By Sal Ghamo

The New Somerville High School Building project met last week and voted to approve the submission of the Preliminary Design Plans proposal to the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

For those of you who may have been out of the loop these past couple weeks, perhaps hiding from the snow, you should know that plans are thawing for The New Somerville High School Building project.

By Haley ED Houseman

Exactly where and in what form a medical marijuana dispensary in Somerville will be realized is still largely undetermined, but headway is being made as city planners and administrators embrace the challenge of making the proposed facility a reality.

With medical marijuana now legal in Massachusetts, Somerville is examining its city ordinances to permit a possible site in the downtown area. While state ordinances call for a dispensary to be 500 ft. from facilities that serve children, in Somerville this would relegate the facilities to the to the fringe of commercial areas.

By Louise Carpenter

What’s purple, green, gold and smiles all over? On Tuesday, February 9, the Jeanne Jugan Residence and Little Sisters of the Poor, in preparation for Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Season, celebrated Mardi Gras in full regalia with its residents, staff and Sisters all getting involved in the celebration.

Coming on March 11, “Flashback Friday” at the Somerville City Club. Do you still have that poodle skirt? Maybe your bellbottoms and platform shoes? What about those ripped jeans or hammer pants? Break them out! Take a journey back in time and dance the night away to songs from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Costume dress optional. Join in on Friday, March 11, 7:00-11:00 p.m. at Somerville City Club, 20 Innerbelt Rd., Somerville. Tickets are $15. There will be a cash bar, raffle tickets and 50/50’s. Adults only. All proceeds benefit The Somerville PTA Scholarship Dinner Dance. For tickets, email Kristine Vallery at afaspta@yahoo.com.

‘Villens United by Chris Haskell

(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)

The term “anti-intellectualism” is a description of the growing dismissal of facts, science, and logic by many Americans in favor of personal belief, opinion, and misinformation. Man has traveled to the moon and back yet there are still people to this day that truly believe that the earth is flat. No joke. They call themselves The Flat Earth Society and they believe that “round earth theory” is an elaborate hoax perpetrated upon humanity.

Call it David vs. Goliath, or perhaps Don Quixote vs. a windmill. Any way you look at it, the City of Somerville has bitten off a bug chunk to chew on as it takes on the juggernaut might of Wynn Resorts and its plan for development of a casino-resort in Everett.

Eagle Feathers #97 –Hobby Horses

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Who first invented the wheel and why? No one knows for sure; but through the ages, it has been known as the world’s number one invention that advanced machinery and transportation. The Mesopotamian Wheel, the world’s oldest known, has been here for 5,500 years.

By Jim Clark

Somerville Firefighter James Nolan.

The City of Somerville Board of Aldermen issued a citation of commendation to retiring Somerville firefighter James Nolan during their regular meeting of February 11, 2016.

— Photos by Bobbie Toner

Somerville Varsity played Lawrence  at Lawrence  High School on Monday, Feb 15 in the MVC and GBL Tournament. Lawrence won 54 – 47. The next Tournament game is today, Wednesday Feb. 17, against Lowell, at Lawrence High School.

Resa Blatman is an adventurous person. Recently this longtime Somerville resident took a trip to the Arctic with other artists on an antique sailing boat. I talked with Blatman about this, the gentrification of Somerville and its impact on artists, and other projects she is involved in. Blatman joined me at my usual seat at the Bloc11 cafe in Union Square.