By Mark Casale

The City of Somerville is taking the lead in reducing emissions to zero by the year 2050 with its recent purchase four electric Ford Focus Hatchbacks. The vehicle in the photos is assigned to the Traffic & Parking Department.

By Somerville Neighborhood News
Contributing Reporter: Karishma Desai

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a colder and snowier winter than normal, while NOAA says we can look forward to warmer season. Winter in New England always puts a strain on heating budgets.

By Jim Clark

Two suspects were arrested Friday after fleeing in a stolen vehicle and crashing it into a median at Lombardi Way under Interstate 93, at which time a pedestrian who was crossing the street was struck by the vehicle.

By Rebecca Danvers

The Somerville Council on Aging is thrilled to announce the newest member to our LGBTQ Advisory Board, Lt. Michael Mulcahy of the Somerville Police Force. Lt. Mulcahy, the first openly gay police officer in the department’s history, bringing with him 29 years of experience and a genuine willingness to help.

To the Editor:

(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)

It’s time to drop “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from the holiday playlist. Call me a Scrooge, but a song about a man doggedly coercing a woman to stay at his house and drink more, despite her continual protests, doesn’t put me in the holiday spirit. It creeps me out.

 By Mayor 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)

A decade ago, the economist Thomas Friedman wrote “The World is Flat,” arguing that a more interconnected world had put everyone on the planet on an economic even playing field. While many do not believe that globalization has created equal opportunity, inarguably our region now competes for jobs and influence on a global scale. Much as we cherish the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry as sports fans, the reality is Greater Boston finds itself competing economically with Barcelona, Sao Paulo and Taipei just as much as it does with New York City. We are part of a high-stakes economic poker game, and to make sure we continue to play a strong hand, the cities of Somerville, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Quincy and Braintree have formed the Greater Boston Regional Economic Compact to ensure we meet the challenges of the 21st century.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

On Tuesday, Dec, 8, the Moonlighters led by Jimmy Del Ponte, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and City Hall staffers sang Christmas carols for residents of the Somerville Home on Summer St. and the VNA on Lowell St.

By Charles Lane

Left to right: Mandeep Kaur, Devon Alves, Emily Sabatino, Marissa Toner, Halle Hughes, Vincent, Steven Hawkins (front).

From November 22–24, eight career and technical education students from Somerville High School attended the 2015 Fall State Leadership Conference in Marlborough, MA for SkillsUSA.

(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)

Increasing the affordable housing ratio to 20% citywide is laudable, but will not by itself eliminate the searing economic inequality that afflicts Somerville. To be effective, this first step must lead to a comprehensive program that includes an affordable housing ratio reaching or exceeding 50%, a real estate transfer tax to suppress land speculation, and at the state level, the return of rent control. Even these steps will not be enough to stem inequality and preserve the middle class without redistributive legislation at the national and international level, such as the progressive global tax on wealth proposed by French economist Thomas Piketty. In the absence of such measures, the middle class will continue to be displaced from urban cores including Somerville, and in the process, amenities such as mass transit and schools that were built with public money for the benefit of all, will be unjustly captured by high net worth individuals.