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)

Somerville may be just four square miles in size, but 119 linear miles of roadways criss-cross our city, and last year, 636 crashes (224 of them resulting in injury) were reported on those roads. This is unsettling and unacceptable because crashes leading to serious injuries and fatalities are preventable. As the most densely populated city in New England, we have thousands on our roads at any given time in cars, on bikes, on foot, and on their way to public transit. This activity creates vibrancy, but it also creates danger. As we strive to be the most walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly city in the country, we must also reaffirm our dedication to safer roadways for all users.

Kids of all ages joined in as Somerville Youth Soccer League kicked off its fall 2017 season. ~ Photos courtesy of Somerville Youth Soccer

By Jake Wilson

Fields across the city were filled with the sounds of soccer on Saturday morning, as teams ranging from toddlers to teenagers opened the fall season.

Somerville Youth Soccer League (SYSL) prides itself on providing a positive, affordable athletic experience for kids and their families. With nearly 1,000 children registered this fall season, SYSL is the largest community youth sports organization in Somerville, as participation and interest in the sport of soccer continue to grow both locally and nationally.

Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne’s was but one voice speaking in favor of the Board of Alderman’s resolution in support of DACA.

By Arin Kerstein

The Board of Aldermen unanimously passed a resolution on Thursday evening in support of the passage of The Dream Act of 2017. The federal legislation provides a path to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants who arrived into the country as children.

By Eesha Pendharkar

Most of Somerville’s candidates for local office attended a meet and greet at Workbar on Tuesday night of last week, days before the preliminary election. “All politics is local” got all three candidates for mayor including, incumbent Joseph Curtatone, together in one room.

The event was hosted by Somerville Local First, an organization that calls upon the city’s leaders and businesses to build a local, fair economy.

The mayor wins by large margin to advance onto the November ballot. It was very unusual going to the polls this past Tuesday, especially if you didn’t live in Ward 1. The only race on the ballot was the mayor’s race, with three candidates, the top two advance. Mayor Joe Curtatone will face off with first time candidate for office Payton Corbett, a  truck driver/ union member. The race in Ward 1 was for School Committee with four running. The top two will advance to the November election. The top two vote getters this past Tuesday for Ward 1 School Committee are Emily Ackman and Kenneth M. Salvato.

— Photo by Claudia Ferro

Top candidates advance to November 7 ballot
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By The Times Staff

The Preliminary Election to determine the top two candidates for the positions of Mayor of Somerville and Ward 1 School Committee member took place on Tuesday.

If you’re not using Facebook you’re missing quite the postings by a mysterious do-gooder and purveyor of the truth regarding the mayor, his family, and his administration. Theo has appeared as the alternative to fake news in our city, a blog full of hate and bile that is trying to accuse the mayor of corruption. Theo comes along and is the one source of balance against what that blog has to say.

— Photo by Donald Norton

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone held a Preliminary Election Night Party at Orleans Restaurant  in Davis Square Tuesday night. Supporters joined the mayor in celebrating the decisive victory in his bid for reelection in November.

Eagle Feathers #138 –The Fourth Day of July

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

It was one hundred years ago this past spring that Americans began arriving in Paris to help their French allies in the war against Germany. In a symbolic salute, General John Pershing presented an American flag at a Frenchman’s tomb.

By Beckett Bathanti

The Somerville High School Highlanders hung in the game early, but ultimately fell 28-16 to Lynn English High School Bulldogs on Friday at Dilboy Stadium.

Head Coach Makonnen Fenton said the effort was there, just not the execution. “We fought hard, but we didn’t do what we were supposed to do. When you don’t do what you were supposed to do, you lose,” he said.