Results tagged “somervillenews”

--The BPD tied up some loose ends with an armed robbery arrest that happened on the 23rd. They also arrested a 17-year-old and a 20-year-old for pot and guns, while a 17-year-old was arrested for breaking into cars in Dorchester and a 19-year-old was arrested for a road-rage incident on Milk Street. [BPD News]

The Somerville News reported some heartbreaking book news--McIntyre and Moore Bookstore of Davis Square, the perfect place to find literary buried treasure, is closing.

--A massive fire that started in an abandoned nightclub and eventually destroyed 14 buildings in downtown Lawrence broke into the national news. In a miracle given the size of the fire, no one was hurt. However, 30 families were displaced. Authorities think the fire is suspicious. The owner, who was in the process of turning the spot into a restaurant, says he has no insurance and that someone "jealous of his success" started it. [Boston Globe, Boston Herald]

Apologies for the lateness of this one.

Ten members of the Teamsters Local 25, who are trying to unionize the FW Russell Disposal Company, were arrested yesterday after a clash with police in Somerville. The Teamsters were picketing the company and had padlocked the gate.

--The BPD arrested two people in the South End for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. The gun wouldn't have been discovered if it hadn't accidentally gone off in the bathroom. The Herald reported that the woman who was arrested was the mother of Dontel Jeffers, the child who died at the hands of his foster mother, who was recently sentenced for the crime. Laurel Sweet writes, "Crystal Claiborn [Jeffers' mother] claimed that while aiming the...

--When word got out that Mayor Menino wanted to bring in a petting zoo to revitalize Downtown Crossing, we thought it was a joke. But it turns out that the barnyard animals are at the crossing on weekends outside Filene's Basement. Animal activists are underwhelmed, and how can looking at sad, cold animals inspire people to shop? [Boston Herald] --Wondering what all the screaming was about early yesterday evening at Downtown Crossing? It didn't...

--State Senate President Therese Murray ruled that a nonbinding referendum on Governor Deval Patrick's plan to allow three casino licenses in the state could not be added to the March primary ballot. [Boston Globe] --Meanwhile, the state Senate voted 35 to 5 to pass a measure that would move next year's Massachusetts presidential primary from March 4 to February 5. [WBZ] --In an appalling case, a former Somerville police officer was found guilty yesterday...

If you walk through Cambridge, you would think that everyone is running for office based on the number of signs on residential streets. Finally, the day has arrived to vote for the city council and the school committee. There are nine open seats on the council, eight incumbents are running again, and several newbies want their jobs. The Cambridge Chronicle has a well-done list of profiles for each candidate. The big story of the election...

After much debate over whether or not the blue-and-yellow DIY furniture behemoth that is IKEA would be good for Somerville, IKEA has received permits to start building at Assembly Square. George Hassett at the Somerville News reports that construction will begin next summer, 10 years after IKEA first started making noise about moving in. That doesn't mean everyone's issues with the IKEA have been resolved. Somerville residents still want dibs on the jobs the IKEA...

Those hoping for an extension of the Green Line into Somerville and Medford may have finally gotten a some good news. Governor Deval Patrick said on Friday that the state will request $300 million from the feds to build the extension. Now, Patrick is saying that the line should be running by 2014. Recently, Patrick had pushed the date back to 2016 because of funding troubles, and Somerville officials "threatened to sue." The Somerville News...

--Don't mess with the elderly in this city. They are not easy targets. A guy found that out when he tried to steal an old woman's purse at the Downtown Crossing T stop. On Wednesday night, Christopher Linehan, 29, of Dorchester, tried to snatch the purse of the unidentified 79-year-old woman. Neither party would let go of the purse, so Linehan tried dragging the woman to one of the black turnstiles. Good Samaritans started blocking...

--There are times when a police officer must stifle laughter. And yesterday had to be one of those times when police investigated an alarm that had gone off in a Dorchester house. The incident caused quite a stir, as the owner told police there were guns in the house. When a SWAT team forced its way in, they discovered 41-year-old Laura Buchman - in the clothes dryer. She must have smelled spring fresh. She's been...

IKEA is already here, in Stoughton, but the blue-and-yellow behemoth might be moving even closer. The Somerville News reports that the Swedish store with the make-it-yourself furniture has applied to start construction in Assembly Square. The arrival of the store could mean good news (new jobs!) and bad news (ugly traffic). IKEA tries to be soothing, well-organized, and clever, but the long lines at IKEA and technical furniture difficulties tend to put individuals in a...

The world's most expensive bottle of beer is being shipped – very carefully, we hope – to Somerville. According to the Somerville News, a resident of the city will pay over $500,000 for an unopened bottle of Allsopp's Arctic Ale on eBay. The beer was brewed in 1852 and is 155 years old. The Somerville News provides the history of the beer, a special mix with high-alcohol content that went on a trip to the...

