By Keith Howard

The plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced Africans hit Somerville when one politician took action to defend the lives of the victims of a brutal conflict.

Over one hundred congressmen, including U.S. Rep. Michael E. Capuano, D-Somerville, signed a letter urging China to work harder at putting an end to the conflict within the Darfur region of western Sudan. Capuano has been outspoken about the United States’ responsibility to end the suffering of Darfur.

According to the letter, millions of Sudanese civilians, who suffer from violence between rebel forces and Sudan’s militia, are in desperate need of food and medicine. ‚ÄúThe absolute need for the civilian protection and a basic level of humanitarian operational security has never been clearer,‚Äù the letter reads.

By George P. Hassett

The tree beat the condos. In a battle pitting a 14-unit condo development against a single tree, the tree has prevailed.

The developers of 343-347 Summer Street, had seen their project delayed by lawsuits from the neighborhood for six years but were coming off a legal victory and had only one obstacle in their way before cashing in with new West Somerville condo’s: a single tree that had to come down for construction of a fire lane.

Apparently things are better now between Alderman Bob Trane and Mayor Joe – both were seen recently at The Independent having a bite to eat and it appeared to be a nice conversation. While we’re on Alderman Trane – he has also been seen over in Medford as well – with several of the elected Medford Council members having coffee. We think Bob is leaning towards giving the ‚ÄúPrince of the Progressives‚Äù Carl a run for his money.

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Speaking of the Progressives and especially our own far out left guard, last week The Somerville News published the Beacon Hill Roll Call and will be doing it every week, so you can see what our legislative delegation has voted on in detail. The Somerville News has committed to doing this weekly – unedited the way it came to us – so you can draw your own conclusions, left or right. The Somerville News has some more surprises coming very soon – so keep an eye out.

By George P. Hassett

Somerville teens led an MCAS reform rally last week at the State House urging lawmakers to take a second look at the test, six years after it became a graduation requirement.

Greg Rego, an 18-year old- Somerville resident told a group of 200 Boston-area high school students of his personal struggles with the high-stakes Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test. He said he was never given notice of the test until the day it came and after failing twice by a combined 3 points, dropped out of school.

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.)

In many Republican circles, it’s an article of faith that government polices, programs and investments only get in the way of prosperity (what conservatives call ‚Äúwealth creation‚Äù), and that public sector managers don’t do anything important.  Here’s a case in point: shortly before the wheels came off his presidential campaign, Mitt Romney started emphasizing that he (unlike, say, Hillary Clinton or John McCain) had spent his career in the ‚Äúreal economy,‚Äù and that his business expertise was just what the nation needed as it teetered on the brink of recession.

Off The Shelf by Doug Holder

No matter where you go Somerville is not far behind. I found on my recent literary related trip to New York City all kinds of Somerville connections. I had planned to visit my mother in New York the first weekend in February, and it just so happened that poet Charles Ries from Wisconsin was reading at the KGB bar in the Bowery and he invited me and other folks to attend. Charles was attending the Association of Writer’s and Writing Programs conference in NYC. It was held on 52nd St. at the Sheraton so I figured I would make a pit stop there. Unfortunately you have to register to get in, and they were booked, so I was unable to attend the book fair segment. You figure they would let the general public in for the book tables. As a publisher and poet I would want as many folks as possible to be exposed to my books, not just our arcane world of small press people. But being the small press guerilla that I am to the bone, I left ‚ÄúIbbetson Street‚Äù magazines strategically appointed around the lobby. Hopefully they got a receptive audience‚Ķ a literary minded bellboy, or perhaps a luminary like Sue Miller picked it up in an afterthought.

By Keith Howard

Somerville is home to many budding artists that pepper the city with a fresh flavor, but only one performer is the director of the short film with EgoArt, a Boston-based dance and theater company, entitled “Peckers Restaurant.”

East Somerville artist Nicole Pierce was the guest at the Feb. 1 Somerville News contributor’s meeting and spoke of her unique work and the meaning of her dance company’s name.

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.)

My grandpa was a proud Italian-American citizen and a World War I veteran. He was also a custodian at the old Bingham School. His name was Giuseppe, and he was my dad’s father. A lot of people just called him Joe. He started a long tradition of ‚ÄúJoes‚Äù in my family. There’s my Uncle Joe, the fireman and glass guy, and his son Joe. There’s also my brother Joe, the Harvard grad, and my son Joe – oh, and my cousin’s son Joe (my uncle Joe’s grandson).

We were looking forward to an open discussion from the School Committee on the issue of charter change. Instead we got comments like “my blood pressure is ready to burst,” no discussion of any merit and a resounding “Shut up!” from elected officials who should know better.

The resolution put forth was a gentle one encouraging elected officials to examine changes to a 108-year-old set of laws and regulations that mandates city government positions for a fence viewer, wood and bark measurer and grain weigher. And six of our ever so wise School Committee members shot it down in a burst of anger that seemed to have little relation to reality.

By George P. Hassett

Five males, three from Somerville, one from Everett and one from Dorchester, all between the ages of 15 and 21, were spray painting on the ground at the Winter Hill Community School while carrying knives and marijuana on Tuesday, Feb. 5, according to police.

Police were first called to the neighborhood by a citizen reporting a group of eight to nine black males fighting in front of his residence. Police could not locate them but, knowing the playground at the Winter Hill Community School is a local hangout, went there to check it out.