By Donald Norton

This past Saturday night, May 19, the Little Sisters of the Poor on Highland Avenue held their Annual Fundraiser Dinner, this year at the Arts at the Armory across the street.

Monday, May 28, is Memorial Day and City offices will be closed for the day. Trash and recycling collection will be on a one-day delay all week and there will not be street sweeping on Monday. Meters and resident permit parking will also not be in effect on Monday.

Treasurer Deb Goldberg has announced that throughout Memorial Day weekend, the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) will focus enforcement on bars in summer communities that have been most identified as the last bar to sell alcohol to a convicted drunk driver. The ABCC will be working with police departments that have identified high-risk locations and direct efforts toward preventing the sale of alcohol to underage persons in these communities.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

By Matthew McLaughlin
Vice President and Ward 1 Alderman

The Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a Home Rule Petition for a Real Estate Transfer Fee tonight.  I plan on canvassing the neighborhood to explain the final bill, but I want to dispel misinformation I routinely hear.  This is a simplified version but I am happy to go into detail for anyone interested.

Ryan Harrington died from a heroin overdose in May 2011. ~ Courtesy of The Ryan Harrington Foundation

By Emily Blackwood

Ryan Harrington was a great kid. Though he played sports, had a lot of friends and knew how to make you laugh, he was probably best known for his kind heart and generous spirit.

One time, his father Dave Harrington recalled, Ryan’s family bought a few new mattresses for the kids. Soon after they arrived, a neighbor called Dave and said that one of those mattresses was currently heading down the street.

These six Friends of the Somerville Homeless Coalition baked cookies and pies and made lemonade for PorchFest and raised $364.95 that they donated to SHC. That’s almost $150 more than they raised last year (and we were amazed then too). Many thanks to (L to R) Millie Gates, Maddy Zucca, Buster Gates, Violet Gates, Avery Zucca, and Juliette Zucca. SHC always says they can’t do their work without the community’s support. You made their day, friends!

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

Sunday, May 20, at Sylvester Baxter Riverfront Park at Assembly Row, marked the exciting debut of a new family-friendly spring fundraiser, the Fast and Furriest 5K – Run, Walk, Wag for MSPCA–Angell!

By Jim Clark

On the evening of Friday, May 18, Somerville Police Drug Control Unit undercover officers conducting surveillance operations at a Highland Ave. location took notice of an individual police knew had prior involvement in the use of heroin and fentanyl walking in the direction of School St.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

For many people, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer. What I fear often gets lost is the true meaning of the holiday – that Memorial Day is for just that: memorializing the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We must not forget that it’s a sacred day of remembrance. In Somerville, we honor all members of our Armed Forces during Memorial Week and through a number of ceremonies that memorialize our fallen heroes and celebrate our Veterans.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

After Anthony J. “Tony the Barber” Matarazzo passed away earlier this month, the decision was made to close the shop for good. Tony’s longtime partner Phil Vozella, who will be retiring now, and his family organized a small celebration last week as a tribute to Tony and the shop for all the years he was there as a barber.