Public Health & Safety

Trains carrying large amounts of flammable alcohol would pass through Somerville, including Porter Square, Brickbottom, East Broadway, and Assembly Square. More…

Another public meeting for Beacon Street Reconstruction meeting is coming on up on Tuesday, March 5th at 6:00pm in the Argenziano School cafetorium (290 Washington Street). I strongly urge all with an interest in the…

Many Somerville houses still have asbestos insulation and cladding. Inhaled asbestos can cause cancer. Streamlining procedures will make removing it less expensive.

The City is holding a public meeting to receive neighborhood input on the conclusion of remediating the Conway Park/15A Bleachery Court site. Soils at Conway Park were contaminated during construction of the new skating rink.

No, there hasn’t been a premature dropping of a local New Years Eve time-ball–City Hall has dropped the ball on long-promised bike enforcement and a companion public safety campaign—yet again…

Agenda likely includes discussing the Community Preservation Act, the coming Green Line Extension, the Davis Square Visioning process, and the Porter Square Visioning process.

Agenda will likely include discussing the implications of the passage of the Community Preservation Act as well as citizen concerns about services and public safety.

Members of the Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities  have participated in the Somerville online transportation surveys and frequently collaborate with members of Community Access Project, Somerville to help raise awareness and lower barriers to

Members of the Boston Disability Commission Advisory Board have participated in the Somerville online transportation surveys and frequently collaborate with members of Community Access Project, Somerville to help raise awareness and lower barriers to disAbility

Recently the health department has offered this year’s information about getting a flu shot. They will be regularly available on Thursday evenings from 5-7pm at the…

The Friends of the Community Path sent this letter to the George Proakis and the Planning Board on August 17, with no reply so far:…

Prior to and on statewide Elections Day, the MA Secretary of State’s Office publishes arguments for and against every ballot measure that is placed before the voters of the Commonwealth.  In 2012, Massachusetts voters will…

John B. Kelly, friend to all Somervillians and especially BFF with Community Access Project Somerville and human rights defenders throughout Massachusetts, receives a Proclamation from Boston’s Mayor Menino, who named today, July 26, 2012, John B. Kelly Day!

Public notice includes a hearing on activities to remove the invasive water chestnut plant in the Mystic River.

Are you itching for information about how to avoid bed bugs?  Bed bug experts from Somerville and around New England will address a Bed Bug Summit, June 15th, sponsored by the Community Action…

From the agenda of the  upcoming meeting of the BOA Public Health and Public Safety Committee on Monday 5/21 in the 2nd floor Committee Room at City Hall:…

Want to avoid getting a ticket? Watch the episode and find out how, as well as what you can do to stay safe in Somerville and how to find out more on the Somerville biking culture.

PRESENTED BY THE COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY OF SOMERVILLE (CAAS), WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE

Come learn about the growing bed bug issues in and around Somerville, and what we

Environmental mediation in a densely populated city like Somerville is important for public health.

I’ve just been alerted to a new posting of inaccuracies regarding my architectural access facility complaint about the Armory.

On Wednesday, March 28, 2012, Courtney O’Keefe posted “Armory Gets New Entrance, Support!” on…

Ms. Renault-Caragianes’ letter is a cover-up on behalf of Mayor Curtatone and designed to distort the facts about why State officials had to quickly step in to relocate the U.S. Surgeon General’s visit to the Ville last Friday, March 23, 2012, for the official launch event of the Middlesex County’s health wellness and prevention initiative called “Mass in Motion.”

Here’s what I’ve learned so far via the following Twitter conversation (in chronological order):…

Somerville’s Mayor Curtatone, who announced on WGBH this week (Boston’s Growing Income Gap, hosted 3/20/11 by Kara Miller) that he is “advising the First Lady on the Let’s Move Initiative,” attempted to get the US Surgeon General’s launch of a major Public Health initiative at the inaccessible Somerville Armory this Friday (March 23, 2012).

The following letter (circa Fall 2011) was recently obtained by Somerville Voices from Peter Blaikie with the Somerville Labor Coalition after a reference to the letter appeared in the 12/29/2011 SJ article Somerville unions form coalition against recent health care switch by Andy Metzger…

This Monday, the Architectural Access State Board will hear the City of Somerville’s request to waive the necessity to place an accessible ramp adjacent to a proposed shortcut between the Lowell St. bridge and the future Community Path Extension. Public transportation stewardship begins at home! Let’s encourage Somerville’s deciders to sTop wasting local and sTate transportation resources on exclusive facilities- and instead, plan for the future by designing accessible multi-modal pedestrian routes at every step.

Somerville Representative Provost has just published a piece at bostinno called: MBTA Troubles Just a Symptom of Systemic Crisis.
This Monday February 6, 2012 at 11:30 will be the Public Hearing on Rep. Provost ‘s House Bill 2659, a bill relative to transportation finance and equity. Location: State House, room A-1.
Rep. Provost article link: http://bostinno.com/2012/02/01/mbta-troubles-just-a-symptom-of-systemic-crisis/

January 11, 2012:  State and local news organizations report today that the City is suing the local firefighters union and a state panel in order to halt payment on what is legitimately owed Somerville’s Fire Fighters Local 76.  (See today’s Boston Globe report)…

The comment period ends 11/23/11. This is your chance to provide input to Federal guidelines on access by persons with disabilities.

Over 80% of Somerville’s new sidewalks and curb cuts, installed since 2004, are hazardous for people with various types of disabilities (one-in-five). These infrastructure improvements don’t even adhere to basic, standard building code. See a listing of the first 50 locations that the City of Somerville promises to re-do, equalling about $500K wasted the first time around- for starters.

