Looking back to the year just passed is an interesting thing to do. Sometimes sobering, at other times amusing, yet always somewhat inspiring if one considers what has been accomplished and what else is left to be done.

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I met Somerville artist Sophia Ainslie at the Vernon Street Studios on a cold day in November. She was part of their Open Studios event. She is a woman that exudes flashes of energy and her work is reflective of that energy.

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Jac-Lynn Stark was born in the Bronx and currently lives on the North Shore of Boston where she enjoys pondering life either from near the ocean or in the woods. She recently retired from 14 years of teaching English at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. Some of her previous work has been published in Muddy River Poetry Review, Global Poemic, Drunk Monkeys, Zig Zag Folio, and forthcoming for an anthology called American Graveyard, calls to end gun violence from Read or Green Books.

Spring Hill Sewer Separation Project

Beginning on or around January 3, City contractors will begin working on subsurface utility improvements in the intersection of Highland Ave. and Central St.

While work in the intersection is underway, access to Highland Ave. from Central St. will be restricted (details below).

(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 State Representative Christine P. Barber

 After decades of advocacy, I was thrilled to celebrate the opening of the Green Line Extension through my district in Somerville and Medford last week. This public works project is the result of years of hard work from countless community members, laborers, activists, and colleagues at all levels of government. I’m proud that we made it to our opening day to celebrate this momentous occasion. 

City buildings will be closed Monday, January 2, in observance of the New Years holiday.

Trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne invites all to join the city’s annual  kick off for the New Year on Sunday, January 1, 2023, with a ceremony for the anniversary of the Grand Union’s flag-raising at Prospect Hill Park. A processional that all are welcome to join will leave from the City Hall Concourse at 11:30 a.m., followed by a ceremony at Prospect Hill Park from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. All are welcome to join this family-friendly event, and anyone who wishes to is encouraged to don Colonial-style or Colonial-inspired clothing (see below for links to how to make a tricorn paper hat or neck ruffle).