The Somerville News Blog

Mosaics bring new attention to the Somerville Museum

(pictured left to right)Michael O’Connell, Margaret Ryan and Evelyn Battinelli, ~Photo by Bobbie Toner The Somerville Museum By Cathleen Twardzik Do you enjoy exploring museums? If so, try looking around the Somerville Museum, where "The Art of Mosaic," is being shown until the end of the month. "Mosaic Voices" will grace the museum from November 5 to December 13. Evelyn Battinelli, executive director of the museum, has called the exhibit "the most attended and most exciting that we've ever done." "I think people had never seen an all-mosaic exhibit," Guest Curator Margaret Ryan said. "The museum is the best place to exhibit mosaics because of the large two story front gallery with all kinds of natural light. This particular art soars in there." Despite the exhibit's popularity, Battinelli said many don't know the museum exists. "(Some) refer to it as the historical society," she said, noting they're partially correct: the nearly hundred-year-old historical society reorganized as a museum in 1986. Michael O'Connell has served as director of exhibitions since the museum's founding, with help from volunteers Tom Lane and Tom Battinelli, Evelyn's husband. "Initially the Museum's stated goal was to serve as a mirror reflecting Somerville's rich historical past and diverse cultural present," according to the museum's mission statement. After having reopened, that concept expanded, and arts and cultural programs were incorporated. The historical section of the museum truly shone, "When we did the "Lost Theatres of Somerville," said Battinelli, the basic theme of an "urban community building" blossomed, where cabarets, plays and poetry readings have all been staged. Upcoming events include an art and craft fair the first weekend in December. During the first weekend of May, the museum will host a preview for Somerville Open Studios, which they have hosted for 10 years. For more information on the museum's schedule, go to www.somervillemuseum.org.

Somerville murder suspect remains held without bail

By Cathleen Twardzik A Somerville woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death late last year remains held without bail as the district attorney's office continues to prepare its prosecution. Kimberly Savini allegedly stabbed boyfriend Arnaldo Amado during a domestic dispute on Dec. 27, 2008. She has remained in custody since on a first-degree murder charge. According to police reports from the incident, after calling 911 Savini initially said Amado had been attacked outside of the couple's home at 11 Greenville St. but later admitted to stabbing him during an argument in self defense. At an Oct. 2 bail hearing at Woburn Superior Court, Savini was again denied bail and ordered to undergo DNA testing, according to a District Attorney spokesperson. An evidentiary suppression hearing has been set for Oct. 22. The mandatory sentence for a first-degree murder conviction is life in prison without eligibility for parole.

Un-cooking classes: Nina Manolson shares raw food techniques

Raw pie prepared by Nina Manolson A green smoothie ~Photos by Joel Benjamin By Meghan Frederico There's something cooking at Nina Manolson's home in Somerville. Or not. The oven in her kitchen goes largely unused, and there is no microwave in sight, but her kitchen is the epicenter of her business and family. Manolson is a proponent of raw food, or "live food," prepared without heating anything over 115 degrees. Proponents say preparing food this way doesn't destroy enzymes like cooking does, and that the results include a host of health benefits, including better digestion, increased energy levels and anti-inflammatory effects. "The top health problems are related to inflammation," Manolson said, citing arthritis, cancer and diabetes as examples. Relying on a high-powered blender and a dehydrator to prepare meals is a shift for most people, so Manolson's food classes are geared toward making raw and unprocessed foods fit easily into people's lives, and she says that once people learn how to do it, the time spent on food preparation can be dramatically reduced. "The hardest part of eating well is the hunting and gathering," Nina said of the importance of keeping your fridge stocked with healthy foods, "what I do is give people the tools so that they are ready to make healthy living a reality." As a part of her business, Body Alive Body Aware, Manolson shares her health and food preparation knowledge through a variety of classes, a blog and a monthly newsletter. Nina teaches food classes in her own kitchen to show people that it can be done without "the perfect kitchen and tons of gadgets." This reporter had a chance to get a raw food demo and see Manolson in action in her kitchen. The only out of the ordinary gadgets were a high-power blender and a food dehydrator, which can be used to harden batter without baking. Otherwise, Manolson works mostly by hand. "I'm about making it doable in your real life," she says as she pulls peeled bananas, mango chunks and cherries from her freezer and tosses them into her blender. When her children, ages 7 and 10, ask for ice cream, this is what they get. Manolson says there are no complaints because they are involved in making the food. In Manolson's kitchen, her approach appeals to both kids and adults alike. It resembles an art project, a curiosity-driven excursion drawing on a palette of fresh and colorful foods. Raw cooking allows experimentation, she says, because you aren't changing the foods. "You know what you are getting, and you can taste it at any point and see what it needs," Manolson says as she tests an agave-sweetened mixture of cashew, cacao nib, and coconut water in the blender, deciding that it needs some banana. She tests it again. "Now it's banana chocolate pudding!" Manolson developed her craft while working as a massage therapist - she also has a master's degree in counseling psychology. In addition to her food lessons, Manolson works as a certified holistic health counselor and helps clients develop a lifestyle that includes more healthy and satisfying food. For her own diet, Manolson says she eats mostly raw food. "I don't believe in perfect food," she said. "It makes you feel like you aren't doing it right." Manolson tells her clients to find the balance that works for them, and it may involve varying percentages of raw foods in their diet. "Our bodies are constantly giving us feedback," she said. "We just have to listen". Manolson's next Introduction to Raw Food course is Saturday, Oct, 24. More information is available at www.bodyalivebodyaware.com

