Workers at the Somerville Housing Authority (SHA) put the finishing touches on a $3 million landscaping project designed to showcase the SHA’s $30-million redevelopment at the Mystic River Family Development. The renovation is the largest publicly-funded renovation project in Massachusetts affordable housing history, and is widely considered a model for future renewals, said SHA Director Paul Mackey.

Off  The Shelf by Doug Holder

Comp. By John Shea. (Boston Playwright’s Theatre. Boston University) http://www.bostonplaywrights.org

Coming back to the Boston University campus after many years can be shocking. Walking with my companions for the evening I noticed the Agganis Sports and Entertainment arena, several theatres, a huge gym with students cycling on bike machines (generating enough energy to light the city of Somerville), and huge crowds parading down the sidewalk. This was quite different from the gone-to-seed armory I passed everyday on Commonwealth Avenue as a BU student in the early 70s. What brought me back to my seminal stalking grounds was Somerville playwright John Shea’s new play “Comp.” presented at the Boston Playwright’s Theatre at Boston University. Shea, a Magoun Square resident, and graduate of Boston University’s playwriting program, has written a play set in Somerville, and centering around the conflict between two brothers over a work-related accident. It seems that one brother Kevin played by Michael F. Walker was involved in an accident that left him a cripple. His brother Marc played by Benjy Schirm was supposed to work that shift, but Kevin filled in because Marc imbibed a bit too much the night before. The brothers have come back to the family home to boil in a hotbed of resentment and recrimination resided over by an archetypical Somerville Catholic Mom expertly portrayed by Marina Re.

By Keith Howard

A network television reality show star last week presented Somerville High School students with a scholarship to pay for renovations to music facilities at the school.

David Olsen, 28, master of Somerville’s Freemasonry Lodge and star of the television series, “Beauty and the Geek,” appeared before the Somerville School Committee on Monday evening to offer $10,000 to Somerville High School.

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.)

I love the turkey napkins, the turkey bowls and the horn-a–plentys. I love the little Pilgrim figurines, the plastic turkey tablecloths, the pies and the cranberry sauce.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of…well, thanks. We gather with our loved ones and eat like pigs until we can’t move. Then we watch football and someone starts snoring.

Everyone thinks I’m gross because I like the giblets, heart and liver – I got that from my dad, who used to eat ALL the parts.

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.)

This past weekend, the Boston Globe began a series of editorials on how to rebuild the cities and towns that provide the foundation for the state’s economic, social and environmental performance. It is a crucial topic, and I am glad that they have taken it on.

Last Sunday, they started with an overview of Lawrence, which has long ranked as the poorest city (by per capita income) in Massachusetts. Lawrence is working hard to create economic development, improve its schools, rebuild its infrastructure, enlarge and enhance its parks and expand its stock of affordable housing. They’ve made progress, but they face serious challenges from a shaky economy that has created a sharp rise in foreclosures and a retreat from commercial investment in at least one key redevelopment project.

Photos by Ethan Backer

By Elizabeth Bernardi

The Somerville Museum hosted a conversation about incorporating immigration issues into city classrooms Saturday as part of the “Immigrant City: Then and Now” exhibit currently on display.

“Exploring the Immigrant Experience in the Classroom” consisted of presentations by five Tufts University students, along with comments by Somerville High School teacher Adda Santos and Director of English Language Programs and Services Sarah Davila.

“In the discussion about immigrant groups in our country, there is this big disconnect between people’s real lives and the dialogue . . . that turns them into faceless immigrants,” said Warren Goldstein-Gelb, introducing the program. Goldstein-Gelb is the director of the Welcome Project, a 20-year-old organization dedicated to easing the transition for new immigrants who reside in Somerville.

On Tuesday evening November 13th the Somerville Kiwanis Club had the honor of serving 120 Somerville Senior Citizens with hot turkey dinners (with all the fixins), apple pie and coffee at the Somerville High School Culinary Arts Restaurant. Upon finishing their meal the seniors were serenaded by the Somerville Karaoke Singers and $250 in cash prizes from the Kiwanis were awarded to the seniors.

According to club President George McLean, this annual event, sponsored by the Somerville Kiwanis Club, represents various groups from the community coming together to provide an enjoyable Thanksgiving event for our seniors.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday for family and friends to come together, spend precious time away from the doldrums of life and work – to give thanks for what we have and be optimistic for the future. We at The Somerville News have our own personal thanks this season, and of course we have some public thanks to share with the readers of our tome.

We are thankful for the opportunity to run our businesses and reside in this very special city, which enjoys a wonderful combination of the trappings of urban life and the closeness of a tight-knit community where people know their neighbors next door as well as across the city.