— Photos by Chris Kenney

By Chris Kenney

The Trowel Club, in conjunction with King Solomon’s Lodge, attended Axe Night at the recently opened Urban Axes in Union Square last Thursday Night.

The night was hosted by Zachary Atwell, the Master of King Solomon’s Lodge, and organized by John Kendziersk, while food was prepared Brother Chris Pedersen, a chef at Urban Axes.

Eagle Feathers #170 – Spring Hill

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Spring Hill encompasses some of the most attractive environs in the city with its beautiful Westwood and Benton Road section being uppermost. The Hill gleaned its name from a stream near Summer Street that ran between Lowell and Cedar Streets. Elm Street and Somerville Avenue, which were part of the Revolutionary War “Battle Row,” skirt its base.

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Review by Zvi A. Sesling
Off the Shelf Correspondent

Flash fiction, micro fiction, prose poetry. Whatever you choose to call it, Michael. C. Keith’s Let Us Now Speak of Extinction is 231 pages of pure enjoyment. His stories, many of which are just a few lines and others less than one page, encompass many scenarios a number of them with ironically humorous endings and titles that he has obviously spent time creating.

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In this exquisite third book, What I Got For a Dollar, Somerville poet Bert Stern grapples with the elemental and the extraordinary, looking back on the length of his journey and finding realms of possibility, powerful proof of a life well lived. Moments of divine recognition pervade these poems – their rough terrains, their changing atmospheres and stunning grace – culminating in a profound sense of gratitude for the tactile world. Here is a poet writing at the height of his powers.

~Photos by Bobbie Toner

The weekly market, held at the Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., from December to mid-April, offers the best locally grown and regionally produced agricultural items including vegetable produce, cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, pastries, chocolate, and wine. They feature rotating guest vendors each week, as well as live entertainment.

The longest running genre film festival in the United States has announced its lineup for the 44th year. In partnership with the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square the festival brings 11 days of thought provoking, entertaining and mind-bending films, panels, parties as well as the infamous 24-hour ‘Thon (film marathon). Most screenings will be followed by in-depth Q&A discussions with filmmakers and experts.

The Green Line Extension (GLX) project will host a public meeting, Wednesday, January 30, 2019, 6 p.m.to 8 p.m. at the East Somerville Community School Cafeteria, 50 Cross Street.

Please join GLX project officials who will make information available on:

The design status of seven new GLX stations
Upcoming bridge closures and maintenance of traffic planning for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles
Community Path location and connections

SCES Adult Protective Services Director Stephanie Becker is a master trainer for a new protective services tool in Massachusetts.

By Nathan Lamb

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is an early adopter of a new tool designed to help Elder Protective Services evaluate reports of elder abuse and neglect.

Massachusetts is the second state to adopt the Interview for Decisional Abilities. It’s a structured discussion that helps Protective Services social workers assess an elder’s ability to make decisions about safety concerns and possible interventions, explained SCES Protective Services Director Stephanie Becker.

New Innovation School Proposal Reaches Final Stage of Approval Process

On January 7, the Powderhouse Studios (PHS) proposal that would add a brand new school to the district reached the fourth and final stage of the Massachusetts Innovation School approval process after the Somerville Teachers Association ratified an agreement advancing the authorization of PHS as the newest school in the Somerville Public Schools (SPS) system. That January 7 vote activated a 60-day window for the School Committee to gather input from the community, deliberate, and vote on the school’s final plan.