~Photos by Claudia Ferro
Somerville residents celebrated the fourth of July Thursday night at Trum field. The 215th Army Band, local Disco-Funk band Booty Vortex, USO Metropolitan New York Performers, and the Somerville Sunsetters entertained the crowd. A 30-minute fireworks display ended the night’s celebration.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone invites the public to attend an open house to review and discuss a draft of the Somerville Open Space & Recreation Plan. The open house is scheduled for Wednesday, July 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St. Residents are encouraged to examine the plan — which includes data on public parks, green spaces, and Somerville’s urban canopy – and to discuss open space planning in the City.

Chief David Fallon and the Somerville Police Department encourage you to keep in mind the laws on fireworks in Massachusetts.

It is illegal to use, possess, or sell fireworks of any kind in Massachusetts, including Class C fireworks, which are sometimes falsely called “safe and sane fireworks.” Class C fireworks include sparklers, party poppers, snappers, firecrackers, spinners, cherry bombs and more. Citizens are also prohibited from purchasing fireworks elsewhere and then transporting them into the state.

Here are the latest headlines from Somerville Neighborhood News #65:

Somerville is at the forefront of welcoming Medical Marijuana Dispensary to the community. The city is currently reviewing thirteen dispensary applications. Reporter Jeanette Origel brings us the story.

Fentanyl pills being sold as Oxycodone
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Area police departments are currently conducting investigations into the sales of pills that are being sold illegally on the street as the prescription drug Oxycodone but have been found to be made of Fentanyl.

On Monday, July 4, city offices will be closed in honor of the holiday. Trash, recycling, and yard waste pick up will be on a one-day delay all week. No street sweeping, meter enforcement, or residential sticker enforcement on Monday either.

By William C. Shelton

(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)

In February we celebrated my next-door neighbor’s one-hundredth birthday. I want to tell you about him because I think that Peter Fantasia exemplifies so much about what made the ‘Villens of the “greatest generation” great.

~Photos by Donald Norton

For the fourth year, Somerville hosted the annual American Rendezvous weekend (ARDV) gathering from June 24 to June 26, where parkour practitioners participated in training sessions led by elite coaches from across the country and abroad.

Ryan and Cathy Harrington.

By Mariya Manzhos

On Mother’s Day in 2010 Ryan Harrington, then 25, wrote in a card to his mother Cathy: “Wouldn’t it be the best present, if I were sober,” Ryan wrote. “I would love to give it to you.” That was all Cathy and her husband Dave wanted for Ryan, the baby in their family. Ryan’s 10-year battle with addiction to opioids included multiple recovery programs and even a stint in jail, but nothing worked long-term. “The pull was just too strong,” says Cathy.

By Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

Recently the Baker administration announced a new policy for how the Commonwealth of Massachusetts handles interactions between state police and federal immigration officials. When asked a question about one specific part of those changes during a radio interview, which involves reporting violent criminals to federal immigration authorities, my initial reaction was that it sounded “prudent” and that it simply followed our existing procedure in Somerville. Violent criminals have never had a free pass in Somerville and never will.