This Thursday, December 2nd, come to Davis Square and experience Midnight Madness! This event is put on by DARBI (Davis Area Resident/Business Initiative) every year to help support local retailers.

Special shopping hours are…

The Mystic View Task Force has sent a letter to the City urging delay in voting on the proposed Assembly Row DIF. While we believe that a DIF may be the best available mechanism for moving forward on Assembly Square development, we are concerned that the proposed DIF puts a disproportionate share of risk on the City and fails to adequately hold the developer accountable. Please join us at Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting (Nov. 30 at 7pm at City Hall) to support our call for a delay in the decision on the DIF to allow time for adequate analysis and the opportunity to negotiate a better proposal.

Residents of Somerville concerned about the development of the old MaxPak paper factory where 199 units of new housing are being built will picket and rally for jobs at the entrance to the site (56-61 Clyde Street) in Somerville, MA on Thursday, Dec 2 from 6:00 to 9:00 AM.…

[11/23/2010]

Greater Somerville takes its show on the road to kickoff the holiday season,
encourage local shopping, taste some great wines and prove that reindogs can
host a TV talk show.…

Where: West Somerville Neighborhood School, 177 Powderhouse Boulevard

There is now a $63 M gap in infrastructure funding for Assembly Square. The Orange Line T-Stop and the rest of the development is in jeopardy unless we close the gap by a combination of stopgap funding and a $25 M DIF in Assembly Square.

Somerville is home to many interesting and accomplished comic artists. Today’s posting features the art of Jef Czekaj.
(Part 3 of a multipart article on comic art in Somerville, first published in Somerville Scout, Fall 2010.)

Press Release                                       Contact:  Meridith Levy

Somerville Community Corporation

617 776 5931×242

Somerville, MA—participants of Community Corridor Planning (CCP) will be presenting a Community Action Agenda on December 2nd, 2010 at the Capuano…

Somerville-based ANIKAI Dance Company is about to embark on the biggest international tour any dance company from the Boston area has ever been on (besides the Boston Ballet). This is the most extensive tour of India by any US dance company since 1926 when Ruth St. Denis took her Denishawn Dancers.…

The OPENAIR Circus is holding a deliciousraiser… no… fundraiser at
Flatbread Pizza in Davis Sq. on November 23.

The OAC is a non-profit volunteer-run Somerville-based organization which
teaches 200 students each summer a variety…

Mayor Curtatone says the SPD won’t “assume the role of federal authorities in terms of immigration enforcement”, but this would mark a departure from how local police have been operating.

There’s an average of 17,000 people living within each square mile of Somerville. When I hear this fact, I ask myself: How could I ever be lonely with so many potential relationships available in such close proximity? In this density and diversity, how could I ever not find what I need?

The public is invited to make suggestions about pedestrian, bicycle, and bus access to the station, as well as safety lighting, station design, comfort, signs and area maps.

I’ve just come from the reading of John Shea’s play Welcome to Somerville: Permit Parking Only at First Church on College Ave. There’s another reading tomorrow night at 7 there. I strongly recommend it…

Under the proposed DIF, increases in Assembly Square tax revenue would be diverted to pay for the infrastructure. If tax revenues were inadequate, the taxpayers would foot the bill.

Come share your ideas for making our blog better!

Sunday, Nov. 21, 6 to 8 pm at the Visiting Nurses Assisted Living community, 259 Lowell St…

This new film by SCATV Executive Director Wendy Blom looks at the science behind climate change and how Somerville organizations, government, and residents are working to adapt to the changes that are predicted for the area. …

We’re currently running two film series at the Central Library. Family Films, including cartoons and popcorn, are shown one Saturday afternoon per month, and so far they’ve been well attended. We’ve also been showing movies…

The current issues are the status of the Green Line Extension and Community Path, extending the Green Line to Route 16, and funding the Assembly Square Orange Line T-Stop.

Learn about four major sources for buying and borrowing comics in our city: Comicazi, Hub Comics, Papercut Zine Library, and Somerville Public Library. These same venues also make important contributions to the creation of comic art and a comics community in Somerville.
(Part 2 of a multipart article on comic art in Somerville, first published in Somerville Scout, Fall 2010.)

