In April,  The Somerville News reported on a study that predicted the Green Line extension through Somerville and into Medford could not be completed because of the fiscal crisis at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

The general response from our state delegation was, “Well they have to build it by law so they will.”

Guess what? The state does not have to do anything they don‚Äôt want to, even when required by law, and this week  Gov. Deval Patrick proved that.

Reality Bites By James Norton

(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.)

Maybe it’s a slow week around the city, but not in the world of Jamie Norton. I just realized I referred to my personal life in that manner last week, and I’m starting to think it might be a little creepy. You be the judge. Once again, rather than comment on world politics or the state of the city, I find myself writing about my personal life.

This is a double-edged sword for me. My family cringes whenever I do this, but the general population, for one reason or another, seems to be interested in the details of my personal life, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why.

By George P. Hassett

Anthony Holloway, a Clearwater, FL police captain, will be the city’s next top cop starting in January, announced Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone at a news conference this morning.

Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard T. Leone and Attorney General Martha Coakley also attended the meeting and congratulated Holloway on his new post.

By Andrea Gregory

Board of Aldermen President Robert C. Trane had been to the door several times. Each time the elderly woman who had been living inside the 190 Boston Ave. home would only crack the door to see what he wanted. The slight opening barely let onto the true extent of the problems inside the two-story home. No heat and a multitude of cats were contributing factors. Tree branches were growing through the eves and the roof had holes.

It wasn’t until a January 2006 inspection by the city that the full extent of the unsuitable living conditions became clear. And it was not until recently that the house became, once again, an appropriate residential dwelling. The home is now back market.

By George P. Hassett

Multiple sources inside the Somerville Police Dept. tell The Somerville News, that Mayor Joseph Curtatone has selected Anthony Holloway as the city’s next police chief.

Curtatone’s spokesman Tom Champion could not confirm any details but said there would be an announcement tomorrow at 11 a.m.

By Andrea Gregory

The majority of members of the Somerville Patrolmen’s Union are looking forward to a new contract. Last week, union members voted 60-15 in favor of the new contract. This week, the contract will be signed and take effect.

Union President Jack Leuchter had predicted the contract would pass before last week’s vote. He said he understands why the 15 union members wanted to turn down the offer, but most of the officers saw it as reasonable and overdue.

According to Leuchter, the reason 15 of the 85 members wanted to reject the offer had to do with the police reorganization, expected to take effect early next year. Leuchter also said the reorganization plan was one of the heated topics in this round of collective bargaining.

Ball Square is home again to the breakfast clubs (or wars, depending on who you talk to) and is also the new center for mayoral campaign headquarters with two offices across the street from one another. Even though Rick Scirocco and Joe Curtatone have set up shop there, we don‚Äôt see Suzanne Bremer‚Äôs office. Maybe she‚Äôs smart to stay away and be by herself in Union Square? Mayor Joe opened his headquarters last night Aug. 14 to a large gathering of supporters. We still have our bet on Mayor Joe winning by a huge majority, but you never know, or do you? 

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Also on the local political scene, we keep seeing Joe Lynch out there knocking on doors in Ward 5. We hear Sean O‚ÄôDonovan is also out there but we haven‚Äôt seen him yet.  Then there is Charlie Chisholm in Ward 6 knocking on doors all day, one family on Highland Avenue stopped and talked to him for half an hour and seemed pleased with what he had to say. On the other side of things is Alderman-at-Large candidate Fred Berman, who apparently needs to be escorted around the city by fellow progressive candidate and Ward 5 School Committee Member Mark Niedergang. Guess Fred needs someone to help him knock on doors. That‚Äôs encouraging.      

By George P. Hassett

Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to delay the extension of the Green Line through Somerville and into Medford by two years has sparked outrage throughout the city.

State Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville, said she was “appalled,” and Board of Aldermen President Robert C. Trane said he was “extremely disappointed” by Patrick’s plan to delay the completion date of the project from 2014 to 2016 to seek federal funding to pay for half of the $608 million project.

By George P. Hassett

Young people in Somerville are drinking alcohol and using drugs at lower rates than in previous years, but experiences with violence are on the rise, and kids are struggling with their weight and overall physical health, according to a recently released study conducted by the Somerville Health Department and the Cambridge Health Alliance.

The study was funded by state grants. It examined how today’s youth between the ages of 6 and 24 is handling five different types of health issues. The categories looked at were sexual activity, nutrition and physical activity, substance abuse and mental health and violence.

Jessica Collins, of the Cambridge Health Alliance, and Noreen Burke, Somerville health director, both said the results pertaining to violence and physical health are alarming.

By George P. Hassett

A week after Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said bringing a jail to the city is not a high priority, Middlesex County Sheriff James V. DiPaola, who proposed the idea, said he is still hopeful a deal can be made.

“A lot of partnerships can be built, and there are mutual benefits to be gained” by building a new Middlesex County jail in Somerville, DiPaola said.

He said if he is allowed to build a jail, the city could get funding from the state to construct a new police building to replace its current dilapidated facility. State Rep. Carl M. Sciortino, D-Somerville, has questioned if the state would be willing to pay for a city building, but DiPaola said there is a precedent. In Hampden County, a new public safety building was built for the town of Chicopee when the town agreed to host a new jail, he said.