By George P. Hassett

The city’s only hospital is closing its intensive and transitional care units and shifting all off-hours emergency surgeries to Cambridge Hospital. However, at a meeting with aldermen on Monday, Cambridge Health Alliance officials maintained the cutbacks at Somerville Hospital – which will save CHA $4.9 million a year, will have no effect on the quality of care they provide.

‚ÄúWe do not feel we are abandoning our patients,‚Äù said Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Dennis Keefe at the meeting. 

One of Somerville’s nicest, most personable bankers recently semi-retired РSylvia Daikos Рof Century Bank on Fellsway West. After starting out at the Old Middlesex County bank on the corner of School and Broadway in a man’s world, Sylvia worked hard to climb the ladder in the banking world here. A lot of customers will miss her humor and her ability to always seem to have answers for any customer coming into the bank. We think she is a one of a kind lady and we wish her well.

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Last week we mentioned how former Somerville Police officer Mike Murphy is now assigned to the Attorney General’s office as a State Trooper. Well another well-known local Somerville Police officer we hear will be leaving us to join the FBI РOfficer John Oliveira, who is a nice guy and we wish him much success in his move.

By Matt McLaughlin

(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.)

“… the members of the armed forces have been compelled to make greater economic sacrifice and every other kind of sacrifice than the rest of us, and they are entitled to definite action to help take care of their special problems.”

– Franklin Roosevelt at the signing of the original G.I. Bill, June 22, 1944.

Roosevelt must be grateful he didn’t live to see one of his greatest contributions to American society torn apart by the very people who now claim to hold a monopoly on patriotism.

By Mia Lamar

The Somerville Local First coalition officially set up shop last Thursday, hosting a launch party at Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant and Music Club in Davis Square attended by dozens of enthusiastic business owners, residents and city officials.

Somerville Local First joins more than 60 ‘Local First’ campaigns formed around the United States and Canada and united under the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies network (BALLE), according to Steven Jones-D’agostino, Executive Director for the Sustainable Business Network of Boston (SBN).

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(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.)

Over the past four-and-a- half years, Somerville residents have seen their government become more open, more accountable and more participatory. Through 311, through the ResiStat program, through the mystery shopper program, through service on appointed boards and commissions and through participation in project advisory committees on a wide range of development proposals, Somerville residents are steadily becoming more engaged in their government.

One of the best features of this increased level of civic engagement is that it hasn’t come solely from the same old sources: many recent arrivals (or folks who had just never been interested in the past) are now making their voices heard and pitching in to help improve the performance and the management of our city and its government.

Gold Star Road by Richard Hoffman. (Barrow Street  PO BOX 1831  Murray Hill Station  NY 10156) $25.

Review by Doug Holder

There damn well should be a poem for a doorman, a poem that celebrates in-your-face blue-collar wisdom, and a poem that sings for the many unsung Gold Star Roads.

(designated roads where soldiers killed in the line of duty lived and are memorialized), in far flung communities across the country.

By George P. Hassett

When Tony Masci increased the price of a loaf of bread by 24 cents at Maria’s Cold Cuts on Broadway, he heard about it from his customers.

“There were a lot of complaints in broken English and Italian lingo” from the older customers, he said.

By Mia Lamar

Somerville artists opened their studios once again this year for the Somerville Open Studios, an annual citywide showcase of artists that celebrated its 10th anniversary last weekend.

Formed 10 years ago as a non-profit organization dedicated to "broadening public exposure" to Somerville’s dense artistic community, the first Somerville Open Studios showed less than 100 artists. Ten years later, that number has more than tripled, and visitors tour personal studios, gallery centers and local businesses to view art of all mediums. Open studios stretched from Teele Square to the Brickbottom Artists buildings on Fitchburg Street. Everywhere in between, orange balloons twirled in the wind, marking homes with an open door and open studio.

On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

(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.)

Having the Red Line extend to Davis Square was a great achievement – the stop has become a huge asset to commuters as well as businesses. Too bad it wasn’t there when I was going to Emerson College – taking a bus to Harvard Square and then changing to the train at Charles Street.

Anyway, Somerville recently received approval and funding to build that new “Orange Line” stop at Assembly Square Рwhich is soon to be multi-developed Рbut what I am really excited about is that Somerville has recently secured the addition of six new “Green Line” passenger train stops through the city Рall the way into Medford.

There is always, always two sides to every story – in just about any circumstance in life, be it personal or business or whatever – the only exception being when it comes to the health and safety of our children – there’s little room for error and no allowance for risk.

There has been quite the controversy and finger pointing over the City of Somerville and the School Department’s involvement in the decision to not issue a permit for the ‚ÄúHip Hop Concert for Justice‚Äù organized by Centro Presente this past week. The finger pointing indirectly insinuates that the decision was made arbitrarily by a community that just didn’t want them in their city and that we influenced Cambridge to do the same thing.