Somerville’s Pedestrian & Transit Advisory Committee recently weighed in with its suggestions on the McGrath Boulevard project. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Harry Kane

Enthusiasm is building among motorists who look forward to MassDOT’s McGrath Boulevard project, which aims to transform Route 28 from an elevated highway to a ground-level boulevard, but feedback from Somerville’s Pedestrian & Transit Advisory Committee surrounding specific details in the design of the project has City Councilors expressing a desire to create a consensus among stakeholders to reduce confusion when communicating with state officials at the transportation department.

Concern over safety issues at the Kensington Connector has been a topic of discussion for many years. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By The Times Staff

For years, Ward 1 City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin has been advocating for improvements at the Kensington Connector in East Somerville that he calls “dangerous and disgusting.”

Community members are invited to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the city’s annual celebration. The event will take place on Saturday, January 17, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Somerville High School (81 Highland Ave). The celebration will include light food and refreshments, arts and crafts for all ages, youth performances including speeches, poetry, and music, and a keynote address delivered by Dr. James “Jimmy” McCarty, focused on the life and legacy of Dr. King. Light food and refreshments will also be served. RSVP to attend at bit.ly/MLK_2026.

City Councilor At Large Ben Wheeler is advocating for more community meetings in the future.

 By The Times Staff

City Councilor Ben Wheeler said he wants to explore the idea of more community meetings that will help unite the community.

A resolution was approved at the City Council meeting on January 8 that asks the Wilson administration to consider convening issues-specific community meetings for residents to share their perspectives and experiences on long-term issues such as mobility and transportation, school integration, inclusion, choice, and specialization.

The annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day reminds us of the importance of tolerance and embracing diversity in this modern age, just as it was in the days when Dr. King walked among us.

The civil rights movement of the 60s may seem like a distant and detached part of American history for some, perhaps as remote as the Civil War itself in the minds of the young who did not live in that time. And yet, there was never a time in our history when the principles involved in that struggle were more relevant and meaningful than today, and even more so as we step forward into the future.

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One thing I really look forward to when I roast vegetables is caramelization and crispness of that vegetable. In my opinion, roasted potatoes are the best example. I found that if you start with a hot oven and a cool sheet pan it takes much longer to get the potatoes crispy, and by the time you get them to where you want, the potatoes are usually overcooked. So, to eliminate that problem, see below.

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Review by Off the Shelf Correspondent Dennis Daly

Poetry usually works best when the poet objectifies the personal on a mindful scale between self-evaluation and mythic individuality. Nina Rubinstein Alonzo does exactly that in her latest collection, The Ones I Could Tell Anything, subtitled Mists of Self.

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Jason Youngclaus was born in Boston and graduated from College of the Holy Cross. His debut collection Little Planet Raisins was released by Spartan Press in 2020. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in poetry.

Monday, January 12, Senator Patricia D. Jehlen filed An Act ensuring law enforcement identification for public safety. The bill bans the use of masks by all law enforcement officers in the state, including federal officers, while performing their duties. The bill was drafted as a response to growing concerns about activities of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. It takes a step to protect Massachusetts residents from the use of law enforcement officers as secret, unaccountable police.