Arrests:
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Dale Harding, 26, of 6 Myrtle St., November 25, 8:10 a.m., arrested at home on warrant charges of witness intimidation, carrying a firearm with ammunition, discharging a firearm, destruction of property over $250, possession of a firearm without a FID card, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

A faulty chimney flue is the apparent cause of a fire at 34 Day Street on Thanksgiving evening, November 28. Firefighters responded to the two story, single family home at 7:31 p.m. and found smoke coming from a wall around the first floor fireplace. Firefighters had to rip the wall open to extinguish fire burning inside the wall void. Fire damage was confined to the area around the fireplace but water damage also resulted in the basement. Firefighters were on scene for approximately 45 minutes. Damage is estimated at $30,000.

Next Wave/Full Circle students and staff invite you to kick off the holiday season with the purchase of a beautiful tree or wreath from the Next Wave/Full Circle Tree Lot at Foss Park. The annual fundraising event began Sunday, December 1 and runs through Wednesday, December 18.  Net proceeds from this event benefit the Student Activities Fund at NW/FC.  Students staff the lot (with supervision from NW/FC teachers and counselors), gaining valuable work skills in the process. The Lot, located at the Latta Brothers Memorial Pool at Foss Park, 20 McGrath Hwy., is open from 4-8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekends.

Help the Somerville Arts Council better understand the economic assets of the creative community in Somerville by participating in a quick community survey, launched with the UMass Center for Policy Analysis.

The survey can be found at www.somervilleartscouncil.org/creativesurvey, is open to all residents and will be available through December 6. It takes only 12 questions and five minutes to complete.

Join Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston for the second in a series of community meetings to discuss your ideas for the renovation of Lincoln Park on Monday, Dec. 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Argenziano School at 290 Washington Street, and will build on the discussion held on Oct. 30. The city plans to renovate Lincoln Park to provide necessary upgrades to the ball fields and playgrounds, and community input and feedback will be used to determine optimal design plans before implementation. Spanish and Portuguese translators will be available for the meeting upon request. For more information, visit www.somervillema.gov or call Arn Franzen in the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development at 617-625-6600 ext. 2500.

Somerville Public Schools (SPS) is one of just 71 recipients nationwide selected to receive a fiscal year 2014 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School grant. The federal program seeks to better connect school cafeterias and students with local farmers and ranchers.  Somerville was awarded a $45,000 planning grant and is one of only two programs in Massachusetts and one of seven in New England to receive 2014 Farm to School funding.

SAC’s Artist of the Month for May, 2013, Marjorie Gere, will join in on the celebration with her fellow Superstars this coming Sunday at the Arts at the Armory.

By Erica Scharn

On Sunday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m., the Somerville Arts Council (SAC) and the Artist of the Month coordinators invite the public to Somerville Superstars! A Celebration of 2013 Somerville Artists of the Month. This free event will be held at Arts at the Armory Café, located at 191 Highland Avenue in Somerville.

By Douglas Yu

“Let’s go all around and say what you are thankful for, but you don’t have to say anything awkward or uncomfortable,” Benjamin Lovenheim was playing a peaceful tune with his guitar and was saying this in front a group of people who came together to share a warm and musical moment for Thanksgiving Day.

Santa and all his friends are making big plans to entertain and provide wonderfully gift shopping opportunities for Somerville residents over the next few weeks.

By Jim Clark

Somerville is gearing up for some very special celebrations and events as the holiday season approaches.

The annual tree and Menorah lighting at City Hall, the Arts Council’s Illuminations Tour, and a first-ever “Holiday Arts and Eats” Festival at Assembly Row, sponsored by Federal Realty Investment Trust, are among the highlights of this year’s holiday festivities in and around Somerville.

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)

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving and the beginning of Hanukkah, spending time with family and friends, and hopefully taking a moment to reflect on what we’re thankful for. I’m thankful for my family, my wife and four sons, and that every day in my job I have the opportunity to make life a little bit better, a little easier for the people of our community. Wrapped up in the day-to-day concerns of our own lives, it can sometimes be easy to forget how blessed we are and the opportunities we’ve had because someone—a family member, a friend or even a complete stranger—lent us a helping hand and gave us the support we needed to make our lives better.