Serving twelve years in municipal public office and decades of community organizing, McLaughlin seeks to bring focus on affordability to the State House

Matt McLaughlin, Ward 1 City Councilor in Somerville, announced his candidacy for State Senator of the Second Middlesex District. Matt is ready to continue the legacy of progressive leadership championed by State Senator Pat Jehlen, who has served the region with integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment for decades.

This year saw an increase in numerous violation types 2,875 violations were related to residential trash. — Photo by Bobbe Toner

By Jordan Pagkalinawan

 The Rodent Issues Special Committee convened on December 1 to hear from the Inspectional Services Department’s Environmental Health Coordinator, Alicia Privett, and Environmental Health Manager Colin Zeigler, who updated councilors on the latest rodent control practices around Somerville.

The goals for Somerville’s climate action plan were reaffirmed by the City Council at their latest meeting.

By Harry Kane

The Somerville City Council reaffirmed its support for Somerville’s climate action plan that aims to deal with coastal and stormwater flooding, extreme heat events, and other escalating consequences of human-caused climate change that may endanger life and property.

Low-income households may be eligible to receive help with winter heating costs through the Home Energy Assistance Program. This program serves residents of Somerville and Cambridge. Participants receive assistance with their heating costs between November 1 and April 30. Learn more about the program, check if you qualify, and apply for assistance today at somerville-ma.gov/heatingassistance.

— Photos by Bobbie Toner

The Christmas Tree Lighting on the City Hall Concourse took place on Thursday, December 4. Santa Claus was escorted by the Somerville Fire Department, making his grand entrance atop a shiny red fire truck. After the tree lighting, attendees headed over to the Somerville High School cafeteria for a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus and light refreshments. All children who attended received a special gift from Santa.

The annual highlight of the holiday season, Illuminations Tour, is set to kick off this weekend throughout the city.

Community members are invited to experience sparkling holiday displays created by their neighbors when they embark on a self-guided Illuminations tour. Illuminations Tour is set to begin on December 12, 2025, and run through January 12, 2026.

So, the first significant snowfall of the season may soon be here, leaving us with a picturesque Currier and Ives-type dusting of the region just in time to serve as decoration for the holiday season.

Does everyone love it? No. Does anyone hate it? Maybe. Some can live with it, while others wouldn’t live without it.

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The practice of salting and drying Cod has been around for hundreds of years. It was used to preserve large quantities of fish for long periods of time while out at sea. Many cultures use this technique for preservation, including those located in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, and Brazil just to name a few. Of course, with the celebration of Christmas upon us, that brings us to the Italian-American tradition of what is called the Feast of the Seven Fishes served on Christmas Eve.

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Review by Tom Miller

Sebastian Lockwood is a story teller and a good one. He makes use of his skills in his most recent publication Headless In Hancock 1882 which he sets in the Hancock Inn and Fox Tavern, an establishment that has actually been in existence since 1789, and in the surrounding Mondack region. Lockwood is unabashedly in love with the area which he pays homage to in the book. In the introduction he declares the work to be “historical fiction” which indeed it is, allowing him the freedom to tell a good story without letting mere facts get in the way. Having said that, one needs to understand that Lockwood went to great lengths to “get it right” in the sense of the political and social sensibilities of a small town in New Hampshire in 1882. After all the Civil War is just seventeen years in the past and many of the societal opinions regarding slavery and abolition still circulate. The radical Puritans still rule south of the Merrimack River. Electricity has not quite brought the onslaught of modernism to the area. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is in effect. Boston and New York are intriguing but frightening places. Railroads are sort of the thing … elsewhere.