NEWS IN BRIEF
Schools hunker down for '07
For the new schools budget to be presented Tuesday, school officials closed an anticipated budget gap of $1 million by subtracting about $500,000 in funding for staff positions (no classroom teachers will be cut), adding about $200,000 in fee increases for athletic and other programs, and making up the remainder through one-time funding shifts. ''It's a tougher budget situation than we've had in three years," Deputy Superintendent Peter C. Rowe said. Rising energy and employee benefit costs, along with a surprising increase in elementary school enrollment, have put extra pressure on the district's finances this year, he said.
Town, Comcast still adjusting picture
You can't really haggle with Comcast over your cable bill. But the Town of Brookline is different. Last summer, the cable giant's license to operate in Brookline expired, and since then town officials have been in talks with the company over the terms of renewal. ''We're getting close to a settlement," said Selectman Gil Hoy, who chairs the town's Cable Coordination Committee. At issue are the size of the cash payment that Brookline will receive from Comcast, and whether the company will continue to offer a discount for senior citizens. Negotiations also are underway with
Go ahead, but you need a warrant
Brookliners who say ''there ought to be a law" have just a few more days to do something about it, at least for the current legislative season. The monthlong period for posting an item on the town's official agenda ends Thursday, with the closing of the warrant for Town Meeting. To place an article on the warrant, a Brookline resident needs signatures from 10 registered voters. Town Clerk Patrick J. Ward suggests that those who want to put forth a ''citizen's petition" consult with the town counsel's office about how to frame an article.Got a news item for Brookline? E-mail Michael Slind at ciweek@globe.com.
Spare not the cartoon
The decision of the Cambridge newspaper, Spare Change News, to run a controversial cartoon may not have raised many eyebrows, but it did boost sales. The biweekly, published by the Homeless Empowerment Project, printed one of the Danish cartoons negatively depicting the Islamic prophet Mohammed that have incited riots across several continents. Samuel J. Scott, editor and executive director of the paper, said he received two phone calls, one positive, one negative, and one positive letter to the editor in response to his decision. Scott said the issue sold nearly 760 more copies than the previous one, but added that he made his move on free speech grounds. ''The cartoons had a chilling effect on American media, and that is a travesty." Increasing circulation was not a concern, he said, because the paper is nonprofit.
For Healy, three more years
Last week, city councilors voted to extend City Manager Robert W. Healy's contract for another three years. At Monday's council meeting, some citizens complained that Healy's fiscal management hurt the quality of city services, but councilors praised his performance. Cambridge has a Plan E form of government, where the elected council hires the city manager, who directs most daily local governance. Lowell is the only other city in the Commonwealth to use it, according to the Massachusetts Municipal Association website. This June will mark Healy's 25th year as city manager.Housing workers out in the cold
Despite below-freezing temperatures last Monday night, about 50 Cambridge Housing Authority workers gathered outside City Hall, asking for the City Council's help in negotiating a new contract. Some 65 members of Teamsters Local 122 have been without a contract for nearly a year, after balking at a offer they say proffered a pay raise below that of inflation for the first year, with only merit raises in future years. Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves and councilors Marjorie C. Decker and Anthony D. Galluccio pledged their support.Got a news item from Cambridge? E-mail Janice O'Leary at ciweek@globe.com
Shop and stop, in that order
The Board of Aldermen has asked the city's legal team to draft an ordinance requiring that all store shopping carts remain on store premises. Alderman William M. Roche said the carts give the city a junky appearance. "There are shopping carts all over the city," he told his fellow aldermen at a Feb. 23 meeting. By requiring that each cart come equipped with a wireless sensor system that locks its wheels if it's taken away from a store's property, the alderman hopes that fewer of them will be dumped around the city.
Zip up that loophole
The Board of Aldermen has asked the city's Traffic Commission to consider exempting Zipcars from the city's overnight parking restrictions for commercial vehicles. Zipcar Inc., the car-share program that allows drivers to reserve a car for as little as an hour, has a fleet scattered around the Boston area. Alderman Walter F. Pero said he has received calls from residents slapped with $25 parking tickets because the cars are considered commercial vehicles. Other aldermen also said the city should make the change to support Zipcar users. The company estimates that each of its vehicles takes at least 20 privately owned cars off the road.We are the world, artistically
ARTSomerville and Somerville Open Studios are looking for artists to participate in a new exhibit celebrating Somerville's eclectic influences. The deadline for submissions is Friday. The exhibit will feature artists of all mediums and will open on April 27 at the Nave Gallery at the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church at 155 Powderhouse Blvd. For more information, visit www.artsomerville.org. Got a news item for Somerville? E-mail Kristen Green at ciweek@globe.com. 
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