By Andrea Gregory

There are only so many parking spaces in the city, and a local ordinance with a 48-hour cap on how long a car can stay in any given space is designed to give everyone a turn. A law that has been in place for more than 10 years is now getting a lot of attention with several residents raising concerns about the practice.

However, Robert C. Trane, BOA president, said he is not quite sure what is driving it since ticketing is generated from resident complaints.“For some reason this has come up a lot lately,” said Trane. “This is not something the city enforces unless they receive a complaint.”

Even when a car is reported for having overstayed its welcome in a particular spot, a warning, allowing another 48-hour grace period, is issued before anything else, said Trane.

“There is a lot of leeway,” he said. “So I’m not sure why this is popping up. It always, as far as I know, has been driven by complaints.”

By Pete Corbett

Dorothy Kelly Gay, Somerville’s former mayor, took time out from her birthday celebration to talk to The Somerville News on April 26.

Gay served as mayor before Joseph A. Curtatone took over in 2004. Gay, now 64 years old, said she does not miss the judgment that comes along with politics.

“Being in the mayor’s position is not always an easy position. I miss the day-to-day interaction with the people of Somerville,” she said.

Gay said she is concerned a few of the city’s current issues. She said she is concerned about the high turnover in the planning department.

“I had very little turnover when I was in city hall,” she said

By George P. Hassett

A city official today confirmed to the News that the  firefighters union has signed a tentative agreement to settle their three year long contract dispute. Thomas P. Champion, spokesman for the city, confirmed a tentative accord between the city and the firefighters has been reached.   

By David Taber

Bobby “Boris” Pickett, who graduated from Somerville High School in 1956 and went on to fame as the composer and performer of the Halloween hit “Monster Mash” passed away Wednesday, April 26.

Pickett was fondly remembered by classmates for his cheerful, fun loving nature prior to his incarnation as a Boris Karloff impersonating Halloween favorite.

“He was always into acting, doing all those things, clowning around, he was a great comedian,” said Marilyn Publicover, who graduated from Somerville High School with Pickett.

By David Taber

City officials estimate over 400 residents turned out from all 7 wards and picked up 3.25 tons of trash that day as part of Somerville Clean Up Day. 

“This is the nicest weather we have had in all the years we have been doing this,” Alderman-At-Large William A. White, said of the annual event, which the city has hosted for 22 years.

Ward 6 Alderperson Rebekah Gewirtz and Paul Bockelman, who represents Ward 6 on the School Committee, coordinated efforts for Davis Square and the surrounding area from the tables in Statue Park.

“A lot of people feel like they can use Statue Park as an ash tray,” Bockelman said.

Lisa Mcfarren, of the canine advocacy group SomDog, agreed.  ‚ÄúI have picked up three bags of cigarette butts so far,‚Äù she said. 

The new State Democrat Party Chairman, John Walsh, addressed the small (only about 30 members present) crowd at the annual love fest of the Progressive Democrats here last week and only two elected officials showed up – School Committeeperson Roberta Bauer and our most famous Progressive of all-time – Alderperson Rebekah G.  Also seen sizing up the small crowd and having an intense discussion was unannounced Ward 5 Aldermanic Candidate Joe Lynch ‚Äì he was probably getting some pointers from Walsh on the upcoming local election.  And oh yeah, Sean Fitzgerald and his buddy Fergal O‚ÄôToole were at the Progressive‚Äôs meeting as well ‚Äì are they are dues paying members?  Bet they were there with their buddy Rebekah?      

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Speaking of Ward 5 and Magoun Square in particular, have you noticed the deplorable condition of the CVS parking lot?  Missing or broken lights, fences falling over ‚Äì and hey, how about the old hardware store building in the middle – what an eyesore that has become and with all the money that family has that owns that building, you‚Äôd think they would have fixed it up a long time ago – and he‚Äôs an Attorney.  Magoun Square looks like it has fallen upon hard times‚Ķwhere is the current Alderman?  It‚Äôs too warm to be in Florida right now, isn‚Äôt it?

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By George P. Hassett

One low income Somerville family will win the city’s freshest lottery prize ever May 5 when the Growing Center hosts the Veggie Lotto. The lottery’s winner will receive 10 pounds of free, locally grown, organic produce every Wednesday for six months.

“Organic food shouldn’t be something only rich people can eat. We all need to eat healthy, and low-income folks in the city may only have access to supermarkets with chips and soda,” said Ryan Voiland, whose Red Fire Farm will be delivering the vegetables to Union Square each week.

“With the lotto, a family who couldn’t otherwise afford organic food will have a chance to eat healthy.

The initiative is sponsored by the Somerville Community Corp. (SCC) and is part of a one-year project to identify ways to close the gap between local healthy food distributors and the low income and immigrant residents of East Somerville, said Lisa Gimbel, a community organizer with SCC.

By Pete Corbett                        

Salty, movie-theatre popcorn can now be washed down with a cold beer at the Somerville Theatre in Davis.

For the past three weeks, the Somerville Theatre, has been offering beer and wine to complement their entertainment experience. The establishment, which is a landmark to the community, presents live entertainment as well as current films.

“It was very much a request from people who came for live events,” said Ian M. Judge, general manager of the Somerville Theatre.

Judge went on to say that many acts chose not to perform at the Theatre specifically because they did not serve alcohol. Comedy acts in particular expressed this sentiment, he said.

By Andrea Gregory

Somerville legislators are speaking out on behalf of a new proposal that would allow the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition. While some argue lacking legal citizenship should not afford them the luxury of a cheaper education, a new study suggests it could have benefits for the commonwealth.

Extending in-state tuition prices to the children of illegal immigrants is expected to generate an additional $2.5 million for the state, according to a study that was approved by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education last week.

By Andrea Gregory

Davis Square has always been a hot spot to take in dinner and a movie. However, after enjoying a night on the town some people would return to their cars only to find an orange parking ticket strapped to their windshield.

The problem was a two-hour parking constraint in the metered lots.

Thomas P. Champion, spokesman for the city, said sometime people come to enjoy Davis Square nightlife, but just don‚Äôt run back out to the meters.