Rumors still persist about some filings with the Ethics Commission against one or two aldermen here in the city for possible violations that could have some serious consequences. We will find out the name of the aldermen and let you know as soon as we can verify it.

By Sean J. Fitzgerald

(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)

In 2015, there was a dearth of electoral activity. Yet again, there was an uncontested Mayor’s race, just one Ward Alderman race, a couple of sleepy School Committee races, and myself being the only challenger to the four incumbent At Large Aldermen. Believe it or not, only 6,546 people voted. With over 46,000 registered Somerville voters, that equates to barely 14% of the eligible voters who actually took the time and went to the polls on Election Day to cast their ballot. In a modern democracy, that’s just unacceptable.

~Photos by Bobbie Toner

Union Square Plaza played host to the annual Nepal Festival on Sunday, offering a chance for the Nepali community to celebrate their culture in their city as well as an opportunity for the rest of the Somerville community to learn about and enjoy Nepali music, dance, food crafts and more.

Somerville enjoys a well-deserved reputation as being one of the most creatively diverse and active communities in the entire country. This coming weekend we celebrate this fact with ArtBeat, the Somerville Arts Council’s annual arts festival which spotlights the works of local artists, musicians, and others who help make the city a constant source of inspiration and pride of accomplishment for all of us.

Eagle Feathers #133 –A Walk Up Winter Hill

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

It roughly encompasses the area between Magoun Square to McGrath Highway and Medford Street to the Mystic River. Rising 135 feet, it has been called Winter Hill since the Puritan fathers settled there in the early sixteen hundreds. In 1621, Captain Myles Standish, military protector of the Plymouth Pilgrims, was the first European to explore the area. Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop was the first to become a Winter Hill resident.

Somerville High School hockey players Ryan Vogel, Craig Resmini, and Chris DeSousa were key players in last weeks Metro team’s victory at the Bay State Games.

By Peter Hickey

After a disappointing overtime loss in a game that would have sent them to play for the gold medal, the Metro hockey team captured a bronze medal at last weekend’s Bay State Games.

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Cambridge Poet Joseph A. Cohen

By William Falcetano

You’ll find him most Saturday mornings seated in the same café with a cheese danish and a black coffee, chatting with his fellow poets, writers, and artists. He is Joe Cohen and he is about to turn one-hundred years old tomorrow, July 13. The fact that a ninety-nine-year-old gentleman is a “man about town” is in itself noteworthy, but Joseph A. Cohen doesn’t only attend the Bagel Bards informal weekly meet-up. He also gives public readings of his poetry in such literary settings as the Periodicals Room of the Boston Public Library (for National Poetry Month), the Armory in Somerville, and the Somerville and Cambridge Public Libraries. Joe’s poetry readings are often accompanied by his violinist daughter Beth Bahia Cohen, who teaches world violin traditions at Berklee College of Music and Tufts University.

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Let’s face it, sometimes don’t you want to get down and downright dirty? Poet Lo Galluccio takes on that persona.

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Along with many other fine poets like Ifeany Menkiti, the owner, Gloria Mindock, Elizabeth Doran, etc.

The Grolier Poetry Book Shop (“the Grolier”) is an independent bookstore on Plympton Street near Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. It lays claim to being the “oldest continuous bookshop” devoted solely to the sale of poetry and poetry criticism.

Here is the trailer – full movie out soon.

Arrests:
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Robert Gallagher, June 30, 9:17 a.m., arrested at Somerville Ave. on a charge of larceny over $250.

Filsdym Modan, of 1 Memorial Dr., June 30, 1:24 p.m., arrested at McGrath Hwy. on warrant charges of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.