Regional News Roundup: Murder Conviction in Medford, Texting for Tables in Melrose

Malden:
 Somerville Police arrested a Malden man who was allegedly intoxicated and making a scene at the  (a Catholic home on Highland Avenue run by nuns who have taken a vow of care for the elderly), according to a police report. Officers asked for the man's identification, and at that point he allegedly punched one of the officers in the chest and began screaming more profanities. He allegedly lunged at the officer and tried to push him in the chest. He was charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery on a police officer.

Medford: A Cambridge man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of manslaughter in connection to the beating death of a man in a Salem Street apartment in 2010, prosecutors said. Christopher Toppi, 29, pleaded guilty in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn the charge and was sentenced to 15 to 18 years in prison, according to a press release from the office of County Attorney Gerry Leone.

Melrose:: We’ve all been there: You approach the host stand at a busy restaurant in search of a table and receive a pager in return. It’s grimy, it’s covered in who knows how many germs and it doesn’t fit into your pocket because your phone is already there ... Bingo. That’s precisely what Andy Ellis, co-founder of the restaurant text messaging notification system Table’s Ready, thought two years ago while sitting in his Melrose residence.

Reading: ' The drug-related murder of who was a former RHMS athlete has sparked heated discussion in Reading on where the blame. Phil Vaccaro,Reading's long-time athletic director, is one of the invdividuals to come under fire for "letting things go" and giving "slaps on the wrists," to athletes. He on Reading Patch this week.