Synthetic cannabinoids and other chemical-based stimulants are being targeted for possible banning in the City of Somerville by the Board of Aldermen.

By Josie Grove

“As a new father, I want to make sure Somerville is as safe as it can be for young people,” says Alderman Dennis Sullivan. That’s why, at last week’s meeting of Somerville’s Board of Aldermen, Sullivan brought proposed an ordinance to ban synthetic cannabinoids in the city of Somerville. “I cannot see a reason to have this on the shelves in Somerville,” he says.

By Mariya Manzhos

On Saturday afternoon thousands flocked to Union Square for Somerville’s quirkiest festivity celebrating the invention of marshmallow fluff. From when just a couple of thousand people gathered in the Union Square plaza in 2005, “What the Fluff?” has grown into a massive community celebration of local businesses, talent and creativity.

This week, the Somerville Rotary club is having its annual “Comedy Nite” at Giggles Comedy Club, Rte. 1 in Saugus, on Thursday, October 1. Tickets are only $25 per person and there will be lots of fun and door prizes, along with baskets of good stuff to bid on. But the night is at its best with the various comedians that show up and give a great performance, as always at Giggles. Join the club and your neighbors here in the city for a great night by contacting any of the members. Email Gilda Nogueira at gnogueira@ecsb.com.

High profile climate leaders and Mayor Curtatone join forces with Fossil Free MIT to call for a climate action plan at the institute

By Eben Eliot Bolte Bein

This Friday, across the street from the annual meeting of the MIT board of trustees, Fossil Free MIT and several other student organizations are hosting a community-wide Rally for Climate Action. “After 2 years of negotiations, the time for talk is over and the time for MIT climate action is now,” says graduate student and Fossil Free MIT co-founder Geoffrey Supran.

(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)

By Kristen Lucas and Van Hardy, on behalf of Union United

At the end of the summer, MassDOT announced that the projected costs for the Green Line Extension are nearly $1 billion more than previously anticipated, putting the future of the project in question. One way to address this shortfall is known as “value capture,” a phrase that was used frequently at the September meeting of the MassDOT board. This could mean that Union Square master developer US2 would contribute to the costs of the Union Square GLX station. This model was used in Assembly Square, with FRIT contributing $25 million to a new Orange Line station through the Infrastructure Investment Incentive Program, or I-Cubed.

— Photos by Donald Norton

The Board of Aldermen commended two outstanding individuals for their contributions to the City of Somerville at the Regular Meeting of the Board on Thursday, September 24. A citation was presented by Alderman White Jr., and the entire Board and the mayor commending Wendy Blom (pictured above), who is leaving SCATV after 11 years of outstanding leadership as Executive Director. Additionally, a citation was presented by Alderman Lafuente, and the entire Board and the mayor commending Tony Matarazzo (pictured below), who is celebrating 67 years of cutting hair and being an irreplaceable part of the Somerville community.

Mayor Curtatone’s public statement calling for leniency for the so-called “Somerville 18” protesters last week took many people by surprise, to say the least.

Some were outraged by the statement. Many consider the protester’s actions last January – blocking traffic on Interstate 93 – a criminal act. Others are more forgiving, citing the importance of such instances of civil disobedience as a means to inform and persuade the public and legal authorities when an issue is perceived to be important enough to do so.

Eagle Feathers #88 – Our Connecticut Cousins

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The historic Bunker Hill Monument has four entrances or gates. These honor each colony that contributed troops in that famous battle. They were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The most memorable quote from the battle was credited to Connecticut’s General Israel Putnam who was in command at the battle on Bunker Hill. He bellowed out to his men, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”

Our guest columnist this week is Somerville resident William Falcetano. He chimes in on the new film “Black Mass” that concerns the notorious Whitey Bulger.

   Tianisha Torres is a student at Endicott College. She asks some very poignant questions about identity.