Last year, Cambridge Health Alliance hosted a series of community meetings, held focus groups and conducted a broad-based survey to better understand the health care needs of the people who live in Somerville. As a follow-up to those conversations, CHA will be hosting another round of community meetings to present a series of service recommendations based on the feedback received.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro
El Sistema Somerville’s year-end concert took place at the East Somerville Community School Auditorium on June 11, 2019

More than 35 local businesses team up to create a more inclusive farmers market

Good Food for All is a week-long, community campaign returning to Union Square from June 22-29. More than 35 local businesses and 10+ market vendors have teamed up to raise awareness and funds for the local SNAP match available at the Union Square Farmers Market.

Join the City of Somerville’s SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Somerville Arts Council, and local non-profit organization Haitians United in a celebration of Somerville’s Haitian community. Enjoy a night of art, music, dance, and food on Saturday, July 6, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave.

A Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) program that specializes in supporting family caregivers recently earned the highest accreditation rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

Joe’s Jazz and Blues Festival will be livening up Powderhouse Park on June 15 as a great selection of blues and jazz artists perform free for the public.

Enjoy the Jazz & Blues Festival and Night Market on Saturday, June 15, from noon to 10:00 p.m.

Join the Somerville Arts Council and the Somerville Flea for a perfect summer day while supporting local businesses and artists in Ball Square. The annual Joe’s Jazz & Blue’s Festival will kick off the day from noon to 6:00 p.m., followed by the Somerville Arts Council’s Night Market from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m.

The City of Somerville, in partnership with the Somerville Media Center (SMC), has announced the release of a short documentary entitled From My Heart to Yours.

You don’t have to run away to join the OPENAIR Circus this summer. The classes for children include stilting, many forms of juggling, unicycling, hula hoops, and commedia dell’arte. For children as young as 3, there are Tiny Tot Trio and Tumbling for Two. Most classes are for older children and teens, and adult students join in every year.

Army Sergeant George Schipani was killed in action in 1951 after becoming a Prisoner of War during the Korean War. Schipani’s remains to arrive in Somerville and process by his former home on Sat., June 15. Friend and fellow soldier and POW, of Cambridge, to attend funeral of his former company member. 

For more than 30 years, the remains of an unknown American soldier were buried in the National Memorial of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, alongside other fallen soldiers. In January 2019, the remains were identified as Somerville resident George R. Schipani, and on June 15, he will finally return home.

(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 Joseph A. Curtatone

 When thinking about the economy, many of us look to the unemployment rate as a measure of how we’re doing. The unemployment rate has been on a steady decline since the recession and is now about 3.6% nationally, and about 1.7% in Somerville. On the surface, that looks great, but unemployment numbers don’t capture the growing problem of underemployment.