May 8th: Screening of “Detained” and Community Discussion
by barry on May 2, 2008
The recent raids at the Pilgrim Pride poultry plants that garnered nationwide media attention only underscore the fact that future ICE raids are imminent.
“Further Fenway Fiction” reading at West branch, this Monday, 7 pm
by Paula Woolley on
All are welcome to the West Branch Library at 40 College Ave. on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. for a reading by Somerville authors with stories in “Further Fenway Fiction: More Short Stories from Red Sox Nation.”
Progressive Dems hold Annual Meeting - Elect New Officers
by Marty Martinez on
Check out this link about PDS’ Annual Meeting. Progressive Dems are ready to kick off another year of empowering community residents to get involved and advocate for the issues they care about.
This Saturday Help Rebuild a Community Garden at Mystic Housing
by fberman on April 30, 2008
Warren Goldstein-Gelb, director of the Welcome Project, has asked for help in getting the word out about the need for volunteers this Saturday (May 3) in rebuilding the community garden at Mystic Housing, which was a casualty of the Somerville Housing Authority’s need for space for a maintenance shed.
Toward an ecological politics in Somerville?
by empowerment on April 24, 2008
Bill Shelton’s post made me wonder… is an ecological politics possible in Somerville?
How to remove a double pole
by David Booth on April 23, 2008
We have been waiting for years to have a double pole — two utilitiy poles lashed together — turned back into a single pole in front of our house. The extra pole blocks visibility, obstructs strollers and impedes snow removal. Recently we stumbled upon someone who actually seems to know how the process works! …
Indie Film Festival Brings SUVs to Davis Sq
by Ashland St on
New England Ford is sponsoring the festival and drove an SUV into the middle of the plaza in Davis. Thanks…
CAAS to Elect Board: Candidates Wanted
by Dennis Fischman on April 22, 2008
Do you want to help set the direction for Somerville’s anti-poverty agency? The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) is seeking candidates—and voters—for its Board elections, coming up the week of May 19th at two locations in Somerville.
directory of summer activities for kids
by Alain Jehlen on April 21, 2008
It’s great that people have been responding to Linda Conte’s post proposing a parent-made directory of summer camps and other summer educational activities.…
Comment Period on Waterfront Access at Assembly Sq. ends Monday, April 14
by Wig Zamore on April 12, 2008
April 14, is the last day the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will accept public comments on how to improve the proposed Assembly Square IKEA, and lessen its impact on the public’s right to freely travel to and enjoy our Mystic River waterfront.
Find out about local poetry happenings
by Linda Haviland Conte on April 10, 2008
Massachusetts Readings on Cervenabarvapress.com
April 27 Walk to Prevent Homelessness
by Linda Haviland Conte on April 9, 2008
Come one, Come all. On April 27 afternoon (1:30pm registration), the 5th Annual Walk to Prevent Homelessness in Somerville will again take off from the Somerville High School.…
Auction to Benefit the Somerville Homeless Coalition
by Linda Haviland Conte on April 6, 2008
Thalia Tringo is looking for items for a silent auction at the Somerville Homeless Coalition fundraiser on April 26, 2008. Each auction item will have a value of $250 or higher, but some of them will be combined packages (e.g, a night-out-on-the-town item consisting of a gift certificate for $100 to a Boston restaurant and…
Winter Soldier : Veterans Testify Against Occupation
by barry on
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan will feature testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.…
Gentrification: another look
by Jonathan Rich on April 4, 2008
I’m frequently seeing the word “gentrification” employed to describe the demographic change taking place in Somerville since the late 1990s. We’re certainly seeing changes, but I question how much of it is gentrification.
When the term came into general use it described a revival of old and run-down neighborhoods by well-to-do…
have your cat spayed/neutered inexpensively
by reisnere on March 31, 2008
There is still time to sign up to have your cat spayed/neutered at low cost on Saturday, April 26th.
