Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Now that another summer is in the rear view mirror the kids are back in school and the leaves are falling. Summer went by fast! I asked this question: What was your favorite summer past time growing up in Somerville?

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Earn $240 for the workday, 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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The City of Somerville is seeking polling place workers and standby poll workers for the upcoming Preliminary Election on Tuesday, September 16. Many poll workers are needed to support operations and conduct a successful election.   

Seven-week campaign, kicked off August 28, 2025 with Community Pint Nite at Remnant Brewing, aims to raise $15,000 to support community-owned housing solutions

Somerville Community Land Trust (SCLT), a community-led, independent nonprofit focused on permanently affordable housing, launched its “Pull Together, Build Forever” fundraising campaign at Remnant Brewing Company on August 28, 2025. This campaign aims to raise $15,000 to advance SCLT’s mission of creating permanently affordable social housing to alleviate the housing crisis and promote neighborhood stability.

Mayor Olga Popenko addressed the Somerville City Council via video conference on the occasion of its adoption of the City of Pryluky, Ukraine, as a sister-city.

By Harry Kane

There’s a war at home and abroad, so as a method for advancing peace and progress, Somerville has just established a sister-city relationship with the City of Pryluky, located in the northern region of Ukraine, to stand in solidarity against authoritarian regimes that threaten democracy amid difficult and trying times.

Fair Housing means no discrimination! Candidates for Mayor and City Council had the chance to present their views on non-discrimination in housing by answering a questionnaire from the Somerville Fair Housing Commission, a nonpartisan group of volunteers. We are sharing all the answers we received. The Commission hopes you, the voters, will use the candidates’ answers as you decide how to vote in the September 16 primary and the November general election.

Inspectional Services Department inspector Stephanie Estrela receiving a citation from the Somerville City Council.

By The Times Staff

Stephanie Estrela, senior code enforcement inspector from the Inspectional Services Department (ISD), was commended with a citation at the City Council meeting on August 28, for her leadership and support during the triple-decker house fire on Wheatland Street that displaced 27 residents.

Join the Somerville Museum for a Tavern Talk with Dan Breen: The March from Prospect Hill to Quebec: America Invades Canada, 1775. Wednesday, September 3, 7 – 8 p.m., at Aeronaut Brewery, 14 Tyler Street. “250 years ago this September, Benedict Arnold led a thousand members of Washington’s army to the north, away from the lines around Boston, in an attempt to drive the British out of Quebec. On the way, they battled trackless bogs, debilitating hunger, bone-chilling cold, and the ravages of disease – and that was the easy part! Join us as we relate the story of this, the first, and in some ways the most remarkable, military expedition in United States history.”

Once again it is time to shift gears and power down a bit as we roll out of the high-octane frenzy of summertime and into the laid-back back breezy days of autumn and on into the winter months ahead.

We all need to become a bit more aware of what lies ahead of us on the road, and to be especially alert to activities near our schools and playgrounds, as the kids are now back to their normal schedules.