Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

When I was a kid growing up in the 60s and 70s, we used to go to a cottage in Hollis, New Hampshire every year. We made friends there and looked forward to going all year. In the 70s my parents bought a cottage in Wareham which was real close to the water. We enjoyed that for a few years for sure.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Housing Division are pleased to announce 11 income-restricted condominiums for sale to eligible, first-time homebuyer households through the city’s Inclusionary Housing Program. Six units are available to households making at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), and five are available to households making between 81% and 110% AMI.  

(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 Barber

The Massachusetts House of Representatives voted, 136-17, on a bill this week to strengthen protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care in state law. I was one of 25 women legislators who spoke in strong support of the bill. Below is an excerpt from my remarks on the House floor:

The city and consulting partners recently unveiled their Citywide Parking and Curb Use Study to at a public meeting.

By Luda Tang

Somerville city staff, along with the consultant team from Nelson Nygaard, a transportation planning firm, hosted a public meeting concerning the Citywide Parking and Curb Use Study on June 29.

A history of SCATV, “Firehouse Reels,” is currently on display at the Somerville Museum through July 9.

By Raga Chilakamarri

Housed in the Somerville Museum, a quaint red brick building at the corner of Westwood Road, a one-room exhibit opened below the arch of a grand staircase. A projector pointed above the staircase landing flickered through old countdown video animations from the Somerville Community Media Center Archive, the title “SCAT” flashing on, displayed in different designs.

Kyera Singleton the project scholar for the Somerville Museum’s Reading Fredrick Douglas Together event reading from “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro Abridged.”

By Mina Rose Morales

The Somerville Museum helped their community celebrate the Fourth of July with Fredrick Douglas at the Bow Market on Thursday, June 30.

“I’m so happy you decided to spend this beautiful day with us to celebrate the words of Frederick Douglas,” said Kyera Singleton, the project scholar for the Somerville Museum’s Reading Fredrick Douglas Together at Bow Market event, during the introduction of the event.

Due to the weather, the city’s Arbor Day event was postponed until Wednesday, July 6 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Urban trees hold many essential roles in our city – from cleaning our air and making it cooler, to providing habitat for wildlife, lowering stress levels, and much more. Celebrate Somerville’s urban forest this Arbor Day at Nathan Tufts Park, 850 Broadway. Learn about our local urban forest, welcome newly planted trees in the park, make leaf art, and take home free native plant seedlings.

(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 Erika Uyterhoeven

I am ecstatic to share that last week we voted on my top priorities for reproductive justice: to both protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare in Massachusetts. I am proud that the House moved so swiftly to put in place these protections only four days after the horrific Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The city’s Food and Nutrition Services Department is once again engaged in its annual summer meals for Somerville youth program. Starting this week, kids under the age of 19 can get free meals at various locations throughout the city from now through August 12.

It’s a great way of making sure that the city’s youth get the nutritional support they need, regardless of financial or social standing.

Eagle Feathers #257 – The Invitation

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

This article first ran in the July 8, 2015 edition of The Somerville Times.

It began where the Wellington Bridge crosses over the Mystic River, and it ended where the Harvard Bridge crosses over the Charles. It was to be a “day of all days” for the people of Somerville. For weeks in advance, the residents, ranging from age five to one hundred and five, had been preparing for this special day. Red, white, and blue bunting and flags blanketed the city and adorned its public buildings in anticipation. It wasn’t that they hadn’t had parades before, but the 4th of July observance in 1910 became the city’s most boastful. The President of the United States, William Howard Taft, had accepted an invitation from the City of Somerville to visit, to partake, and to preside over its nation’s birthday celebration.