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The Somerville Council on Aging’s belated celebration of the commencement of “The Year of the Dragon” brought a colorful ambiance to their latest Cultural Mondays event.

By Harry Kane

On Monday, Feb. 27, The Somerville Council on Aging commenced their Cultural Mondays program with a kickoff celebration of Chinese New Year.

– Photo by Andrew Firestone

By Andrew Firestone

Occupy Somerville held a rally of around 90 in anticipation of an official hearing last night, Feb. 28. Later they joined a throng of citizens and public officials in protest of the proposed fare hikes and service cuts at Centennial Auditorium in Somerville High School. Jonathan Davis, General Manager of the MBTA, withstood the wrath of the enraged crowd who angrily testified on the unfairness of the MBTA debt being foisted upon their shoulders.

Candidate Maria Curtatone for Registrar of Deeds is having a “kickoff rally” at Brunello Bristro at 349 Broadway (Winter Hill Plaza), tonight, Wednesday, February 29, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. If you’d like to help her campaign out, this would be a great place to come to meet and greet Maria as well as the people in her campaign.

Muralist Joe Barillaro was chosen to bring his unique style of design to the Morse-Kelley Playground. – Photo by Harry Kane

By Harry Kane

Morse-Kelley Playground is receiving a hip and edgy makeover and with it, the parks department has commissioned a local muralist to create a wall painting.

 By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

The City of Somerville was recently recognized as one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People” by America’s Promise Alliance for the fourth consecutive year. Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi held the second annual Celebrate Somerville at the Somerville High School gymnasium this past Saturday, February 25, to recognize the city’s commitment to the education and betterment of its youth.

It is with considerable pride that we celebrate Somerville’s fourth consecutive year of being chosen as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by the America’s Promise Alliance. We certainly couldn’t agree more with that assessment, and this past weekend’s “Celebrate Somerville!” event held at the Somerville High School gymnasium gave residents an opportunity to express their sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, as well as to just plain have a good time with the kids themselves.

By Andrew Firestone

Get ready folks, here comes a real event. For the last few years, the world-renowned Technology, Entertainment, and Design (TED) non-profit out of Long Beach and Palm Springs has allowed their method to spread, spawning the TEDx program. Somerville organizers successfully applied to have Somerville get its own TEDx and now a new conference to discuss the state of the American city is set to premiere on Sunday, March 4. Sure to be a discussion to remember, this TEDx will feature 25 speakers of the ‘Villen caste, along with five musical acts and 36 artists showing their work.

Dust off your funny bone, Somerville – Awkward Compliment Comedy Night is on a mission to amuse you.–Photo by Harry Kane

By Harry Kane

On any given Thursday night, in the dungeon of Somerville Theater, a sketch comedy group brings a burst of laughter to the doldrums of everyday monotony.

Cynthia Maurice’s grandfather.

By Sanjeev Selvarajah

Brickbottom Artists Association’s current show, entitled Familiar Faces: Family and Self Portraits, is described as “an invitation to artists and viewers to take a look at what we think we already know very well, our family and ourselves.”