It’s an issue that dogs us, left, right, and center. No matter which side of it you agree with, the “Black Lives Matter” banner hanging at City Hall has polarized many of us, and for some compromise is just not in the cards.

Last week, a gathering took place at City Hall organized by our local police union and attended by members of that body as well as the general public and the press.

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services recently distributed $36,000 worth of free farmers’ market coupons, which can be used to purchase produce at several local markets.

Some 1,400 local residents will receive a windfall of fresh produce this summer, thanks to a recent collaboration between Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) and the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.

Administered through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), the program delivered $36,000 worth of free farmers’ market coupons for SCES to distribute in late July.

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Somerville fashion designer Sandhya Garg does not lift a middle finger to offend the mandarins of the fashion world. But she uses it as part of her design concept of provocative, beautiful and engaging clothing.

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Joshua Michael Stewart has had poems published in the Massachusetts Review, Louisville Review, Rattle, Night Train, Evansville Review, Cold Mountain Review, and many others. His first full-length collection of poems, Break Every String, has been published by Hedgerow Books in April 2016. He received his BA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He’s a Teacher/Counselor, working with individuals with special needs. Visit him at www.joshuamichaelstewart.com.

The 36th Annual Mayor’s Senior Picnic will be held Wednesday, August 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at  Powderhouse Park (rain date: Friday, August 5). There will be  food, dancing, music, entertainment and prizes galore.

By Ross Blouin

Ida Azzolino, daughter of Marianna Nicoli Solari and John Solari was a life-long resident of Somerville. She was born in September 1912 at her grandmother’s home on Board Alley in the North End of Boston and then brought home to live on Somerville Ave at Porter Square. Ida would have been 104 years old in September.

Arrests:
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Hughes Julien, of 3 Washington Ave., July 26, 8:00 a.m., arrested at Washington St. on warrant charges of destruction of property under $250, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a household or family member.

Ryan Nash, of 9 Kearsarge Ave., Roxbury, July 26, 6:32 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on warrant charges of larceny under $250 and larceny from a building.

“America’s Night Out Against Crime” to feature Fire and Police demonstrations, children’s activities and games, and more.

Join the City of Somerville for the 13th annual National Night Out Against Crime and Drugs on Tuesday, August 2, hosted by Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) in partnership with the Somerville Police Department, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, and the Somerville Office of Prevention (SOP).

The talented performers of Youthquake: (left to right) Xavier Harvey, Abigail Dickson, Hayden Latimer-Ireland. ~ Photo by Siena Moraff

By Rebecca Danvers

Think you can’t watch every one of Shakespeare’s plays in less than two hours? Think again. Youthquake Theater, Boston’s youth-run company devoted to the works of William Shakespeare, takes on the whole kit and caboodle in their production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised].