Volunteers of America Massachusetts (VOAMA) is currently in the final stages of completing construction on the Massachusetts Bay Veterans Center (MBVC) located at 2 North Street in Somerville, MA. The MBVC will provide housing to formally homeless veterans and will welcome residents in August.

The Ward 5 ResiStat meeting will take place  June 18 at the John F. Kennedy School cafeteria (5 Cherry Street) at 6:30pm start time. Residents have the opportunity to meet with city officials face to face and voice their concerns about their neighborhood. Light refreshments will be served and the meeting agenda has been determined, ahead of  time, by surveys filled out by residents. For more information, check out: http://somervilleresistat.blogspot.com/

– Photos by Karalyn Connolly

The Somerville Olympics of a Special Kind event took place at Trum Field on Wednesday, June 12. This year’s event was dedicated to the memory of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. Family members were present to open the games.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(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.)

This article first appeared in the April 9, 2008 edition of The Somerville News.

Elvis had just gotten out of the Army. Chubby Checker was making “The Twist” famous and my family had just moved into our new house near Davis Square. The year was 1960 and a stamp cost 4 cents. A McDonald’s cheeseburger set you back 15 cents and you could buy a brand new Chevy for $2,529.

Lady Kielbasia will be hosting this year’s Squeezebox Slam concert.

By Cathleen Twardzik

The Second Somerville Squeezebox Slam, presented by The Nave Gallery and the Somerville Arts Council (SAC), will occur on June 15 from 1–6 p.m.

The event will feature “accordions, button boxes and other freestanding, reed instruments.”

Additionally, Redbones barbeque food and arts and crafts will be available for purchase.

Be sure to bring your own sqeezebox for the “Accordion Stroll,” and participate in a walk through Somerville.

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.)

Budget season is upon us and in local papers across the state, we read about cities and towns touting spending plans that avoid layoffs or that maintain current services, as if the status quo should be a source of pride.

Tiffany Sedaris left us on May 24th. She was raised in Raleigh, NC but made her home in Somerville for nearly 25 years.

A talented, self taught artist with a child’s eye for color and form, Tiffany worked in a variety of mixed media including broken bits of pottery and dishware which she crafted into fantasyscape mosaics. Her work has been displayed in a local gallery and at Somerville Open Studios.

Kristi Savage, Argenziano phys ed teacher and Sabhyata Sedhain, Argenziano fifth grader, show of their new do’s after cutting their hair to support cancer research.

When Kristi Savage first learned last fall that one of her best friends had cancer, multiple myeloma, her first reaction was to offer to shave her head in support. It was an offer the Somerville teacher didn’t have to make good on until recently, when a stem cell transplant caused her friend to lose all her hair.

“Everyone who knows me knows I love my hair,” said the Argenziano School physical education instructor, who now styles her hair with a towel. “Everyone knows how important it is for me to have every hair in place.”

Moody’s notes City’s ‘ambitious’ economic development plans and conservative fiscal stewardship

Moody’s Investors Service has reaffirmed the City of Somerville’s highest ever long-term credit rating of Aa2, citing the city’s commitment to redevelopment, conservative budgeting approach and ample reserve levels, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced.