To the editor:

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

The Home Stretch

Every Somervillian should be proud of what our officials and activists are doing together to move forward the process of divesting the city’s pension system from the fossil fuel industry. It is frustrating to see that the state legislature is siding with the status quo and it’s opposing a move that would increase the long-term stability of the city’s pension fund. I am certain that every reader will side with Mayor Curtatone’s idea that the city should decide how to invest its money to minimize financial risks. Even the Rockefellers, who made their fortune in oil, are divesting. That tells us everything we need to know.

Diabetes patient and first time Boston Marathon runner Alicia McNeill will be hosting a fundraiser at Sound Bites in Somerville to benefit the Joslin Diabetes Center.

33-year-old Alicia McNeill of Stoneham will be running her first Boston Marathon in April as a member of Team Joslin to support the Joslin Diabetes Center, a world-renowned diabetes treatment and research facility in Boston, where she has been a patient for almost 24 years, after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 9.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

The annual Boston furry convention, hosted by Anthro New England, was held this past weekend with the aim of raising money for charity while gathering together anthropomorphic character aficionados.

Several Somerville residents took part in the event held at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. The theme for this year’s convention was “To The Sea!”

By Jim Clark

A Joint Task Force of the F.B.I. Human Trafficking Unit and members of the Somerville Police Department set up an undercover sting operation last Thursday focusing on sexual conduct for a fee and human trafficking activities in the city.

Members of the HT Unit (Human Trafficking), identified an internet website (Backpage.com) that was displaying numerous advertisements offering services for a fee from an unidentified location in the Greater Boston area.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

If there’s one thing to be learned from the horrific mass murder at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, it’s how quickly gun violence can become a local issue. Unfortunately, it’s one we seemingly have to learn repeatedly, through Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Umpqua Community College, San Bernardino, the Washington Navy Yard and the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

~ Photos by Olivia Huang

The Ibbetson Street Press, founded by Doug Holder, Richard Wilhelm, and Dianne Robitaille in 1998, held its 20th Anniversary Reading at the Central Branch of the Somerville Public Library on Thursday, February 22. A potluck supper preceded the reading.

A Walkout, march, and rally took place today at  8:17 a.m. to remember 17 victims

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

In response to the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and the epidemic of mass shootings in the United States, Somerville’s newly formed Students Against Gun Violence is launching actions which included today’s  school walkout, march, and rally beginning at Somerville High School. At exactly 8:17 students over 300 students  walked out of their classes and assembled outside the building. They all sat down in silence for the next 17 minutes in honor of the 17 Parkland victims. Protesters marched with signs down Highland Ave to the rally at Trum Field. Once they arrived at Trum field, students met with organizers who have set up tables with the contact info of legislators who will then be flooded with calls, emails, and letters lobbying for constructive action towards comprehensive gun control.

They are calling this “Walk Out Wednesday” and they plan to do this every Wednesday until the end of the school year.

Student safety is on the minds of public officials in Somerville after the recent fatal mass shooting incident in Parkland, Florida and elsewhere.

By Jim Clark

In the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting incident that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, two weeks ago, national, state, and civic leaders have been asking what can be done to curtail gun violence and assure the safety of students in particular and the general public across the board.

By Tom Bannister/Photos by Bobbie Toner

As the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Janus vs. AFSCME on Monday, Feb 26, about 75 union members and their supporters gathered at Somerville City Hall to say that regardless of any Supreme Court decision they will remain united because Somerville’s workers need good, union jobs more than ever.

On Saturday, March 25, 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.