Scientists open up classroom in Davis Square

Co-founder, Shaunalynn Duffy Co-founder Alec Resnick. Photos courtesy of Sprout. By Julia Fairclough Abbe Cohen went to the carriage house at 339 R Summer St. for two reasons. She wanted to see how she could expose her four-year-old daughter to science in a kid-friendly way, and she was also curious as to what Sprout was all about. A write-up in the local business magazine Somerville Scout was enough to tell her that Sprout was a collective of community scientists, "united by a passion for playful experimentation and a desire to become better learners, teachers and doers." Cohen, an engineer herself experienced in robotics, was pleased to find out that all it took was giving Sprout a call, and then showing up to chat. Co-founders and friends from MIT, Alec Resnick, Michael Nagle and Shaunalynn Duffy -- all in their 20s -- aim to work with the community to hold science forums as a supplement to higher education. They hope to meet people in offices or homes, libraries, coffee shops, schools, or wherever a group asking to learn from them would prefer. "People have different relationships to science; they are either a grad student, have done some studying, or have a passion for it and want to learn but don't really understand it," Resnick said. "We are really about finding a group of people to learn with, and finding a group of people to learn from." For example, schools prototyping new ideas can work with Sprout, or a group of people who want to invite Sprout into their home to talk about the scientific aspects to cooking. If someone, after taking a science class, wants to learn more about DNA, they can call Sprout. If people want to learn more about Wikipedia searches, they can ask Sprout to join them for a learning session at Diesel Café. The possibilities are endless, Resnick said. When meeting with Cohen the other morning, Resnick asked what she envisioned. Cohen admitted she didn't have a ready-made idea. She has worked in consulting since becoming a mother, and is out of the loop with science as education. Resnick talked about one of his newest projects. He is working with Green City Growers, a Somerville business that installs raised garden beds in peoples' back yards. Resnick is creating a suite of programs for Green City Growers to obtain a better sense of how to best grow food. He is using censors to collect data for soil activity, such as moisture and amount of sunlight. "Our goal is to make gardens a learning experience from a scientific angle for those who don't know about pH, for example, and want to learn more about the data," Resnick said. The conversation with Cohen went on from there, before finishing up by discussing possible connections with other Somerville organizations and companies, as well as Sprout's upcoming "fix-it night," where people will bring something to fix or repurpose and "tinker socially." Resnick, who studied at MIT and then left during his senior year, said Sprout is an evolution of his dream to start a community college. He got the idea for Sprout from a friend, who started an invention workshop. Resnick thought that was a good model for science. Sprout's founders have varied resumes. Among other projects, Resnick has helped schools build hardware to measure temperature and run after school programs for the Community Charter School of Cambridge. Nagle also teaches after school programs, and began a day camp for students called Camp Kaleidoscope in Cambridge in 2006. Duffy, meanwhile, is active in the arts and performance scene in Cambridge and Somerville and is currently running a creative math class for home schooled and public school students at Sprout. In addition to teaching, she worked with a New York City-based theater company specializing in street performance and puppet theater. Duffy noted that out of the three of them, she is coming from the most humanities-based background. "What is exciting to me is that for a long time, even while at MIT, I felt like I wasn't a technical person, or a person who could learn programming," she said. "A lot of this is gender and cultural around technical stuff." But what is exciting for Duffy is that she is interested in scientific investigation, which led her to master programming and basic research. Her angle is to make science more story-driven instead of what is often incomprehensible for people without science backgrounds. For example, Duffy is mixing performance with science. Sprout runs a series of Spaghetti dinners, and for an upcoming dinner on Nov. 19 (at 7:30 p.m. at the Sprout headquarters) she will invite a friend, Peter Buchak, an accomplished accordion player. Buchak will play and then talk about how air flows over an accordion reed, but without the scientific equations involved. He'll also show videos of models he has built to help illustrate the science involved. "I play clarinet, a reeded instrument, and always wondered how this piece of wood made sound," Duffy said. "I'm excited to see how people respond to this." Sprout's office on Summer Street is open to the public, and anyone is free to come in and use equipment. They're working to get the community education programs up and running, which Resnick hopes will be supported by some programs having a sliding scale participation cost so that programming is available free of charge to those who need it. "In the long run, I want to open up resources that are in the community as much as possible," Resnick said. Information on upcoming events and class information is available at www. thesprouts.org.

Somerville Police Receives New Incident Command Vehicle

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Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Police Chief Anthony Holloway announced that the Somerville Police Department has taken delivery on a new Incident Command vehicle. The vehicle was converted from an ambulance donated by Cataldo Ambulance Company of Somerville. Painting and equipping the vehicle for its new role was paid for through a $20,000 grant from the Commonwealth Security Trust Fund. The command vehicle has been equipped to provide radio communications with local and area Police and Fire agencies as well as the Department of Public Works. It is also offers two laptop stations for use by incident commanders, and carries a portable generator and lighting, expandable roadway barriers and safety vests. Chief Holloway expressed his appreciation to Cataldo Ambulance Service for this generous donation, providing the Somerville Police Department with its first-ever mobile command unit. "This vehicle will enable local officials to operate more efficiently at the scene of an emergency or at a local public event, and I sincerely thank Cataldo Ambulance Service for this very generous donation," said Chief Holloway.

Somerville police chief on 'short list' for Fla. position

By Tom Nash Somerville Police Chief Anthony Holloway is among 12 candidates for the police chief opening in Clearwater, Fla. Holloway began his career as a Clearwater patrol officer and served with the department for 22 years before leaving for Somerville in 2007. According to the Times, the city will be flying in the 12 candidates from across the country to interview for the position. Tom Champion, Mayor Joseph Curtatone's communications director, said three years remain on Holloway's contract and that the mayor has yet to address the possibility of Holloway moving back to Clearwater. "Obviously Chief Holloway has gotten off to an extraordinary start in Somerville," Champion said. "He's doing a tremendous job and there's more work to be done. We'd be delighted if he stays on to do it." Sid Klein, the outgoing Clearwater police chief, will be retiring from the department after serving in the position for 28 years. The police chief salary there is $116,628. Holloway makes $165,000 a year. Holloway did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.

