Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Director of the Office of Commissions Sonja Darai, and the Somerville Human Rights Commission announced that the City will hold its annual celebration in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 18 in the Somerville High School auditorium, 81 Highland Ave., beginning at 10a.m.

"Dr. King left a lasting legacy of hope, civic pride, and peace, and as a community we strive to uphold and continue that legacy, particularly by coming together in his memory each year," Mayor Curtatone said. "Today, we are lucky to enjoy some of the most fundamental liberties for all individuals, and there is no better way to celebrate than as a community on this important day. We are also lucky to have some of the most dedicated community partners in Somerville, and I look forward to honoring two such partners at the event on Monday."

~Photo by William Tauro

By William Tauro

Friday evening, hours after news reports of falling concrete chunks landing on the ground from the aging McGrath Highway overpass, contracted work crews begin preventive maintenance repairs by chiseling away lose concrete sections from the highway's corroded sides.

The Somerville News first reported about the condition of the bridge and the possible public safety issue that it poses to passing motorist as well as to pedestrians early last year, again two weeks ago and again earlier this morning when concrete sections fell to the ground missing a bridge inspector below who happened to be on location inspecting the overpass.

~Photos by William Tauro

Traffic may soon be re-routed

By William Tauro

A bridge inspector was forced to dive out of the way of falling pieces of the McGrath Highway overpass this morning, with a decision about whether to close the structure to traffic possibly coming soon.

Inspector Nate Blake told a News reporter he was standing under a damaged section of the bridge when he heard pieces of the structure crumble and fall just next to where he was standing.

Tufts students work on The Quad drilling site Professor Garven installing groundwater test pump gauge.~Photos courtesy of Tufts University

Ashley Troutman

Grant Garven, a Professor of Geology at Tufts University, decided to take his teaching to the next level, and at the same time, inspired his students with an incredible discovery. Garven's hands-on style of teaching is what motivated him to have a system of underground boreholes installed throughout the campus for his students to use as an "outdoor laboratory."

While drilling on the third monitoring well, Garven discovered an aquifer, an underground layer of water, fifty feet below the surface of "The Quad." Garven was working with two undergraduate students and one graduate student at the time. "We were very pleased," Garven said. "We never know what we're going to find until we dig or drill, but that's the exciting part of the work we do."