Newstalk for the week February 1

Sorry bloggers, this is the abridged version of Newstalk. To read your favorite column in its entirety, you will have to pick up the print edition on the streets tomorrow morning.

We thought you’d want to know that your cell phone numbers are going public this week. All cell numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls. You will be charged for these calls as well, telemarketers will eat up your minutes with the cost going to you. So you need to call 888-382-1222, the National Do Not Call list, taking up a minute of your time but saving you a lot of money. This will block them from calling you for 5 years. We thought you should know if you didn’t already.
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Seems like there is an uprising all around the city regarding the meter increases and the aggressive behavior of the meter Nazi‚Äôs. It almost seems like they are stalking people around the city giving them tickets the second the meter is up. Did you notice the ticket for expired meter has gone to $20.00 as well? Apparently all prices went up, we‚Äôre not surprised. All along Somerville Avenue seems like the businesses want meters installed so as to block out-of-towner‚Äôs from parking there and heading into town. A lot of the businesses are upset over these cars being left there all day. This should be good news for the administration and an easy fix, take the meters out of the squares and install them along Somerville Avenue.   
One alderman this week said the mayor will be making an announcement concerning the new parking meter fees very soon. The alderman added that the announcement should please the business community and the customers they serve. We hope the mayor has listened to the numerous complaints lodged against the new fees and rolls the price of parking in Somerville back.

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We can‚Äôt confirm this one but we heard this as another means of taxation being talked about at City Hall, we heard it was mentioned and quickly shot down. Apparently someone has given the idea that the city can impose a fee on citizens that call the 911 for a police cruiser and tie up that officers time in any way especially for a motor vehicle violation (blocked intersection, blocked driveways, etc., etc.)    Will have to pay a service fee to the city for services rendered, so were glad it was shot down (we heard it was) but you can‚Äôt be sure it won‚Äôt be brought up again in the future.
       
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We also hear that there are definitely plans to move the police station to the old Powerhouse School site, with two sub stations at other locations in the city. Our question is what happened to the school being used by the city as a City Hall annex? The city was hoping to sell off the building on Evergreen Ave. and also get out of the expensive lease for their building on Holland Street, all of that was supposed to happen last September we thought.
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Lots of activity on our Web Site ‚Äì www.thesomervillenews.com. It seemed like there was going to be the revelation of who the mole was this week. At first it was thought it might be one individual but it could be more then one person, each with different writing styles, meant to throw off any suspicious investigators.  Maybe Ms. McCarthy is more then one person. Wow and she‚Äôs probably the best character on the web site. We maintain hope she‚Äôs just one person.   
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Marine Corps 1st Lt. Joseph F. Monahan son of William J. Monahan, from Somerville recently reported for duty with Marine Aviation Training Support Group 53, Naval Air Station  Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Washington. Monahan is a graduate of Matignon High School and joined the Marine Corps in July 1999.   He is a 2003 graduate of US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.  With a BS degree.
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We would like to congratulate the poet laureate of the Somerville News  — Doug Holder ‚Äì on his inclusion in the nationally released book ‚ÄúInside the Outside ‚Äì An Anthology of Avant-Garde American Poets.‚Äù Doug‚Äôs weekly poetry column is a very popular aspect of our paper and we are glad to have him be among the many talented individuals involved with The Somerville News. Congratulations Doug.
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At this week’s Board of Aldermen meeting, Sen. Jarrett Barrios presented his new Anti-Gang bill to the city. The bill is designed to attack the causes and consequences of gang activity in Massachusetts and seems to be a well balanced approach to keeping citizens safe. It also proves that, despite having little experience as a prosecutor, Barrios is dedicated to public safety, something he will surely tout during his campaign for Middlesex District Attorney.

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There are rumblings coming out of the powers that be in Medford, that a candidate will be opposing state Senator Pat Jehlen in the next election. We have not been told who it could be, only that it is someone with a strong, city-wide base.

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Ray Trant is stepping down from his post as the chairman of the city’s Licensing Board this week. Anyone who ever dealt with Ray, knows how much he will be missed. We hope his replacement will be as fair and thoughtful as he was.