--It's pathetic, totally pathetic, when people can't have a birthday party that doesn't end with shots fired and two dead bodies. Yesterday in Dorchester, a birthday cookout was winding down. Two men were in a car leaving the cookout when a fight erupted and someone used guns to win. These deaths mark the 35th and 36th murders of the year. So, what about those increased foot patrols? --The Birthday Cookout Murders story doesn't end there....

--The BPD blotter writer had reason to be confused yesterday afternoon because something happened, only the BPD isn't exactly sure what it was. Here's what they know: In Brighton, two witnesses claim they saw three people "wearing sweaters, camouflaged clothing, and ski masks drag a white male off the sidewalk and push him into a van." The witnesses got a description of the car and a license plate number, but the BPD blotter writer is...

Update: Reader Ron points to Davis Square Live Journal, which has numerous harrowing reports from local residents following the crash. Somerville News and WBZ are reporting that the man who died was in the taxi. His name was Paul Farris. He was only 23 and a recent graduate of Tufts. --The action isn't stopping in Somerville. After a bank robbery in which an employee was tied up and left in the basement, a wild early-morning...

--The last thing we need, especially with a presidential election coming up, is for someone to add fuel to the flag-burning debate. On Thursday, someone in Natick destroyed a solar-powered trash container by stuffing it with American flags and setting them on fire. The person who did it must be trying to offend as many people as possible - the left by wrecking an environmental device, and the right by burning flags. We are all...

Another sexual assault took place in early yesterday morning in Medford, prompting police to send out warnings to local residents. The victim of the second assault got lucky - the suspect grabbed her, but a car passed, and he ran off. Tufts sent out a notice saying that three attacks of that nature have happened before April 23. Here is the police's description of this individual: "The attacker is described as white, heavy set, in...

The Good Time Emporium has a fascinating name, doesn't it? The Emporium has been the site of a coke bust, a fatal shooting yesterday, and a pepper-spray incident, which we'll get to in a minute. They don’t call it "New England's Largest Indoor Entertainment Destination" for nothing.

--Someone took the name of a Somerville sports bar quite literally when they brought in 46.7 grams (about 2 ounces) of cocaine into the Good Time Emporium. These fellas took the tagline of the Good Time Emporium – "New England's Largest Indoor Entertainment Destination" – way too literally. Somerville News reports that police officers swiftly took the two in, not just for the abundant white powder but also for the three rounds of ammo they...

Never in the history of the blotter did we expect to have anything on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who appears to be made of Teflon. And he's still made of Teflon. But he has a few unpaid parking tickets that he might want to clear up, for old times' sake. The Somerville News reported: "Obama’s disobedience of the rules of the road earned him $140 in fines from the City of Cambridge. The tickets...

Long ago, when the happy promise of springtime filled the air, Bostonist told you that Somerville was making plans to be the first Boston-area municipality (and only the second in the whole Commonwealth) to implement a 311 phone line for non-emergency calls to city government. Back then, it didn't seem like much of a big deal. "Non-emergency calls to Somerville?!" you scoffed. "Forget that! It's the middle of May! I'm going to go drink beer and flirt with good-looking young people." But now, with winter holding you in its crushing, angry grip, the news that the system is actually up and running seems pretty exciting, doesn't it? OK, not really. But it's true: Somerville residents have now joined the illustrious ranks of New Yorkers, Chattanoogans, and others in being able to dial 311 for all their municipal needs.

Bostonist wrote a while back about a mysterious boat that turned up in an empty city-owned property near Somerville City Hall. Turns out the yacht belonged to Frankie Santangelo, a city employee who violated ethics rules by using city property for personal use. Santangelo was reprimanded by the city, and the brief scandal subsided for the time being. Until this weekend, that is.

It looks like the Curtatone family is trying to install a little dynasty up in Somerville. According to a piece on The Somerville News blog, Mayor Joe Curtatone's sister Maria Curtatone is throwing her hat in the ring for the State Senate seat held by the late Charlie Shannon. While common sense would seem to suggest that it's good timing to run for a Senate seat in a district which encompasses much of the city that your brother is a popular mayor (and with whom you share a name), this announcement may actually signify some deepening divisions among "old time" political circles in Somerville.

Despite a busy last few weeks with the death of State Senator Charlie Shannon and the political jockeying to replace him, a major drug bust on the Tufts campus and the long-anticipated beginning of reconstruction on the Lowell Street bridge, the major news in Somerville this week really doesn't hold water...in fact, it floats on water. The Somerville Journal reported last Thursday that a mysterious boat has been found in the Homan's Building, an...