Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne addressed the attendees of the mid-term ceremonies, highlighting her past accomplishments and her vision of the city’s future.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

With the arrival of the new year, various changes to the Somerville City Council came to fruition during the mid-term addresses and election ceremonies held at the City Council Chamber in City Hall on January 3.

The Massachusetts Democratic State Committee announced last week that it has overwhelmingly endorsed legislation to legalize life-saving drug consumption care and grant municipalities the option of creating dedicated overdose prevention centers to combat the surge in fatal drug overdoses in Massachusetts. In doing so, the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee has become one of the first state Democratic Parties in the country to formally endorse the creation of overdose prevention centers to save lives and connect people who use drugs to a range of medical, behavioral health, and substance use disorder services.

Join the Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Missionary Church of the Haitian Community to reflect on the thirteenth anniversary of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti on Thursday, January 12, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Missionary Church, 100 Temple St.  This free event will feature a keynote address from journalist and sociologist Jean-Samuel Trezil, remarks from the City’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Somerville Department of Racial and Social Justice, food, music and dance performances, and much more.

Nelson Salazar’s stained-glass works have played a role in local activism and the support of worthy non-profit causes.

By Ryan DiLello

Nelson Salazar, age 66, of Somerville, produces stained-glass pieces under the name Razalas Art. Last weekend, The Armory hosted an exhibit to showcase Salazar’s work. On a sunny Tuesday morning, I spoke to Salazar on the phone and learned a bit more about Razalas Art and his passion for activism.

Eagle Feathers #270 – A Salute

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Looking back, his roots dove deep. They navigated from the mythical deck of the USS Starship Enterprise to the shore of the Charles River Basin at Boston’s West End. For eighty-three years, he sailed on a literary ship from outer space back to his youth on the acting stage of the Elizabeth Peabody House.

The annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day reminds us of the importance of tolerance and embracing diversity in this modern age, just as it was in the days when Dr. King walked among us.

The Somerville High School boys basketball squad lost a match to Lynn English at SHS on Thursday, January 5, with a final score of 35-88. — Photos by Alex Fredette

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Review by Off the Shelf Correspondent Dennis Daly

Ranging over and through the world of the imagination, gathering details, and illuminating the poetic high ground found between the unfathomable and the understood is no mean feat. In her newest collection of poetry, My Report from the Uwharries, Irene Mitchell leads us along the ancient paths of mood and metaphor finding, of all things, a wry, contemplative vision of harmony.

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Our poet writes: “My name is Emi Vaughan and I am a liberal studies major at Endicott College as part of the class of 2026. I attended Thetford Academy in my home state of Vermont where I took many English classes – my favorite subject. For this reason I was excited to take the Creative Writing course offered at Endicott this semester with Professor Daniel Sklar. This class was a great opportunity to express myself creatively, improve my writing skills, and write poems like this one. Although I have not committed to a concentrated major yet, I hope to continue writing throughout college and post-graduation, and am so thankful for the chance to already have a piece published here!”