Beginning Monday, June 26, contractors will institute an eastbound traffic detour on Highland Avenue between Central Street and Hamlet Street to install utilities as part of the ongoing Spring Hill Sewer Separation project. For more information, visit: https://voice.somervillema.gov/springhillsewer

The City of Somerville and Pathways for Immigrant Workers will host a free immigration legal information session for small employers and lower-wage workers on Wednesday, July 13, 2023, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Connexion located at 149 Broadway.

Black residents accounted for the largest increase in opioid overdose death rates

Opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts increased by 2.5 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, with rates among Black, non-Hispanic residents making up the largest increase, according to preliminary data released today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH).   

The specialized energy code is scheduled to go into effect on July 1.

By Ana Celerier Salcedo

The Office of Sustainability, Environmental, and Inspectional Services Department of Somerville held an informational meeting for the public regarding the new energy codes. The specialized energy code was recently adopted by the city with the goal of putting in motion a building energy code that would impact energy efficiency and onsite renewable energy requirements for residential and commercial building projects, including new construction, alterations, and renovations.

Update: Due to inclement weather forecasted for Saturday, June 24, the Somerville Family Fun Day event has been canceled. 

Kickstart your summer and join the City of Somerville Parks and Recreation Department for the annual Family Fun Day event on Saturday, June 24 (no rain date – event will be cancelled for inclement weather), from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Trum Field (541 Broadway).

(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)

Massachusetts is a tough state to make ends meet. That’s why I started driving for Uber and Lyft. Now my financial livelihood could be destroyed by labor-backed bills seeking to rewrite the rules for rideshare and delivery drivers like me. I balance caring for my ailing mother while working as an independent contractor between her medical appointments. Some people want jobs with rigid 40-hour schedules but being an “employee” does not work for everyone.

Celebrate the flaws, the quirks, the accidental genius that lousy lenses can create! Images of any subject matter, made with a “toy” camera (or any low-tech camera with no or very limited exposure control, such as pinhole, Holga, Diana/Diana clones, Brownie, Ansco, disposable cameras) are eligible. Key criteria are plastic lenses and lack of reliable exposure control. Straight Polaroid-type images, or images made with cell phones or cameras with full automatic or manual exposure control (such as the Lomo LC series) will not be considered. It should go without saying, but we’ll say it: AI-generated images are not eligible.

Rotary members shown from left to right: Nancy Kavanagh, Gilda Nogueira, Gene Brune, Ann Kirby, Sylvia Walker, and Morgan Redman from the Somerville Animal Food Pantry.

With the wonderful generosity of Porter Square Star Market on Saturday, June 10, the Somerville Rotary Club held its semi-annual food drive, along with Somerville Rescue Allies Animal Food Pantry.  Proceeds of the food drive benefit Somerville non-profits Project Soup, Respond, and St Patrick’s Women’s shelter.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(Originally published on August 16, 2014)

I don’t know about everyone, but a lot of people, including myself, have artifacts or mementos from a place they once worked in or frequented. I have a book of matches from BoBo’s Chinese Restaurant that used to be in Ball Square. When WR Grace (Dewey and Almy) on Alewife Brook Parkway tore down the buildings that housed the boiler room that my dad worked in for 38 years, he kept two of his favorite steam gauges. Those really neat looking gauges are still in my cellar.