Sherman Café owners open all-natural market

Matt Lavallee supports Sherman Market's mission of grown locally, fresh tasting. ~Photo by Julia Fairclough By Julia Fairclough "Just smell this tomato," Matt Lavallee said, holding out the crimson-colored fruit, and breathing deeply. "You can really smell the stem, which means it's fresh from the farm." Lavallee was bent over the morning shipment of tomatoes and fresh lettuces (Pete's Greens) and herbs from one of the local distributors that come to Sherman Market, which Karyn Coughlin and Ben Dryer, the owners of Sherman Café, just opened. The market is around the corner from the popular café in the heart of Union Square that the husband-and-wife pair opened nearly six years ago. "I like the mission of local food and bringing it to the square," Lavallee said. "It's good for the local economy. I trust the food. It brings good food into peoples' hands." Sherman Market sells only organic and farm-fresh foods, from New England, upstate New York and lower Canada. It offers everything from produce, to meat, eggs, chips, jellies and its real specialty-unique and labor-intensive cheeses. The Sherman Market features Baley Hazen blue, alpine style varieties, Great Hill Blue (delectable and creamy), triple cremé, and chevres. Lavallee likes a Cabot cheddar that is bound in cloth rather than wax, as is traditional of English cheddars. "The cheese case is definitely the most exciting part," Lavallee said as he gave a tour. "I want to search for even more hidden gems." In addition to lamb shank from Charlton and organic tofu made in Vermont, Lavallee sells herbs by weight so customers won't be faced with buying an unwieldy bunch. Coughlin said that she had Dryer were thinking of ways to expand Sherman Café, a cozy space that sits on Washington Street. When the spot around the corner opened up, they grabbed it, without really having a plan. They played with various ideas, such as more seating for Sherman. They ultimately decided on the market, a natural outgrowth of what they do, since they use mainly local ingredients for the homemade specialties at the café. They said it's getting easier to work with local foods as more distributors are in the local networks. There's more awareness and appreciation for local foods, Coughlin said. Union Square residents, as well as people from all over Somerville, have embraced the farmers markets here, she added. The challenge with buying local is the sticker shock. A bottle of fresh Thatcher Milk is $5.50, Coughlin said it comes down to a customer's priorities. Coughlin believes more Somerville residents are seeing the value in buying higher quality products, especially from local businesses. She took a sabbatical from her role on the board of directors of Somerville Local First to open the store. "There are more and more groups doing similar efforts with making Somerville more sustainable," Coughlin said. Sherman Market is located at 22 Union Square. It is open from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Former Register of Probate pleads guilty to theft to of public monies, campaign funds

WOBURN - The former Middlesex County Register of Probate has pleaded guilty to two separate schemes in which he stole thousands in taxpayer money and more than $100,000 in campaign funds, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone announced today. John R. Buonomo, 57, of Newton, pleaded guilty today in Woburn Superior Court to charges brought in separate cases by the Attorney General's Office and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. Sentencing has been scheduled for November 9 at 2 p.m. The charges that he pleaded guilty to in connection with the theft of campaign funds were: • Larceny over $250 (2 counts), • Personal Use of Campaign Funds (2 counts) • Willfully Misleading Investigators The charges that he pleaded guilty to in connection with the theft of public monies were: • Breaking and entering into a depository with intent to commit a larceny (18 counts) • Theft of public property by a city/town/county officer (eight counts) • Larceny under $250 (eight counts) "It is troubling that this elected official would violate the trust bestowed in him by committing these brazen thefts - crimes that he has now admitted to with today's plea," District Attorney Leone said. "I want to thank the Secretary of State's Office, the Registry of Deeds, the Trial Court, and the Chief Justice for Administration and Management for their cooperation during this investigation. I also want to commend the members of our PACT Unit for their comprehensive investigation, including the installation of surveillance cameras to capture the crimes committed on tape, that built the irrefutable proof that led to this plea." Buonomo engaged in two separate schemes that resulted in the theft of public monies and campaign funds. An outline of both schemes follows: Theft of public monies On August 6, 2008, Buonomo was arrested by State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's PACT Unit. Buonomo, a then county-wide elected official, had engaged in a repeated pattern of stealing cash from copy and money machines at the Office of the Register of Deeds over a period of weeks. Video surveillance cameras installed by the PACT Unit captured the defendant engaged in these acts numerous times during the months of June, July, and August. The Register of Deeds office is located in the same building as the Register of Probate office. Buonomo resigned from his position as Register of Probate on September 7, 2008. The investigation began in June 2008 when information was obtained regarding the suspected ongoing theft of monies from numerous copy machines and cash machines within the Registry of Deeds, located at 208 Cambridge Street in Cambridge. The Registry of Deeds had noticed monthly shortages in receipts received from their copy machines estimated to be as much as thousands of dollars over a period of months. Based on this and other information obtained during a subsequent investigation, the PACT Unit installed video surveillance equipment in the second floor and basement areas of the Registry of Deeds office. During the following weeks, usually at the end of the work day, Buonomo was regularly observed on video accessing the money machines in the basement and second floor of the Registry of Deeds. He was often captured on video removing a stack of dollar bills, counting the money, and then returning a portion of those bills to the machine while pocketing the rest. Buonomo pleaded guilty to taking cash for himself on at least eight of those occasions. Buonomo had no authority to access the cash machines or copy machines on the Registry of Deeds side of the building nor did he have the authority to remove money from the machines. After his arrest, Buonomo was arraigned in Cambridge District Court on August 7, 2008, where he pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. Buonomo was indicted by a Middlesex Superior Grand Jury in connection with these thefts on September 30, 2008, and arraigned in Woburn Superior Court on November 4, 2008, at which point he was released on personal recognizance. Theft of Campaign Committee Funds On March 31, 2009, the Attorney General's Office sought and obtained indictments from a Middlesex Grand Jury in connection with Buonomo's theft of more than $100,000 in funds from his campaign committee and using those funds for his own personal use. In that case, the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) began an investigation into suspected violations of campaign finance laws by Buonomo in April 2008. In November 2008, OCPF referred the matter to the Attorney General's Office for enforcement. The extensive investigation by OCPF revealed that on various dates between December 2004 and July 2008, Buonomo withdrew funds from the Committee to Elect John Buonomo for his personal use. Buonomo allegedly stole these funds using two methods. First, investigators discovered that Buonomo wrote checks to himself from the Committee's account, falsely stating on the checks that he was reimbursing himself for postage he had bought with cash. Second, investigators discovered that Buonomo also stole funds from his campaign account by writing checks from the Committee to a local printing company for fictitious print jobs. Authorities believe that Buonomo wanted to make it appear as though the printing company was printing materials for the campaign, when in actuality these services were never rendered. During the course of their initial investigation, OCPF found that Buonomo submitted to OCPF forged and altered bank records, forged and altered printing invoices, as well as false written statements he had obtained from postal employees. Investigators believe this was an effort by Buonomo to mislead OCPF and to justify the taking of funds from his Committee. On April 22, 2009, Buonomo was arraigned on the charges in connection with the campaign committee funds. He pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. The case brought by the Attorney General's Office was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Marc Jones of Attorney General Martha Coakley's Corruption and Fraud Division, with assistance from Financial Investigator Jessie Julian Dean and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Attorney General's Office. Sarah Hartry, Legal Counsel for the Office of Campaign and Political Finance also investigated and assisted with this case. The case brought by Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone's Office was prosecuted by John Verner, Chief of the District Attorney's PACT Unit. It was investigated by the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's PACT Unit.

