5 Things: Pizza Shop Owner Arraigned on Pot Charge; City Denies False Arrest Claim

Good morning. Here are five things to know today:

The city has denied any wrongdoing in response to a lawsuit filed by a local man who claims police twice arrested and held him on a recalled warrant. James Twohig, 31, is suing the city in federal court for $500,000, claiming it violated his 14th amendment rights when Medford Police held him from June 25 to 28, 2010 and again on April 22 to 25 this year on a warrant out of Norfolk County that had been recalled.

The owner of a local pizza shop had his bail set at $10,000 last week on a charge alleging he was caught loading about 250 pounds of marijuana into his pick-up truck in August. Nikita Yanakopulos, 34, of Medford, was arraigned in Middlesex County Superior Court last Thursday on a charge of trafficking over 100 pounds of marijuana, according to a press release from District Attorney Gerry Leone. Prosecutors have estimated the pot was worth about $750,000.

3. Cold and Breezy: Temperatures are expected to peak around 37 degrees today, with sunny skies and winds as high as 22 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

Middlesex Superior Court Judge Thomas Murtagh denied a motion made by the city of Somerville that sought to halt an arbitration agreement that awards millions of dollars in back pay to Somerville's firefighters. The back pay amounts to at least $4.3 million for Somerville's firefighters.

Take the kids to Medford Public Library at 10 a.m. today for the weekly story time and simple craft project.