While the City of Somerville will NOT declare a snow emergency for Thursday, March 8, Somerville Public Schools will be closed. All Somerville Public Libraries will be open on a regular schedule. The Somerville Recreation Department will host public skating hours from noon to 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Veterans Memorial Skating Rink on Somerville Ave. Trash and recycling pickup will remain on a normal schedule Thursday.

Shortly after Somerville Police shared information regarding a backpack found containing a broken Airsoft soft pellet rifle and related materials, the owner quickly identified himself by contacting police. It appears that a 17-year-old Somerville resident received the Airsoft equipment from a friend moving overseas. He intended to use it for Airsoft sports once he turned 18. Upon finding the equipment in their home, the youth’s Aunt and Uncle ordered it be broken, taken out of the house, and thrown away. The youth broke the guns and then disposed of them in a trash can near the Capuano school. The ski mask (balaclava) was part of the Airsoft gear. The youth apologized for causing any alarm. 

Community Engagement Specialist and Spanish Liaison for the City of Somerville, Irma Flores, seen here speaking at the Charlottesville vigil held in the city last year.

By Ahmed Sorour

“Good ideas spread.” That is, according to Irma Flores, who spoke this past Saturday as Harvard Law School hosted Advocacy in Times of Crisis, a 2018 symposium organized by the Harvard Immigration Project.

Born in El Salvador, Flores graduated from the University of El Salvador with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Affairs. In 2001, she immigrated to the United States with her son and daughter, and now serves as the Community Engagement Specialist and Spanish Liaison for the City of Somerville, a role she assumed the March of 2013.

Students at Somerville High School walked out of school last Wednesday as a statement of solidarity with the shooting victims of Parkland, and to raise awareness of the gun control issue. — Photo by Claudia Ferro

By Jim Clark

Last Wednesday, February 28, students at Somerville High School staged a walkout to protest what was described as a lack of competent gun control laws across the country. More than 400 students left their classrooms at 8:17 a.m. and walked outside where 17 minutes of silence was observed to pay homage to the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, and address the epidemic of mass shootings in the United States.

On Saturday, March 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Somerville Teachers Association will be having an “alumni tour” of the old high school. This is a chance to see and walk through the old corridors once again before the school is torn down to make room for the new one. No admission fee is being charged, but donations to the STA scholarship fund will be gladly accepted. It’s a great opportunity to reminisce about your days at the old high school. Parking is available around the school in various lots. Please enter at the main entrance of the school.

~Photo by Donald Norton

In its annual tradition, the City of Somerville held a reenactment ceremony for the 242nd anniversary of the “Grand Union” flag-raising ceremony at Prospect Hill Park on Sunday, March 4, attended by approximately 200.

On Tuesday of this week, The City of Somerville joined members of the general public in observing #BlackBalloonDay, in remembrance of those who have lost their lives through drug overdose. Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. for people under 50 and opioid addiction is driving this epidemic.

Eagle Feathers #148 –Downing Street

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Traditionally, the most famous resident of 10 Downing Street, London, was Sir Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of England. While living there, he guided the people of Britain through the darkest hours of World War II.

No matter what side you may find yourself on on when it comes to gun control and possible restrictions on the sales and possession of so-called assault rifles, you have to admire the passion and commitment of the many young people who are actively voicing their concerns on the issue.

A large group of students at Somerville High School have staged a walkout from their classrooms in response to the massacre in Parkland, Florida, last month and the epidemic of mass shootings in the United States.

An estimated 450 parents, guardians, youth and other community members stopped by the 2018 Somerville Summer Camp and Activities Fair held at the East Somerville Community School yesterday evening to learn about youth summer program options. More than 40 vendors from Somerville and the surrounding area were on hand at this annual event to share information and answer questions.