Alderman challenges city on public records access

~Photo by Bobbie Toner By Tom Nash A $200,000 price tag on access to the city's parking ticket records has Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz asking the city to explain its handling of public records requests. Somerville Voices blogger Barry Rafkind filed a request through the city for data on parking tickets, meters, towing and appeals in August. The Boston Globe later reported the city responded by asking for $200,000 up front. Gewirtz said she wants the city to justify the fees, pointing out at the Oct. 8 Board of Aldermen meeting that Massachusetts law does not address pricing for electronic records aside from the staff time needed to redact private data. "I think it would be important to know what city policy is explicitly," Gewirtz said. City Solicitor John Gannon said the figure comes from the amount of data that a staff member would have to troll through, manually taking out data deemed private by the state. Gannon insisted the size of Rafkind's request warranted the fee. "I've been dealing with public records requests for 20 years," Gannon said. "I've never dealt with one that was 300,000 pages." Gewirtz also asked that the city consider creating a revolving fund to help with public records. Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero responded that the state should be paying the bill for what he said appears to be an "unfunded mandate." "It's somewhat of a no-win situation for the city at times," Pero said. "If someone doesn't like that, maybe they should take those concerns to the legislature." The city has taken heat for its public records policies before. The Somerville Journal appealed the redaction of what it said was public data in 2008. The State Supervisor of Records sided with the city, although it determined information on city official's property and names of spouses was wrongly withheld. Gewirtz's resolution was approved, and it's now up to the city to respond with "the exact written procedure and fee structure" for such requests.

Centro Presente hosts electoral forum

Panelists at Centro Presente's Oct. 7 electoral forum. ~Photo by Tom Nash By Tom Nash Both city officials and challengers were given a chance to answer questions from the city's immigrant community last week as a part of a campaign known as "Nuestras Voces, Nuestro Voto" -"Our Voices, Our Vote." The forum, hosted by Centro Presente on Oct. 7, offered direct translation service not available at regular City Hall meetings. Officials and challengers from the Board of Aldermen and School Committee used the opportunity to introduce themselves as both members and advocates for Somerville's immigrant community. While School Committee member Mark Niedergang and Aldermen John Connolly, Dennis Sullivan and Bill Roche cited immigrant roots, Alderman-at-Large Bill White introduced himself with an anecdote that spoke to the alienation some immigrants feel in Somerville. Last year, Centro Presente organized a rally as news of an immigration raid spread fear throughout the community. White, who has an Italian-Portuguese background, described an incident from his days as a student at Somerville High School when a police sergeant referred to him by a racial slur while visiting the station for a class project. "When I got elected, one of the things I dedicated myself to was not allowing that kind of attitude to continue on," White said. Through questions posed by Centro Presente Executive Director Patricia Montes, Board President Gabriel Camacho and Maria Landaverde of the Welcome Project, the panelists were asked how they have represented the needs of the immigrant community. Among a variety of issues relating to immigrant involvement in the city's political process, all of the panelists stressed the need for any member of the Somerville community, here legally or not, to feel comfortable going to the authorities. Ward 3 Alderman Tom Taylor recalled a 1987 fire that destroyed an apartment building as the impetus for his support of Somerville becoming a designated sanctuary city for immigrants. The fire, Taylor said, was likely caused by the poor living conditions that the mostly illegal immigrant population in the building faced. "People were afraid, basically, to go to the authorities, whether it was the inspectional services division or the police department," Taylor said. "Some of the conditions these people were living in were atrocious." "If you hear of any city officials treating you unjustly, please come forward," Taylor added. Jesse Kanson-Benanav, who stood in for alderman-at-large challenger Luis Morales, said those issues require more diversity on the Board - which he said Morales' background as an immigrant from El Salvador and business owner would bring. "In a city where 30 to 35 percent of the residents were not born in the United States, the Board of Aldermen should reflect that," Kanson-Benanav said. "(Morales is) not trying to be the Latino alderman or the immigrant alderman, but it's a critical community in Somerville that really needs strong representation." Roche, who as alderman for Ward 1 said he represents much of Somerville's immigrant community, stressed the aldermen work hard to make sure everyone's views are heard. "We represent you," Roche said. "We're your voice at city hall. If we don't know how you feel about an issue, we can't represent you very well." "Our Voices, Our Vote" continues Oct. 15 on Beacon Hill, with a panel discussion titled "A New Era of Women in Politics" at 11 a.m. More information can be found at cpresente.org.

