Former Somerville priest arraigned on child molestation charges, pleads not guilty
A former priest at Teele Square's Saint James Episcopal Church was arraigned Monday and charged with sexually assaulting a child. The priest, Paul LaCharite, 65, pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer said he "vehemently denies" the allegations against him.

$45 million Green Line contract
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors, meeting in Somerville Wednesday, authorized a $45 million contract for advanced preliminary and final design work on the Green Line Extension. The design work authorized will help the state apply for federal funds to pay for the transportation project.

Commemorating September 11
Somerville remembered September 11 this week with a candlelight vigil and a moment of silence in Davis Square.

Man allegedly attacks woman with weed whacker
On Sept. 9, in a dispute about landscaping, a man allegedly swung a weed whacker at a woman, lacerating her arms.

Opposition to Lincoln Park rehab
Neighbors gave city planners an earful Wednesday at a meeting about plans to rehabilitate Lincoln Park. Among other things, the plan calls for replacing the grass field with an artificial turf field. Neighbors feel they'll lose a valuable neighborhood resource. Meanwhile, the city points to a growing youth soccer program that needs space.

Somerville sheriff's deputy found guilty
Michael Dell'Isola, 52, of Somerville, a sergeant with the Middlesex Coundy Sheriff's Department, was found guilty Wednesday on cocaine charges.

Liquor license home rule petition stalls out in legislature
Somerville asked the state legislature to lift the state-imposed cap on liquor licenses in the city, but the legislature wasn't having it, according to proceedings from a Somerville Board of Aldermen meeting. Instead, the legislature will likely grant the city 10 new citywide licenses, but it will keep the city on the "quota system."

City statistics guru responds to "least attractive school district" designation
Daniel Hadley, director of SomerStat, the city's statistics department, took issue with a report on the real estate website Trulia that determined Somerville was one of the country's "least attractive school districts." In a letter to Somerville Patch, he called the study "an example of sloppy data analysis."