A monthly look at ways to get involved with your city: Don’t just live in Somerville, be Somerville!

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)

At last week’s inaugural ceremony, Governor Charlie Baker, new Board of Aldermen President Katjana Ballantyne, new School Committee Chair Andre Green, and I all spoke about what’s to come this year. We discussed the priorities we have for the communities we serve, initiatives we’re working on or that we expect to work on soon, and even some of the challenges we anticipate. During her speech, Alderman Ballantyne said that our strongest asset is our diverse, engaged community. And she’s exactly right.

Somerville Little League has opened registration for the 2018 spring season. Programs are available for kids aged 4 to 12, and run from April to June.

To get started, go to http://somervillelittleleague.org/ and click on REGISTER in the upper-right corner. Scholarships are available for eligible applicants. Early-bird discounts will be available through February 7, so don’t wait!

Karen Lee (Kelly) Piro, born May 28, 1941, to Mary and Leo, passed away peacefully in hospice care in Chatham, MA, on January 8, 2018.

Though she spent her early years living in Medford with her parents and two brothers, Leo and Paul, Karen spent the majority of her childhood in Somerville, MA, where she attended Somerville High School.

Last year ArtFarm was award approx. $700,000 in CPA funding with certain conditions. Now that the ArtFarm project has been confirmed as permanent, the project has re-applied for $1 million in CPA funding.

The Somerville Community Preservation Committee invites all interested community members to hear about the FY 2018 Community Preservation Act (CPA) historic resources and open space/recreational land project proposals before the Community Preservation Committee, and offer feedback on which deserve to receive funding, at two community meetings in January. The first will be held on Tuesday, January 16 and the second will be held on Wednesday, January 24. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m., and will be held in the community room at the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) at 259 Lowell St. Parking is extremely limited at the VNA, so please make arrangements to walk, bike, or carpool if possible, or use street parking.

By The Times Staff

Outgoing Board of Aldermen members Jack Connolly, Maryann Heuston, Robert McWatters, and Dennis M. Sullivan offer their thoughts and feelings on their tenure on the Board. They are presented in alphabetical order based on last names. We thank them for their service and wish them the best in their future endeavors.

Cleanup crews are still hard at work, clearing the snowfall from last week’s extreme winter storm. — Photo by Mike Moccia of Ball Square Café.

By Jim Clark

The ominous warnings about the impending so-called “bomb cyclone” became a reality last week, as a record-breaking winter storm of massive proportions lashed the East Coast with freezing winds and a thick lathering of snow all along the eastern seaboard.

The Human Rights Commission invites you to the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration event, entitled, “Growing Our Community,” to be held on Monday, January 15. The annual event will be held at the East Somerville Community School, from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. The celebration will be emceed by Marcus Santos, and features musical performances by El Sistema and the World Percussion Ensemble as well as readings by winners of the student essay contest. This year, the Somerville Human Rights Commission will be recognizing the work of the late Ralph Hergert. For eleven years, Hergert served as the Director of Human Services for the City of Somerville. In this role, he helped create the Human Rights Commission, as well as the city’s Martin Luther King Jr., Celebration. Please note that they will be holding a food drive at this location. Feel free to bring canned goods and nonperishable items.

— Photos by Greg Krill

Photos from last week’s storm in and around East Somerville.

This month’s Beyond The Call Of Duty Award, presented to Officer Matt Khoury, is based on a recommendation from Officer Anthony Manzelli, and from an in-depth conversation with George Mihos, the owner of Tech Auto Body in Union Square.

On Thursday, December 28, 2017, a man and his young son drove down from Marston Mills intending to buy a car from Tech Auto Body in Union Square. The car was for the man’s son, who had worked long hours to save up the $3,000 he was going to use to buy this car. Of course, the money was all cash and in a white envelope. You can guess where this one is going.

Eagle Feathers #144 – The Minutemen

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Over the years, Union Square has been referred to as Sand Pit Square, Liberty Pole Square, Milk Row and the road to Newtown or Cambridge. When Somerville was still Charlestown’s oldest daughter, the Square was witness to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War and its heroic Minutemen of April 19, 1775.