[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”10″ display=”basic_slideshow”]— Photos by Bobbie Toner

Somerville celebrated Earth day today by cleaning up the city! Residents, Groundwork Somerville leaders, Main Streets Organizations and City officials  helped prepare the city for the spring and summer by weeding open spaces, cleaning up streets and beautifying our community following the long winter months.

Award will help people 18-25 recover from substance use disorder through life skills training and peer support

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) announced a $720,000 grant award to the national organization Young People in Recovery for the development of statewide support programs for young adults recovering from substance addiction.

It’s time to extend your home’s living spaces to the outdoors. To get your patio prepped for a summer of relaxation and fun, consider the following décor ideas and inspiration:

The Entryway

Your patio will be more enticing if you have beautiful sliding glass patio doors leading to it. If you do go in for this upgrade, it’s important to know that patio doors can be customized in a number of ways that affect their look and function. To help you make sense of your options, shop with manufacturers that offer visualizer tools, such as the one available at ProVia, provia.com/app. This can help you see what colors and hardware look best in your home and find the combination you like best.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I did a story back in 2011 about the first jobs of my Baby Boomer Somerville friends. This is part two. In the first story, I mentioned that I worked at Lyndell’s Bakery as a helper (in the ‘60s) and at FW Woolworth’s as a stock boy/lunch counter guy. I also worked at The Dodge ’Em Cars at Revere Beach.

Following months of speculation and uncertainty, yesterday’s guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd last May brought with it long-awaited accountability for Derek Chauvin’s actions. But while accountability is the first step toward justice, the full achievement of justice is measured through transformation. It is about repair, dedication, and actions. Our thoughts continue to be with Mr. Floyd’s family and loved ones, who have had to endure unspeakable pain. Our hope is that when we look back at this moment in history, that this verdict will clearly mark a turning point toward broader accountability and progress in addressing systemic racism and its deadly consequences within law enforcement — as well as systemic racism in our society as a whole. We also hope the verdict offers a space for some relief from the trauma that this event and so many others have caused, particularly for our Black colleagues, friends, neighbors, and family members who continue to bear the burden of systemic racial injustices in communities across our nation. 

Bike sharing is catching on fast, with Bluebikes in particular providing affordable and convenient access to alternative transportation throughout the region.

By Alex Reidy

The first ever regional bike share meeting for Bluebikes on Tuesday, April 13, began with introductions from people involved in seven surrounding municipalities, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, and Watertown.

Deprioritizing of arrests for drug possession offenses was one of the topics of discussion at the latest meeting of the Somerville City Council’s Legislative Matters Committee.

By Joe Creason

The Legislative Matters Committee held their meeting on Thursday, April 15 in order to discuss the city’s agenda as well as issues with development of certain policies.