By 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)

More than a decade ago, faced with an epidemic of drug overdoses, juvenile crime and teen suicides, our city learned an important lesson: just as we cannot arrest our way out of crime, an arrest or an overdose survived will not necessarily result in a young person making positive changes and putting his or her life on the right track. When we stopped dealing with our problems in a narrow, reactionary way and addressed the problem through a holistic and proactive approach, we were able to end that epidemic. Since then, the Somerville Police Department has continued to evolve into a model of community policing, based in part on those lessons learned. Now our Police Department is again providing an example for others to follow through an initiative that turns our police officers into trusted advisors for students throughout their junior and high school careers.

In accordance with the conditions of the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Alewife Brook/Upper Mystic River Variance we are hereby providing public notice that a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) occurred at SOM001 on Wednesday, 9/30 at 7:49 a.m. and discharged into the Alewife Brook.  The Variance approved workplan requires the Somerville Department of Public Works (DPW) to notify local health agents, the DEP, the EPA and the MRWA within 24 hours of a CSO event. The notice is intended to confirm to users of the resource that untreated sewage discharges to the Brook/River has occurred.

The Somerville High School Boys’ Basketball Coaching Staff with partnership of the Somerville Recreation Commission will be providing  free basketball clinics at the SHS Field House.

There will be a Public Hearing before the Board of Aldermen’s Committee on Legislative Matters on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, at 6:30 PM, in the Aldermanic Chambers, 2^nd Floor, City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, on the Order of Alderman Mary Jo Rossetti, Chair of the Committee, for public input related to the city’s proposed ban on plastic bags. THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ATTEND AND BE HEARD.

To: Somerville Retirement Board

(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)

On September 21, the Boston Globe reported that the Massachusetts state pension fund has lost over $500 million as a result of its investments in the fossil fuel industry over just the last year, according to a review by Trillium Asset Management. This comes after a report by the same group last month showing that the California state pension system had lost $5 billion by investing in the fossil fuel industry during the last year.

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.