City offices closed Tuesday. Schools closed Tuesday & Wednesday. 311 Constituent Service Center will remain open 24/7 for non-emergency calls.

As the northeast prepares for a “potentially historic” blizzard beginning on Monday evening, the City of Somerville reminds residents to take important precautions in advance, protecting your family and your home in the event that we experience power outages or other significant impacts that may last for several days.

In accordance with the City’s Snow Emergency Procedures, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has declared a snow emergency for the City of Somerville to go into effect at 1 p.m. on Mon., Jan. 26.  During snow emergencies, parking is allowed on the odd-numbered side of the street only (unless otherwise posted).  Cars not moved by 5 p.m. Mon. evening will be subject to ticketing and towing.  Residents unable to find a parking space on the odd-numbered side of the street may park in any municipal or school parking lot for the duration of the emergency; however, please note that because school is in session on Monday, school lots will not be available for public parking until 3 p.m. on Monday.  Full snow emergency and snow removal policies may be found on the City’s website at www.somervillema.gov/snow.

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)

Originally published on October 6, 2010.

A big fat Hammond B-3 organ. Railings surrounding a wooden oval floor, and hundreds of kids on roller skates! The roller-skating rink was called The Bal-A-Roue, and if you grew up in Medford, Somerville or surrounding areas, you remember it.

Release from the City of Somerville

Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for snow across much of Massachusetts, with Somerville potentially on the line between a small and large amount of snow. We’ll keep watching the weather and, if a snow emergency needs to be called, will put out alerts. Make sure you’re signed up to get city CTY calls, emails, and/or text messages here: http://www.somervillema.gov/alerts. In the meantime, we’re preparing by having Department of Public Works employees come in tomorrow morning so that we can have 28 plows out on 28 routes.

Kids and adults were boxing, playing soccer, rowing, hitting softballs, doing martial arts, calisthenics, and learning about skating, women’s football, parkour, music, art and a myriad of other activities at the city’s recent Recreation Fair.

By Jim Clark

Police were called to Kmart on Middlesex Ave. last Saturday on reports that a shoplifter was being detained by the store’s loss prevention personnel.

Comedic talent from around the area joined forces to raise funds for Rett Syndrome research. Guest of honor Sabrina Budd (center) enjoyed the support of the entertainers who gave their all at the event.
— Photo by Tony Porter of Five6Teen Photography

By Tom Bannister

A Comedy Night to raise money for Rett Syndrome research took place on Friday, January 16, at the Somerville City Club.

By Jim Clark

Police received several calls last Saturday evening reporting reckless and erratic driving by someone operating a black Cadillac in the West Somerville area.

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)

Excerpted and adapted from Mayor Curtatone’s State of the City address given on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015.

One of the many accolades we’ve earned together over the past decade and that we can rightly be proud of is “The Best Run City in Massachusetts.” But our community’s aspirations have always been more than simply having an efficient and effective government. We know that government can do more. It can change people’s lives for the better.
Cities cannot be led by mere managers, seeking the highest rate of return. As Robert F. Kennedy pointed out in 1968, our Gross National Product “measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.” Government has a critical role to play in the shaping the future of every person who lives in our community. When it comes to improving the lives of our people, government is not just an essential player—it is the essential player.