Somerville resident part of Carroll Center for the Blind event

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(L-R) Thelma Williams, Joey Buizon from Somerville, Antonio Harris and Lynn Paulson, all from the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, at a welcome reception for the Carroll Center for the Blind's new President Michael Festa, a former State Representative. The Carroll Center for the Blind is a major provider of rehabilitation and educational services in the New England area. As president, Festa will be charged with leading a capital campaign to raise $5 million for the non-profit organization.

TSO Appreciation Day

On Saturday, October 10, 2009, the nation's largest federal employee union, the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO through Local 2617, endorsed the candidacy of Congressman Michael Capuano, D-Ma, for U.S. Senate.

ALL AMERICA CITY Celebration Saturday, October 17th

home : news : news October 14, 2009 E Local Celebrities, Live Entertainment Headline Event All America City Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the Somerville Chamber of Commerce announced that the City of Somerville will hold a community-wide gala to celebrate the City's 2009 All America City Award. The event will be held on Saturday, October 17th from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue. Local radio celebrity and Somerville Youths Arts Coordinator Jimmy Del Ponte will serve as master of ceremonies, and the event will feature live entertainment by comedians Lenny Clarke and Tony V., local Disco-Funk band "Booty Vortex," and food provided by a variety of local restaurants (free with admission ticket). A silent auction and raffle table featuring Somerville memorabilia autographed by the international rock band U2, as well as Boston sports tickets will also be included in the night's agenda. All proceeds from ticket sales and auction items will benefit Somerville youth initiatives and projects. Last June, a 42-member delegation of Somerville residents, business owners, and community members traveled to Tampa, FL to deliver a presentation about the City of Somerville, which had been named in March as one of 32 finalists for the award, which is presented each year by the National Civic League. On the strength of its presentation, and for the first time since 1972, Somerville was named one of only ten All America Cities across the nation. Tickets are $10 in advance by contacting Jackie Rossetti - 617-625-6600 x2614 - and $15 at the door.

Somerville Police Seek to Identify Armed Robbery Suspect

Somerville Police Seek to Identify Armed Robbery Suspect SOMERVILLE_ Somerville Police are seeking to identify the suspect in a brazen armed robbery that occurred in a busy supermarket parking lot. Shortly before 11:30 Sunday morning, the Somerville Police responded to the parking lot of the Market Basket located at 400 Somerville Avenue for a report of an armed robbery. The victim, a 45 year old woman from Somerville, stated that she pulled into the parking lot of Market Basket just shortly before 11:30 a.m. As she placed her vehicle in park, the suspect approached her drivers window and asked for a ride to the hospital. She told him "no". The victim then observed that the suspect was holding a large kitchen style knife in his hand. The suspect then ran over to the passenger side of her car and jumped into the passenger seat, before the victim could reach over to lock the door. Once inside the car, the suspect said "you're gonna give me a ride", and he reached to grab the victim's pocketbook which was sitting on the middle console. The victim grabbed her pocketbook and a struggle ensued inside the car. The victim managed to get her pocketbook and opened her door and falling onto the ground. The suspect then got out of the passenger side of the car and ran around to the victim where he began to punch her repeatedly on the head and back area. The victim was also kicked in the back and stomach by the suspect as she screamed for help. At this point, the victim observed the suspect grab his knife which had fallen to the ground during the beating. He then grabbed the victim's pocketbook and fled on foot towards Union Square. The suspect fled with a small amount of cash which was in her pocketbook along with her bank ATM card. The victim was bruised and sore from the attack but was not transported to a hospital The description of the suspect was as follows; white male, approximately 25-30 years old, 6'1, thin build, flat top hair cut neatly trimmed wearing a grey long sleeved shirt with white lettering on the front, blue jeans and white sneakers. Anyone who was in the area of the Market Basket lot shortly before 11:30 a.m. and saw this attack or has any information about the identity of the suspect, is urged to contact Somerville Police at 617 625-1212. . .

