This  Saturday, August 20, the 8th Annual Evolution of Hip Hop Festival takes place  from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. (rain date August 21) in Union Square Plaza. This event will feature rappers, singers, spoken word poets, dancers, and visual artists from the Somerville community and surrounding cities.

Somerville tech startup Rendever is providing quality of life enhancement to area seniors with its virtual reality systems. — Photos courtesy of Rendever

By Michael McHugh

Virtual reality, while many may dismiss it as a fad, is an ever-expanding field in the tech world. With this technology being almost forced into such a broad range of applications, from education to social interaction, it can often feel that VR is not all it’s chalked up to be.

By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to the area of Broadway and Lombardi last Friday evening on reports of a motor vehicle accident.

Upon arrival, officers engaged with a man, later identified as Daniel Herrera, who had been involved in the accident. He had reportedly rear ended another motorist.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I always hated this time of year because TV is showing back to school sales. The yearly ritual of getting new school clothes begins.

It was a men’s suit store named Anderson Little at Wellington which was usually our stop for pants. They were always itchy. We had to wear the clothes our parents bought us. That is, up to a certain age when we demanded our shopping rights.

The redevelopment of various Winter Hill properties, such as the long-vacant Star Market site, was discussed at a recent meeting of the Winter Hill Civic Advisory Committee. — Photo by Luda Tang

By Luda Tang

The regular meeting of the Winter Hill Civic Advisory Committee (CAC) took place on August 11. It was mainly composed of the discussion of the Winter Hill Renewal Plan and the presentation from Mark Development and Beacon Communities on project’s updates.

Local non-profit Food for Free has been delivering much needed food donations to individuals and relief organizations for the past 40 years. —Photo by Fernando Cervantes Jr.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Food for Free, a local non-profit, has been operating in Somerville for the last 40 years, providing fresh produce and increasing access to food. It operates from a 12,000-square-foot warehouse in the Inner Belt with over 30 full-time employees.

By Mayor Emeritus Eugene C. Brune

Traveling to Assembly Square always brings back great memories of my early years as Mayor. I think that many of the new residents in Somerville might like to know some history pertaining to Assembly Square.

The MBTA released the Rider’s Guideweb to Planning Ahead as the T prepares for a 30-day full closure of the Orange Line from Oak Grove to Forest Hills stations beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, August 19, and the 28-day closure of the Green Line from Union Square to Government Center stations beginning Monday, August 22. Read the full release on our website, www.thesomervilletimes.com.