By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to a Willow Ave. location last Friday evening on reports of a vehicular hit and run.

Responding officers were advised by Somerville Police Control that a motor vehicle struck two parked cars, left the scene, and turned left onto Highland Ave. The vehicle reportedly had a flat tire and heavy front-end damage.

Dr. Geiser was selected by the Belmont Public Schools as its new Superintendent during a vote on March 29th

The Somerville School Committee announced today that Dr. Jill Geiser, one of the five current finalists for Somerville’s Superintendent of Schools, has removed herself as a finalist as of March 29th. Dr. Geiser was selected by the Belmont School Committee on Wednesday evening to serve as the next Superintendent of the Belmont Public Schools. Dr. Geiser had been scheduled to visit SPS and participate in a public School Committee interview on Tuesday, April 4th.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I’m a big coffee drinker. I hang around with a lot of people who also enjoy a good cup of coffee. I drink coffee basically all day. I make it myself with K cups or instant but the day usually starts out with a nice large Dunkin’s coffee.

The Somerville City Council recently passed ordinances bolstering the rights of individuals in non-traditional relationships.

By Jim Clark

At the latest meeting of the Somerville City Council on Thursday, March 23, ordinances amending section 1-4 of the Code of Ordinance to add definitions for relationship status and intimate personal relationships and amending section 2-326 of the Code of Ordinances, related to the Personnel program were brought forward and passed by the Council.

A stranded feral female Muscovy duck, who had suffered through the ravages of a record cold winter, was rescued this week, thanks to some kind human intervention

By Jim Clark

Thanks to the efforts of a number of compassionate individuals, a feral female Muscovy duck that had been stranded in the wild during the record-breaking cold months of last winter was rescued and relocated to the safety of an animal sanctuary on Tuesday of this week.

(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)

Dear Honorable Members of Somerville City Council:

It is our understanding Somerville City Council, not the former Mayor, not the Planning Department, and not the current Mayor, will be the final “decider” on the future of 90 Washington Street. With this in mind, I hope that each of you will vote against cutting down 84 mature trees, plowing under well-manicured green space, and removing a parcel of land that for 40-years has provided both resident parking and hauling access to Cobble Hill’s trash facility.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Somerville Public Schools, and Somerville’s early childhood community invite Somerville parents, children and educators to celebrate the Week of the Young Child from April 10 to 14, including the One Somerville, Every Child celebration on the Somerville High School concourse (81 Highland Avenue) from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

City staff will be tabling at the corner of Broadway and Cross Street to share information and answering questions about upcoming bus and crosswalk improvements on East Broadway. Stop by on March 30 anytime between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. to talk to city staff. Learn more about the project and other in-person and virtual engagement opportunities at somervillema.gov/eastbroadway. Then on April 11, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., city staff will be tabling at the corner of Everett Avenue and Cross Street (near East Somerville Community School) to share information and answering questions about upcoming bus and crosswalk improvements on East Broadway.

Spring has finally arrived, and with it comes the inevitable regular street sweeping activities throughout the city.

As inconvenient and annoying it may be to comply with schedule, it is an inescapable fact of life for us all and we must make the adjustment accordingly.

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Recently I caught up with poet Adam Scheffler. He is the author of two books of poetry, the latest being Heartworm, which won the 2021 Moon City Press Prize, and A Dog’s Life, which won the 2016 Jacar Press Book Contest. He grew up in Berkeley, California, received his MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and his PhD in English from Harvard. He teaches in the Harvard College Writing Program. He is a member of the New England Poetry Club.