A surge in water bills
Many Somerville residents were shocked that their water bills had seen increases in the hundreds of dollars this month.
The Somerville Water Department explained that residents are being charged for previously unpaid water usage.
Outdated and imprecise water meters-which require water department employees to enter the houses of residents-are said to be the cause of the increases.
If the resident was not at home, employees would make a guess as to how much water had been used. Because some of these estimates were low, they led to serious under-billing. Residents are now being asked to pay back the balance.
In an effort to cushion the blow, the Water Department will allow customers to pay off the bills over a period of four months.
Man saves children from fast-moving fire in east Somerville
After a fire broke out in a Somerville house Jan. 6 due to a cooking accident, Kerry Hancock, a painter working nearby, rushed into the house to evacuate the three endangered occupants.
Hancock assisted in the rescue of two children-the homeowner's son and his friend-who were aware of the fire but unsure of what to do.
Hancock led the children outside to safety just seconds before flames consumed the house. The owner, Emanuel Couto, also escaped unharmed.
Firefighters could not confirm Hancock's story. But eyewitnesses said they saw a man enter the house and emerge with two children, and called Hancock "a real hero".
Couto has been in contact with the Red Cross, which provides clothing, shelter, and other necessities for disaster victims.
Cardiovascular death averted at Somerville funeral
Wray Wood (63), a Somerville resident, suffered a heart attack last week at the funeral of longtime friend Bill Eldridge.
As Wood was about to kneel over the casket to pay his respects, he collapsed. Observers saw he had stopped breathing and had no pulse.
Fortunately, Wood's daughter, Maureen Cahill, and an employee of the Doherty Funeral Home, Nancy Doherty-Neri, both had nursing backgrounds. They were able to administer CPR to Wood, keeping him alive until emergency personnel arrived and were able to revive him with a defibrillator.
Paramedic Dave Bishop said it was uncertain whether the shock or grief of the funeral had brought on the attack.
"It is unusual, but people drop everywhere," he said.
Wood is currently being treated in Mount Auburn Hospital for four broken ribs he sustained during the CPR process. Doctors have also implanted a pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat, and they said he is recovering well.
-compiled from the Somerville Journal by Chris Charron
