The new initiative aims to bring information about vaccines, safety, and resources directly to residents and businesses

The City of Somerville is launching a COVID Ambassador program to deliver information about vaccines, safety protocols, and support services directly to residents and businesses in their neighborhoods. 

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Just call me Jimmy Two Times. I had the pleasure of having breakfast last week with five other Somerville guys, most in my age group, give or take a few years. We had a breakfast /meeting at the Moccia family’s beautifully renovated Ball Square Café.

A walk-in clinic for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be held Thursday, June 3, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Somerville Housing Authority Activities Center at 530 Mystic Avenue. No appointment is necessary, but if you prefer you can pre-register at somervillema.gov/vaccine. The clinic is free, and open to all people 12 years or older, regardless of immigration status or health insurance. Identification is not required. 

All minors must have parent or guardian permission. Anyone 12-15 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Permission forms will be available on-site, or you can download one here. If you need assistance, please call 311 (617-666-3311).

Public officials and members of the general public attended the Highway Justice for People” event on Wednesday, May 26.  — Photo by Joe Creason

By Joe Creason

Mystic Avenue and McGrath Highway cut through Somerville like river rapids made of steel and concrete. Walking alongside it, as many pedestrians and residents of Somerville do every day, is like paddling a canoe around edges of a hurricane comprised with raging noise, industrial particulates and speeding cars. This “Corridor of Death,” as many in the community are calling it, has already claimed the lives of three pedestrians in just two years.

By Bella Levavi

The Somerville Memorialization Committee voted unanimously to memorialize Phil Reavis Sr. by naming the new Somerville High School field in his honor Tuesday, May 25.

Reavis is the first African American person to be memorialized in Somerville marking this historic decision.

By Joe Creason

The City Council’s May 27 regular meeting began with some clarification from Ward 6 Councilor Lance Davis on the PILOT ordinance, which establishes a Task Force to oversee the issue of non-profit organizations and any tax-exempt properties they may own in Somerville.

The Union Square Farmers Market is gaining traction in 2021 after experiencing a tough period of low attendance in the previous year.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Last Saturday, Union Square Farmers Market gathered for the third time in the 2021 season of the market. Located at the intersection of Somerville Ave. and Carlton St., the Farmers Market is looking to have a successful season following the struggles that 2020 posed.

This past weekend, the city joined the state in lifting remaining COVID-19 restrictions. State guidelines will still require face coverings to be worn on public transit, in rideshares and taxis, in healthcare facilities, and in other settings hosting vulnerable populations, such as congregate care settings. For more information on the state’s reopening plan and guidelines, visit mass.gov/reopening.

— Photos by Fernando Cervantes Jr.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

On Monday, a Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery located between Alewife Brook Parkway and North Street. In attendance were several city council members and Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

Eagle Feathers #230 – Flag Week

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Bernard J. Cigrand is widely credited with being the “Father of Flag Day” in America. He was a United States Navy Lieutenant in World War I, teacher, Dean at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a historical author. He pushed for the holiday’s establishment for over 30 years, lecturing over 2,188 times on the flag and patriot-ism before President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Flag Day on June 14, 1916.