The proposed changes to simplify the review process for ZBA cases will consolidate all direct citizen input into one public hearing. Unless handled well, this could make it harder for citizens to make their voices heard.

The sole item on the agenda is adopting the Stretch Energy Code as Energy Code for Somerville. This important sustainability measure is in jeopardy in Somerville.

This meeting gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

Our Alder(wo)men and School Committee Members are elected to represent us. In order to do that, they need to hear from us and let us know what’s going on at City Hall.  This gets me wondering if there’s a good way to score / track / rate them on how well they communicate with constituents. Perhaps you and I can come up with a set of criteria and then collectively keep tabs on how they’re doing.…

On October 5th, I submitted the following request to the Director of Somerville Historic Commission:

This teleconference dealt with new exciting work on addressing a perennial problem: how do people find out when issues they care about are being discussed?

Saturday, November 13th, 2010, 3:30 – 7:00 pm
Location : Johnny D’s Uptown Cafe (17 Holland Street)…

In yesterday’s Time Trade Circle newsletter (I’m a member), I learned about the Somerville Trading Post that meets at the Somerville Community Growing Center on Vinal Ave. Have you…

Last night, I was the only member of the public to attend a City planning meeting for the renovation of the North Street Playground.

Hello from the Groundwork Somerville SoilCycle team!

We’re posting today to inform you of an exciting upcoming opportunity to expand your composting skills and jump aboard with vermicomposting!!!  This workshop will provide you with everything you need to take home a “kitchen scrap-ready” worm bin and will provide you with a group technical assistance session to answer any questions you may have about beginning to compost in your home.…

If you are fortunate enough to live in Somerville, you are well situated for an intimate view into the world of comic art. And as you peer into this world, you may even find some of your daily realities staring back at you: Somerville itself is woven into a number of these cartoon narratives. (Part 1 of a multipart article on comic art in Somerville, first published in Somerville Scout, Fall 2010.)

Here’s a radical idea for the Somerville schools: Stop trying to boost MCAS scores. Except in high school.

I don’t mean stop teaching, but let’s turn off the laser focus on raising scores.…

Public meeting notices and the open meeting law are fundamental to transparency and public participation in government.

Large Retail Cluster Parking: Proposal is to double the parking requirement for large retail (> 25,000 s.f.). Staff believes that because Somerville has little parking available, the effect will be to discourage suburban format in Somerville. Developers would have to build parking garages, which is expensive.

Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) will be hosting a Presentation of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results. It will be held Wednesday November 10th, 2010 from 6PM – 8PM. The Presentation will be held in…

Following the unanimous approval by both the School Committee and Aldermen of resolutions supporting passage of the DREAM Act, comes this announcement yesterday from Tito Meza of the Somerville Community Corporation’s Voices of Immigrants of Somerville (SCC VIS):…

The following announcement was sent to the PDS membership yesterday:

Nov 5, 2010

PDS Members,

Besides the good news of keeping Massachusetts blue this week, the PDS leadership team wanted to send out an announcement that we hired a new Organizing and Communications intern to help us as an organization grow and thrive. We know this was a top priority coming out of the visioning work we did and we are so excited to bring on Andrew Bunyard!…

Some recent commenters on this blog have expressed an interest in running for an Alderman seat or for Mayor. Have you? For what office?  Why? What’s holding you back? Have  you been a candidate? Do you know someone whom you think would be a good candidate? Please share your thoughts with us.…

The first line of the recently crafted Somerville Vision Statement includes a sentence about valuing the diversity of our people, cultures, housing, and economy. Since “diversity” is so prominently represented in our vision for our community, I’ve been thinking about this word and what it means.

On Saturday, November 13, Groundwork Somerville will hold its first-ever fall Green-a-thon from 10-2. It’s a way to DOUBLE your support for a greener city, by participating in a cleanup AND raising money for Groundwork’s fabulous programs.…

[11/2/2010] Click photo to watch.

Joe and KyAnn take a break from politics and talk with Bill Doncaster about his new…

Come share your ideas for improving our blog!

