UPDATED: On July 7, 2015, Linda Hennessy was arrested and charged with the unarmed robbery at the Community Credit Union, 377 Summer St., at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23. Hennessy is also believed to be responsible for an unarmed robbery at the Davis Square Citizens Bank, 212 Elm St., on May 13.

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The Green Line Extension Project (GLX) announced today that by the end of the day, July 8, Broadway Bridge in Ball Square in Somerville will be reopened to all lanes of traffic. Both sidewalks will be opened as well. The GLX contractor White Skanska Kiewit (WSK) has constructed the utility bridge structure that necessitated this lane closure, which began back in January of this year.

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By Donald Norton

At a recent fundraiser, the publisher of The Somerville Times, Ross Blouin, introduced local pub owner Liam Mannion, who owns Sally O’Brien’s in Union Square, to Jerry Fleming, who owned the first Irish pub here in Somerville back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, known as the Blarney Stone, which was in the old Woodbridge Inn until it caught fire.

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By Douglas Yu

Elegant Furniture’s logo is still hanging high on the building at 31 Union Square, even though the paint has tarnished over the past half year. The furniture store was forced to shut down last fall due to a spike in its monthly rent, local media reported.

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By Josie Grove

Nearly 100 people filled the Somerville Aldermanic Chambers on Monday night, eager to hear and be heard about the city’s proposal for a fire station at 515 Somerville Ave. The contentious project has sparked a vocal opposition from some neighbors, who have organized into a group called Save Spring Hill.

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By Haley ED Houseman

Tipping may be ingrained in our restaurant culture, but few customers understand the cost of their tips. Few know that the system produces wages that are regularly below the poverty line.

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By Amy Swain

July 1 saw the launch of the Youth Pass Pilot Program in Boston. Members of the Youth Affordabili(T) Coalition gathered at Dudley Station in Roxbury for a ribbon cutting ceremony along with many special guests including Mayor Gary Christenson of Malden, Felix Arroyo, Chief of Health and Human Services in Boston, and Omar Boukili, Advisor to Mayor Joseph Curatone of Somerville, among many others.

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This Thursday night our own Doug Holder will have a book launch at the Newton Writing and Publishing Center, 289 Eliot Street, Newton MA. Beginning at 7:00 p.m., hear Doug read, clap for him, buy an autographed copy of his book…eat cake! Doug is a great guy and a very talented writer.

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— Photos by Claudia Ferro

Last Thursday, July 2, the city held its annual Fireworks Celebration at Trum Field. Live entertainment included performances by the Somerville Sunsetters, local Disco-Funk band Booty Vortex, the USO Metropolitan New York Performers, the Boston Windjammers, and “Somerville Idol,” Tammy Rego, all leading up to a 30-minute fireworks display at approximately 9:15 p.m.

Eagle Feathers #82 –The Invitation

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

It began where the Wellington Bridge crosses over the Mystic River, and it ended where the Harvard Bridge crosses over the Charles. It was to be a ”day of all days” for the people of Somerville. For weeks in advance, the residents, ranging from age five to one hundred and five, had been preparing for this special day. Red, white, and blue bunting and flags blanketed the city and adorned its public buildings in anticipation. It wasn’t that they hadn’t had parades before, but the 4th of July observance in 1910 became the city’s most boastful. The President of the United States, William Howard Taft, had accepted an invitation from the City of Somerville to visit, to partake, and to preside over its nation’s birthday celebration.

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