Purple flags were placed in remembrance of those in Somerville who have lost their lives to overdose took place last week, following the city’s passage of the Recovery Month resolution. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Jim Clark

At the latest meeting of the City Council, a resolution was put forward and passed designating September, 2019 as Recovery Month in Somerville.

The official text of the resolution reads as follows:

WHEREAS, Behavioral health is an essential part of health and one’s overall wellness; and

The 8th Annual Ryan Harrington Foundation Corn Toss Tournament takes place this Saturday, September 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Trum Field. The Foundation has released the following information: “It is with mixed feelings and emotions that we inform everyone that this year’s tournament will be out last. From the outset our family wanted to honor our Ryan’s memory and decided what better way than to start a tournament with a game that Ryan loved. Corn hole, or as we called it, “corn toss” was usually played in our son David’s backyard. It brought our friends and family together and was a time we all cherished. When Ryan passed we wanted to help local kids in Ryan’s memory and so the Ryan Harrington Foundation began. With the help and support of so many family members and friends the tournament grew and we are proud of the work we all have done in Ryan’s memory. This is not to say that we are disappearing just looking at different ways to help others in our beloved Ryan’s memory. We would love to make our final tournament special. So please join us so we can thank you all for supporting us during the most difficult and often the most bittersweet time in our lives. Let’s go out with the best tournament helping the most kids this year! Thank you for your support, love and remembering our Ryan.”

The Multicultural Cookbook “To Eat, To Travel, To Share” is a project that celebrates cultural diversity.

By NaBeela Washington

There is power in bringing members of different communities together to uplift each other and exchange ideas that facilitate the exchange of thought-provoking ideas and celebrate cultural diversity.

This very celebration is the core of Jasmin Choi’s work on the Multicultural Cookbook To Eat, To Travel, To Share, a project, in partnership with The Welcome Project, that engages immigrant youth through storytelling to celebrate cultural diversity. High school students from immigrant communities interviewed their family members to learn more about their own recipes and related cultural significances.

Once again it is time to shift gears and power down a bit as we roll out of the high-octane frenzy of summer time and into the laid 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.

The legacy of long-time Somerville librarian Thelma Donovan was honored at the Somerville Public Library on July 18. During the gathering, a donation of $10,000 was made in Thelma’s memory to the Friends of the Somerville Public Library.

Arrests:
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Keyanna Jackson, of 22 Wentsworth St., Boston, August 26, 1:36 p.m., arrested at Artisan Way on warrant charges of shoplifting over $250 by concealing merchandise and credit card fraud over $1200.

Visit Juscelia LoRusso’s facebook page to see more of her beautiful cakes.

Juscelia LoRusso, of Juscelia’s Cakes, and her husband Elio LoRusso recently presented one of her cakes to Donald and Patricia Norton on the occasion of their anniversary, having celebrated 52 years together in wedded bliss. The Nortons were delighted by the kind and loving gesture.

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Every once in a while I leave the environs of Union Square to get a taste of the buffet of creativity we have in our city. In this case it was East Somerville.  After all, the Poet Laureate of Somerville Lloyd Schwartz resides there, as well as the renowned Mudflat Studios.

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Somerville poet Michael Steffen writes:  “This poem makes a nod to the 50th anniversary of the first moonwalk which took place on July 20, 1969.”