Winter is coming—and with it updated snow removal policies in the City of Somerville.

To ensure streets and sidewalks remain safe and accessible throughout the snowy winter months, changes to the city’s existing ordinance, effective immediately, make shoveling timelines more predictable and understandable; increase fines for properties with un-cleared sidewalks; and add a “clean and lien” component, allowing the city to address repeat offenders by removing snow and ice and placing liens on those properties to recover associated costs.

The City of Somerville welcomed its new Housing Director, Michael Feloney. Feloney brings broad public and private sector experience to the position including serving as the Executive Director of Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation (SWBCDC), a community-based nonprofit engaged in community and housing development in Boston’s Hyde Park and Roslindale neighborhoods. Feloney will play a key role in implementing Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s recently announced Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative and in helping to achieve the City’s SomerVision goal of adding 9,000 new units to Somerville’s housing stock by 2030.

By Jim Clark

Police were called to the McDonalds restaurant at Twin City Plaza last  Friday in response to complaints that an unwanted person was refusing to leave the establishment.

Jeremy Spindler is bringing quality home-style confectionary delights to Somerville sweets lovers.

By Laura Stiffler

If you’ve ever been to Magpie, Formaggio or Dave’s Fresh Pasta, then you’ve seen the rectangular white boxes with the delicate cursive ‘Spindler Confections’ label. Salted caramels, peanut brittle and caramel nut clusters; images causing this reporter to salivate like, well … a kid in a candy shop. All those and more, hand- made and packaged right here in Somerville.

By Jim Clark

Police were called to the Kmart store on Middlesex Ave. last Sunday afternoon on reports of an alleged shoplifter being detained there.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

The East Somerville Community School Winter Concert took place on Friday, Dec. 12 in the ESCS Auditorium.

Go behind the scenes to meet some people who decorate their homes for the Illuminations Tour, learn about Somerville’s bid for the Audi Urban Future Award, get the latest on the law that would limit overcrowding of Tufts student apartments, learn what kind of changes might be in store for the Brickbottom neighborhood and walk with the hundreds of students and neighbors in the December 5th march from Davis to Central Square that blocked traffic and said “Black Lives Matter!”

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(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)

Reprinted, revised and borrowed from articles of Christmas past.

For years I wrote Christmas parodies with my counterpart Tom Doyle formerly of WROR. My songs have graced the airwaves of Kiss 108, Eagle 93.7, and Oldies 103. It was a great run! You can see some of my silliness on A Very Seriously Somerville Christmas on city cable channels 13 and 22, and by following this link: youtube.com/somervillecitytv.

— Photos by Denise Cosby

The 5 Kilometer Marathon Sports “Somerville Jingle Bell Run” was held on Sunday, December 14.

For 1- to 4-family homes, new program aims to increase energy efficiency; Programs to be offered for owners and renters starting in early 2015.

Furthering its goal to reduce residential energy consumption by 20 percent by the year 2020, and in line with its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the City of Somerville announced today that it is seeking an Energy Management Partner (EMP) for a new, residential weatherization program for both renters and property owners in the city. A firm or team of firms is sought to implement a program of energy efficiency improvements to one- to four-family residences, working with the existing MassSave Program, to begin in spring 2015 according to a Request for Qualifications issued on Dec. 17, 2014.