By Donald Norton

Local Attorney Edwin Smith’s and his lovely wife Martha, along with their two daughters, recently spent a wild 12 days in the Grand Canyon, camping out under the stars.

Mayor Curtatone formally submitted his proposed FY19 city budget to the Somerville Board of Aldermen last week, now the subject of upcoming debate and possible revision.

By Cole Hilaire-Dubreuil

Last Wednesday, June 6, Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone presented to the Board of Aldermen a breakdown of his proposed budget for the city’s 2019 fiscal year. An estimated $800,000+ in new equity investment is proposed.

Click here to view the proposed FY19 budget.

The building permit for the property on 130 Walnut St. is being upheld “by-right” by the ZBA.

By Henry Lin-David

On June 6, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) voted unanimously to uphold the “by-right” building permit for the property on 130 Walnut St. The case was brought in front of the ZBA after an appeal by Justin Rank during the winter.

So far the July 4th fireworks at Trum Field, which is scheduled for Thursday, June 28, as of this week has not been cancelled. Let’s hope whoever is in charge of the event allows it to go on this year as scheduled. But how many want to bet that the city fireworks – which are not done on July 4th – will be canceled? What will be the excuse? Maybe it’s too hot? You fill in the blanks!

Somerville Prevention Force students are doing their part to inspire others to avoid substance abuse. — Photo by Lovelee Heller-Bottari

By Ian Erlichman

A kid in a tight black t-shirt rolls up to Somerville High School on a hand-me-down mountain bike. After a quick pause, thick white plumes of smoke, the type that wet leaves and cigarettes make, billow up and away from his head with the Wednesday afternoon wind.

The first annual telethon from the SMC, Speak Up, Somerville! SMC Fund, brought the best of the city’s creative community into the public eye, while raising much needed funds to keep operations rolling.

By Courtney Young

What can you do within a twelve-hour telethon? The Somerville Media Center sees no limits. With acts from performers ranging from cooking, fashion, comedy, story time, public information, live drawings, live music, and the Boston League of Wicked Wrestlers, and many, many more acts, the Somerville Media Center remained in full-swing for twelve hours on Sunday, June 10.

Eagle Feathers #155 – Revolutionary Roads

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

What’s in a name? Generally, not very much when you consider there are over 326,607,429 citizens of the United States as of June 7, 2018, and hundreds of millions in the past. A few of these lives historically eclipsed others. This luckily happened when it was most needed, and they defended our country’s independence. Somerville witnessed many historic incidents and the patriots who were involved in them.

Pictured L to R: Former Somerville Ward 3 Alderman Robert McWatters, son Bobby McWatters and Maria McWatters, Bobby’s mom. Bobby received a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard on May 24, and is going to be working as a consultant for L Catterton in Connecticut.

— Photos by Bobbie Toner

On the morning of Sunday, June 10, Somerville firefighters laid a wreath at the Arrow Paper Memorial and then proceed to Lowell Street fire station for ceremony where firefighters, elected officials, and members of the general public gathered to take part in the ceremony.

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Review by Dennis Daly (Off the Shelf Correspondent)

If ever there were a tour de force of poetic cravings this is it. What I Got for a Dollar is Somerville poet Bert Stern’s third poetry collection and it’s magnificent. Stern craves deeply, but not shrilly, the cause behind the cause of creation. He makes the basic argument for divinity’s possibility as deftly as Thomas Aquinas ever did. Perhaps better. In fact, the somewhat absent minded Deity that Stern conjures up behind his naturalistic images seems eminently likable, albeit dependent on humanity for help in keeping up appearances.