I am not a poet by any stretch of the imagination, nor I an English Major. Thanks to the computer, I can now spell. I am a Somerville resident for the past six years. I started this poem as a parody to Bruce Springsteen’s song Born in the U.S.A. and as I progressed with the poem I kept rewriting and adding words (about 20 times) and then changed the title to Born and Raised in the U.S.A. During the rewriting and reading what I wrote, I realized to my surprise that the poem was, for the most part, in chronological order. Thanks to my Cousin Patty who was a big part in the finishing of the poem with ideas and words that I needed to complete the poem. Thanks again for reading my poem.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

Central Paper, a full service retail paper store, opened its latest location here in Somerville’s Ball Square at 691 Broadway.

An Open House took place on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and many turned out to meet the staff and check the wide array of papers, envelopes, invitations and more.

By Tom Bannister

Two classrooms at the Kennedy School had the opportunity to take part in some exciting adventures through the Waypoint Adventure program this past month. Waypoint’s mission is to help youth and adults with disabilities discover their purpose, talents and strengths through the transforming power of adventure. Both classrooms participated in team-building sessions prior to the adventures, during which students defined “teamwork” and engaged in a team-building activity that required them to put teamwork into practice.

Amidst grading seemingly hundreds of college writing papers; I found the time to interview Somerville artist Angela Cunningham. Cunningham is a resident of Winter Hill, a full-time studio artist working out of the Mudflat Studio in East Somerville, as well as President of the Board of Mudflat Studio. Last month she co-curated the Lost Theatres of Somerville exhibit at the Studio along with Tracy Redmond. The Lost Theatres exhibit was courtesy of David Guss and The Somerville Museum, who own the intellectual and theatrical rights.

Michael Todd Steffen’s poems and articles have appeared in Connecticut Review, Poem (HLA), ACM (Another Chicago Magazine), Ibbetson Street, Wilderness House Literary Review, Muddy River Poetry Review, and in the window of the Grolier Poetry Bookshop. His is the co-director of the Hastings Room Poetry Reading Series in Cambridge, Mass.

Join Historic Somerville and representatives from the City of Somerville on Veterans Day, November 11, at 2:30 pm, for a Veterans’ Day Remembrance Ceremony at Milk Row Cemetery (next to Market Basket). Local members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts will conduct a ceremony to remember those veterans from Somerville who are buried and memorialized in this hallowed ground.

On Wednesday, November 11, Somerville City Hall and other City offices will be closed for Veterans Day. If your trash day is normally on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, you will have a one-day delay this week. Street sweeping is cancelled for Wednesday and parking meters will not be in effect.

Mayor Curtatone, ward and at-large aldermen, members of the Somerville Police Department, and City staff will discuss issues important to residents and there’s always a lively Q&A where residents can pose questions directly to the Mayor and Aldermen. Topics will range from crime and safety reports by cops on your neighborhood beat, neighborhood improvements such as road and park projects, to a review of citywide issues ranging from Green Line Extension updates to Union Square planning news, and the opioid crisis.

Arrests:
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Melissa Baker, of 83 County Rd., Plympton, November 3, 2:49 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on warrant charges of common streetwalker and larceny under $250.

Jason Hickey, of 47 Lymon Ave., Medford, November 3, 6:40 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on a charge of larceny over $250.

This rendering shows the current High School as it is. — Courtesy of City of Somerville

The Somerville High School Project Committee has been busy reviewing options for bringing our 19^th century Somerville High School building into the 21^st century, and we invite you to attend a Community Forum to discuss our work so far. Options being reviewed range from targeted updates to a full renovation to building a new structure. A brief presentation on the discussions to date will be followed by a Q&A. The forum will be held on Thursday, November 19, 2015, in the Somerville High School Library beginning at 6:30 p.m.