Man Arrested In Connection With Murder Of Everett Woman

WOBURN - A Somerville man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of Sheila Dos Santos, 26, of Everett, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone and Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie informed the public today. Antonio Marcos Ferreira, 38, was arrested today in Charlestown and charged with first degree murder. He will be arraigned on Tuesday morning in Malden District Court. According to authorities, on Friday, October 2, Everett Police responded to a 911 call which had been made at 4:32 AM reporting a woman with multiple stab wounds. Police went to 154 Main Street in response to the call and discovered the victim, later identified as Sheila Dos Santos. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and an autopsy was performed. The ME ruled the victim's death a homicide caused by multiple stab wounds. Everett Police and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office commenced an investigation into the circumstances of the stabbing. Based on that investigation, it is alleged that the defendant stabbed the victim outside her apartment multiple times earlier in the morning. The defendant and victim dated off and on until nine months ago when the victim told him she no longer wanted to date him. The defendant continued to pursue a dating relationship with the victim, despite her rejection. It is alleged that the defendant expressed extreme displeasure with her rejection of him, ultimately stabbing and killing her when she returned home from work early that morning. Evidence has placed the defendant in the vicinity of the murder at the time that it is alleged to have occurred. DNA evidence has also further connected the defendant with the murder. These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant District Attorney Adrienne Lynch. The case is being investigated by Everett Police and the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.

 

Newstalk for October 7

This Saturday down at Assembly Square on the River the second annual fireworks display presented by Federal Realty Investment Trust along with Mayor Joe Curtatone. This is the second annual River fest from 4p.m. to 8p.m. featuring music, performers, activities and games for the entire family as well as food, then at 8p.m. a full half hour of fireworks will begin. Last year was great; this year should be even better. *************** Our own Congressman Mike Capuano, who is seeking the vacant Senate, seat is being seen all over the state and being received very well.... But, if you would like to help in any way, they can use volunteers down at headquarters on Third Street in Cambridge. Would be nice to have the seat filled with Mike, he will never disappoint you when he wants to get his point across to you. *************** Happy Birthday this week Nurse Gay Koty who works for the City Board of Health, many happy returns to her, she's a very nice person and is a great nurse. Also a Happy Birthday out to our own good friend Joe "aka Trooper Joe" Medeiros who will be celebrating this Thursday. Joe's a great guy and we wish him many more birthdays' celebrations to come. *************** We hear that that property on Cross Street owned by the chairman of the Board of Appeals is for sale, with the permits to build.Hopefully someone will buy it and do something to add to that corner in East Somerville and soon. *************** Alderman at Large Jack Connolly recently received his third stripe brown belt in martial arts here in Somerville; also he will be having fundraiser Oct. 15 at Orleans in Davis Square 6-8 p.m. Another popular Alderman from Ward 4 also the President of the Board of Alderman Walter Pero will be having a fundraiser on Oct. 19 at the Bread & Company in Winter Hill. FYI if you haven't been to the Bread & Co yet, you're in for a treat, mention you saw it here when your ordering. They have the best breads around. *************** Whose car was recently booted and towed or unpaid parking tickets over in the Ten Hills on Shore Drive? Seems like it could be a family member of a candidate for alderman-at-large, or was it? *************** Get well to Somerville Police Captain Mike Devereaux who was recently involved in a crash while driving his Police bicycle, Captain Devereaux was transported to and area hospital where he was treated for head and face injuries for the crash. He is said to be doing better. *************** Join the Teele Square restaurants celebrating their first annual "Teele Square Fall Fest" that will be taking place on Sunday, Oct. 18 from 12 to 4p.m. Teele Square will be shut down for the day to traffic while the restaurants take their menus to the streets, almost like and old fashion block party. *************** Just a reminder: Don't miss our own Jimmy DelPonte as he hits the keyboard at Amelia's Kitchen in Teele Square on Thursday, Oct. 8 7-9p.m. *************** The Somerville Lions Club will host at their headquarters (9 New Washington St) a Somerville & Chinatown Lions Dinner Theater Show, starring Joey Canzano, man of many voices. Also featured will be the hilarious comedy of some of Boston's best stand up comics. The event happens Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $50 per person. Call King Lion, our own Billy Tauro, at (617) 293-2016. All proceeds go to local Somerville charities. *************** The Somerville News will be hosting its third annual meet the public night at the Precinct Bar in Union Square Wednesday Oct. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. All those associated with the paper, including advertisers, people we did stories on and anyone in the public come out and meet the publishers, editors, and of course our own Cam, who writes Olio.... *************** Condolences this week to the family of retired Police Officer John Mahoney, aka to all the other police as John Mahoney #1, who passed away last week. The other retired Police officer, aka John Mahoney #2, passed away few months back. The symbols #1 & #2 were the distinctions on how they were called and answered to at roll call in the mornings down at the station. They both were very nice guys and will surely be missed by all that served with them and here in Somerville community. *************** Also condolences to the family and friends of Dominic Ventreca, of Greater Metropolitan Real Estate. Dominic was a great guy and will be missed by many. *************** Don't forget about the Mason's open house coming up on Saturday, Oct. 17 9a.m. to 3p.m. .... King Solomon's Lodge which is going on 226 years will be giving a tour of the building and all sorts of ancient items that the lodge has in its possession.... 125 Highland Avenue rear building walk up the driveway or drive up to the parking lot ...rear building double doors and come in and ask all your questions. Two lodges currently meet there.... King Solomon's Lodge is the one that owns the building and is 226 years old; Somerville Lodge is also located in the building and is almost 100 years old. This is your opportunity to ask any questions you may have about Masonry and what it is. **************** Saint Clements Parish is having its annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, Oct. 24 at the parish hall. Proceeds go to defray expenses at St. Clements elementary and high school.

