Resident: ‘Crooks without guns’ hiking water bills, avoiding questions
By George P. Hassett

The city’s water department this week instituted new policies to ensure accurate water bills for local homeowners. But for some residents, using water in Somerville is becoming a hassle and a luxury they can not afford.
    ‚ÄúThese guys are crooks without guns,‚Äù said Robert DeLuca of Medford St., who said he received an incorrect water bill last week. ‚ÄúThe last bill I got was three times what I usually get. You‚Äôre telling me I‚Äôve been using that much more water lately? Naturally this kind of thing hurts me. If I go to the store and buy a $1 loaf of bread, I don‚Äôt want to pay $6.‚Äù

Sullivan confirms report, he’s out of race

Alderman-at-Large Dennis Sullivan has confirmed an earlier report that he would end his candidacy for state Senate. Sullivan said he made the decision because of incumbent Jarrett T. Barrios’ return to the race after Barrios ended his campaign for Middlesex District Attorney.

"It’s bittersweet," said Sullivan. "I think Jarrett does a great job and does a lot of great things for the district but I will miss the opportunity to campaign for myself."

Barrios back in Senate race, Sullivan out

By George P. Hassett

Alderman-at-Large Dennis Sullivan will not pursue a campaign for state Senator because the seat’s incumbent, Jarett T. Barrios, is pulling out of the race for Middlesex County District Attorney, said a source inside the Sullivan organization.

The Boston Globe reported today that Barrios may end his race against Gerard T. Leone and, instead, seek re-election to his state Senate seat which represents a small portion of Somerville. In the article, Barrios maintained he would continue his campaign, but today — in a message sent to supporters — he said, "After great soul-searching, I have decided to suspend my campaign for D.A. and to seek re-election to the state Senate." He said he wanted to spend more time with his two young sons.
 

MBTA re-opens Davis Square Red Line station
After Inspecting and Testing T‚Äôs Overnight Electrical Work, Somerville Fire Department Allows Station to Resume Passenger Service            

    After MBTA personnel worked through the night to correct communications and electrical problems at the Davis Square Red Line station, Somerville Fire Department and Inspectional Services officials authorized the reopening of the station at shortly after 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Off the Shelf for the week of April 5

Musicality permeates poets’ work

“Poems of Survival” by Marc Widershien. ( Poplar Editions PO BOX 57 Boston, Ma. 02131) $9. http://www.marcreate.com/ marccreate@aol.com

Marc Widershien and I have had a long association. First introduced by Cynthia Brackett Vincent, the publisher of the "Aurorean" in the late 90’s, I had the privilege to publish Widershien’s lyrical memoir of Boston, "The Life of All Worlds" in 2001. Since then, Widershien has revived his poetry career and is a well-known, working poet in the Boston-area His ambitions have not ended there however. Widershien has formed his own small press, "Poplar Editions," that has released his poetry collection: "Poems of Survival" And indeed, if you know Widershien, you know he is a survivor. And he has survived to grace us with his evocative, and sometimes stunning collection of poetry. In all of Widershien’s poems there is a strong sense of musicality. So it is no wonder that we learn in the introduction written by the composer Aaron Blumenfeld, that Blumenfeld has set more than a few of Widershien’s poems to music. The composer writes of Widershien’s work:

Lyrical Somerville for the week of April 5

It is Spring and our thoughts naturally turn to love. Poet Ashley Roy reminds us that there are treacherous shoals to navigate in order to find the ‚Äúright‚Äù one. To have your work considered for the ‚ÄúLyrical‚Äù send it to: Doug Holder 25 School St. Somerville, Mass. 02143  dougholder@post.harvard.edu 

Misreading Motives

You would come nearer
My eyes, a mirror

Immigration arrest raises more questions than answers

By Benjamin Witte

A pair of blue jeans, folded and with an unclasped brown belt attached, rest neatly on a wicker chair in Jose Alfredo Alfaro’s small Norwood Ave. bedroom. They’ve been there for about two weeks now, lying in exactly in the same spot Alfaro placed them before crawling into bed on the night of March 14.
     When Alfaro awoke the next morning, sometime around 8:30 a.m., it was to the sound of men clomping around his small basement apartment. According to Jilberto, the only witness to the incident, there were about six of them, police probably, or maybe immigration officials. Jilberto, who‚Äôs asked that his last name not be published, isn‚Äôt quite sure who they were, though he can say with certainty that the men stayed in the house for about 15 minutes.

Desmond sets his sights on clerk of courts job
By George P. Hassett

An alderman-at-large who once lost an election by one vote has declared his candidacy for the Middlesex County clerk of courts position.
   Bruce Desmond, who lost to Alderman-at-Large William A. White by one vote in 1999 but came back in 2001 to win a spot on the board, said he is looking forward to the county-wide race and the job he could win.

News talk for the week of March 29th

We hear through several  sources that there may be some kind of ‚Äúsexual harassment‚Äù lawsuit filed against the Somerville Housing Authority by one of their own employees.  We can‚Äôt confirm it, but there was a lot of excitement down there these past couple of weeks, so much so that SHA Director Joe Macaluso has had meetings regarding certain porn related materials laying around the offices. Like we said more then one source but to be honest not a good source, and not enough time to go snooping, plus our staff didn‚Äôt have time to assign the story for this edition.