The Zoning Board of Appeals was persuaded to ease restrictions on a number of important issues.

By Parama Chattopadhyay

The Center for Arts at the Armory is a longstanding organization for creative arts. In 2007, the Sater brothers decided to spend millions of dollars to renovate and buy the palatial building from the City of Somerville. Since then, it has been a home to circus arts, ballet, theatre, symphony rehearsals and concerts, farmers markets, herbalist conferences, Somerville Open Studios, blood drives, poetry readings, smaller cafe performances, yoga workshops, acupuncture and fitness classes, interior design companies, and much more. The Out of the Blue Art Gallery, which is a 501(c)(3) performance and educational non-profit, came into its doors in April 2020, just as the pandemic created worldwide financial and public health havoc.

By Jim Clark

Last Wednesday evening, Somerville Police officer were dispatched to Mass General Brigham at the request of MGH security for removal of an unwanted person on the premises.

Somerville police units met with security officers near the MGH garage entrance and recognized the male from previous interaction as Robert Richards, of Cambridge.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I’ve mentioned before that I’m an eBay enthusiast. I’ve bought lots of vintage and historic stuff and I’ve sold a lot too. You can search for anything on eBay and often I will enter ” Somerville Mass” and see what pops up. Most of the items for sale are old picture postcards, but occasionally I’ll find an old dairy bottle, food labels and ads, store receipts and books.

As part of a new regional vaccine collaborative launched by Cambridge Health Alliance, Tufts University, and nine communities including Somerville, new COVID-19 vaccination sites are now open or will open as early as next week:

• Open Now: Tufts University Gantcher Center, 161 College Ave in Medford
• Open Now: Encore Boston Harbor, 1 Broadway Center in Everett
• Open Soon: CHA Somerville (next to Target), 176 Somerville Ave in Somerville

The so-called 7th Spoke project proposed by developers Asan Partners and Perkins & Will would require significant amendments to the current zoning regulations in the city.

By Joe Creason

Members of the City Council Land Use Committee held a joint meeting with the Planning Board on April 29 to address several agenda items on development and zoning.

An item of major public interest is a zoning amendment to the Davis Square area requested by Asan Partners, a real estate investment firm and owner of the property in discussion under the name AP Davis Square Plaza LP. The requested amendment focuses on the land encompassing the addresses of 256 and 278 Elm, 58 Day, and 7 Herbert Streets.

By Alex Reidy

A virtual public meeting of the City of Somerville’s Charter Review Committee took place on Wednesday, April 28. The Committee proposed a new charter and looked through it line by line. They approved an amended version, which was eventually signed by the Governor.

T&B Wood-Fired, operated by the award-winning team of Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann, is set to reopen its doors this week.

T&B Wood-Fired, formerly known as T&B Pizza – the restaurant from award-winning husband and wife team Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann in the heart of Somerville – is relaunching on Thursday, May 6 with a new spring menu.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

It has been announced that the City of Somerville will move into a modified Phase 4, Step 1 of the state’s reopening plan starting on Friday, May 7. This means that indoor capacity for several businesses will be increased significantly, something that the local economy desperately needs. For specific details and general guidelines, go to https://www.somervillema.gov/reopeningphase4. Beginning on Tuesday, June 1, additional reopening steps that allow for expanded athletic activities and indoors performances will go into effect in Somerville. Somerville is joining with Boston in rolling out these reopening steps on a delay from the State schedule. All of the newly allowed activities will be subject to regular City permitting and safety rules and sector-specific COVID-19 guidelines.

While most Americans observe Labor Day on the first Monday of September each year, International Workers Day on May 1 is celebrated throughout other parts of the world in a similar fashion.

The occasion also traditionally marks the high point of spring and presages the oncoming summer months. But in the face of the COVID-19 situation, much of what was once traditional has flown out the window as a new “new normal” confronts us on an almost daily basis.