— Photos by Claudia Ferro

Because of concerns over the coronavirus and the need for everyone to social distance, there were no proms allowed this year for the Class of 2020. So, Peter Lancaster’s family held a prom that would have taken place for the Full Circle students in his own backyard last Saturday night.  The dinner served was pizza, chicken, broccoli and ziti and pastry.

*

If you look closely at even the most banal of pictures, you will find a plethora of clues about the people in them. You should look at the body language, the appointment of the subjects, look into their eyes, note the topography of their faces. In these troubled times, East Somerville Main Streets has an innovative project that catches people on their porches – giving us a big picture of our neighbors and friends – in some ways a break from the isolation we are experiencing.

*

Tom Miller is a well-published poet and a member of Somerville’s Bagel Bards.

Dear Residents,

Here is an update on this year’s budget process including how to participate in the Budget Public Hearing on Wednesday, as well as ways to get engaged in Racial and Social Justice efforts.

You’ll also find a link to an important discussion with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, D.A. Rachael Rollins, and other regional leaders about Systemic Racism, where do we go from here, and how can everyone be an ally. It’s well worth watching.

Strong local tax base, long-game fiscal management & strategic cuts enable city to avoid austerity measures

$1.6 million allocated for new Racial and Social Justice investments funded in part via $750,000 in funds diverted from Somerville Police budget

On Friday, June 19, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone submitted a proposed $262.7 million fiscal year 2021 budget to Somerville’s City Council that avoids the austerity measures being seen in cities and towns throughout the region. The FY21 budget preserves all city services and contains no layoffs or furloughs to city or school employees, while also making new racial and social justice investments.

— Tufts University Photo

Thanks to a Cummings Foundation $100,000 grant, The Fletcher School at Tufts University will launch a Global One Health Diplomacy Initiative dedicated to identifying holistic, interdisciplinary solutions to complex global health problems. The Initiative seeks to meet the need for effective global health diplomacy by combining The Fletcher School’s distinctive strengths in international law and diplomacy, social justice, and international peace and security, with the expertise in health and nutrition science, and human and veterinary medicine at Tufts’ health sciences schools.

Somerville Cambridge Elder Services is providing farmers’ market coupons for eligible participants starting mid-July, 2020.

Coordinated through the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, the program provides income eligible older adults with $25 in coupon vouchers to purchase locally grown produce at participating farmers’ markets.  Coupons can be used to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey.

Going into this year’s budget season, we’ve gotten a lot of questions from residents about how the budget process works. To help residents better understand the process and how to participate, the city’s Budget Manager is doing a live “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) event at www.reddit.com/r/somerville starting at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, June 22. He’ll take any questions that are submitted within 24 hours, until 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23. If you’re unfamiliar with AMAs, they’re a type of post on Reddit where anyone can submit a question and get an answer right away.