Photos from last year’s event. – Photos by Emily Torres-Cullinane (MAPC staff)

Law enforcement officials, youth services workers and local teens will join together for the Sixth Annual Metro Mayors Basketball Tournament on Saturday, August 3, in a show of solidarity among youth and those who fight for their safety.

Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Quincy, Revere, Somerville and Winthrop will send teams to a five-on-five tournament hosted by the Metro Mayors Coalition as a way to promote safe summer activities and kick off the coming school year.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The  Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and  do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff  or publishers)

In the last decade, we have seen some incredible transformations across the city, from the new neighborhood springing up in Assembly Square, to construction for the new Green Line station in Union Square, to the addition of bike lanes and improved streetscapes citywide. Until recently, East Somerville has waited for similar transformative projects to help boost its notoriety as one of the best regional gems for local business and cuisine. At last, East Somerville’s time is now.

Former Highlander Head Football Coach Hired as new Housemaster for SHS Highland House

Somerville High School Headmaster John Oteri announced earlier this month that Mr. Harry Marchetti  will return to Somerville in a new capacity, joining the SHS leadership staff as Housemaster/Assistant Principal for Highland House.  Mr. Marchetti will be filling the position vacated by Mr. Joe Burke, who retired at the end of the 2012-2013 school year after 7 years as an SHS Housemaster and 32 years working in the Somerville Public Schools (SPS). Mr. Marchetti comes to Somerville after serving as Assistant Principal for eight years at the Greater Lawrence Technical School.

Pet- Palooza featuring DockDogs, August 3 & 4
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Handmade art meets man’s best friend at Assembly Row in Somerville,  Pet-Palooza and the ASSEMBLED art market come together on Saturday August 3.

~Photo by Lauren C. Osterberg

The OPENAIR Circus will again amaze and amuse audiences this weekend. This year, the big top will be at Conway Field, halfway between Union Sq. and Porter Sq. on Somerville Ave. Performances cap off 6 weeks of summer classes offered by the circus in three Somerville parks. Over 200 children, teens, and adults have been learning and perfecting skills like stilting, juggling, acrobalance, and more.

East Somerville residents took part in a planning session aimed at providing opportunities for interested parties to have a say in how the future of their community may unfold.
– Photo by Douglas Yu

By Douglas Yu

In a civically engaged city like Somerville, people have an opportunity to point out which parts of the city should be redesigned. They are also free to join discussions with their neighbors to come up with ideas for better urban development.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The  Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and  do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff  or publishers)

By Tim Talun

It was once believed that the harm caused by building the elevated McGrath highway was justified by the collective benefit it would provide.  Today it has been agreed that this overpass will be torn down and reconfigured to fix this mistake, but a few hundred feet down Washington Street an even more questionable argument has been made that the collective benefit provided by a housing development is more important than the concerns of those that live around it.

– Photos by Bobbie Toner

Seize the Summer, the July installment of the city’s seasonal SomerStreets festival took place Sunday, July 29 between Walnut and Cedar Streets on Highland Ave.

Show opens next week at Assembly Row
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A Cavalia crew member rests after scaling one of the 10-story-high peaks of the “big white top” to plant the Odysseo flag yesterday. – Photo by Elizabeth Sheeran.

By Elizabeth Sheeran

Five dozen horses. More than 100 semi-trailer trucks. And the largest big top tent of its kind. Cavalia has arrived in Somerville with the kind of fanfare reminiscent of the days when everything shut down the day the travelling circus came to town.

Last Thursday’s multi-unit fire on Calvin St. brought firefighters from surrounding communities in to help battles the blaze that had the potential to do a lot more damage than it did. – Photo by Teresa Hohenstein

By Harry Kane

A large fire broke out in Somerville, burning down a pair of three-decker houses, and damaging neighboring homes on Calvin Street and Beacon Place last Thursday, July 25. There were no casualties.