By William C. Shelton

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Last month it got a lot easier for neighbors plagued by motorists speeding down narrow residential streets to do something about it. Aldermen, city staff, citizens and the mayor’s office worked together to make it happen.

The Agile Rascal Traveling Bike Theatre is coast to coast and soon to be entertaining Somerville audiences at Arts at the Armory on August 22.

By Mariya Manzhos

When the actors from the Agile Rascal Traveling Bike Theatre left the Bay Area for their cross-continental tour, they must have felt quite proud of their light packing. But biking nearly 70 miles a day has a punishing way of revealing over-optimism, and the group quickly realized they needed to reduce weight.

Due to inclement weather, today’s Union Lunch is cancelled.

Each Friday all summer long, enjoy lunch specials from neighborhood restaurants, live music from local bands, and cool happenings from your favorite Union Square shops and friends. Bring your friends, your coworkers, your kids, and meet us for lunch!

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Panificadora Modelo has been a mainstay in Magoun Square for a number of years, a beloved and locally owned corner bakery that is popular for its Brazilian baked goods, breakfast and coffee. So Brazilian-born owner Joe DeSouza’s expansion by opening Modelo’s Butcher Market across the street from the bakery two years ago is the exact kind of entrepreneurship we want to encourage and see in our community. Unfortunately, the market didn’t achieve the same kind of success as the bakery right away, and in a changing urban real estate market, not every small business owner has the resources to adapt, survive and thrive. We want this kind of investment in our community. That’s why the City is offering those resources through a number of City programs we’ve put in place, which DeSouza took advantage of, which led up to him last week cutting the ribbon on a revamped Modelo’s Market & Café with a remodeled interior and a new marketing strategy. It’s a story of his determination, but also how the community, via the City, can help our local businesses thrive. You could call this an “it takes a City” story.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

In the culmination of their summer theatre camp, Somerville’s Project STAR youth presented their 2015 performance See You Again! on Thurs., August 13 at in the West Somerville Neighborhood cafetorium.

A “Black Lives Matter” banner hangs above the entrance of City Hall in Somerville. — Photos by Bobbie Toner

By Jim Clark

A “Black Lives Matter” banner was hung outside of City Hall in Somerville on Wednesday morning.

According to media reports, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has been working with Black Lives Matter Cambridge in preparing the banner.

Update from The Somerville Boxing Club: The fight has been moved from Dilboy Stadium to Somerville High School because of a chance of rain. Enter at the atrium at SHS.

The Somerville Boxing Club, the Somerville Recreation Dept., Mayor Curtatone and USA Boxing present Somerville Fight Night, Friday August 21 at Dilboy Stadium.   Enjoy a night of New England’s Best Amateur Fighters and support the club and the good work they do for local kids. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for youth, and under 12 is free with paid adult admission. For ticket information call 617-764-3326. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., first bout at 7:00 p.m.

By Haley ED Houseman

Traditional taxi companies are questioning the ability of operations like Uber to provide safe service to those in need of personal transport. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

After the taxi driver strike earlier this month, tensions are rising over the so-called sharing economy app Uber. According to The Boston Globe, at the protest, Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem Mazen argued with some of the protesting drivers after they overheard him remark he uses Uber regularly. “You guys realize the constituency that supports Uber is the majority and you’re the minority, right?” the frustrated councilor said. “The state is about to make Uber legal. It’s about to make it fully legal, OK? And you guys are about to be in an even worse position.”

By Mariya Manzhos

The Center for Teen Empowerment and the Somerville Public Library brought area youth together for a special “open mic” night of fun, music, and personal expression. — Photos by Sean Post.

Last Wednesday night the meeting room of the Somerville Public Library reverberated with laughter and applause. Youth from the area gathered for the Night of Mics, an open mic event, organized by the Center for Teen Empowerment in partnership with the Somerville Library. A series of workshops and events hosted at the library this summer are funded by the Mayor’s Office and are aimed to make the library a more appealing place for the local youth.

It’s going to be interesting to see who is attending that fundraiser tonight, Wednesday the 19th, for the mayor over at the Winter Hill Yacht Club in Assembly Square. The individual hosting it is of questionable character with a past that many here in the city don’t remember but should. We can’t understand how the mayor is allowing this to happen. This person called him delusional, among other things, in his so-called newspaper, while the entire time planned on hosting a fundraiser for Joe. We’re going to watch to see what kind of characters show up for this event. We’ll keep you posted. Oh, yeah. How can the Yacht Club hold a fundraiser when the land is owned by the state? We were told that it’s against policy of the club to hold political fundraisers. Interesting! Well, at least his special DPW photographer won’t be on the city payroll, so he can take the pictures in any event.