong direction at a time we know we should be investing in public
transportation.

I have heard from many constituents who are
concerned about service cuts, whether for the T, for our schools,
public safety, or a host of programs that improve our quality of life,
protect our seniors, and provide for our children. As the debates
proceed around the need for revenues and reforms, it will be your
stories and priorities that I and other legislators take into account
to inform our decision-making. We have tough choices to make, but I am
certain that the severity of the times gives us an opportunity to
refocus our priorities and to remember what it is we value about the
quality of life Massachusetts offers.