Planned Parenthood comes to Somerville
The first Planned Parenthood Express Center in the state of Massachusetts officially opened in Davis Square on Feb. 23.
According to Planned Parenthood, the center will "provide patients with convenient access to birth control, emergency contraception and screening for sexually transmitted diseases."
The state's Department of Public Health selected Somerville for the center because of its many young people and its lack of existing reproductive health centers.
The new location is also easily accessible by public transportation from Cambridge, Boston, and Lowell.
Eight protestors rallied with signs at the center's opening.
"I'm appalled to think that Planned Parenthood's tentacles are stretching out to this lovely community," Rachel Cann, one of the sign-holders, said.
Shooting at Somerville Restaurant
A shooting broke up a birthday party on the night of Saturday, Feb. 25 at an East Somerville Italian restaurant.
At approximately one a.m., the alleged shooter, Gared Alemshate, 20, walked into the bar at Mr. B's, an establishment at 142 Cross St, and opened fire.
No one was killed in the incident, but a man sitting at the bar suffered a gunshot wound to the arm.
Alemshate attempted to flee in his Jeep Cherokee, but the vehicle was stopped by police. When he ran out of the car, Alemshate threw a gun into the bushes before being apprehended.
Alemshate had previously been arrested twice in Somerville on cocaine charges.
Kidnapping attempt, in front of father, fails
Last Thursday, James Doucette, 20, was arrested on two kidnapping charges for picking up two boys from outside the Healey School without their father's permission.
According to the father, whose name has not been released, the Department of Social Services had previously told Doucette to stay away from the boys.
Doucette carried the boys inside his house after the father approached him; and then brought them to their mother at the Mystic Avenue Learning Center.
It appears that the mother of the two boys had lost custody of them to the father, to whom the boys were returned.
- compiled by Judith Wexler from the Somerville Journal
