On Wednesday of May 21, 2007 around 12:30 P.M, I decided to skip school and go home. It had been the worst day for me. I just wanted to skip and go home to rest for a little while because at 3 P.M, I had to go to a youth program called, “PNM.” I walked [...]

I interviewed my father about why he left his country, El Salvador. After I interviewed him, I found the reason why: “I wanted a better future for my sons and there was a civil war going on so it was dangerous to be there.” He also told me he came here to earn money.

The following writings were submitted today by students in a media class at Somerville High School.
Students at a Disadvantage by BrAus
What would you say if you couldn’t go to college because you had to pay double the amount of money as anyone else?
How about having to freeze in the winter while embarking a long “journey” [...]

Students learn concepts in their classes and learn from practicing the concepts in their communities. The concepts guide and inform the practice; the practice illuminates and tests the concepts.

My progressive, arts-loving church started talking a lot about race and racism, after the Jeremiah Wright kerfuffle in the press last spring (Jeremiah Wright is UCC, like us). We haven’t stopped talking about it yet, and this winter and spring are running a multifaceted “Sacred Conversation on Race,” both for our own community’s learning, and [...]

On March 3rd, the Somerville Board of Aldermen will hold its hearing on the proposed Condo Conversion Ordinance. If you are a Somerville homeowner, you know that the Libertarian, Cambridge-based Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) — which mailed letters to every Somerville homeowner — is seeking to derail that legislation by disseminating inflammatory and baseless claims about how passage will result in plummeting property values and escalating property taxes.

While Somerville stands to lose up to $5 million in state aid over the next 17 months , it has requested hundreds of millions of federal stimulus dollars through Gov. Patrick’s economic recovery infrastructure program. Mayor Curtatone sits on the program’s Municipal Facilities Task Force.

[ February 23, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Somerville writer Doug Holder presents a workshop on the Small Press and Independent Publishing to Books of Hope youth and the community on Monday, Feb 23rd, 7-9 pm at the Mystic Activity Center, 530 Mystic Ave. The event features poet/performer C.D. Collins who’ll be joining Doug for this lively reading, talk, and interactive creative exchange. [...]

[ February 22, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] What is going on with our economy? How is the economic crisis affecting local issues? What can we do? This Sunday, February 22 at 7pm, come to the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) in the heart of Union Square (in the old police building above Precinct 116) to participate in a discussion about the [...]

What is going on with our economy? How is the economic crisis affecting local issues? What can we do? This Sunday, February 22 at 7pm, come to the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) in the heart of Union Square (in the old police building above Precinct 116) to participate in a discussion about the [...]

[ February 24, 2009; 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. ] Hey PDSers…

Its time for another great PDS meeting. Come out and see what exciting things PDS is up to this month. Our agenda includes:

Update on our March Candidate and Campaign Training
Dialogue on “Somerville’s Response to the Fiscal Crisis” campaign
PDS’ action on the condo conversion ordinance
Discussion about Community Service in our Schools
Planning for our 2009 Annual [...]

Will your child be 3 by August 31, 2009? Are you interested in having your child be a typically developing peer in the Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP?)
If yes, NOW is the time to think about submitting an application to be entered into the lottery for a seat in this program. ECIP is [...]

[ February 24, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] This was just sent to me by a Garden Club member: A Tree Preservation Ordinance has been proposed in the Board of Aldermen to protect healthy street trees throughout Somerville. The Tree Preservation Ordinance will be taken up before the Board of Aldermen’s Legislative Matters Committee on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at [...]

They wanted to publish under pseudonyms, so the following stories are by “Gori” and “Hector.”

[ February 23, 2009; 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. ] Do you find it a challenge to juggle all your roles and responsibilities, and meet all
the demands on your time and energy?
In this workshop, Joan Celebi, Ed.M. shares a life coach’s approach to living a manageable, balanced life as a parent of a child with special needs.  Joan’s step by step strategies help you simplify [...]

Over the last couple of months I witnessed Somerville government inability to deal with simple city issues which could potentially have dire consequences.
After purchasing a home in Somerville in 2008 I have began using the community path (from Cedar St) to commute daily to Davis Square where I catch the Red Line. Since [...]

Last night at a meeting of the Somerville Garden Club, an audience of about forty club members got a progress report from Brad Arndt, the Coordinator for the Somerville Urban Forest Initiative.
Following up on the Mayor’s pledge in his last inaugural address to increase the number of trees in Somerville by twenty percent over four [...]

[ February 24, 2009; 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. ] Do any of these issues concern you?

Bullying?  Child predators on the internet?  Use of violence to solve problems?

The Somerville Public Schools believes that students learn better when they feel safe.

Please join the Somerville Public Schools and its partners from the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth for [...]

[ February 15, 2009; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] At the Visiting Nurses assisted living facility, small dining room, 259 Lowell St. Come talk about the blog–what’s good, what’s not so good, how we can improve it.

[ February 11, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] The Foreign Language Study Committee Report will be presented to the School Committee this Wednesday, February 11th, at 7:00 PM in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of the SPS Administrative Headquarters, 181 Washington Street (in the Boys and Girls Club, enter from the rear and take the elevator.)

Also on the agenda of this School Committee [...]

So far, all we’ve been told by the city about the people appointed by Mayor Curtatone to serve on Somerville’s new Financial Advisory Committee is their names and titles. But, the residents of this city deserve to know more about these advisors who will have such big influence on how we cope with massive budget cuts.

If you drive northwest on Mystic Avenue, not far past the Medford line you’ll pass a modest office building. One of its tenants is LEAP, an organization that is influencing opinion on drug policy across North America. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition’s members—current and retired law officers—propose a different way.

The Jesus fish kissing the Darwin fish? Why not? Our church is celebrating the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species this weekend with a special worship service. John Olson, a very engaging, poetic and funny parishioner of ours, is going to preach the sermon: [...]

[ February 17, 2009; 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. February 18, 2009; 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. February 19, 2009; 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. February 20, 2009; 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. ] $80 for four days of fun! Breakfast and pizza included.

[ February 14, 2009; ] $65 for spay/neuter and a rabies shot! Phone/email for details and to reserve a space for your cat.

PDS Vice Chair Rachel Heller sent around information about the Democratic Party Caucuses scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 5th (see below). Readers may be wondering “Why bother to go to an “issues” convention … or to the Caucus where delegates are elected? Here are my thoughts on why it’s worth our time.

[ February 5, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] According to “Latest News” on the website of the Somerville Democratic City Committee www.SomDems.org :
The Ward Caucuses to elect delegates to the 2009 State Convention in Springfield will be held on Thursday, February 5th at 7pm with the exception of Ward Five which will be at 8:00 p.m. at the same location. The caucuses will [...]

[ February 4, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] Monthly DARBI Meeting, Wed., Feb. 4, 7pm.

The Davis Square Area Resident-Business Initiative (DARBI), a registered 501(c)4 nonprofit association of volunteers who live and/or work in the area, aims to:

Promote Davis Square as an attractive place to live, visit, shop and conduct business.

Work together as an open association of volunteers to identify and address important [...]