By Jim Clark

Police officers were dispatched to the corner of Beacon St. and Somerville Ave. last week on reports of a driver asleep in a motor vehicle at a stoplight.

Upon arrival, officers located the vehicle in question and found a man, later identified as Benjamin Warren, of Arlington, sleeping behind the wheel.

The City of Somerville would like to remind residents that early voting is coming to a close soon. Those wishing to vote early may do so at Somerville City Hall Wednesday, November 2, and Thursday, November 3, from 8:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Early voting will conclude after a brief session on Friday, November 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please note, afternoon and evening hours are available on Wednesday and Thursday but NOT on Friday. For more information on early voting, visit www.somervillema.gov/earlyvoting.

Taking a closer look at notable city data
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By Mayor Joseph 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)

9,165: That’s the number of votes cast so far during early voting here at City Hall through Monday. By the end of early voting on Friday, we expect that number to increase significantly because hours run later this week. All told, we’re on track for about 25% of all votes to be cast via early voting, and so far the feedback is good. We’ve done our best to streamline the process, and despite the high numbers, lines have been very short. We’ve also got “I voted early” stickers if you need that motivation to come out and avoid the Election Day lines.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

East Somerville Main Streets hosted a Halloween Block Party on Saturday at Chuckie Harris Park.
The free fun for all ages featured Make your own Halloween Mask, Doughnut on a String Eating Contest, Face Painting, Fear Factor Game, Make Wearable Lights, Mini Trick-or-Treating and Halloween Family Photos.

 (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)

By Michael Flanary of Somerville, MA

I grew up in Massachusetts and lived in the suburbs near 495. Needless to say my life was somewhat isolated in the woods. I went to a good public school system and rode my bike every day in elementary school. Somewhere around fourth or fifth grade, we had a local police officer come in and teach us about every illegal drug that would kill us. This program was called the D.A.R.E. program, standing for drug abuse resistance education, and it was taught in elementary schools all over the United States in the 90’s in an effort to educate America’s youth about illegal drugs even before they knew anything about them. The program’s heart was in the right place, but it’s execution and content left much to be improved. The officer came in with a suitcase display with each of illegal dangerous drug, showing kids examples.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

The annual “Haunted Hall” event took place at the Somerville High School atrium and gym last Thursday.
The family-friendly event featured a costumed Halloween Stroll, safe Trick-or-Treating, games and activities, refreshments, a Haunted Pumpkin Patch tour, and more.

The ongoing wages dispute between Tufts University and its janitorial staff was among several issues addressed at the most recent regular meeting of the Somerville Board of Alderman.

By Amy Swain

The Board of Alderman held its regular meeting last Wednesday, October 26. The meeting was unusually brief, but not lacking in important discussion.

The opener was a resolution submitted by almost the entire board, and supported by the rest, in support of the Tufts University janitorial staff. The staff has complained about unfair wages and staff cuts for more than a year, with no real resolution. Ward 1 Alderman McLaughlin voiced frustration: “The last time around there was some success. They didn’t lay off as many people as they planned. But the people that are working there now are working twice as hard for the same amount or less money. It’s a problem all around the country with major institutions bleeding their people dry, and taking away from people who need the most.”

The city’s review of Somerville Police Policies regarding Biased Based Policing has been postponed until the Board of Alderman meets again next week.

By Joe Ruvido

At its latest meeting on Wednesday, October 19, the Public Health and Safety Committee tabled a discussion about Somerville Police Policies regarding Biased Based Policing. The item was referred to the committee at a July Board of Aldermen meeting, with no action yet taken. Part of the reason the committee did not discuss the matter at Wednesday’s meeting was that Somerville Police Department Chief David Fallon was unable to attend and comment. Mayor Joe Curtatone is open to the idea, stating, “posting bias complains and their outcomes online is something I would certainly support looking at.”

Somerville City Hall,  Saturday, October 29, 2016 ~ Photos by Kevin Dickinson

Somerville voters have been taking advantage of the early voting opportunity over the past couple of weeks. According to the Election Dept., by end of day Monday  some 9,165 voters have already cast early ballots for the General Election set for November 8. Early voting will continue in Somerville until Friday, November 4 in the Board of Aldermen Chambers at City Hall: Wednesday and Thursday, November 2 and 2, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Friday, November 4, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Go to http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/elections for more info, sample ballots, and polling places.

The national and state election is this coming Tuesday, November 8. Please go out and vote. And let’s put an end to the ads, opinions, and nasty wisecracks made about individuals. Actually, thank God this month of November has Thanksgiving, and who knows, maybe after the election is finally over we can all sit down and break bread together once again and enjoy other conversations that are less troubling. Christmas is only 54 days away! Peace!