There is something that I used to do frequently but now hardly at all, and that is walking through the streets of Boston. I had a dinner I had to go to recently, so I decided to leave early from my home in Somerville, grab the Red Line to Park Street, and got my dogs on the hot pavement. I have been around Boston since 1973, from the time I entered Boston University as a freshman. One of the things I noticed some 40 years later is the change in Boston and the change in me. I am no longer looking at the city as an adventure; I am looking at it nostalgically. While walking down the street in Downtown Crossing I saw the ghost of the Barnes and Noble store that I used to frequent and picked up, by mere chance, “On the Road,” simply because the book cover looked cool. That started me on a Kerouac reading binge that had me devouring everything he ever wrote, and made me realize how exciting life and literature can truly be.

Hopefully by the time you read this poem the crisis at Market Basket will be over. I pulled this up from my archives — thought it would be germane.

Arrests:
*

Matthew Szklarz, 28, of 59 Munroe St., July 22, 9:08 a.m., arrested at 20 Webster Ave. on charges of bicycle violation and refusal to identify self.

Michelle Harris, 45, of 3 Quincy St., July 22, 9:10 a.m., arrested at 3 Bow St. on warrant charges of larceny from a building, felony nighttime breaking and entering, and trespassing.

Conference brings together early childhood educators serving students in different settings for joint professional development

More than 50 Somerville educators participated in the first of what is anticipated to become an annual early childhood education conference earlier this month, bringing together educators from across the City for joint professional development as part of a community-wide initiative to align early childhood education services and experiences.  Science in Early Childhood Settings, a two-day conference held at the  Capuano Early Childhood Center on July 11 and 12, offered conference attendees serving pre-kindergarten through first grade students in different settings, the opportunity to learn new skills and best practices related to teaching science in early childhood settings.

The OPENAIR Circus will be holding its 29th annual performances on August 1 – 3 under the big top at Conway Field.  Watch as students of all ages from 3 to adults and teachers showcase their skills in A Haunted Circus!

Conway Field is at 560 Somerville Ave, Somerville, across from Central St.
Suggested donation is $3.00.

Monday morning’s rain storm made some roads in Somerville impassable.

— Photos by Bobbie Toner

These photos were taken of Powder House Blvd.

Rte. 16 during the storm.

Islam in the West: a talk
with Dr. Jocelyne Cesari.

The next installment in the “Muslim Journeys” book series at the Somerville Public Library will take place on Thursday, July 31 with a discussion of Why the West Fears Islam and Acts of Faith at 6:30 p.m.

Jocelyne Cesari, Director of Harvard University’s Islam in the West program and lecturer in Islamic Studies at Harvard Divinity School, will lead a talk on these issues as explored in her book, Why the West Fears Islam, and Interfaith Youth Core Founder Ebo Patel’s autobiographical work, Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, in the Struggle for a Soul of a Generation. The discussion is free and open to the public as part of a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.

More than $125K for programs serving more than 445 Somerville households

The Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund announced this week it is awarding $125,800 in fiscal 2015 to housing and homeless service providers that, combined, serve more than 445 Somerville households.

Green Line Extension construction is underway and will involve periodic traffic impacts near the Medford Street Rail Bridge for six to eight months beginning in August. Please join the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the City of Somerville for a meeting to present the construction schedule for the Rail Bridge area, and all associated traffic diversions. MassDOT will present information followed by a Q&A. When/Where: Thursday, July 31, at 6 p.m., at the Public Safety Building, 220 Washington Street. For more information please contact the GLX team at info@glxinfo.com or 855-GLX-INFO (855-459-4636).