September 3, 2026, Tufts facilities workers rally and march along with elected officials and community supporters at Tufts University Medford campus.~Photos courtesy 32BJ SEIU

Bargaining committee for 100 groundskeepers, skilled maintenance workers, and licensed trades workers is now authorized to call a strike at any moment

Tufts facilities workers at an outdoor rally on the Medford campus late Thursday afternoon voted unanimously in favor of striking if necessary. Together with a similar vote held earlier this week by facilities workers at Tufts’ Boston campus, the Medford vote now empowers the bargaining committee of the workers’ union, 32BJ SEIU, to call a strike at any moment. The bargaining committee sought this authority after months of negotiations made little progress on a new contract for the unit of 100 Tufts groundskeepers, skilled maintenance workers, and trades workers, which has been working without a contract since July 1.

The City of Somerville is seeking six new volunteer members to join the Somerville Commission for Women (SCW). If you’re passionate about advocating for the wellbeing and equity of women and gender minorities in our community, this is a great opportunity to make an impact.

City buildings will be closed Monday, September 7 in observance of Labor Day.

There will be no street sweeping on Monday 9/7 and all trash, recycling, and yard waste collection services will be delayed by one day.

Visit www.somervillema.gov/trash-and-recycling for all pickup information

By Dennis Fischman

An insular religious community is a great setting for a cozy mystery. Look at the Cambridge Friends in Quaker Silence for one example, and the Kate Burkholder series, set in Amish Country. In both cases, the number of suspects is manageable for the reader who’s trying to solve the mystery first. Solving the mystery involves learning a lot about the community it’s set in. That also applies to Jewish communities like the one Faye Kellerman writes about in The Ritual Bath and its many sequels.

On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the Somerville Council on Aging welcomed community members to their monthly Cultural Series luncheon at the Dilboy Post. The afternoon was filled with warmth, conversation, and the joy of shared experiences. Guests were treated to a performance by Rich O’Reilly, whose easygoing acoustic style set the perfect tone for the gathering. Blending classic pop, folk, and light Americana favorites, his music created a relaxed, inviting atmosphere that had many attendees smiling and reminiscing about familiar tunes. ~ Photos by Claudia Ferro

The City of Somerville’s Veterans’ Services Department invites community members to a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Friday, September 11, at 6 p.m. in Davis Square to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and honor all victims as well as first responders, workers, and volunteers who rushed to the scene to save lives or to later help carry out the dangerous cleanup.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

If you look around Somerville, you will still see some grand old brick structures that used to be elementary schools. The Brown, on Willow Ave., which was built in 1900, is the last one still actually being used as a school. Some of them have been converted into condos, such as The Lowe School on Morrison Ave. and the Carr School on Atherton.

The Somerville City Council approved a resolution to retain the MBTA bus Route 80 through the city. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Harry Kane

The MBTA is undertaking a large-scale redesign of the entire bus network called the Better Bus Network Project. As part of the improvements, the MBTA is cutting Route 80 through Somerville, City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen explained.