— Photo courtesy of Somerville Neighborways

By Cassidy Beek

Somerville community members shared a mix of concerns and appreciation for the city’s Bike Network Plan during a public hearing held by The Somerville City Council Traffic and Parking Committee on Wednesday, May 31.

Congratulations to the Class of 2023! We wish them the best in the next exciting chapter of their lives.

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The Winter Hill Community School has closed for the remainder of the school year due to concrete falling from the ceiling of a stairwell. Everyone is grateful that no students were in that stairwell at the time and hoping the city will be assessing all the schools during the summer to look for any other issues before the next school year begins. For updates on the Winter Hill School visit https://somerville.k12.ma.us/alert.

The new Somerville High School includes a wheelchair-accessible entrance built during the building’s construction from 2018 to 2021. — Photos by Maile Blume

By Maile Blume

Somerville residents gathered over Zoom to share their concerns about the accessibility of the city, at a focus group held by the city’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Division last Thursday.

(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)

By Wilfred Mbah
Candidate for Somerville City Councilor at Large

The City Council held a lively public hearing last week at which residents and workers from neighborhoods around the city called on the council to correct a variety of procedural problems and a pro-developer bias in planning and zoning.

Senator Patricia Jehlen (D- Somerville) is happy to announce that the Senate recently approved a FY24 budget of $55.9 billion. It includes expansion of childcare funding, first steps toward free community college, and increased funding for the MBTA, thanks to $1 billion in revenue from the Fair Share Amendment. The most spirited debate in the Senate was on a Republican amendment to strike the plan to allow Massachusetts high school graduates without documents to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. Senator Jehlen was pleased that this amendment was defeated 3-37, although it had previously been controversial.

Another year passes and we pause at this time to congratulate and honor the hard-working students who achieved their goal of successfully completing their courses of studies at their respective high schools and colleges.

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While at Open Studios in Somerville I came across conceptual artist JT Bullitt. According to his website: “My studio work is an ongoing series of conceptual listening experiments that investigate the invisible, inaudible, intangible forces surrounding us and underlying human experience. I am particularly fascinated by questions of identity & name, language & symbol, and the fluidity of our perception of time & space. I work primarily in sound — both large and small — and in mark-making.”

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Lynn Fitzgerald is a Chicago native and citizen of the world. She is member of Poets and Patrons, Illinois State Poetry Society. Currently, an adjunct professor of English for the City Colleges of Chicago, where she teaches research, poetry, and film. Her chapbook, Closer to the Earth, was awarded a CAAP grant and was published by Moon Journal Press.

Former City Councilor Bob McWatters, Deputy Fire Chief Mike Avery, and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll attended Mayor Katjana Ballantyne’s announcement for reelection on Wednesday, May 31, at The Burren in Davis Sq.