~Photos by Bobbie Toner

A rally took place last Thursday in opposition to Federal Realty Investment Trust’s (FRIT) proposed alternative to the city’s 20% affordable housing requirement. The rally, which took place at Somerville City Hall, was sponsored by Somerville’s Affordable Housing Organizing Committee, Cambridge Somerville for Change, Indivisible Somerville, Our Revolution Somerville, Somerville Community Corp., Union United and The Welcome Project.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

Last week in Somerville, we hammered out a solution that will create new housing in Assembly Square and, ultimately, 80-93 new affordable housing units at Assembly and throughout the city. It marks a tangible result for people who care about expanding the amount of affordable housing in our community. Some people feel raw about that outcome because they wanted more, but the reality is the advocacy on this issue helped us achieve what we did.

Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 1, at the Cantina La Mexicana in Union Square. The very popular Alderman At-Large Bill White will be holding his campaign kickoff/fundraiser. Bill has been known as one of the smartest alderman on the board, even by his fellow aldermen. He’s been elected and re-elected as President of the Board now for a few years. We think Bill has been a good alderman for the people here in the city for many years and hope he continues. So come out and show your support for him. We think Bill is very dedicated to the city and who crunches the figures better and asks the right questions when budget time comes around.

By Donald Norton

In a weekend full of honors for our veterans here in the city, one event that has been going on now for a few years that has stood out in particular is the Heroes Salute.

The MBTA Green Line Extension (GLX) Project Team has released the Final Request for Proposal (RFP) for the GLX Design Build (DB) contract to the three shortlisted DB teams that were identified in February of this year. The Final RFP includes an Affordability Limit of $1.319 billion, base scope of work, and “Additive Options.” Additive Options will only be included in the project scope should teams affirm that the Options can be completed within both the Project schedule and the Affordability Limit. Responses to the Final RFP will be submitted by the three DB teams in September 2017.

Compromise is often a hard thing to achieve. Especially when those with opposing points of view assume an intractable stance on an issue. Still, sometimes there is simply no other way to function and move forward unless some common ground is established.

“Welcoming Immigrants” sign at the gallery entrance.

By Hannes Remmert

#RESIST, an art exhibition at Nave Gallery on 53 Chester St. in Davis Square, addresses the current political climate in the United States since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president and the protests that have followed. Curated by Susan Berstler and Greg Cook, the politically driven exhibition opened on April 27 and closes its doors on May 27.

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Josh Cook has for many years been an ubiquitous presence at Porter Square Books in Porter Square, Cambridge, where he works as a bookseller. Cook penned a detective novel recently, An Exaggerated Murder, that has echoes of Sherlock Holmes, as well as the detective Auguste Dupin created by Edgar Allen Poe. I talked with him on my Somerville Community Access TV show Poet to Poet/Writer to Writer.

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Pui Ying Wong was born in Hong Kong. She is the author of a full length book of poetry Yellow Plum Season (New York Quarterly Books, 2010), two chapbooks: Mementos (Finishing Line Press, 2007), Sonnet for a New Country (Pudding House Press, 2008) and her poems have appeared in Angle Poetry (U.K.), The Brooklyner, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal (Hong Kong), Connotation Press: An Online Artifact, Crannog (Ireland), Desde Hong Kong: poets in conversation with Octavio Paz, Chameleon Press (Hong Kong), Pirene’s Fountain, Prairie Schooner, The Southampton Review and 2Bridges Review, among others. She lives in Cambridge, MA with her husband.  She recently won the Pushcart Prize for her poetry and is a member of the Somerville Bagel Bards.

Mothers Out Front volunteers with State Representative Christine Barber (Democrat – 34th Middlesex).

On Saturday, Mothers Out Front held a public forum on gas leaks, attended by 54 residents, elected officials, climate activists and representatives from Eversource and National Grid, at the East Somerville Community School.