Response to open letter re Hip Hop Concert cancellation from Centro Presente
by Mark Niedergang on May 7, 2008
Folks, This unfortunate series of events was extremely complicated and will be impossible to unravel and understand. This concert could have been a very positive event and the intentions of Centro Presente — to promote support for immigrants and peace among youth — are exemplary.
Lack of Transparency Surrounds Hip-Hop Concert Cancellation
by barry on May 6, 2008
The following letter was released by Centro Presente yesterday regarding the cancellation of their hip-hop concert scheduled for Friday of last week at the Somerville High School.
Extended Learning Time/School Day
by Linda Haviland Conte on April 28, 2008
It is one of our School Committee’s Long Range goals to consider extending the school day. There is a big push for this gathering on the state level as well, and schools are beginning to take advantage of grant money offered to give $1,300 per student for 300 hours of additional instruction/enrichment hours. I found…
Somerville Tree Photo Contest!
by Alex Pirie on April 4, 2008
Consider the overburdened utility pole… Some call it the Somerville tree, others (insert utility company name here) would just rather ignore it. Some lean a little and some lean a lot. Most seem to need major help!
“The Graduation Speech You’ll Never Hear”
by Alain Jehlen on April 3, 2008
This speech about Somerville young people killed by drugs, made the front page of the Globe’s City section. But publicity’s not enough. What should Somerville do about it?…
A Guide To Tax Breaks
by the editors on April 2, 2008
Many residents are eligible for a property tax break. Are you? Find out.…
Summer Camps for Somerville Kids
by Linda Haviland Conte on April 1, 2008
Having toddlers kind of put the kibosh on my favorite summertime activity—reading at the beach. Still, when they would eventually exhaust themselves with swimming, shell collecting, and digging to China, we could stay on the beach a little longer if I pulled out some read-aloud material.…
Somerville’s Changing Politics, Part 1
by Bill Shelton on
When a region’s climate changes over long periods, its ecosystems change as well. Woodlands can become grasslands, tundra or desert. This process involves prolonged conflict between differing plant and animal groups, and between how they change their environment by living and propagating. Even if they were conscious, they would not see themselves as at war, but rather merely doing what they can to survive.…
Casino Kool-Aid
by William Bennett on March 31, 2008
The mayor of Somerville, Joseph Curtatone, has courageously and accurately called casino revenues “fool’s gold,” while other mayors, such as Michael Bissonnette of Chicopee, are shilling for the casino industry—along with Governor Patrick and Senate President Therese Murray. The reality for Somervillians is that bringing a casino into the Greater Boston area will cost them money, eventually quite a bit of money.…
Hotel Davis Square: What’s in it for us?
by Suzanne Bremer on March 30, 2008
It isn’t often that the words “surplus” and “parking” are associated with Davis Square. But the request currently before the Board of Alderman to declare three municipal parking lots surplus property in our hippest square does that as well as bring up the long simmering, but little acknowledged question of responsible management of city owned real estate.…
Gentrification in Somerville
by Alain Jehlen on March 20, 2008
Gentrification—when wealthy people push less wealthy people out of a neighborhood. It’s about to get worse when the Green Line arrives. Here’s a provocative film about it.…
Welcome Home
by Saveourvillens on February 8, 2008
Save Our Somerville would like to welcome home Sargent Matthew McLaughlin…
MCAS and Somerville kids: Adam Sweeting’s forum
by Alain Jehlen on January 30, 2008
Here’s a fascinating forum on MCAS and what it really means on the ground level, inside our schools.…
MCAS and Somerville kids, Part 2
by Alain Jehlen on
Is high-stakes testing “the civil rights issue of our time” or a strategy for avoid the hard steps we need to take to improve education? See what you think.…
MCAS and Somerville kids, Part 3
by Alain Jehlen on
Somerville Teachers Association President Linda Vitiello (an elementary school teacher) tells a story about a child, a mural, and what paper-and-pencil tests don’t measure.…