Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, the Somerville Office of Commissions and the Somerville Public Schools announce the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration event, entitled, “Equality Through Access,” to be held on Monday, January 21  in accordance with national MLK Day remembrance.  The 2013 event will be held at the Somerville Theatre from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m, and will include a keynote speech by Lorraine Cordeiro, Assistant Professor and Family Research Scholar at UMass/Amherst as well as live music, readings from Somerville student essays in response to the 2013 theme “Equality Through Access,” and an award presentation to community members who exemplify MLK’s legacy in the Somerville community.  The event is free and open to the public.

Children’s books make a fun and informative specialty choice for collectors.

By Amy Whorf

Children are often the recipients of new books, at least new to them. Adults who purchase them enjoy picking titles that they recall fondly from their own childhood. In some cases it’s to re-read themselves or for the first time while reading aloud to the next generation. The post-holidays are a good time to encourage their habits of reading the time-tested tomes from many genres.

On The Silly Side 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.)

Growing up and living in Somerville has been a blast. There was always something to do and always someplace fun to go close to home. We could walk or ride our bikes to a number of exciting destinations.

19^th and 20^th Century Official City Documents Now Available through Library Database

The City of Somerville and the Somerville Public Library (SPL) are proud to announce the digitization of historical records from the files of the city’s past. Thanks to a partnership with the Boston Public Library and Digital Commonwealth, a State repository service for historical documents, the official full-text Annual Reports of the city from 1843 to 1925 can be accessed free through the Internet Archive. This archive is a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.

– Photo courtesy of the Somerville Fire Department.

Firefighters work to control a fire involving a generator in the parking garage of the Clarendon Hill Apartment complex at 1366-1374 Broadway on January 18.  Fire heavily damaged the generator and nearby electrical wiring and conduits.  Firefighters responded to the fire at 10:47 a.m. and were on scene for approximately one hour.

The season runs through April 13, 2013. Every Saturday, 9:30 a.m to 2 p.m. at the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. – Photo by Bobbie Toner

Don’t forget, The Somerville Winter Farmers’ Market has returned to the Armory for the 2012-13 season.

– Photo Courtesy of the Somerville Police Department.

Serious traffic accidents in Somerville were reduced by 23.8% in 2012, Chief Thomas Pasquarello announced today.  “There appears to be a direct correlation between the sharp reduction in serious accidents and an aggressive effort by Somerville Police to step up traffic regulation enforcement in high-accident areas,” Pasquarello said.

Conclusion: Legalize, tax and regulate it
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Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere.
– George Washington

(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.)

Cannabis is probably the most beneficial plant known to humankind. It can feed, clothe, house, transport, and heal us, all in ways that are environmentally sustainable.

By Jim Clark

Police received reports from several female students of Healey School that a man had been making threatening remarks to them on school property.

The Somerville School Committee will hold a Public Hearing to accept public comment on the vacant Ward 1 School Committee seat.  Immediately following the Public Hearing, the School Committee will conduct interviews of the four finalists, noted below.