More than pizza on the menu at the Paddock
By George P. Hassett

   Patrons of the Paddock Restaurant were treated to more than a meal Thursday night, when a police pursuit went through the dining area and into the kitchen, ending in two arrests, including the restaurants‚Äô owner.
   The incident began when police responded to a report of a domestic dispute on Gilman St. The victim at the scene allegedly told police that her boyfriend, John Reid, had slapped and threatened to kill her after learning her roommate was a man.

Juvenile behavior leads to four arrests
By George P. Hassett

   A Somerville police officer was assaulted by four juveniles in Winter Hill Friday night.
Police said Officer Marcos Freitas approached four male juveniles about a noise disturbance they were causing in front of 457 Medford St. and, after identifying himself as a police officer, was allegedly struck from the side by one of the juveniles.
   Freitas then fell to the ground, striking his head on the concrete, and was repeatedly hit in the face by the other juveniles, aged 14 to 16, causing cuts and scrapes, said police.

News‘ arts editor to read at Cambridge art gallery March 27

Doug Holder, the arts editor of The Somerville News, will read from his new chapbook "Wrestling With My Father" at the Out of the Blue art gallery next Monday night at 8 p.m. 

Mayor: Wal-Mart isn’t welcome
By George P. Hassett 

   Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has joined the growing ranks of elected officials to speak out against Wal-Mart‚Äôs employment practices, and to recognize its destructive effect on healthy local businesses, said a local union this week.
   In a recent City Hall meeting with the Greater Boston Labor Council, Curtatone made clear that he would vigorously oppose any effort to put a Wal-Mart in Somerville.
   ‚ÄúI want you to know that I will resist Wal-Mart here in Somerville, not only because of the company‚Äôs labor practices, but because of what they do to local merchants,‚Äù said Curtatone. ‚ÄúI‚Äôm not about to let Wal-Mart come in to wreak havoc on our local workforce and business community.‚Äù

Off the Shelf by Doug Holder for the week of March 22

The Beat Face of God: The Beat Generation Writers As Spirit Gudes

I remember picking up a copy of "On the Road," by Jack Kerouac at a bookstore in Downtown Crossing, Boston 30 years ago, and being unable to put it down. At the time, I was in my early 20’s and struggling to define who I was. This book spoke to me like no other. After devouring it, I was like an addict, I had to read everything by Kerouac and the "Beats." "On the Road," spurred me on to more reading, and eventually to an advanced degree in literature, poetry publishing, etc… When I read "On the Road" now at 50 I don’t feel the same way I did then, but I can remember that seminal rush. Stephen D. Edington’s,( who I met at a reading at the Squawk Coffee House in Harvard Square,) new book: "Beat Face of God…" writes:

Lyrical Somerville for the week of March 22

Why are the oceans, the tide, the changing landscape, so often used as metaphors in poetry? I think poet Jane Etzel answers that question in her compelling poem: ‚ÄúShifting Sands.‚Äù To have your work considered for the ‚ÄúLyrical,‚Äù send it Doug Holder  25 School St. Somerville, Mass. 02143  dougholder@post.harvard.edu.

Shifting Sands

You say your life is changing
Sand castles falling down
Shifting, drifting
Crumbling walls
Tides in
Time’s upside down.

Reality Bites by James Norton for the week of March 15

TV commercials for laundry detergents always show you how well their product takes out bloodstains.  It‚Äôs my opinion that if you have a t-shirt with bloodstains all over it, that maybe your laundry isn‚Äôt your most pressing problem

Recently, I have been mulling over whether to write a book or a screenplay (or maybe both).  I have a number of ideas for both ‚Äì some I would write on my own and others I would definitely need to collaborate with at least one other person.
The titles flash in my mind and I can’t help but laugh at them – and myself.
For now I’ll keep the titles to myself, but if you’ve ever read anything of mine before this, then you can be certain there will be a treasure-trove of autobiographical, self-absorbent, pseudo-cathartic drivel about something that’s happened in my past.

Cambridge man hangs himself from Holiday Inn

By George P. Hassett

A 49 year old Cambridge man hung from a Holiday Inn ledge yesterday, dying before police arrived on the scene.

Police have not yet released the man’s name because they are still notifying family members, said Lt. Paul Upton.

At approximately 12:45 p.m. Wednesday police received a call to the Holiday Inn. Upton said upon arrival, police found a man who had been deceased by hanging.

Upton said the investigation into the man’s death is ongoing.

Blue State Blues: A book review by Doug Holder

  I met David Slavitt when he ran for office against State Rep. Tim Toomey, in the Cambridge/Somerville area, back in Jan. 2004. Slavitt, at age 69, was a political novice. For the past 40 years he made his reputation as a poet, novelist, translator, academic, and Newsweek movie critic. Slavitt, was interviewed by The Somerville News reporters at our usual Friday morning meeting and I thought that this Republican/Poet/Politician would make a good subject for my Somerville Cable Access TV show: ‚Äú Poet to Poet: Writer to Writer.‚Äù Slavitt, who is a product of Yale University, is a fascinating study; with his caustic wit, his erudite intelligence, and, as he described it to me his ‚ÄúBuilt-in shit detector,‚Äù a much needed tool in the shoals of politics. Slavitt decided to run, with the help of his son Evan, to address the ‚Äúproblem‚Äù of the Democratic-dominated House and Senate, and politics in general. Slavitt doesn‚Äôt fit the profile of your typical Republican. He supports gay marriage, and abortion, but he is decidedly conservative when it comes to fiscal and public service matters.