By George P. Hassett

The city’s top lawyer pled guilty to drunk driving on Jan. 22 and is seeking medical help.

John Gannon the city solicitor under Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone since 2004, lost his driver’s license for one year after admitting he was driving drunk on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton on Feb. 13, 2007, according to court records.

By George P. Hassett

The first move by an elected official to explore changes to the city charter was voted down by the School Committee Monday.

Just as he promised to do in his campaign, Ward 4 School Committee member James Norton, who is also the editor of this newspaper, submitted a motion to support Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s proposal to create a charter reform commission and asking ‚Äúthat said commission take special consideration as to the composition of the School Committee, specifically in the way and manner in which the School Committee is elected.‚Äù

By George P. Hassett

After weeks of discussion, and despite allegations of labor law violations, aldermen renewed the city’s contract with trash collector F.W. Russell Disposal this week for the next year.

The trash collector has been embroiled in controversy in the last month after a labor dispute with Teamsters Local 25 in December ended in arrests for 10 Teamsters and Russell owner Charles Carneglia donning a red sombrero while stomping on union signs in an act of apparent triumph. The video of the melee can be seen on YouTube.

Some satisfaction with jobs agreement, but oversight committee wanted

By Kimberly Geronimo

IKEA, and all of its low priced furniture, is coming to Somerville. And with it more jobs, more construction, and a lot more traffic.

Somerville residents met with city officials, developers, and IKEA representatives at a community meeting last Wednesday to discuss the retail giant’s arrival and other development plans for Assembly Square.

Last weeks Board of Aldermen meeting was interesting – the main subject being Russell Disposal’s new one-year contract. We almost had the possibility of no rubbish pickup because of Aldermen like Gewirtz, White, Sullivan and Trane. We hear that the Mayor was very upset over Alderman Trane and his vote change at the last minute. Apparently Russell is under investigation by the AG’s office for unfair labor practices – charges that the Local 25 Union is hurling at Russell‚Ķ  What ever happened to you’re innocent until proven guilty? It’s an investigation, not a trial people. 

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Two things you don’t do in Somerville if you’re a Politician – 1. Don’t collect the rubbish and 2. Don’t plow the streets.         

By Keith Howard

Last year’s president of the board of aldermen spoke at the Jan. 25 Somerville News contributor’s meeting about the initiatives and challenges of his year leading the board.

“[Being] President is a lot of work. It was a little tough,” said Ward 7 Alderman Robert C. Trane. Especially with the heavy workload before the special elections were over and the added pressure of picking up the slack for a missing alderman – outgoing Denise Provost, he said.

by Kimberly Geronimo

It was a tiny, neglected room: a tarnished mirror stuck on one wall, forgotten duck-tape hanging off the  door frame, and one lonely, naked light bulb in the middle of the ceiling were all the decor it could muster.

The musicians and their singer had somehow managed to maneuver themselves and their equipment into the space, although to say it was cramped might be an understatement. The keyboard took up a third of the room, the drum set another third, and three big stereos were stuffed into a corner, which left the two guitarists and the singer squeezed into whatever space was left.

By William C. Shelton

(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.)

As I was saying, Somervillians are the people who I like most and have chosen to live with. Yet in these times, they call each other names more than other people that I know. 

There seem to be ever more conditions that legitimately evoke anger, but fewer clear opportunities to change them. Posts on the Somerville News’ website catalog these conditions.