Federal money is on the way, but not to Magoun Square
By George P. Hassett

   One neighborhood feels slighted after Somerville filed its one-year action plan for community development projects funded by U.S Housing and Urban Development.
   Magoun Square Neighborhood Association President Joseph P. Lynch said the proposal is an example of Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone‚Äôs continued neglect of the city‚Äôs small business districts, particularly Magoun Square.
  ‚ÄúThe Mayor is not an advocate for Magoun Square because helping the small business districts does not translate into a lot of votes. All he is funding are his pet projects in Union Square,‚Äù said Lynch.

Newstalk for the week of Jan. 25

This is another first, Newstalk will be weekly and after a long discussion with the former publisher/editor we will be doing a bit of the old Newstalk and the new Newstalk as done by the different owners, see if you can tell the difference. We‚Äôre proud to say that now over 20 individuals anonymously contribute to Newstalk and we are only getting bigger. If you‚Äôd like to be part of the group, just email donnortonera@yahoo.com and whatever you contribute will remain anonymous and of course edited so as not to be libel or slanderous. But to read Newstalk in its entirety, you will have to venture out into the cold and pick up a print edition. Enjoy…
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We keep reading about complaints on the parking fines and new fees but not from the politically connected. The rebellion against exorbitant meter fees is coming from the little guy. When its $1.00 an hour to park in Davis Square, what does that do to the guy who works at Family Dollar for $7.00 an hour but pays $8.00 a day to park. And that doesn‚Äôt include any of the $20.00 tickets he accumulates for not feeding the meter. In this week‚Äôs issue on page 3, we have a survey designed by the owners of Uptown Johnny D‚Äôs meant to generate input and feedback on the dilemma. If no one in the administration listens, this is going to show that City Hall is simply out of touch with the public. Hopefully they listen and stand up for the working people in Somerville. 

Lyrical Somerville

Many of the java joints in Davis Square are written about all the time.
But how about Union Square? Here is a poem I wrote about my favorite caf√© in my ‚Äòhood: ‚ÄúPoem for the Sherman Caf√©‚Äù –Union Square, Somerville, Mass. To have your work considered for the ‚ÄúLyrical‚Äù send it to :Doug Holder  25 School St. Somerville, Mass. 02143 dougholder@postharvard.edu

POEM FOR THE SHERMAN CAFÉ
(UNION SQUARE- SOMERVILLE,MASS. )

Reality Bites by James Norton for the week of Jan. 18

Speaking to the Fourth Wall cannot help in a city full of the mentally obdurate

Yikes!  I must seem like a broken record to you ‚Äì the reader.  Over and over and over again, I have tried to get through to certain people through my pedantic musings here.  Every once in a blue moon, I get lucky and the exact person or group I was attempting to speak to does get the hint and attempts to reach out and meet at some sort of common ground.  Then, unfortunately, I sometimes get the small minded who seem to want to be confrontational and lob grenades, until of course, they have the record set straight for them.  You see it‚Äôs really quite simple – I get to write my opinion in a newspaper every other week.  You think it‚Äôs easy?

The View From Prospect Hill

   Politics and politicians don‚Äôt seem to be as important as they used to be in this city. In 1971, 29 candidates ran for alderman-at-large with a primary in every ward in the city.
   In 2005, pathetic voter turnout in the only Somerville primary reminded us of the apathetic window citizens view their elected officials through.
    But this week, a local politician offered hope. He displayed courage and a willingness to take a stand in order to help constituents who can‚Äôt yet vote for him.

Newstalk for the week of January 18th

Word around City Hall is that they still don‚Äôt have a clue as to who took the missing cash from Traffic and Parking. Everyone has been or is in the process of being interviewed down at the station and now they‚Äôre administering lie detector tests outside the city.  Rumor has it that the administration is very embarrassed and is putting a lot of pressure on the Acting Director of Traffic and Parking to find out who took the money.  We wonder, like our readers on our weblog have asked, are they making sure everyone who had access to the money has been interviewed?

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Senator Pat Jehlen recently held her annual Progressive Potluck dinner to show her appreciation to the city’s progressive powers that be. Unconfirmed reports said a well dressed man suspiciously resembling Mayor Joe was seen outside Pat’s house hiding in the bushes taking down license plate numbers of the cars that pulled up. Remember, those reports remain unconfirmed. For now.