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.)

A lot of us remember going to the drive-in to see a movie. I can even recall going there in my pajamas. I remember my Uncle Joe Galli taking us to the drive-in to see The Blob –  it’s one of my fondest childhood memories and we often bring it up at family gatherings. As soon as one of us kids got their license to drive, it was an overstuffed junk-box, full of your buddies, heading to the drive-in.

Over the last couple of years, the last six months especially, there has been an increase in ‚Äúincidents‚Äù that have been classified as ‚Äúallegedly‚Äù gang-related. We hear it out on the street – we all do – we see it every day – it’s hard to get away from it when you live in a densely populated urban setting such as this.

Between today and the range of years from 1950 to 1990 is the time that we (meaning the over 40 crowd) knew that we didn’t have to bring a knife to school in the fourth or fifth grade. We knew that we didn’t have to carry a gun and put it in someone’s face – anyone’s face – to be an accepted member of the community.

Our concept of ‚Äúgang‚Äù ranged from ‚ÄúElvis‚Äù and ‚ÄúFrankie and Annette‚Äù movies to ‚ÄúGrease‚Äù and ‚ÄúThe Warriors‚Äù – things we identified with from movies and television over that 40-year period. Today’s young adults and frighteningly younger children play games like ‚ÄúGrand Theft Auto, San Andreas‚Äù and watch movies and TV shows based on ‚Äúgangsters‚Äù and MTV Cribs.

By George P. Hassett

A 15 year-old Malden boy was shot on Sewall Street last Wednesday night, hit in the lung with a bullet fired from a passing car.

Police said the car was small and dark and was carrying three or four people.

According to a witness who did not want her name used, the boy fell to the ground and yelled for help after being hit by the gunfire.

By George P. Hassett

Women’s history sat in a box, stacked on top of French history. Mystery had been gutted and Journalism was at the bottom.

On Saturday, McIntyre and Moore Booksellers last day in Somerville, most of the store’s books were packaged, boxed and piled on top of one another, ready to be moved out of Davis Square to new digs in Cambridge.

By Keith Howard

Pauline Darilus’ family and friends last week stood less than 30 feet away from the skid marks that signal where the BMW Darilus was a passenger in veered off course March 21 and crashed into a nearby home causing her death.

On the Fellsway in Malden, mourners huddled together for warmth and comfort, struggling to protect their candles from the wind and, collectively, remembered Darilus as a lovable character with a big heart.

By Hilary Dyer

It started with the cook. Then, according to talk circulating in the neighborhood, the police were called to resolve a loud dispute. The mayor took note of the building tension. And soon, the bickering between two Ball Square breakfast spots, separated by only two walls, was christened “the Breakfast Wars.”

Ball Square Café and Sound Bites have been locked in a sometimes fierce, sometimes cold battle over who is the best restaurant on the block over the past six months.

Things are pretty uncomfortable down at the DPW in the Sewer Dept since Dave (known as Squiggy) got the position as boss – it seems ‚ÄúTorpedo Lady‚Äù is making everyone’s life miserable down there. We hear she thinks they made a mistake not appointing her, since she feels like the boss anyway. Last we heard, the city could appoint anyone they feel can do the job to that position.

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The American Legion Post 19 located at 124 Highland Avenue is holding their annual Spring Bazaar at Noon this Sunday, April 6 – there will be dozens of prizes with a 3 p.m. drawing – all proceeds will benefit veterans and their families.

By Mia Lamar

The city of Somerville suffered a tiny fraction of the statewide foreclosures last year, indicating it has thus far been able to avoid the foreclosure crisis devastating many Massachusetts communities and the nation at large.

Somerville recorded 37 foreclosures last year; more than 7,500 foreclosures were recorded statewide. These numbers do not reflect the number of pre-foreclosure petitions that precede full foreclosures; which was nearly 30,000 in the state of Massachusetts last year, according to Grace Ross, co-founder of the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL). Massachusetts Land Court records indicate 501 of these complaints were made within the city of Somerville last year.   

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.)

Winter is finally over and spring is promising warmer weather around the corner.  I, for one, can’t wait to get outside and enjoy the city’s parks with my family. And this spring and summer our Parks and Open Space Department will be drafting an Open Space and Recreation Plan that details the city’s goals for the renovation and expansion of our parks and open space during the next five years.

Somerville is the most densely populated community in New England and only 4.7 percent of our city is open space. Of this 4.7 percent more than half is maintained and operated by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The combination of these factors means we have had to be creative in finding ways to increase our green space and renovate and improve our existing parks. And we have been. The last three years have seen the renovation or creation of eleven parks and community gardens throughout our city including last year’s opening of the renovated Perry Park and several community gardens.

Off The Shelf by Doug Holder

Anne Elizabeth Tom, among other things, is a member of the Bagel Bards, a writers group that meets every Saturday at the Au Bon Pain in Davis Square. Late in 2007 Tom was appointed the new executive director of the Cape Cod Writers Center. Anne who lives on the Cape with her husband Steve grew up in Boston but remembers her summers on the Cape with great affection. Tom got an MFA from Tufts University, worked as a writer/editor for the MITRE Corp., started a family, lived around the country, but wound up back on the Cape.