Pictured right to left: Somerville resident, David Fletcher pictured with VP of Marketing and Strategic Planning Michael O’Connell, both of Mount Auburn Hospital. He has been inducted into the '2 ½ Gallon Club' of the Mount Auburn Hospital Blood Donor Program. David was honored in a ceremony during Donor Recognition Week.

Somerville
resident, David Fletcher, was recently inducted into the coveted '2 ¬Ω
Gallon Club' at Mount Auburn Hospital for donating gallons of blood to
the Mount Auburn Hospital Blood Donor Program. It takes a lot of time
and blood to get in the employee-only club, but the pursuit signifies
David's on-going commitment to donating blood, helping both the
hospital and the community it serves, said a spokeswoman for the
hospital. David works in the homecare department at Mount Auburn
Hospital in Cambridge.

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.)

East
Somerville is our city's oldest neighborhood. The stretch of Broadway
that runs between Sullivan Square and McGrath highway was a thriving
commercial and social center not all that long ago. Neighbors bought
groceries, clothing, and shoes there. They ate in its restaurants,
drank in its bars, were entertained in its theater, and worshiped at
St. Benedict's. Kids passed long, sun-drenched summer days in Foss and
Glen parks.

By George P. Hassett

A woman walking home from the Porter Square train station was knocked to the ground and attacked by a man on Sunday night, police said.

Police are looking for a suspect described as a white male, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, medium build, brown hair and clean shaven.

By Andrew Firestone

The stage was set for a showdown for the job of Somerville’s top cop this Wednesday, July 7, when community activists turned out at City Hall to learn about the final four candidates for the Chief of Police.

 By George P. Hassett

Police are looking for a suspect described as a white male, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, medium build, brown hair and clean shaven.

The woman told police she was able to pepper spray the man after he attacked her around Summer and Belmont streets and he fled the area.

“Somerville Police have increased patrols in this area and have shared this information with other Police Departments. Although we believe this to be an isolated incident, we want to alert residents, especially women, who may be walking in this area, to be especially vigilant. We encourage women to take common sense precautions, be aware of their surroundings and avoid distractions such as headphones and Ipods. If you carry a cell phone, keep it in an easily accessible place,” Deputy Chief Paul Upton said in a phone alert sent to Somerville residents.

~Photo by William Tauro

By William Tauro

The child was treated and later released. MBTA inspectors are investigating the matter.

~Photo by William Tauro

By William Tauro

With a complete powerwash as well as a fresh paint job, the Linwood St. storage company will soon have a new look while continuing to being a good neighbor.

Grover Taylor of Eat at Jumbo’s is a pioneer of environmentally conscious pizza. ~Photo by George P. Hassett

Hybrid boxes first in New England

By George P. Hassett

Owner Grover Taylor said he was inspired to pursue plastic boxes last year when he served 250 pizzas at Tufts University’s freshman orientation and saw the pies and cardboard boxes destroyed in less than 10 minutes. “It was awful,” he said. “There was cardboard everywhere.”

Industry experts estimate 200 million pounds of cardboard boxes are used each year, and most of that can’t be recycled because it has come into contact with food.

Taylor discovered the reusable, plastic pizza box and is now taking pre-orders at $10 for each “hybrid” box. Eat at Jumbo’s is offering customers $1 off a pizza if they reuse the washable box.