The Robin Lane & The Chartbusters CD Release Show takes place at The Burren Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

By Blake Maddux

Before establishing herself in the Boston music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Robin Lane had been immersed in two very different Los Angeles entertainment realms.

Her father, Ken Lane, was Dean Martin’s pianist and had – the year that Robin was born – co-written Everybody Loves Somebody, which was recorded by Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, and Peggy Lee before Martin took to #1 in 1964.

According to studies cited at the city’s Open Space, Environment, and Energy Committee meeting last week, sturdy bamboo is one alternative to plastic. Others include paper and steel.

By Denise Keniston

An ordinance regulating the distribution of plastic straws and stirrers was met with some resistance at the Somerville City Council’s Open Space, Environment, and Energy Committee meeting on February 20.

The proposed ordinance would ban plastic straws and stirrers in Somerville bars and restaurants and any other public location that distributes straws.

Infrastructure repairs in and around Davis Sq. are badly needed, according to the advocacy group DavisNow.

By Jackson Ellison

DavisNow, an organization focused on repairing Davis Square, held a public meeting on February 13 at the Dilboy Post. The purpose of the meeting was to layout the current problems with the area that need to be addressed immediately. The meeting was attended by multiple city and government officials, as well as members of the community.

Jack Connolly, a former Alderman, says the city of Somerville has neglected Davis Sq. for years, causing it to fall into disrepair. DavisNow is pushing for small improvements, “We want stuff that is easily discernible fixed, we want bricks fixed, we want crosswalks fixed,” said Connolly.

Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, Somerville Police Chief David Fallon, and city staff invite you to a Powder House Blvd. Community Meeting on Tuesday, March 5. The meeting will include an update on the investigation into the February 8 fatal hit and run at Powder House Blvd. and Hardan Rd., as well as information about traffic calming measures on Powder House Blvd. Discussion will include information on the interim measures already in place, upcoming measures planned for the spring, a proposed plan for new permanent measures, and remaining options for community consideration. The meeting will start at 6:00 p.m. at the West Somerville Neighborhood School, 177 Powder House Blvd.

By Marshall Collins

The scientific community, lawmakers and much of the population know all too well that the climate is changing. This winter, we have seen extreme cold in Massachusetts and historically low temperatures in the Midwest. This past summer, high tides breached sea walls and eroded beaches up and down the New England coast. Most in the scientific community believe these extremes are a prelude to what lies ahead.

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

To the Editor:

Here in Massachusetts, we’re lucky to have an overwhelmingly big “d” Democratic Legislature. Unfortunately, it’s not very small “d” democratic.

We saw that on display on January 30th when the Massachusetts House voted down a series of common-sense transparency proposals. These proposals, which were hardly radical, would have provided state representatives with 72 hours to read bills before voting on them, 30 minutes to read amendments before voting on them, and published hearing testimony and committee roll call votes online.

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Sometimes we need to mention the obvious. The obvious being the old standby right in front of our eyes – that you see almost every day. The obvious, in this case, is Kelly’s Diner. When a restaurant is doing a great job then it merits mentioning. We don’t care if it’s a hot dog stand or a pizza truck, if the product being offered is really good, then it deserves our attention.

It might seem like a good idea to some, but others are a little wary of the prospect of those under the age of 18 to be given the vote, specifically for local city issues and initiatives.

Some very well meaning and civic minded parties have been pushing the idea, and the Somerville City Council has taken up the matter in consideration of filing a Home Rule Petition request for just such a change in our election laws.

Eagle Feathers #173 – The Third of March

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Celebrate, observe, proclaim, honor, live it up and show your pride. Somerville, it’s your birthday, and you are 177 years young … Happy Birthday!

Everyone has one, but people didn’t always acknowledge the date of their birth. The Egyptians were the first to start the practice of honoring anniversaries and birth dates. The Greeks followed, adding religious candles to the day of remembrance. Later the Romans celebrated not only the birth of their gods but also the birth of the common man. The Germans added sweet treats and confections to the party.

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Somerville Bagel Bard Luke Salisbury has a new novel coming out in the spring. I decided to reprint this review from The Forward.

Luke Salisbury’s stunning Civil War novel No Common War brings America’s bloodiest war to life through the eyes of a father, a son, and those who care about them.

Mason Salisbury, a staunch abolitionist, has seen the cruelty of slavery first hand. His son Moreau, called Ro, is an equally staunch pacifist – until he befriends a runaway slave. After Fort Sumter, Ro enlists and marches off to war with other young men from his small town in upstate New York.