Around the Region: Controversy Over Somerville's PorchFest, Firefighters Spar with Malden Mayor

featured over 100 musical acts who throughout the city Saturday, but some reports of excessively loud music, performances that lasted hours past their scheduled end time, crowds drinking and blocking roads, and other disturbances put a damper on the event for some residents. Gregory Jenkins, executive director of the , which organized PorchFest, expressed disappointment over the way a handful of musical acts behaved, and he said, "If it becomes a problem, we just won't hold the event [again]." -Chris Orchard

A group of Arlington residents told the Board of Selectmen Monday night that they have already collected enough signatures to force a special election regarding . The group, represented by longtime Town Meeting member George Laite and Black Diamond Landscapes’ Joseph Cusce Jr. at Monday’s meeting, plans to turn its petition in by Thursday’s deadline, the two men said. “It’s the American way, it’s the democratic way, to let the voters decide,” said Laite. -John Waller

A Thursday morning house fire in a Fremont St. triple-decker - only blocks from the city's former East Side Fire Station - came on the heels of a strong statement from the firefighter's union last week, criticizing Mayor Gary Christenson for failing to “prioritize the safety initiatives of our Malden Fire Fighters”, including the creation of a new station for the city's east side. “It appears that the Malden Fire Department and the concerns of Fire Fighters and citizens alike remain not a priority with the current administration,” union president George Romvos wrote in a statement. -Chris Caesar

Wakefield residents approved allowing sidewalk cafes and assisted living facilities to operate in town, but shot down the prospect of bed and breakfasts during the final night of town meeting Monday. Despite some discussion about whether or not the idea was feasible or if it would encourage a “barroom atmosphere” in the town, the article concerning sidewalk cafes passed with a large majority. -Sara Jacobi

Winchester is looking to make some parking changes around town. Planning Board Chairman Lance Grenzeback presented the proposed implementation schedule for the Winchester Town Center Parking Management Plan. “The plan would change the parking in town in order to meet identified parking needs, ensure that benefits and burdens are shared equitably across users groups, provide adequate time for the town to evaluate parking and pay station equipment and minimize town costs and maximize opportunities to monitor and adjust the program,” Grenzeback said. -Nate Homan