Residents demand more changes to Summer Street development

Attorney Rich DiGirolamo explains the features of the plans for a new VFW Dilboy Post, which would swap land with a proposed condominium development. Long-time 343 Summer St. development opponent Evdokia Nikolova points out some of her concerns with the new plans to developer Roberto Arista. ~Photos by Tom Nash By Tom Nash Abutters of a long-embattled Davis Square condo development renewed concerns about the project dwarfing their neighborhood at a Sept. 30 community meeting, where representatives for the developer assured residents they are listening. "The developer has come forward with a [new] idea," Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz said at the meeting, held at the Dilboy Post. "There have now been more ideas ... and the developer wanted to seek neighborhood feedback." The 26 residents from an area abutting the still-empty lot on 343 Summer St., just behind the Veterans of Foreign Wars' Dilboy Post, remain skeptical. Four of the neighbors in attendance at the Sept. 30 meeting have filed litigation against the project during the past five years. During that time, the project has technically changed hands three times, although it has remained within the same group of investors. The Summer Street property where a group known as Emerald Development planned to build a 14-unit condominium development since 2002 has remained empty as a series of litigation has stalled progress. A 2004 suit by abutter Dr. Mohamed Hanif Butt found its way to the Massachusetts Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Emerald, now known as Dakota. The original plans called for the structure to reach under the foundation of Butt's orthodontist practice, one of the several factors Gewirtz said has kept the project in limbo for nearly a decade. "The reason this has gone on for so long is the developer has refused to work with the neighborhood," Gewirtz said after the meeting. With the construction permit on the brink of lapsing early this year, the Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved an extension at its Feb. 18 meeting. After residents called into question the erroneous justification that it could only be renewed once, city officials told them a recording of the meeting had accidentally malfunctioned. While Dakota has until March 2010 to begin work, their ongoing lawsuit against the city over a proposed fire lane that would take down a public shade tree continues to block progress. Gewirtz, who organized the Sept. 30 meeting and one in April, is among the city officials named in the suit for her efforts to prevent the tree from coming down. In addition to Dakota's litigation against the city, which the group used as the justification for hardship to gain the permit extension, a lawsuit filed March 9 by residents Carol Dempkowski, Nancy Iappini and George O'Shea alleges the ZBA overstepped the boundaries of what city ordinance defines as "hardship." New plans, new concerns At the Wednesday meeting, DiGirolamo said that aside from resolving the tree issue, "Dakota has the right to build." "But we're not here to talk about that project," he said. Instead, he and developer Roberto Arista came armed with revamped designs based on a plan unveiled in April that would include a four-story, 30-unit condominium project on the site of the current VFW post's parking lot. A new VFW would be built on the site Dakota currently owns, in what DiGirolamo termed a "land swap." The developer of the sites, DiGirolamo said, is now known as Strategic Capital Group. Cambridge-based Oaktree Development was presented as the likely builder at the April community meeting but has since backed out. Arista, presented both in April and last week as one of the developers, is a partner at Dakota, but said the project was now operating independently. The new plans call for "low intensity" commercial space on the ground floor, which DiGirolamo said would not be intended for retail use, although residents expressed doubt that the developer could mandate the space not be used by retail businesses despite his assurances. Residents also expressed concern over both the added traffic to the neighborhood and the 67 parking spaces that will be allotted to the condominiums. DiGirolamo said an independent traffic study estimates the development will generate 225 trips per day. "This building has become antiquated for their needs and would need serious refurbishing," DiGirolamo said. "This would be their new home." Uncertain future for current VFW site While he said the VFW's neighbor, Winter Hill Bank, has expressed interest in buying the other side of the building and expanding, nothing has been finalized. The plans still lack a fire lane, one of the central areas of dispute throughout the history of the project. Nancy Iappini, one of four residents who has sued Dakota over the project, asked why one wasn't included in the revamped design. "Don't talk around me on the fire lane issue," Iappini told DiGirolamo . "We've been at it for 10 years." The proposed VFW plans were also called into question by Iappini and others concerned that windows from the bar area would be in view of people's homes. "None of this is set in stone," DiGirolamo said, adding that the plans would be filed with the city by late October and subject to ZBA approval. Gewirtz said a third community meeting would be scheduled for the last week of October. Most of the residents who spoke expressed a desire for a structure of no more than three stories, and that a scale model be presented to show how such a building would affect the neighborhood. In addition to Gewirtz, all four aldermen-at-large attended the meeting, with Bruce Desmond asking DiGirolamo to take the neighbors' concerns seriously. "Like my colleagues here we've been fighting this development for years," Desmond said. "I hope that Rich when you go to the developer that you really impress upon them that they have to lower the scale of that building." Gewirtz is optimistic that the final plans would be acceptable. "My expectation is that this situation will work itself out in the best way for the neighborhood," she said. "I think (Dakota)has taken a lesson away from the situation they experienced, and my impression is that there's a more collaborative approach."

Man who was awarded settlement by city arrested

By Aaron Crear A Somerville resident who previously filed a $10 million lawsuit against the city for alleged police brutality was arrested again recently. 22 year old Ralph "Ralf" Romelus, of 10 Winter Hill Circle, was arrested on September 18 for driving with a suspended license. Romelus was driving on Tennyson Street when officers who had responded nearby for a separate incident ran a routine license plate query. The license plate search came back clean, however, the operator's license returned as Suspended. The vehicle was then stopped and officers confirmed the operator, Ralf Romelus, had indeed been driving with a suspended license. Upon searching the suspect and his vehicle officers recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun which had been reported stolen, a shotgun which had its serial number filed off and 2 bags of what is alleged to have been marijuana according to the police report. Romelus, who did not have a license to carry firearms was charged with numerous offenses including illegal possession of a firearm, defacing firearm serial number, possession of a class D substance and receiving stolen property over $250. Romelus, a former Marine, was awarded $225,000 by the city in 2009, although under the settlement the city admitted no wrongdoing. The payout was the result of an alleged beating that Romelus received in July 2006 by Somerville Police Officers James Slattery, Sean Sylvester and Kevin Shackelford. Romelus needed 18 staples to repair damage allegedly inflicted by police. The event began when officers questioned Romelus about his involvement in a possible drug deal while working at the Good Time Emporium. The officers involved arrested Romelus and charged him with Assault and Battery on a police officer, for allegedly striking Officer Sylvester, as well as resisting arrest. It is unclear what, if any, disciplinary measures were taken against the officers. The three officers involved in the incident were listed as active members of the department according to the city's proposed 2010 fiscal budget. Romelus, whose attorney claimed the attack was racially motivated, was acquitted of the charges during a jury trial in July 2007. When asked if the arresting officers took any special precautions given the department's past history with the suspect Deputy Chief Paul Upton replied, "The arrest and search of his person and the inventory of his vehicle, was conducted according to proper police procedure and the same is required to be done for every similarly-situated person. He was booked and released in the usual manner." Neither Romelus nor his attorney could be reached for comment. He will be back in court on December 1, 2009 for a pre-trial hearing.