Sunday, Nov. 7, 6 to 8 at the Visiting Nurses assisted living community small dining room…

The meeting will include:

* A brief history of the Friends of the Community Path
* An update on current status of the proposed Path extension
* An overview of our goals and activities
* A discussion of the kinds of help we often need (attending meetings/events, taking minutes, tabling, strategizing, making inroads, mapping, urban planning, writing, fund raising, research, press announcements, technical, web/blog, social networking, schlepping, etc.)
* Q&A

The joint subcommittee meetings will address conflicts between worthy goals. For instance, increasing tax revenue by commercial development may conflict with increasing affordable housing and maintaining neighborhood character.

At this meeting, the group will review the draft Comprehensive Plan. Somerville’s citywide development for the next twenty years will be shaped by the comprehensive plan. This is a public meeting; any citizen is entitled to observe.

Somerville’s disability culture should also be celebrated as part of our rich multicultural diversity. But as we see, even voting is still not routinely made accessible and integrated for voters with physical disAbilities. How can we reverse Segregation in Somerville?

Come find out what makes Union Square so eclectic and appealing! Delve into the history of Somerville’s oldest and largest commercial district to understand the ingredients for its economic rebirth. Architectural historian Ed Gordon, known…

Info from Linda Conte, pix from Michael Conte: Senior dress-up day at SHS this year featured Pacman, pizza, and sushi!…

A City of Somerville Public Announcement:

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 7 Alderman Robert Trane invited all interested community members to a community meeting to discuss renovation plans for the North…

What happens when many passionate people care about an important issue? A movement is created, a movement strong enough to inspire others to make change. Bioneers By The Bay is a conference that feeds a movement and wants to connect people from America to unite and fight for a more eco-friendly world.…

Flatbread Restaurant holds a benefit for the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) Tuesday evening, November 16. Eat at the restaurant (45 Day Street in Davis Square) any time from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. and Flatbread will donate a portion of the cost of dinner to CAAS, Somerville’s anti-poverty agency.

Somehow, like magic, the tax cut will only cut funding for things we don’t like. We have been hearing this message since 1979, when Ronald Reagan was running for office. I was a lie thirty years ago, and it remains a lie today. Cutting taxes does not create more effective government.

SCATV will cablecast live, national election coverage from Free Speech TV on Channel 3, beginning at 9:00pm…

Join Alderman Roche and the Mayor.

We plan to screen an exciting new documentary, produced locally, called “Somerville: on the Right Track.” This film features archival footage of Somerville from the 1960s, and never-before-seen…

The Capacity to Live a Full & Creative Life: this is what we want for our children, our youth, and ourselves! Come to a community-created art exhibit featuring art created by Somerville artists ages 8 to 88.

Please join us for The SOS Kick-Off Event and Planning Meeting at Brickbottom Studios Gallery, 1 Fitchburg St., Somerville, on November 3, 2010, 7pm to 9pm.
Enjoy a little food and wine while mingling with…

The agenda includes the following:

* Change to the zoning ordinance to allow self-storage in Assembly Square
* Changes to the zoning ordinance to revise the procedures for reviewing Special Permits, Special Permits with Site Plan Approval, and variances
* Changes to the zoning ordinance to revise the parking requirements for large scale retail
* Change to the zoning ordinance to allow Historic Carriage House as a use in certain districts
* Special permit to allow Federal Realty to exceed signage size requirements in Assembly Square.

A Sale of Affordable Handmade Woolen Goods to Benefit the Somerville
Homeless Coalition
As we all face another cold and wet winter, help keep others warm. Wrap your
arms around your community!

*November 12-14…

This is the November meeting of the Green Line Extension design working group.

The Design Working Group is a key means for addressing neighborhood concerns relating to the Green Line stops in Somerville and Medford.

“WELCOME TO SOMERVILLE, Permit Parking Only,” a new play by John Shea

 A mother drinks, a daughter, “cuts.”  Two young men think violence is the answer to what they see as an immigration problem. …

An elected official is accused of sexually assaulting teen-aged boys in his home while his wife is at work.  Warring restaurant owners may come face to face in court as tempers flare.  A young girl realizes “cutting,” is not…