(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)

This article was first published in the April 18, 2018 edition of The Somerville Times.

By William C.  Shelton

For many of my generation the Vietnam War was the defining experience of our lives. Whether we were there, or here, what we chose to do about it, and how we came to understand it, influenced who we became. And who we became, divided us.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Another stellar Somerville business is going away.

If you need a water pump, alternator or generator for your 67 Dodge Dart with a 225 slant six engine, you better get down to Nissenbaums Used Auto Parts, 480 Columbia St., before December 1. The 112-year-old business is closing its doors forever.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Last Thursday, members of the Ward 6 community with members of the city government held its fall ward meeting at the Somerville Community Baptist Church. The meeting, one of two for the year, focused on issues affecting the neighborhood and future plans for Davis Square.

Nonprofit food rescue organization Food For Free is helping to feed the food insecure.

By Ryan DiLello

Every Tuesday and Thursday, my office provides a catered lunch. As I wrap up morning assignments, I watch the caterers march disposable tin trays of food up the stairs to our cafeteria where they warm it up for an hour over tiny portable burners.

(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 Jack Connolly
Jackconnolly422@gmail.com

Nearly 100 concerned residents survived a two-hour City of Somerville multi-department infomercial last Thursday night at the Community Baptist Church.

Congratulations to the winners of Tuesday’s state-wide election, and special congratulations to governor-elect Maura Healey. She is the first woman to be elected governor in the entire history of Massachusetts. We wish her and all the other candidates who achieved victory in this most contentious political race the best as they take up the mantle of leadership and service.

The Somerville Arts Council’s Inside Out Gallery at Davis Square is currently featuring the “Dark Tales, Familiars & Object of Divination” exhibit at 1 Davis Sq.

To ring in the arrival of autumn and its many mysteries, the Somerville Arts Council’s Inside Out Gallery at Davis Square presents a group exhibit, Dark Tales, Familiars & Object of Divination, curated by local artist Boriana Kantcheva, that brings together works to celebrate the darkness and magic of the season’s perennial “thinning of the veil.”

Eagle Feathers #267 – Flanders Fields

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

For the last one hundred years, much of the world has paid homage to November 11, 1918. On this day, commencing in 1919, the annual celebration of the end of World War I or The War To End All Wars began. It was called Armistice Day in the United States and France, and Remembrance Day in England and Canada.

We honor them every year and we regard them with awe and deepest admiration. Proud, but humble in countenance, they seem to simply play their part in our annual celebration of appreciation for their courageous contributions to the wellbeing of our nation. The well-being of ourselves as a society.