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Deano’s Pasta has been in operation in Somerville since 1947. They produce many types of all natural pasta and multiple sauces without using GMO’s. The pasta is produced in small batches and are hand packed. Please visit their website for all the different shapes and almost endless combinations of flavors available.

— Photos by Bobbie Toner

Somerville resident Martin Hopkins had the exterior of his Beacon St. apartment and his truck parked out front spray painted with anti-President Trump messages over the weekend.

Hopkins has a “Make America Great Again 2016” poster in his window, and it is assumed that this provided the impetus for the act of vandalism.

The shopping is well underway, and all the presents should be wrapped on time. And once the plans for the big day have been made, don’t forget to slow down, relax and enjoy the holiday season and all the finer things that come with it.

Being with family, friends and loved ones and sharing warmth of the occasion is unquestionably at or near the top of the list of things we like most at this time of year. It’s especially gratifying in a city as fun and heartwarming to be in as ours.

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I am not surprised that poet Wendy Drexler is a cavity-nest monitor for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. I am not quite sure what that is, but I imagine she spends a lot of time in nature – watching and observing – all fodder for this wonderfully observed collection, Before There Was Before.

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Our poet this week is Carla Schwartz. Carla has a new collection out, Intimacy with the Wind. Here is what noted poet Fred Marchant wrote of the book: “Living on a solar-powered houseboat as it moves up and down Lake Champlain is bound to make one intimate with the wind – its vagaries, energies, and comforts alike. But in Carla Schwartz’s new collection of poems, there are also the winds that pass over and through the inner landscapes. There are, for instance, the winds that bring us together in love, and the winds that draw us apart in grief. Also, there is the chill wind of the harm that some may do to others, and there are the winds of determined resilience, the kind that carry the survivor to the shore. These finely crafted poems give us this poet’s vivid sense of being in the world, as if we are with her breathing in what life has to offer, a good wind overhead, like a blessing.” — Fred Marchant, author of Said Not Said (Graywolf Press, 2017).

The City of Somerville’s Engineering Department announced this week that construction previously scheduled to begin in November for the Community Path, between Buena Vista Rd. and the Cambridge line, will be postponed until 2018.

The project will repair drainage systems in that area to address recurring flooding issues and to improve safety.

Arrests:
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Leodan Salmeron-Molina, November 28, 9:07 a.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on a warrant charge of assault and battery.

David McCollin,  November 28, 8:56 p.m., arrested at McGrath Hwy. on charges of drug possession to distribute, trafficking in cocaine, and operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

The City of Somerville Health and Human Services Department (HHS) is offering FREE flu shots for anyone age 4 and up, with or without health insurance. Free vaccines are still available. HHS is hosting a final clinic from 1:00-4:00pm at St. Benedict Parish (21 Hathorn St.) on Sunday, January 7^th. You can also stop by the HHS office at City Hall Annex (50 Evergreen Ave.) during normal business hours to get your flu shot. Office is open MWF 8:30am-4:30pm, Th 8:30am-7:30pm, F 8:30am-12:30pm. If you do have health insurance, please bring your Health Insurance Card (this includes Medicare).

Continuing a multi-year planning and design process, all interested parties are invited to join Mayor Joseph Curtatone and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development on Tuesday, December 5, at 6:00 p.m. at the Brickbottom Artists Association, 1 Fitchburg St., for a meeting to discuss the future of the ARTFarm site.  Attendees will be updated on next steps for the project.  A community meeting will follow in February 2018 to obtain feedback on final designs.

Union Square Main Streets, in partnership with local businesses, will bring you the 3rd Annual Holiday Stroll on Saturday, December 9 from 11am-5pm. Participants are invited to kick off the holiday season with a stroll through the Square with many exciting activities to explore.