By George P. Hassett

A Highland Avenue bank robbed of more than $200,000 in May was again the scene of a heist tonight as a lone masked gunman entered at closing time, tied up four employees, took an undetermined amount of money and fled in a car belonging to one of the employees, according to police.

Word from the Somerville Police Station is that the new Police Chief Anthony Holloway is the real deal! According to sources, the new chief strongly believes and is strictly enforcing the chain of command rule. It’ said that if a patrolman is not called to his office by the chief himself – that he or she has no reason for ever stepping foot in this office at all – his orders are that if you have a problem, see your Sergeant, if your Sergeant has a problem then he can see his Lieutenant and then to the Captains and so on. Another rule is that he does not like liars, so if you lie, you’re fired! This all sounds great, but let’s see how long it lasts. Oh, by the way, that controversy over the Chief’s new car? It seems that a brand new Crown Vic was in the garage underneath the station at least a week before the story.

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New bank in town on Winter Hill – apparently to get a leg up on all the other local banks – they recruited the former manager of Citizens here in Somerville, who now is trying to take business away from Citizens. At the same time, we heard a strong rumor now that this bank ‚ÄúCiti Bank‚Äù, which just opened might be having major personnel cuts throughout the region and the newly opened bank and its staff are on the top of the list to be cut, unless they can convert some major business from the other local banks and fast. 

By Alix Roy

McIntyre and Moore Booksellers will close their doors in Davis Square when their lease expires on April 1. Diminishing sales and a changing consumer attitude towards used books have contributed to the store‚Äôs decision to downsize after almost ten years at their Elm Street location. No decision has been made as to where they will end up, although the owners hope to relocate within walking distance to ‚Äútry and remain as local as possible.‚Äù 

A 65-year-old Somerville woman was cited for failure to use care in stopping and a marked lanes violation today after she drove into the side of a Ball Square business.

The woman, whose name police are not releasing, struck a parked car, a hydrant, a streetlight and the Belgian Truffle House beginning at the corner of Broadway and Willow. She was treated for injuries and transported to a local hospital for further care, police said.

State Rep. Byron Rushing, D-Boston, encouraged the crowd at the city’s Martin Luther King Day celebration today to follow in King’s "radical and revolutionary" footsteps and "be dangerous."

Inside Somerville High School’s auditorium hundreds applauded this year’s honorees — Dan McLaughlin and the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS). McLaughlin was honored for his work in the community with Teen Empowerment and Save Our Somerville, an organization dedicated to strengthening community ties that he founded with his brothers Matthew and Mark.

Jack Hamilton, executive director of CAAS, accepted the award on behalf of the anti-poverty agency. He said Somerville has come a long way on issues of class, race and immigration "but there is more work to be done, particularly around immigration."

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.)

Hours after I delivered my third inaugural address, a reporter called to ask how the city was going to pay for the many initiatives I had laid out for 2008, including such items as the expansion and reorganization of the police department, the creation of two police substations, an ambitious parks and open space rehab and upgrade effort, and another round of improvements to our customer service and environmental programs.  I told the reporter that with one notable exception ‚Äì the rebuilding of our fire-damaged East Somerville Community School ‚Äì the funding sources (operating budget, capital budget, bonds and grants) for our 2008 agenda were already identified.

Off The Shelf by Doug Holder

This is the second in a two-part series on my recent trip to Israel.

Being the urban and hopefully urbane man that I am, I was anxious for more of a taste of the cities. One night I stayed at the home of Voices members Susan and Richard Rosenberg who have an apartment in Haifa. Susan is the secretary of the Voices organization. It is situated high up on a hill above the city, with a striking view of the Mediterranean. Wendy Blumfield, a journalist with the Jerusalem Post, and her husband David, were my guides around the city the next day. They showed me the old Arab Quarter, and the Jewish section that was peopled with many Hasidic Jews in full traditional garb.

By George P. Hassett

David Olsen is a self-proclaimed geek. He was a double major in physics and astronomy at Wesleyan University. For fun he dresses up in elaborate costumes and fights his friends with swords made of rubber foam.

But to President of the Board of Aldermen Dennis M. Sullivan Olsen, a Hall Avenue resident for the last six years, is a bona fide TV celebrity and ideal role model for local kids afraid to be themselves.
That is because last year Olsen took home over $60,000 as the winner of ‚ÄúBeauty and the Geek‚Äù — a reality TV show that pairs nerdy men with comely women – by waving his geek flag for the whole world to see.

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.)

Since I’ve had the same phone number and the same address since 1960, I’ve made an easy decision – I’ve decided to stay in Somerville until they pry my lifeless hands off the railings of my house (or until it gets foreclosed, whichever comes first).