
City buildings will be closed Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day. Trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day.

Jessamy Shay Kilcollins wants you to love your clothes, and she’s getting you there one garment at a time. — Photo courtesy of Jessamy Shay Kilcollins
By Regina Arana
Choosing to repurpose something instead of throwing it away sounds simple, but in reality, we would prefer to toss an old shirt and buy a new one instead. This consumerist culture has become a big problem today.
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New rates will take effect on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Fee waivers will still apply for residents age 65+ or with disability placards or plates. — Photo by Bobbie Toner
The City of Somerville is updating residential and business parking permit fees, as well as parking meter rates as part of an ongoing effort to maintain and operate the City’s parking system amid rising costs and increasing demand for limited curb space.
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By David Dahlbacka
In Part 1, I described the structure of oral testimony to be given in a public hearing. In this part, I provide an example based on testimony I gave to the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization some years ago. I have annotated it with italicized notes indicating its structure. Key phrases are in boldface. I suggest that you read this testimony aloud with vigor to a person who has never heard it or read it before. Afterwards, ask them what they remember from it and whether they found the repetitions helpful or annoying. I am confident that they will remember the key points easily and that the repetitions added force to the testimony and were not at all annoying.
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Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte
I remember always being amazed at how many friends my father had. He was born in Somerville and loved living here. He used to march in the Memorial Day parade with the Italian American War Veterans every year. He was friends with a lot of politicians. Everywhere we went he knew someone. He’d stop in the middle of traffic to start “gas bagging” with someone he knew.
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