Another day for Daly

Nancy Daly was a shoo-in for chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, after being nominated by the most-senior selectman (and former chairman) Robert Allen and approved unanimously on May 13. Daly took over in September, when former chairman Gil Hoy stepped down for personal reasons, and immediately faced an override decision and a contentious civil rights complaint. "Nancy had a rough start, and we felt it fair to give her a clean slate," said Selectwoman Betsy DeWitt. "Ambitious people may want the chair, but it's not everyone's goal in life."

"Dr. Bob," who has made it his mission to memorize the names of all 1,800 students in the high school he heads, is one of the better known faces in town. He is now also the recipient of one of the rarer leadership awards given out by the Brookline Education Foundation, the nonprofit that gives grants to the public schools. Headmaster Robert J. Weintraub this month garnered the Robert Sperber Award for Administrative Leadership, created in the name of the system's former superintendent. In the 10 years since the award was created, only three have been singled out for the honor. Sperber said that Weintraub, who has been Brookline High's headmaster for 16 years, has created innumerable programs, most notably an African-American scholars program that has helped minority students gain in language arts and math, and a tutorial program for special-needs students. Weintraub said the key to his job is to "keep laughing."

Brookline's traffic mavens have mapped out plans to make some of Brookline's streets more pedestrian-friendly. On the schedule this summer are a pedestrian signal near the Lincoln School at Walnut and Kennard/Chestnut streets; pedestrian "refuge" islands on Washington Street at Gardner Road; and a safer crossing on Clark Road at Cotswold, near the Runkle School. Future changes include better pedestrian access to Larz Anderson pPark across Goddard Avenue, sorting out bike, car, and pedestrian flows near Olmsted Park at Brookline Avenue and Aspinwall, and crossings to the Kenwood Street Playground.

Got a news item for Brookline? E-mail Andreae Downs at andreaedowns@yahoo.com.

While Cambridge has yet to follow in the footsteps of New York City, Brookline, and Boston in banning trans fats from local food service establishments, the city's Public Health Department report last week on the use of those pesky, often chemically altered fats in local restaurants contained some items of note. For example, more than a quarter of restaurants that are already trans-fat-free are of the international variety, including those serving Indian, Italian, Asian, and Mexican cuisine. The report also says that students in the public schools can expect all school menu offerings to be trans-fat-free at the start of the 2008-2009 school year. The Health Department hopes the city itself will follow suit soon afterward, with a ban recommended for implementation in July 2009.

Health-conscious eaters probably want to steer clear of not just trans fats, but fat-laden temptation of all kinds, but impulse may prove hard to resist when J.P. Licks and the Upper Crust open branches in Harvard Square this summer. The Jamaica Plain-based ice cream shop is scheduled to take up residence in Toscanini's former location across from Harvard Yard, and the tongue-in-cheek pizzeria is slotted for the spot previously known as the Museum of Useful Things. Visitors to the Square can expect to be officially overwhelmed with ice cream and pizza options. The new arrivals will bring the number of ice cream venues to at least five, and the number of pizza parlors to - too many to count. The number of available parking spots on a Saturday afternoon, however, remains at zero.

The term "Fragile X" filtered through the city's consciousness last summer when scientists at MIT published a paper hinting at new ways of treating individuals with the condition, which is hereditary and causes conditions such as autism. This year, Jim Vershbow, father of a teenage son with Fragile X, hopes to revive the awareness with a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Buckingham Browne & Nichols school on May 31. In past years, the tournament has attracted the likes of Patriots tight end Ben Watson and former Celtics forward Walter McCarty. Money raised in the tournament goes to support research for a treatment and cure of Fragile X. Entry forms are available from pjversh@comcast.net.

Got a news item for Cambridge? E-mail Victoria Cheng at vcheng@globe.com.

The Somerville Bicycle Committee and the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission are hosting a 10-mile bicycle tour of historical sights around Somerville next Saturday. The ride will start at 10 a.m. at Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., and will last three hours. The ride will feature historic landmarks such as the Prospect Hill tower and the historic Powder House and will end at the Somerville Museum, where refreshments will be served. The rain date is Sunday. For more information, e-mail rnewman@thecia.net or call 617-628-8895.

The city has partnered with the New England Rain Barrel Co. to offer Somerville residents discounted barrels to collect rain runoff, which can be used for such things as watering plants. The barrels cost $66.50 each, and orders must be placed by July 1. Rain barrels can be reserved by calling 877-977-3135 or ordering online at nerainbarrel.com. For more information about conserving water, contact the city's Environmental Protection Office at 617-625-6600, ext. 5070.

The city's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development has been awarded a $100,000 state grant to modernize and simplify the permitting process for development proposals.The agency's executive director, Monica Lamboy, said the goal is to post online information on all properties within the city limits. Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has said that streamlining the permitting process will encourage "the right kind of development" - smart growth and transit-oriented development. The city plans to put several of its properties on the market and is expected to propose new zoning for Union Square this summer.

Got a news item for Somerville? E-mail Danielle Dreilinger at djdreilinger@comcast.net.