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A Showcase for Artists of All Stripes
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I caught up recently with Laura Brereton, the new director of the Mystic River Celebration that is to be held on September 25. This celebration, by the waters of the Mystic River will be open to Medford and Somerville artists, as well as regional artists. Its main focus is to bring the arts to Medford.

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Kentucky native CD Collins follows the storytelling traditions of the South, both as a solo artist and when accompanied by musicians. Her work is represented in five compact discs, one of which won Best Spoken-Word album at the Boston Poetry Awards. She is the author of three books: a short fiction collection, Blue Land (Polyho Press), a poetry collection (Ibbetson Street Press) and a novel, Afterheat (Empty City Press). Her work has appeared in numerous literary magazines including StoryQuarterly, Phoebe, Salamander, and The Pennsylvania Review. Ms. Collins was guest at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. for a pilot conference to advance the development of innovative technologies that support the inclusion of people with disabilities.

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Taped August 12, at Somerville Media Center, Adam Sweeting moderates a debate among candidates (Tessa Bridge, Todd E. Easton and Beatriz C. Gomez Mouakad) for City Councilor Ward 5.

Arrests:
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Brandon Tracy, August 11, 6:00 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on a charge of shoplifting by asportation second offense, and on warrant charges of nighttime breaking and entering of a vehicle or boat, attempt to commit a crime, receiving stolen property under $1200, and larceny over 1200.

Online fundraiser will help local pets in need

Kitty Connection, an all-volunteer non-profit dedicated to rescuing and finding safe, loving homes for local cats and dogs, will hold an End of Summer/Back to School Online Auction from 4:00 p.m., Friday, August 20, through 9:00 p.m., Sunday, August 22, at www.myminiauction.com/kittyconnection.

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Taped on August 12 at Somerville Media Center, Keri Rodrigues moderates a debate among candidates (Alexander H. Anderson, Becca Miller and Judith Pineda Neufeld) for City Councilor Ward 7.

L to R: Newly appointed Director of SCES’s Adult Family Care (AFC) program Nina Cohen and her predecessor, Jeanne Leyden.

Longtime Somerville-Cambridge Elder Service (SCES) Social Worker Nina Cohen has been promoted to Director of the agency’s Adult Family Care (AFC) program, effective August 1.

Cohen has been with SCES for 14 years, serving as a Protective Services Case Worker, Director of Protective Services and Social Work Manager for AFC during that time. 

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Somerville Media Center hosts mayoral candidates: Katjana Ballantyne, Mary Cassesso, Wilfred (Will) N Mbah, and William (Billy) Tauro.

— Photos by Yetsenaria “Jessie” Alvira, Resident Services Coordinator at Clarendon Hill Towers.

Six Somerville organizations received “Keep Cool Somerville” grants to pilot projects improving resilience to extreme heat this summer.

Keep Cool Somerville, a partnership between the City of Somerville and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), invited groups to propose small-scale projects to address the health impacts of climate-driven heat.