Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone was in Tampa, Fla. Tuesday to participate in the Democratic Party's "War Room" outside the Republican National Convention.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone joined former Barack Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other Democratic politicians in Tampa, Fla. Tuesday for a press conference in the Democrat's "War Room." The War Room was set up by the Obama campaign blocks away from Republican National Convention in order to counter statements made by speakers at the convention. Curtatone participated in the War Room's first major press conference, according to an AP report (which you can see in the videos section of this article). You can see the Somerville mayor on stage with Gibbs, Villaraigosa and others starting at about 40 seconds into the video. According to Boston.com, Curtatone spoke about the Massachusetts …
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
After getting pulled over once and swearing at a police officer assigned to the mayor's office, a Somerville man, laughing, sped past the mayor's car into oncoming traffic, according to a police report.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone waited in the car while a police officer assigned to his office made a traffic stop, issued a ticket, and ultimately arrested a man who was allegedly driving recklessly, according to a Somerville police report and the mayor's office. According to the police report, Officer Alan Monaco, who is assigned to the mayor's office, and Curtatone were sitting in traffic at Powder House Rotary in an unmarked police car at about 11:30 a.m. on July 24 when the incident happened. The traffic lights were red and there was a line of cars waiting for the signal to change when a man driving a 1994 Honda sped past everyone and went through a stop sign and red light, the report says. Monaco waited for the lights to change, …
42.398068
-71.106598
540 Broadway, Somerville, MA
/articles/report-driving-recklessly-around-mayor-s-police-detail-gets-man-arrested
/locations/7503735
Monday, July 23, 2012
The radio program took a look at Somerville’s efforts to increase physical activity and improve nutrition among its residents.
WBUR’s “Here and Now” radio program took a look Monday at Somerville's efforts to cut down on obesity and live healthier lifestyles. The show’s host, Robin Young, pointed to the overall transformation that has occurred in Somerville over the past few decades, and said, “Somerville residents are trying to get healthier.” The radio segment focused on the city’s Shape Up Somerville program, which encourages residents to be more active and eat healthier foods. Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone was Young’s guest. He said that when he became mayor in 2004, Tufts University showed him data that 40 percent of Somerville’s kids were obese or at risk of becoming obese. To combat the problem, the city has done a number of things, including changes …
Friday, July 20, 2012
If IKEA doesn't sell it's Assembly Square land to a developer, the city wants the ability to acquire the property, according to Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said "I fully expect" IKEA to sell its 12-acre parcel of land in Assembly Square to a new developer who will find a mixed-use, transportation-friendly use for the land. But if IKEA doesn't sell, the mayor wants the city of Somerville to have the power to take the parcel by eminent domain. Curtatone said the Somerville Redevelopment Authority will be asked to vote on July 26 on an amendment to the area's urban renewal plan that would classify IKEA's 12 acre plot as an "acquisition parcel." What that means, the mayor said, is that if, over time, there isn't sufficient movement toward developing the property, the city would have the power to take it by eminent domain. "We will not allow it to sit [undeveloped…
42.39285
-71.08148
Assembly Square Dr & Foley St, Somerville, MA
/articles/city-to-seek-eminent-domain-power-over-ikea-parcel-says-mayor
/locations/7469835
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone addressed the retail giant's plans to open a store in Somerville in the wake of a recent Mexican bribery scandal involving the company.
A recent bribery scandal involving Wal-Mart's activities in Mexico does not seem to have affected the mayor's stance on the company's plans to build a grocery store in Somerville. "We're really excited to learn more about Wal-Mart and more about [Wal-Mart's] Neighborhood Market," Joseph Curtatone, mayor of Somerville, said Tuesday morning on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" show. "Having access to quality, good and wholesome fresh food and produce in the urban core is something we strive for." "We also will have questions, like we would with any community and business partner," the mayor said. Curtatone was a guest on the show for a segment about Wal-Mart's plans to expand into urban areas in America and a recent bribery scandal that has sent…
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Mayor Joseph Curtatone spoke to the Somerville Chamber of Commerce Wednesday night, outlining Somerville's attributes and challenges.
