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Timothy Gager has been a ubiquitous presence on the Somerville Literary Scene. He and I founded The Somerville News Writers Festival in 2003, and he has hosted any number of Somerville writers at his Dire Series in Cambridge, Mass. Over the years I have reviewed any number of his books, both poetry and fiction. This week Mignon Ariel King reviews his latest book.
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I was introduced to Boyah J. Farah by Somerville poet Kirk Etherton at Bunker Hill Community College, where Boyah and I both teach. He had quite a story to tell, and I was lucky to have him share a poem with us for the LYRICAL. Boyah J. Farah is a refugee turned writer from Somalia whose works of nonfiction have been featured in The Guardian, Harvard Transition, Grub Daily, and Truthdig. A Judy Layzer Fellow, he is currently taking the Memoir Incubator at GrubStreet Creative Writing School in Boston.
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DMH Medical Director David Hoffman explained the intricacies of accurately assessing the suitability for patient placement in group homes such as the Central St. facility to attendees at the latest public safety meeting on the matter last week.
By Douglas Yu
Vinfen outlined an improved action plan to make sure Somerville residents’ safety at the latest public safety meeting on the matter at Winter Hill Community School on Dec. 2.
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— Photos by Claudia Ferro
The 9th Annual HONK! festival hit the streets of Somerville last weekend. The festival of activist bands was fun, colorful, and LOUD.
By Joseph A. Curtatone
(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)
You may have noticed that Somerville streets seem a little leafier lately. In a densely built urban city like Somerville, greening our streets and neighborhoods can be a difficult task, but it’s a challenge we’re committed to taking on. Part of the solution to that challenge is expanding our tree canopy, which is why last month we planted 575 new public trees throughout Somerville as we march toward our goal of planting 2,000 new trees by the end of 2015. Public trees do more than beautify our neighborhoods, although that’s important too. Increasing our tree canopy improves our air quality, saves energy costs and can even help slow down traffic and deter crime. In short: the healthier our trees, the healthier our community.
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Ride-sharing alternatives such as Uber are taking a bite out of the business models of traditional taxi services across the nation, as well as here at home, according to veteran drivers and cab company owners.
— Photo by Bobbie Toner
By Douglas Yu
Instead of calling a taxi company to send a cab, you can easily tap a few buttons on your smartphone and locate an UberX car that costs about 20 percent less than a normal cab.
However, this well-funded ride-sharing company from San Francisco is threatening the livelihood of Boston area cab drivers and slowly eating away their business.
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The standing District of Attorney of Middlesex County, Marian T. Ryan shared her thoughts on many topical issues of concern with The Somerville Times.
By Jeremy F. van der Heiden
This is the third part of a three-part series for The Somerville Times interview with Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan.
Now that we have discussed Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan’s back story, thoughts on Somerville, the county and the state at large, we will move directly into the final portion of this series, in which the conversation turns to broader topics.
As a reminder, D.A. Ryan will be running for election to maintain her position this fall.
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The OPENAIR Circus celebrated its 29th year in performance last weekend.
By Melissa E. Pike
Chairperson and teacher for the OPENAIR Circus, Peter Jehlen said, “The OPENAIR Circus is celebrating its 29th year. We’re excited to have so many of our teens staying involved and moving into teacher positions.”
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The standing District of Attorney of Middlesex County, Marian T. Ryan. — Photo by Jeremy van der Heiden
By Jeremy F. van der Heiden
This is the second part of a three-part series for The Somerville Times interview with Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan.
In the first part of our interview with Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan, we discussed the path she took to reach her current position, as well as some of the challenges that are facing Somerville.
Now, we will go into the complexities that Middlesex County – the 23rd most populous county in the nation and first most populous in New England – faces as a whole, as well as the state of the prison system.
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