Transition Town Somerville calls for energy crisis plan

By Julia Fairclough The climate crisis, the energy crunch and economic instability are three main forces that have caused communities to start thinking about how they can be more resilient, including Somerville. A group of citizens are taking this a step further by working to make Somerville a Transition Town, a concept that originated in Ireland and is taking hold around the world. The main aim of a Transition Town, organizers say, is to raise awareness of sustainable living and build local resilience. Communities are encouraged to seek out methods for reducing energy usage as well as increasing self-reliance, such as community gardens used to grow food. "Transition is about building community to build resiliency and to have more support systems," said Vanessa Rule, a Somerville resident who helped found Transition Town Somerville. "Instead of working against something, it's about creating a better future." The group of about a dozen residents has met several times since its inception last spring to discuss initiatives, create steering groups and work on getting the word out. The project began after Rule, also a chairperson of Somerville Climate Action, attended a workshop on Transition Towns last November and decided to start the movement here. The group is working on making Somerville a certified "Transition Town." Co-organizer Emily Hardt, who also attended the Transition seminar last fall, said she was immediately interested in organizing a Somerville group. "It has a more positive vision and is very much about envisioning the future we want and to work collectively to make this a reality," she said. Group member Patricia Wild said getting the message out about the dwindling energy without sounding "doomsday" is the challenge. "It is a tricky message, but also there's an amazing component of 'let's do this together,' " Wild said. "A lot of people do think about riding bikes, taking public transportation, growing their own food and buying local because there is a kind of hippiness and green flavor to it. But I don't think that as a community Somerville gets that we have to do all those kinds of things and more because in 15 years there may not be any more oil." Aside from awareness events, Rule said the ultimate goal is to create what she called an "energy descent plan." "We live in a carbon-contained world," Rule said, "so how do we continue to grow the community while decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels, and then develop a plan for that across the community." "It's not as if you walk out of the house and smell CO2 and see the threat," she added. "When people are dealing with the day-to-day that is tangible, it's hard for them to see. So for us, the challenge will be to how to communicate all this, and in ways that go beyond the bar graph and intellectual argument, to make it more engaging." Visit http://group.google.com/group/transitionsomerville for updates and meeting information.

Somerville charity volunteers travel to Vatican to see founder canonized

From left, Sister Gertrude Mary, Peg Riley, Elenor Dunne, and Sister Rose Veronica. By Beecher Tuttle Several supporters from Somerville plan to be at the Vatican when Jeanne Jugan, founder of the global charity organization Little Sisters of the Poor, is canonized by Pope Benedict XVI this Sunday. It is estimated 4,000 people from around the world will make the trip to the Vatican to see Jugan indoctrinated into Sainthood on Oct. 11, including Sisters, residents and supporters of the Jeanne Jugan Residence located on Highland Avenue. "It is positively wonderful," resident volunteer Peg Riley said of the chance to travel to the Vatican. "The joy is just pouring out of me." Jeanne Jugan founded the Little Sisters of the Poor in France in the 19th century, opening several homes to help support the needy and the elderly. Jugan's idea took hold, and there are now 202 homes bearing her name in 32 countries that care for the elderly in both a physical and spiritual way. The Massachusetts congregation, originally founded in Roxbury in 1870, moved to Somerville in 1889 and has remained on the same property since. Riley, who began volunteering at the Somerville congregation in 1947, will also be joined on the trip by Sister Gertrude Mary and Sister Rose Veronica, among others. For the members of the trip, this pilgrimage seems to be both a coronation of selfless icon, but also an opportunity -- a responsibility to enlighten citizens on a local and national level of an ulterior way of take care for those in their latter years. Sister Veronica said the ceremony will call attention to the need for improved elderly care. "The canonization of our mother Jeanne Jugan really brings a lot of awareness about the elderly and their need to be cared for -- especially in a society where youth is so valued," Sister Veronica said. "I think it brings to the forefront the necessity to really care for our elders and to see the value and wisdom that they bring to society." Sister Getrude Mary, the superior of the Somerville congregation, said she hopes to showcase a model for nursing systems on how to care for the elderly on more of a holistic level. "We have seen nursing homes evolve over the last 50 to 60 years from a very strong medical model, based on a hospital-like setting, to a social model where a sense of family is created," she said. "Jeanne Jugan stands out as a representation on how to create family and how to give the elderly a home away from home," Sister Mary added. "Hopefully, (the canonization) will focus attention on the evangelical virtue of fraternal charity, as well as the solidarity of those with little or no faith, yet who contribute to the welfare of their fellow men." The canonization will take place over several days and will culminate with a Mass service that will be televised live on cable channel EWTN Oct. 11 at 4 a.m. eastern standard time The Somerville congregation will hold a special Mass on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. at St. Catherine's, followed by an open house at the residence.