Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Ward 2 Councilor J.T. Scott invite you to a virtual community meeting about a new park planned for 217 Somerville Ave. The city is transforming the site, currently a vacant lot at the corner of Somerville Avenue and Rossmore Street, into a pocket park, which will add approximately .15 acres to Somerville’s open space network. Join this meeting to learn more about potential design elements and share ideas for the park. This is the first of several meetings that will take place in the coming months to gather input from the community. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 2, at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom. To learn more and attend, go to voice.somervillema.gov/217-somerville-ave.

Tenant speakers expressed concerns about the ongoing displacement of Somerville residents, at the listening session on rent stabilization held last Thursday. ~Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Maile Blume

Somerville tenants advocated for rent stabilization legislation that is stronger than that of Boston, during the second of two listening sessions on rent stabilization held by the Somerville Anti-Displacement Task Force last Thursday. The goal of the listening session was to inform a draft of rent stabilization laws for the city.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Somerville City Councilor At-Large Willie Burnley Jr.

By Somerville City Councilor At-Large Willie Burnley Jr.

As your At-Large Somerville City Councilor, I’ve poured myself into making our community as welcoming as it can be for all. From making Somerville a sanctuary for those seeking gender-affirming healthcare to uplifting Somerville’s Black history by being the first person to name a park after an African-American (Leonard Grimes Park is on its way) to passing first-in-the-nation non-discrimination ordinances that protect non-traditional family structures from discrimination, I’ve sought to ensure that Somerville sends the message far and wide that we are an inclusive community. However, I know that there is no future for equitable inclusion without affordability.

Heads up, Somerville. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is, unfortunately, warning that it has found West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquito samples from the Brookline and Worcester regions.

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Article by Off the Shelf Correspondent Michael Todd Steffen.

I took a chance and interrupted solo guitarist/singer Roland Pearsall between two songs while he was performing in Davis Square a couple of weeks ago. I had to muster up my courage. Pearsall sings in an untiring booming baritone, playing covers of James Brown, Gnarls Barkley, The Genies and Frankie Ford – from long ago. I was apprehensive of the sizeable and “mythic” persona of his talent, singular minded repertoire and the years of tradition resonant in his guitar and voice. Like I was approaching one in the brotherhood of Bruce Springsteen or Chris Isaak.

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In AMERICAN QUEERS: Poems Celebrating Mid-Century Gay Activists, Jesse Mavro Diamond imagines a metaphoric kingdom inhabited by four relatively unknown gay and lesbian royal champions. With sharp wit and whole-hearted empathy, the poet extols and elegizes Stormé Delarverie, Richard Leitsch, Pat Parker and Charley Shively. Appending the poems with well researched biographical notes on each activist, diverse readers, students and teachers will discover the work is compelling and informative. AMERICAN QUEERS “impresses with historical vision and authenticity.” (Judson Evans)

A wide variety of free outdoor events are being planned for Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston

HONK! 2023. The dates for this year’s music festival of activist street bands, October 6-8, are now set. The organizing has already begun in earnest, with a more complete schedule of in-person free outdoor events available soon after Labor Day weekend.

Proceeds from the Limited-Edition Ale will Support the Nonprofit’s Year-Round Food Rescue and Redistribution Efforts across Eastern Massachusetts

Food For Free and Lamplighter Brewing Co. (LBCO), are ready to quench your thirst to end hunger. On July 11, the organizations launched “About Thyme,” a limited-edition charitable beer to support the nonprofit’s year-round food rescue and distribution efforts across Eastern Massachusetts.