Townie Town Hall

Not every item of note can make it into Boston’s big dailies. We scoured the local papers to keep you up-to-date.

Breathe easy, Somerville: The Mystic View Task Force is testing the air quality around Assembly Square to set a baseline to gauge the impact of the 50,000 cars Ikea predicts will come to its newest location. Officials say it’s hard to judge the impact the additional traffic will have on residents until it actually shows up, so this is pretty much the evidence they’ll use in lawsuits when half of Somerville develops asthma. [Somerville Journal]

Does Bechtel do work on libraries now? The main branch of the Brookline Public Library is leaking, just three years after it was renovated. Since the town bungled the contract and didn’t go for the extended warranty on the building, taxpayers will pay the $110,000 to fix it. They’ll also pay the $825,000 tab to fix the adjacent garage. [Brookline Tab]

If so, let’s hope they stay away from JP: The Jamaica Plain branch of the Boston Public Library continues to have problems with its infrastructure. This time, the century-old building’s heater is on the fritz. [Jamaica Plain Gazette]

Time to start hanging out in someone else’s room: A Lesley College student reports that someone stole $250 worth of panties from her dorm room. We’re trying to figure out what college student has $250 worth of underwear. That’s 50 pairs of Victoria’s Secret panties. We hate doing laundry, but that money could have bought a whole lot of beer. [Cambridge Chronicle, third item]