Week in Review: Bestsellers Re-Opens, West Nile Found, High Ridership for MBTA

After five years shuttered, Bestsellers Cafe in Medford Square re-opened at 7 a.m. Thursday, and plans to hold a grand opening celebration later in August, according to an announcement on its Facebook page. "Yes, the permits are in order, books have been discounted, food has been ordered, new books (plenty) have arrived....and the staff are anxious to meet everyone and welcome the community, too," the post, made Wednesday evening, said.  The store closed in 2007 when property owner Michael Casoli began building renovations originally expected to take six to 18 months. But the project hit a snag with soil problems beneath the building, and dragged on slowly for five years.

A jury has found a Medford man guilty of perjury for lying to the investigators of a killing at a Salem Street home in 2010, according to prosecutors. Roger Beattie, 33 was found guilty for perjury Monday following a four day trial in Middlesex County Superior Court in Woburn. He was immediately sentenced by Judge Sandra Hamlin to 4 to 6 years in state prison, according to a press release from Middlesex County Attorney Gerry Leone.

The West Nile Virus was found in mosquitoes in Medford, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services. Testing conducted on July 24 found the virus in mosquito pools in Medford, Malden and Melrose, according to state data. It is the second consecutive year the virus was found in Medford. The virus was found in mosquitos in Medford last August. Chances of acquiring mosquito borne diseases such as WNV or EEE are slim, but residents should be aware that these viruses can cause fever, meningitis or encephalitis, according to officials.

A Medford man was arrested in 2010 and 2011 on warrants that should not have existed, according to his attorney, and he is now taking aim at the state, claiming its warrant management system was to blame for six days of false imprisonment. James Twohig was held by Medford Police from June 25 to 28, 2010 and again on April 22 to 25, 2011 on warrants out of Norfolk County that should not have been in the state's system, according to defense attorney Laurence Cohen.

There were over 400 million passenger trips on the MBTA in fiscal year 2012, according to the transit authority—the highest yearly ridership in MBTA history.