~Photo by Lita Vongsavanh

The Cities of Cambridge and Somerville, together with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), have submitted a joint Draft Updated Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to protect local waterways from pollution, the first in the nation to go beyond EPA guidance and prepare for climate change.

This year’s PorchFest takes place on Saturday, May 9, throughout the city.

Hear great tunes right in your neighborhood. Community members are invited to Somerville’s PorchFest on Saturday, May 9, an annual event that transforms porches and stoops across the city into mini-stages for a day of free, live musical performances. Hundreds of bands at more than 500 locations will be performing music ranging from indie, punk, and hip hop to Latin, jazz, country, and world music. Travel across the city or stay in your area to connect with neighbors (it is the Year of the Neighbor in Somerville after all).

Broadway Magoun Open House. The City of Somerville is planning to reconstruct sidewalks, repave, and redesign the segment of Broadway that passes through Magoun Square (Winchester Street to Central Street) to improve safety, accessibility, comfort, and sustainability. The Mobility Division is hosting an open house to share preliminary design concepts that seek to address these concerns and provide a safer, more comfortable experience for everyone using the street. Wednesday, May 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Arthur D. Healey School Cafeteria, 5 Meacham Street.

The city’s Legislative Matters Committee recently reviewed the annual report on surveillance technology.

By Regina Arana

The Somerville City Council’s Legislative Matters Committee met on Tuesday, April 28, to go over the city’s annual report on surveillance technology. The meeting touched on transparency efforts but also raised some real questions about oversight and costs.

Memorial Day will be celebrated on the last Monday in May to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the military. For detailed information on how this holiday came about, you can visit http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day.

Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus School was founded in 1926 by Father James O’Brien of St. Catherine of St. Catherine’s Paris. In 1953, the school was renamed Saint Catherine of Genoa School to strengthen its connection to the Parish.

At the memorial service for Jack Powers, the founder of Stone Soup Poetry of Boston, Mass., the famed street artist and Power’s close friend Sidewalk Sam, made an eloquent tribute speech about Jack. A few years back I worked with Sam to organize Jack’s 70th birthday, along with Margaret Narin and the Rev. Louise Anderson. Sam graciously sent me the text of the speech.

Kye DeAngelis is a first-year Studio Art major with a minor in Creative Writing and Expressive Arts Therapies at Endicott College. She is from Mansfield, Massachusetts, and has been writing since she was young, with one short story winning an honorable mention in the Scholastic Writing competition in 2024.