After multiple years of community process, the Administration has officially submitted the proposed Zoning Overhaul to the Board of Aldermen. Members of the public are invited to attend a public hearing by the Somerville Planning Board and the Board of Aldermen’s Land Use Committee on Tuesday, March 13, at 6:00 p.m., to provide feedback. The hearing will be held in the Aldermanic Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 93 Highland Ave. Feedback can also be submitted online at www.somervillezoning.com, where detailed information on the overhaul, timeline, and upcoming meetings and events are also available.

Volunteer Programs Manager at Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services, Marie Mazzeo.

By Marie Mazzeo 

The Medical Advocate and Medical Escort programs have similar names, but are actually quite different.

A Medical Escort’s primary role is helping older adults get to-and-from medical appointments, and it’s common for them to help several different people in any given month.

Adrian McCarthy’s “Pull Like a Dog” is but one of the many Irish cinema picks to be featured at the 18th Annual Irish Film Festival scheduled March 22–25 at the Somerville Theatre.

The Irish Film Festival, Boston (BIFF) returns to the historic Somerville Theatre for its eighteenth annual celebration of Irish film in Massachusetts from Thursday, March 22 through Sunday, March 25. Renowned for its programming, parties and post-screening Q&As, unlike many film festivals, the Irish Film Festival announces it awardees prior so that filmmakers can attend their screenings in the U.S.

Daniel “Dan” Spinosa, Sr., of Tamarac, FL formerly of Somerville, March 6. Beloved husband of the late Mary (Caruso). Loving father of Rosemarie Christie and her husband Bruce of FL, Daniel Spinosa Jr, and his wife Kathleen of Lynnfield, Richard Spinosa of Somerville, Linda Spinosa and Tim Sullivan of NH and Karen Spinosa and James Ribeiro of Woburn. Brother of Mary Erbafina of Danvers and the late Cosmo, Frank and Salvatore Spinosa. Grandfather of Laura, Matthew, Eric, Brad and Jennifer. Great grandfather of Angelina, Paris, Vincent, Thad and Braeden.

Beyond Boston – Regional News Show presents Understanding Net Neutrality and the Future of Our Internet: A Panel Discussion & Q and A

This panel is held on Thursday, March 29th from 7-8:30pm at Malden Senior Center (7 Washington St, Malden, MA 02148). It is no surprise that a free, open, and accessible internet is vital to our modern democracy. To ensure such protections, net neutrality rules were created to make sure all internet traffic is treated equally and enables freedom of the press, expression, and speech in the digital age. Despite the clear importance of net neutrality, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to eliminate net neutrality and change the way Americans access the internet. We invite the public to attend this panel discussion to learn more about Net Neutrality, our Internet future and what efforts are taking place to fight against this war on information access.

The Brian Higgins Foundation invites you to celebrate and participate in one of Somerville’s biggest community nights of the year, The Brian Higgins Foundation Trivia Night! This year’s event takes place on March 22^nd, 6:30pm at the Tufts University Cousens Gym. The trivia portion, which is strictly for fun, consists of friendly competition between teams in various categories along with the MYSTERY BOOK. There will be a silent auction, a 50/50 drawing, and numerous raffles to win. A light dinner and cash bar will be available. $25 donation per person.  For more information, visit www.thebrianhigginsfoundation.org or email debby@thebrianhigginsfoundation.org.

A rendering of an evening event at Powderhouse Studios.

By Emily Blackwood

Shaunalynn Duffy spent most of her time in high school trying to decide when to drop out. Her mother, confident in her daughter’s abilities to independently educate herself, even offered up the idea of “unschooling.”

“Something about hearing the bells ring and just feeling really disrespected and unseen by many of the adults in my life,” she said. “Even with the extreme confidence my mother saw in me, I couldn’t feel that confidence in myself.”

Thirty-fourth Middlesex District State Rep. Christine Barber.

State Representative Christine P. Barber of Somerville and Medford joined her House colleagues in voting last week to engross the PATCH Act, An Act to protect access to confidential healthcare.

Confidentiality is a critical aspect of the patient-provider relationship, but one that may be compromised under the current insurance framework in Massachusetts. When a person accesses health care, health plans typically send an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to the primary subscriber of the plan. This notice is not a bill, but details the type and cost of medical services accessed, and can often include sensitive information about sexual and reproductive health, mental health, domestic violence, or sexual assault. For patients receiving health insurance as a dependent on the health plan of a family member or spouse, the confidentiality they expect from a provider may be compromised when an EOB is sent to the primary policyholder.

Pete Fulweiler, 17, held up a sign honoring Alyssa Alhadeff, a victim of the Parkland school shooting. ~Photos by Emily Blackwood

By Emily Blackwood

As the snow began to fall and the winds of Winter Storm Quinn started to pick up, a seed of doubt was planted by a random passerby.

“Think they’ll still come?” he asked volunteers as they were continuing to set up tents and tables.