The Union Square Farmers Market wrapped its highly successful 2021 season last week in Union Square. ~Photo by Fernando Cervantes Jr.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Back in June, The Somerville Times covered a story on the beginning of the Union Square Farmers Market in Somerville. Last Saturday, was the last week of the season for the market.

Located in Union Square and running from May 15 to November 20, the market was advertised as a COVID-19 cautious market as it was held outdoors week in and week out.

By Eileen Qiu

Covid cases are expected to rise in the city as the holiday season nears, Director of Health and Human Services, Doug Kress, said during last Thursday’s Board of Health Meeting.

There were 210 new cases in November at the time of the meeting, but the number is expected to rise to about 300, Kress said.

By Joe Creason

The Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development held a public hearing on Thursday, November 18. The purpose of the hearing was to present the consolidated annual performance evaluation report (CAPER) for the July 2020 – June 2021 program year.

We here at The Times wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Please observe all safety guidelines to make sure we’ll all be together again for next year’s celebration. And don’t forget to shop local when starting your holiday gift shopping. This year more than ever it is important to support local businesses.

(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 Senator Pat Jehlen

Speculators are driving up prices, blocking new home-buyers, and promoting destabilization of neighborhoods, displacement of long-time residents, and gentrification. Is this inevitable?

Those issues were the topic of my last newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/electpatjehlen/home-ownership-down-prices-and-rents-up-2686414?e=[UNIQID]

Here’s a side dish that is easy to prepare and is packed full of flavor. The addition of the lemon zest and juice brightens up the dish. This is a perfect throwback side that will have your guests craving more.

Giving thanks for our blessings is normally an easy thing to do. We may often get caught up in the day-to-day trappings of scratching out a living, ducking misfortune, and seeking out an occasional highlight to add to our mental scrapbooks. Usually, though, we come around to feeling and expressing that special sense of appreciation and gratitude that comes in moments of quiet reflection just in time to validate ourselves as worthy recipients of such blessings.

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I spoke to Ian Judge recently about the Somerville Theatre, where he presides as Chief of Operations. The Somerville Theatre is an independent movie theater and concert venue in the Davis Square neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts. Founded in 1914, the Somerville Theatre started off as a vaudeville house and movie theater.

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Janelle Solviletti is a writer from Boston, Massachusetts. She is the author of two poetry collections, Euphony and The Cameo. Previously, she published works in The Horn Pond Review, The Feathertale Review and The Lyrical Somerville. She attended Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and currently lives and works in Boston.

Congratulations to the members recognized today at the 32nd Annual Firefighter of the Year Award ceremony in Worcester. They received a Citation for Meritorious Conduct and LT Danielle O’Hearn was the receipt of the Medal of Valor for their lifesaving actions at a 3 alarm fire on Kensington Ave last December. A proud day for the department!