By William C. Shelton

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

People sometimes ask whether I’m ‚Äúconservative,‚Äù ‚Äúliberal,‚Äù ‚Äúprogressive,‚Äù ‚Äúlibertarian,‚Äù etc. I never know what to say. I’ve never fit comfortably into a single label, and I believe that they’re increasingly meaningless. Certainly today’s conservative and liberal policies bear little resemblance to their historical predecessors’ core beliefs.

Off The Shelf by Doug Holder

Gerald Richman is an energetic man, with a white bristle mustache and a strong sense of purpose. Richman, a professor of English at Suffolk University in Boston, is the creator of the online bibliography, “The Annotated Bibliography of Fiction Set in Boston.” It started out as a two page reading list for a course Richman taught: “Boston: A City of Fiction” at Suffolk. Later it turned into a 40-page list, and presently it is an online list of 240 pages with thousands of entries and detailed annotations. I talked with Richman on my Somerville Community Access TV Show “Poet to Poet: Writer to Writer.”

On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

Are you one of those lucky families who had a summer home or a cottage when you were growing up? I used to get invited to friends and relatives summer places when I was a kid – I always envied these lucky people. Some of these places have been handed down over generations. My family finally bought a place in Wareham in the 70’s – I went down a few times with the family and also with some college buddies, but mostly I just held wild parties at our house in Somerville while my parents went to the Cape every weekend. It was Camelot!

By Liz Nichols

Mopeds, scooters, and even a few electric bicycles filled Union Square Plaza Saturday for a night of music and video celebrating two-wheeled transportation. The scene was the first ever Somerville Moped-Scooter Rally & Concourse.

Pedestrians, cyclists, and car owners alike were welcome too at the all inclusive ArtsUnion event and the Somerville Arts Council.

Staying away from politics this week isn’t easy in a city like Somerville – but there is so much more to this community than the hustle and bustle of the pod people within our borders like the swallows returning to Capistrano. Maybe not as viscerally entertaining, but interesting and important, nonetheless.

One of the more important issues facing us as regular everyday residents in this urban jungle of ours is the increase in violence. Whether statistically real or not – the impression many people have is that violent crimes are on the rise and affecting neighborhoods that have seemed so docile for so many years. There doesn’t need to be a lot of ‚Äúshock and awe‚Äù involved to get people to think about it either.

Somerville football runs to victory in season opener

By Jack Nicas  

The rain may have been falling at Dilboy Stadium last Friday evening, but for the Somerville High School football team, it was a beautiful night. The team ran all over defending Division III Superbowl champion Greater Lawrence Technical High School, starting the season off with a 21-7 win.

By Jack Nicas

Vincente Lebron, drummer with the Somerville-based band Either/Orchestra, was freed from the South Bay House of Correction on Thursday, Sept. 4, almost three months after first being locked up on an immigration detainer. U.S. Immigration Judge Leonard Shapiro dropped deportation proceedings against Lebron after his two prior convictions were vacated. 

Lebron was detained in May at Logan Airport upon returning from his band’s European tour. His passport and green card were confiscated on the grounds of his prior convictions, which, at a July 10 hearing, Shapiro said were drug possession charges.

By George P. Hassett

The beach where Charles E. Shannon swam as a child will now bear his name.

Sandy Beach was renamed Shannon Beach on Saturday as friends, family and colleagues of the late senator came together to honor him not only as an elected official willing to help a constituent, but also as a good friend.

State Rep. Paul Donato, D-Medford, who helped pass the legislation to rename the beach, said it was a fitting tribute to Shannon “who loved the outdoors, worked to give our youth opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and loved life.”

By George P. Hassett

Police arrested an 18-year-old Lowell Street man today in connection with a series of car fires set on Highland Avenue and Aberdeen Road yesterday morning.

By George P. Hassett

The lawyer for a Cambridge man accused of killing a newly engaged man over a gold chain two years ago on Linden Street said his client was acting in self-defense.

Walter Norris, 22, shot and killed Bernard Johnson in self-defense on Aug. 30, while Johnson had a gun in his own hand, Norris’ attorney, Steve Neyman, said last week.