The holidays will come a little early to Somerville once again this year, with several celebrations planned throughout the month of December including 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.

Local author Becky Sarah shared with us her new book, Grandmothering: Real Life in Real Families.  This intergenerational event was presented by the Somerville Council on Aging, the LGBT Liaison of the Office of Somerville Commissions, the Somerville Public Library and the LGBT Aging Project.

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)

I can’t believe it’s been 50 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I was ten years old when it happened. I can vividly remember that sad day in the fifth grade at St. Clements School when Sister Mary Reparata tearfully told us the horrible news. We were then dismissed early and I walked home sobbing. The kid downstairs met me in the driveway with a football and wanted me to toss it around with him. I asked, “How can you think of playing when the president has just been killed?” He got mad and called me a fink or a fruit or something. I pushed him and ran in the house crying. The whole world was devastated by the unthinkable tragedy that happened in Dallas, Texas that 22nd day of November in 1963, but for me it was personal.

Too many chiefs? No one seemed to mind as out-going Somerville Police Department Chief Thomas Pasquarello (left), soon-to-be Interim Acting Chief Charles Femino (center) and Deputy Chief Michael Cabral (right) sat in at last week’s Ward 7 ResiStat meeting. Unsurprisingly, with so much police presence at the meeting there were no outbreaks of unruly tempers spoiling the evening. Perhaps these three gentlemen should be asked to all such meetings in the future.

50 Year Anniversary

Barbara Kelley looks on as daughters Kathleen and Elizabeth Kelley present flowers to John F Kennedy on the steps of Somerville’s City Hall.

Part 4:  Consequences
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By William C. Shelton

(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)

An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.
-Plutarch

Thus far in this series I have presented evidence regarding the extent of U.S. economic inequality and the reasons for its existence. But why should we care?

Why Can’t It Last Forever 2012 by Pauline Lim.

Brickbottom Artists’ Building  will host its 26th annual Open Studios, one of the oldest open studio events in Somerville, on November 23 & 24, 12-6pm each day. Over 60 artists will open their live-work studios to the public, showing and selling work in a wide variety of media and formats. A block away, the 50+ artists of Joy Street Studios will open their doors as well, many offering demonstrations of their methods and working techniques.

L-R: Lori Cote, of Somerville, and Peter Cote, of Somerville.
– Photo by Jay Baronowski

The 2013 Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) raised $39 million for adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. The 2013 fundraising total is $2 million more than the PMC gave in 2012 and brings its 34-year Jimmy Fund contribution to $414 million.

The City of Somerville’s Mobile Farmers Market program needs your help, and a nifty online crowdfunding campaign makes it easy to give once during the holidays to provide meaningful help to low-income families all year.