Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone sporting his face mask for the “Masks of Boston” project. — Photo by Katherine Taylor

By Rachel Berets

Throughout the month of June, The Somerville Museum will present a virtual exhibit, Masks of Boston by Boston-based photographer Katherine Taylor. Taylor’s Masks of Boston project features portraits of Massachusetts residents, including Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, with masks on against a black background.

Thirty-fourth Middlesex District State Rep. Christine Barber.

Representative Christine P. Barber (D-34th Middlesex) of Somerville and Medford, led an effort along with Hannah Kane (R-11th Worcester) and Jay Livingstone (D-8th Suffolk District) that resulted in the extension of children’s meal sites throughout Massachusetts for the entire summer. 

Rep. Barber partnered with Project Bread, an anti-hunger organization committed to providing all people with access to nutritious food, to organize her colleagues and request the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) extend the child nutrition program area eligibility waiver through the summer – allowing all meal sites for children to continue to operate after the school year.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

Somerville High School students had an opportunity to individually walk across the stage and pick up their diploma in a series of three hour events – two each day – scheduled by House in a series of “drive-up” graduation events at the Dilboy Stadium parking lot over the course of two days.

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I spoke with Somerville’s David Thorne Scott about his music and his life as an artist. Here is a bio that Scott sent me: “David Thorne Scott is an entertainer whose beautiful voice and creativity have thrilled audiences in venues large and small. His passion for bringing a modern edge to the classics of the Great American Songbook, as well as his original songs, earned his album Shade a ‘Top 5 CD of the Year’ by the Jazz Education Journal. Cadence Magazine said, ‘He phrases like a saxophone player and is as slippery and hip as the young Mel Tormé.’ Herb Wong, one of the west coast’s leading jazz experts, wrote, ‘I haven’t been this moved by a performance of For All We Know since Carmen McRae.’ David has sung with the Boston Pops, the Capital Jazz Orchestra, the New England Wind Symphony, and the Melrose Symphony, the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra and the Thinkin’ Big Band.”

C.D. Collins is the author of three books, a collection of short stories, Blue Land (Polyho Press), a poetry collection (Ibbetson Street Press) and a novel, Afterheat (Empty City Press). Her fiction has appeared in numerous literary magazines including StoryQuarterly, Phoebe, Salamander and The Pennsylvania Review. Ms. Collins has received grants and awards from the Massachusetts College of Art, the Somerville Arts Council, the St. Botolph Club, The Kentucky Foundation for Women, the Cambridge Arts Council, the Malden Arts Council and Women Waging Peace.

Opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts continued a steady decline in the first three months of the year, according to the latest opioid-related overdose deaths report released today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH).

Free service will augment existing test site at Somerville Hospital 

The City of Somerville, Cataldo Ambulance, and Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) formally launch their mobile COVID-19 testing unit in Somerville this week. The mobile unit, designed to lower barriers to testing and offer equitable access, is the next phase of the City’s COVID Action Plan to control the spread of the virus via testing, contact tracing, and safe isolation. The mobile testing unit will accept patients by appointment at roaming locations, as well as hold designated testing days for residents of senior housing buildings. This testing is in addition to the Crown St. testing location at Somerville Hospital, where the City and Cambridge Health Alliance have offered free testing to Somerville residents since April.

An audit released today by State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump shows the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is not providing important information to the federal government and the public about the safety and usability of Massachusetts watersheds in a timely manner. The audit examined the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019.

GLX officials will host a virtual public meeting, Wednesday, June 24, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Register and attend this meeting using GoToWebinar

 GLX presentation topics will include:

• Project Overview and Benefits
• Construction Update and Look-Ahead
• Work Forecast, Locations, and Hours of Operation

An investigation is underway and a suspect sought in connection with a shooting that took place Saturday evening in Somerville.

According to reports, a pregnant woman was shot at around 11:30 p.m. and later taken to the hospital.