--Why merge the blotter with snow emergency announcements? 2007 appears to be ending quietly, blotter-wise, and, if the incoming storm is going to be as bad as the weatherheads say it is, someone's gonna get arrested for a parking-related problem.

In fact, the city of Boston has declared a snow emergency. The Mayor's Office announced that "the snow emergency and parking ban will go into effect at midnight tonight." For more Boston-related information, go to the city's Know Snow site. And here's Bostonist's condensed snow advice:

--From the Mayor's office in Boston: Do not park cars at "main arterials" or within 20 feet of an intersection, shovel out your hydrants, and do not throw back snow into the street. Get a full list of arterials by neighborhood from the City of Boston's website. Select your neighborhood from the dropdown list.

--Parking in Boston, from the Mayor's office: "During declared snow emergencies, discounted parking is available at several parking lots and garages to cars that display Boston resident parking stickers." Get a list of alternate parking areas from the City of Boston. Select your neighborhood from the dropdown list.

If you have any other questions about snow in Boston, contact the city's Storm Center hotline at (617) 635-3050.

Cambridge: A snow emergency and parking ban will start at midnight tonight, according to the Cambridge Chronicle. Find out if you can't park on your street by looking at the city's snow emergency map. If you are affected or find that your street has been flagged, you can park at the Galleria Mall, the First Street Garage, the Green Street Garage, and the 52 Oxford Garage for free. More details are at Cambridge's city site.

Somerville: Somerville's snow emergency went into effect earlier, at 6:00 pm tonight, according to the Journal. You can park on the odd-numbered side of the street only, and the city of Somerville lists lots where you can park for free.

Image of snowfall in Somerville from Varmazis from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr. Blotter with an incident at Redneck's Roast Beef after the jump.

--Last night, a guy was arrested for breaking the glass of Redneck's Roast Beef in Brighton. You might be a redneck if … you destroy someone's property. [BPD News]

--In Connecticut, a man was charged with raping a teenage illegal immigrant who thought he was helping her get from El Salvador to her family in Boston. [WBZ]

All charges alleged until proven under law.