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

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.

Right now I have
554 "friends." Of all those people, I probably have met 300 of them
personally. The rest are friends, of friends, of friends. A lot of them
are people I went to grade school with, played in bands with and
partied hearty with. A lot of my friends are from my years at Boston
radio stations too. I saw a report on TV that said that some people
spend 10 to 15 hours a day on Facebook. I spend maybe 15 minutes a day,
and that's plenty.

I really enjoy seeing the friends that my
friends have and then sending a friend request to them. I am a friend
feeder. If you have someone in mind that you haven't seen in a while,
you can do a search of their names. I have hooked up with a ton of my
old friends from high school and college, and I am really enjoying it.

On
your profile, you list favorite movies, TV shows, organizations,
college you attended and birthday. You are free to publish your year of
birth also, although many people opt out of that one.

There are
also groups that you can join. I joined a Project Star group that has
led to the planning of a reunion of past Somerville actors. There is a
group called Something like "I survived Somerville High", and there is
a "Western Junior High School" group I believe. I recently joined a
group called "DelPonte Family" and discovered folks with my last name
in Italy and Argentina.

You can join groups from Somerville,
Western Junior High School, and Jaspers Rock Club. There is also a
group called "kids who think homework should be banned."

I
became friends with a member of Aerosmith, two Red Sox players and a
Hollywood actor with Massachusetts roots. I found members of groups
that my old bands played with at Bunratty's, The Rat, Jaspers and other
dives. I have also touched base with some pretty famous comedians from
my days of hosting at the Comedy Connection. I have found a lot
cousins, old childhood pals and many of my Emerson College friends on
Facebook too.

There are even some teachers that have FB pages,
both current and retired. I am friends with a firefighter and an ex
cop. It's just a neat way too keep in touch. The topics we discuss such
as the old days of Somerville, are great for stirring up great memories
and discussing times gone by.

It's hilarious what people write
in the "what are you doing now" section. Here are a few events people
share – "So and so is … (and you enter in what you are currently
doing – walking the dog, taking a shower, trying to find my cell phone
, looking for U2 in Somerville Tickets, waiting for furniture to be
delivered, cooking steak) – then everyone comments on what you're doing
with wisecracks like: "I'll be right over", "and save some for" and
even: "make sure you pick up after the dog." When I enter info such as
"Jimmy is watching TV, the editor of this very newspaper chimes in with
something like: "why don't you get to work on your column."

Some
people keep current on FB with their Blackberry cell phones. When you
are on Facebook, you are under "big brother" type scrutiny and
vulnerable for any and all criticism and joking. I never go on Facebook
while I'm at the job because that just wouldn't be right. Facebook is
to be enjoyed in your leisure time. I love looking at people's old
photos that they post on FB. It's great seeing what your friends looked
like years ago. I find it a little depressing at times when I see my
old photos of when I was younger, thinner and richer.

There is a
certain feeling of accomplishment or victory when you add a friend to
your list and see your numbers grow. It doesn't take long to mount a
numerous collection of friends. But it's like the six degrees of Kevin
Bacon. You may befriend someone who knows someone you know, but you
will probably never meet or ever talk to them except via Facebook. But
you are still "friends," and who doesn't need all the friends they can
get?

My friends list also includes several high ranking city
officials and even the governor himself! There is also a "Tom Brady,"
but I think he may be someone parading as the real Tom Brady. He has
the authentic number 12's photo for his profile, but I don't believe
it's the real deal. I am friends with Curt Schilling, which I think is
pretty cool. I have only 11 years experience using computers and I must
say, Facebook is the most fun I have had yet. YouTube is also
entertaining. My kids and I have a few clips on YT.

You can take a "How well do you know Somerville?" test and "What kind of TV mother are you?"

I
am also a friend feeder. I look at people's friend's lists and see who
looks interesting and then send them a friend request. Some accept,
some don't. Most do. I really enjoy Facebook as a good way to kill a
little time, when I have a few spare minutes.

Here are some
requests and messages you can send to your friends: Birthdays,
shamrocks, pillow fights, birthday wishes, Red Sox wave requests, smile
requests and even a super wedgie request.

So what's next? I joke around and say I am staring a new on line group for dogs called Snout book.

According
to authorities, on Wednesday, April 8, Charline Rosemond, 23, of
Everett was reported missing to Everett Police after failing to return
home from work. When she was last seen, she was believed to have been
driving her father's car, a gray Honda Civic.

Yesterday, Monday,
April 13, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Somerville Police reported that
they had found the vehicle parked outside 10 Webster Avenue in
Somerville. In the car they found the deceased victim exhibiting an
apparent gunshot wound.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
conducted an autopsy today and ruled the death a homicide caused by a
single gunshot wound to the head.

Massachusetts State Police
assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, Everett Police
and Somerville Police are conducting a homicide investigation to
determine the circumstances of the victim's death.