— Photos by Bobbie Toner

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A 3-alarm fire broke out in a second floor residence at 34 Walker St. in Somerville on Saturday afternoon. Mutual aid from Arlington, Medford, Cambridge, Boston, and Belmont was rendered. The blaze reportedly extended to the garage area.

Artists’ Toolkit: The Business of Art is a mini-professional development series presented by the Somerville Arts Council and the Somerville Museum. In collaboration with Somerville Open Studios, this program provides useful resources to the Somerville cultural community to elevate their artistic practice.

On Sunday, March 19, the annual Race of Ireland road race will be held in and around the Davis, Teele, and Ball square areas. 

Beginning around 9:00 a.m., detours will be set up to accommodate the start and finish lines in Davis Square (Elm St. at Day St. and the Community Path by Grove St.).

The Center Arts at the Armory is proud to present the acclaimed Sweet Honey in the Rock on March 25, 7:00 p.m., at the historic and intimate Armory Performance Hall as part of their signature Spotlight Series. And they have just announced that Boston Children’s Chorus will be opening the show.

Workshop to cover budget basics and budget process, followed by Q&A, and an opportunity for residents to share budget priorities 

The City of Somerville is hosting an informational workshop about the city’s annual budget process. All are invited to learn about what the budget is, how it’s created, and how residents can keep up-to-date with the process. After a presentation by the city’s budget team, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and share their priorities for the fiscal year 2024 budget. 

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

This article was first published in the March 11, 2020 edition of The Somerville Times.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s not just the boiled dinners and everyone wearing something green, it’s more. It’s the classic historic songs, the parades, and the general happy atmosphere that the day brings.

The Somerville City Council is responding to calls to establish rent control measures by introducing a Home Rule petition on the matter.

By Emilia Wisniewski

Rent stabilization, affordable housing funds and this year’s Capital Investment Plan were among the many agenda items in the weekly City Council meeting on March 9.

The meeting, lasting nearly four hours, began by introducing a Home Rule petition to establish rent control to combat the rising rent costs across the city.

(L to R) Somerville authors Kevin M. McIntosh, Denise Provost, Lloyd Schwartz, Lesley Bannatyne and Dave Ortega. — Photos by Mina Rose Morales

By Mina Rose Morales

Somerville writers met at the public library on Saturday, March 11 to discuss the inspiration for their work.

The afternoon began with Dave Ortega. He is a cartoonist from El Paso, Texas who relocated to Massachusetts when he found a job in graphic design at Harvard Square. He read an excerpt from his graphic novel Días de Consuelo. Ortega’s graphic novel was inspired by his grandmother who grew up during the Mexican Revolution.

By Morgan Gaffney

The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind’s virtual town hall meeting on Friday marked a stride to further accessibility for those living with disabilities in the Boston area and beyond. The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB), in collaboration with Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), discussed the services provided by MCB’s Orientation and Mobility Team, as well as MBTA’s Mobility Center, first opened in July 2022.