The City Council’s Legislative Matters Committee has proposed a change in the condo conversion ordinance that would benefit some long-term renters.

By Norah Doyle

The Somerville Legislative Matters Committee recently took steps to protect tenants affected by the condo conversions, which have led to the displacement of some long-term renters. 

To address these displacements, Committee members proposed changes to the city’s condo conversion ordinance. This change in the ordinance proposal would extend the notice period for vacant rental units from 1 year to 2 years. This is essentially the window of time landlords need to give written notice to a tenant of their intent to change the property.

By Harry Kane

Renter-paid broker’s fees are a thing of the past thanks to a new rule that eliminates these expenses for renters and shifts responsibility to landlords.

Gov. Maura Healey signed the FY26 state budget, which includes a provision that requires the party that hires a broker to pay the fee. The new rule will go into effect August 1.

SomerMovie Fest returns July 10. The movies begin at dusk, and showtimes are approximate. Arrive early to grab a good spot, get comfortable, and enjoy the summer evening with neighbors and friends. The series kicks off with The Wild Robot on Thursday, July 10, at approximately 8:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Softball Field. For more information, please visit somervillema.gov/moviefest.

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I remember this salad from my childhood. A lot of people had gardens in the neighborhood and used to share their cucumbers and tomatoes with each other. This quick and easy salad is a fantastic addition to the summer salad repertoire since these ingredients are pretty much staples. So, if you’re looking for another recipe to use up your tomatoes and cucumbers that are ready for picking in your garden, give this a try.

The city’s Food and Nutrition Services Department is once again engaged in its annual summer meals for Somerville youth program. Starting this week, kids under the age of 19 can get free meals at various locations throughout the city from now through August 22.

It’s a great way of making sure that the city’s youth get the nutritional support they need, regardless of financial or social standing.

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Review by Off the Shelf Correspondent Kevin M. McIntosh

Oh, Daisy. Since Henry James birthed (and killed) you in 1878, readers have celebrated, defamed, lamented, but mainly, puzzled over you. A rich man’s daughter touring Switzerland and Italy in the socially essential company of your mother and little brother, seeing the culturally significant sights, attending the mandatory expat parties, flirting with the men at hand, foreign and domestic, we continue to argue what you’re about. Libertine? Naif? Or proof of Cyndi Lauper’s timeless proposition that Girls Just Wanna Have Fun? Whatever. But James left us with an ugly question to ponder: Must a nice, high-spirited girl from Schenectady pay for her high spirits with her life?

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Sara Letourneau is the author of Wild Gardens (Kelsay Books, 2024); the book editor and writing coach at Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching Services; the cofounder/cohost of the Pour Me a Poem open mic; and the co-editor of the Pour Me a Poem anthology. Her poetry has won the Beals Prize for Poetry and the Blue Institute’s 2020 Words on Water contest. Her most recent work can be found in The Arts Fuse, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, The Ekphrastic Review, Nixes Mate Review, Silver Birch Press, Third Wednesday Magazine, and Wild Greens Magazine. She lives in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Visit her online at https://heartofthestoryeditorial.com/.