Attracting large employers to the city is one of the biggest challenges facing Somerville, Joseph Curtatone, mayor of Somerville, said in a talk to the Somerville Chamber of Commerce Wednesday evening. Referring to the Assembly Row project in Assembly Square, the mayor said it's not difficult to attract retailers and residential developers to the city. But, "How do we get those transformative industries in Assembly Square?" he asked, referring to things like research and technology companies. "We're less than a mile from [MIT's] Kendall Square, why have we been leapfrogged by [Route] 495?" he asked, talking about an area of the state that has attracted research and technology firms. Overall, the mayor painted a possitive picture of …
42.395459
-71.121935
Davis Square Theatre
255 Elm St, Somerville, MA
/articles/mayor-tout-s-somerville-s-hipsters-says-attracting-large-employers-is-challenge
2051143
/locations/6803271
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Seniors are a "targeted" population, according to Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian.
Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian met with approximately 100 Somerville seniors Wednesday morning to launch the TRIAD program, which is designed to protect seniors from crime. Speaking at the Winter Hill Yacht Club, Koutoujian said, "Senior citizens are more targeted" by criminals than the general population. Criminals often target seniors with fraudulent mailings, phone calls, Internet scams and in-person cons, he said. The TRIAD program is designed to educate seniors and the public about scams, crimes and prevention techniques, he said. It's also designed to support seniors with community resources and unite them with local law enforcement organizations. Somerville is the first city in Middlesex County to launch the program, the …
42.393074
-71.080049
Winter Hill Yacht Club
85 Foley St, Somerville, MA
/articles/law-enforcement-leaders-talk-crime-and-prevention-to-somerville-seniors
786912
/locations/6782478
42.400832
-71.126017
Somerville Council on Aging
167 Holland St, Somerville, MA
/articles/law-enforcement-leaders-talk-crime-and-prevention-to-somerville-seniors
1426472
/locations/6782479
The mayor and the board of aldermen want to create "a framework for residential, community and commercial farming within the city limits," according to an announcement from the city.
The city of Somerville is trying to promote urban agriculture, according to an announcement sent by the office of Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone Tuesday. "We're not just talking about community gardens here, but other food production options that lend themselves to the urban environment, including aquaponics and hydroponics," he said in the announcement. Hydroponics allows people to grow earth-bound plants in nutrient-rich water, which means they can be grown indoors. Similarly, aquaponics is a type of vertical farming, often set up in warehouses, in which fish and plants are raised together. Fish effluent fertilizes the plants, and then the plants filter water for the fish. (Check out this Boston Globe article about it.) Curtatone is …
Friday, March 30, 2012
The inmates, who wear orange correctional facility suits, have worked at the police station, City Hall and the Department of Public Works, and they'll be conducting more work in upcoming months.
If the Somerville Police Station is looking brighter and smelling rosier, it's not because you just weaseled your way out of a speeding ticket. It's because the station is brighter and rosier. Well, not rosier … more like the smell of environmentally friendly cleaning product. Over the past month, the station has received a proper scrubbing, a fresh coat of paint, a good tidying up and some much needed maintenance and repairs, all thanks to a somewhat unlikely group of workers. Inmates from the Middlesex House of Correction, in Billerica, have conducted hours of work at the police station. They've also done similar work at Somerville City Hall and at the Department of Public Works. According to Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, …
42.379484
-71.09264
Somerville Police Department
220 Washington St, Somerville, MA
/articles/middlesex-county-inmates-spruce-up-somerville
1488749
/locations/6693397
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said if IKEA decides not to build in Assembly Square, it won't be difficult to find another way to develop its parcel. "We will dictate what will happen there," he said.
IKEA, the Swedish furniture company, is still going through an internal process of deciding whether or not to build a store in Somerville's Assembly Square, according to Joseph Curtatone, mayor of Somerville. Speaking on The Mayor's Report—guest-hosted by the editor of Somerville Patch—Curtatone said, "IKEA North America representatives would like to get going right now, but this will be a decision that comes right out of Sweden." "We want them here. If they come, that would be great. If they don't, well, we'll move forward," the mayor said. IKEA has been eyeing Assembly Square for over a decade. It first bought land in Assembly Square in the late 1990s, but a lawsuit with the Mystic View Task Force, a land-swap deal with Federal Realty …
42.39285
-71.08148
Foley St & Assembly Square Dr, Somerville, MA
/articles/city-still-waiting-on-ikea-to-make-decision-says-mayor
/locations/6670817
Jason
9:17 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012
Yes, who paid for this junket Joe, we or you? more ›