Fires and Serious Injuries Increased by Nearly 25% in 2025; One Fatality Reported

Fires, explosions, and serious injuries related to illegal fireworks spike each summer in Massachusetts, and fire service leaders are hoping to reverse last year’s increase over 2024.

Several community groups will jointly host a multi-community forum for the 2nd Middlesex State Senate candidates on July 16, 2026 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

How do Somerville people cope with a heat wave? I asked them, and here’s what they said.

“It used to be a bus, then hitch a ride to the Mystic Lakes. Then a window fan or two in the ‘parlor’!”

Free bottled water available at City Hall and all library branches during regular business hours Wednesday-Friday 

The City of Somerville has declared a Heat Emergency, effective Wednesday-Saturday, July 1-4, due to the dangerously hot temperatures forecast for this week. Feels-like temperatures around 110 degrees are expected, and temperatures are not expected to cool down much overnight. The City is making bottled water free and available to anyone who needs it at City Hall and all Somerville Public Library locations during regular business hours on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (while supplies last). 

Last Thursday at Project Outlook’s monthly meeting, seniors enjoyed making art and crafts for the 4th of July holiday. Project Outlook is organized by the Somerville Council on Aging, the group focuses on social connection, mutual support and enjoying a meal together in a welcoming environment. They meet monthly, typically on the third Thursday of the month at the Council on Aging’s Holland Street Center, 167 Holland Street.

The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff, or publishers)

The front of Hudson St.

By William A. White, Jr.

A number of residents have contacted Denise Provost and me about the construction on the small lot next to her home, the status of her lawsuit against the City, and about how our City government has responded to the zoning amendments I introduced. As someone who has practiced land use and zoning law in Somerville for decades, I can tell you this is among the worst planning decisions in the City’s history. Everyone should look closely at the accompanying photographs, because as of today, our entire City government is allowing this type of development to proceed unimpeded in our residential neighborhoods.

— Photos courtesy of Somerville United FC

By Christa Lee

Somerville now has its own homegrown soccer team. Soccer, being an international sport, is its own unifying language–a theme that Robert Onjiko, the coach, co-founder, and CEO of Somerville United FC, wants more of.