(L to R) Attorney Phil Privitera and Yves-R. Maignan, the 71st Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Master for Massachusetts.

On December 8, 2017, Somerville attorney Philip Privitera was named an Honorary Lifetime brother of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall African Grand Lodge #459 at its 226th Annual Communication in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Founded on July 3, 1776, the Most Worshipful African Grand Lodge #459 changed its name officially to the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge in 1847 out of respect for its founding father, abolitionist, and first Grand Master, Prince Hall.  There are now approximately 5,000 lodges and 47 Grand Lodges who trace their origins to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, jurisdiction Massachusetts.

Review by Julia Carlson

Lee Varon’s book, Affairs Run in the Family, is an exploration of and testament to the fragile feelings of the author’s memories of her Southern upbringing and relationship with her grandmother. When the husband of the grandfather’s mistress attempted to murder him, her grandmother’s life was forever changed. And then, there were also the events of the civil rights era, which played out during the author’s childhood and left a deep impression on her. Those complex feelings are explored as the author attempts to reconcile these events and their consequences to her grandparents, family, and herself. In Court, Varon describes her grandmother at the trial of her husband’s aggressor:

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And now for a little prose/poetry – flash fiction – or whatever you want to call it. Michael C. Keith is the author/coauthor of 30 book volumes and dozens of articles on the subject of radio and broadcast studies. In addition to his non-fiction titles, Keith has published over a dozen creative works, including an acclaimed memoir, The Next Better Place, a young adult novel, Life is Falling Sideways, and several short story collections; most recently Slow Train and Perspective Drifts Like a Log on a River. Mad Hat Press will publish his next story collection, Let Us Now Speak of Extinction. His fiction has been nominated for several awards, among them the Pen/O.Henry Award, the Pushcart Prize, the National Indie Excellence Award, and the International Book Award. He is professor emeritus at Boston College.

Arrests:
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Kion Thomas, of 118 Devon St., Dorchester, January 15, 6:01 p.m., arrested at Bonair St. on a charge of attempt to commit a crime.

Donese Ball, of 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, January 15, 7:30 p.m., arrested at Broadway on a warrant charge of assault and battery.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone & Alderman Ben Ewan-Campen invite you to a 4th community meeting to discuss the renovation of Prospect Hill Park.

SCES board of directors recently elected new officers: (seated, from left) Vice President Liz Aguilo, President Susann Wilkinson, Clerk Leslie Hergert, and Treasurer Roma Mayur.
Also in the photo are board members, from left, Lois Simon, Susan Pacheco, Henry Parker, Jan Mattimoe, Neal A. Winston, Edna Stamp, Ellen Ellis Pearline Hines Mel Simms, Lily Owyang. Not pictured: Kathryn Erat, Laura Ramsay, and Anna Rebelo.

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is a non-profit agency that supports the independence and well-being of older people in Somerville and Cambridge.

The agency operates under a local volunteer board of directors, which recently elected new officers for 2018. The new officers are:

Director of Membership and Outreach at the Somerville Media Center, Erica.

By JT Thompson

Erica, in her early 30s, is the Director of Membership and Outreach at the Somerville Media Center (formerly SCAT). We meet at a window table at bloc 11; she has short brown hair, large, black framed glasses, a loose blue cardigan over a white t-shirt, and a calm, open, good humored manner that must put newcomers to the Media Center at ease.

Erica loves facilitating people’s projects – “the Media Center is a place where people can make dreams a reality” – and her relaxed generosity of spirit makes her both easy and inspiring to talk with. She had a childhood of being considered ‘other’, of having to suppress herself, and she has devoted most of her adult life to working with community access media organizations – helping people to find their voice and communicate openly with their communities.

Baker-Polito Administration Awards over $3 Million for Municipal Public Safety Staffing

Today, Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Public Safety Secretary Daniel Bennett announced that 14 police and fire departments have received $3,015,000.00 in state grants to assist municipalities in maintaining public safety and emergency response core services. These funds may be used to restore, retain or hire police and fire personnel or for overtime if needed to provide adequate shift coverage to maintain appropriate staffing levels.

As a joke last week, a few students made prank calls to 911. After Officer Isaacs made his way over to the school, he was able to locate the parents of the students and speak with the students about the importance of 911 for emergencies. A student was so sorry for the prank calls he made, he wrote Officer Isaacs and the department a letter of apology.  (see below)