On Thursday, 6 pm, November 3rd, at the VNA, 259 Lowell St., the Board of Aldermen’s Public Safety Committee will discuss the Administration’s disinclination to implement a promised Bicycle Safety Campaign for the city’s cyclists…

If there were a listing of  ”100 Worst Communities for Young Residents With DisAbilities,” Somerville would be at the top of the list.

The Mayor’s Young Somerville Advisory Group end-of-year meeting and presentation…

Melissa Hoffer of the Conservation Law Foundation will speak on the role of legal advocacy in environmental protection and restoration.

At Chester and Elm Streets in Davis Square, the brick curb cuts have been replaced with concrete, compliant ones. People using wheelchairs and other rolling mobility devices at this location can now rock and roll to the beat of the Ville, knowing that they don’t have to “pull the hill” at either end of the crosswalk. Keep up the good work, Mayor Joe!

The latest robocall announced the 4th Annual Riverfest, Saturday, 9/17, featuring “fireworks, entertainment, food and family activities” for Somerville residents. The familiar and friendly voice of Jackie Rossetti encouraged residents to participate. The latter part…

The agenda includes 149-151 Washington St. seeking a Special Permit with Design Review to establish a tattoo parlor.

The Community Access Project did a reality check of the 2010 East Somerville Safe Routes 2 School Map. We found that less than 20% of the pedestrian features are even up to basic standard code. “Safe” is a misnomer.

These streets ain’t fit for walkin’.

Ward 7 Alderperson Candidate Joan Whitney Puglia is proving to have a keen awareness of conditions around town.  Her mention of Dilboy Field‘s tot lot and baseball field has the Community Access Project members…

The Armory at 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville fails to uphold their promise to State Board to achieve an Accessible entrance by May 15, 2011.

FCC Chair Genachowski says that, by next April, cities across the country will have access to a new technology just launched in New York City-to send critical emergency alerts to residents’ mobile phones when public safety is threatened. This new technology and service is called the Personal Localized Alerting Network, a.k.a., PLAN. Would it benefit Somerville?

Join us for an evening of festivities, fun and film as we kick off our new campaign
to get 350 NEW actions to make Somerville a cleaner, greener, healthier place to live

The Somerville Little League board is looking for volunteers to coach and assistant coach teams at all levels.  College age kids, retirees, and working moms and dads are all strongly encouraged to volunteer.  Time commitment…

Representative Denise Provost and Somerville Climate Action Film Series present:
GASLAND on Monday April 11th, 6:30 pm, followed by a discussion with Denise Hard, Director of New England Food and Water Watch.

MA DOT holding a Public hearing on Broadway Streetscape improvement Project on January 26, 2011 at the Cross Street Senior Center, 7 pm. Public Comments are also accepted via mail.

Property owners need to keep snow and ice from accumulating on their walkways. But what is the City’s responsibility?

As reported by Andy Metzger in the SJ and Tom Nash on Post Somerville, the Mayor has commissioned a report exposing problems in the City’s Inspectional Services Division (ISD). Below is the full report, as posted by Post Somerville.…

Somerville, Boston and Cambridge Human rights activists encouraged the BOA Public Health and Safety Committee to allow economic integration, safety, inclusion and accessibility to trump aesthetics at a recent Meeting.

See case summaries and read my update in Help discover the relationship between ICE and Somerville police

On December 6 at 6 pm, Alderman White and the Public Safety Committee will hold a Special Hearing to understand the justification for using brick paver materials in the recently constructed Somerville Avenue crosswalks. The vibrations from such materials hurts wheelchair drivers, and causes additional discomfort for people with visual and balance impairments.

As someone who does not own a car, I am already accustomed to the life of a pedestrian living around the edges of a world designed for cars. But I was completely unprepared for how dramatically marginalized I would feel trying to navigate the streets by wheelchair.

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.

The Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan of the Somerville Public Schools, due to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on 12/31, is open for public comment online at www.somerville.k12.ma.us/no_bullying.

We invite…

Somerville schools would like your questions, comments and ideas about how we can all say “no” to bullying so every student can be excited about coming to school to learn.

Somerville is 78% covered by impervious surface! This spring and summer brought flooding, extreme heat, and poor air quality, all of which are projected to get worse as the planet heats up. One effective way to mitigate these impacts is by de-paving and creating new green space.

Are you making efforts to trim your budget? Your waistline? Your cholesterol count? If so, you may be getting more intimate with the aisle in the supermarket where one finds neatly stacked bags of beautifully colored dried beans and legumes.

From School Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi:

It is my hope that every school in Somerville is a place where students feel a sense of belonging, where students are excited to come to school because they…

In these final crazy hazy days of summer 2010, Mayor Joseph Curtatone has succeeded in sneaking a detour around a new State rule. Here’s why that matters to Human Rights advocates..

This is the fifth in the 8-part Free Webinar Series on Designing for Pedestrian Safety being given by the Federal Highway Administration and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. Pedestrian and bicycle safety is essential to the success of the new Assembly Square roadways and Orange Line T-Stop and around the new Green Line stops.

Three years after the Somerville Avenue Reconstruction Project began, Union Square businesses are still hindered by lack of thoughtful pedestrian planning during construction; and Union Square residents, visitors and workers are still unable to walk these streets with confidence and comfort.

Environmental and safety concerns haunt this lovely park. Joe’s Astroturf and Streetscape SNAFUS don’t help, either…

The public is invited to this hearing as part of the selection process for the next Chief of Police in Somerville. Community members are also invited to submit questions and comments in advance of the…

This workshop sponsored by the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is intended to train volunteers to join MyRWA’s water quality monitoring program. This important program keeps tabs on the Mystic year round regardless of weather.

At this discussion we will review the DRAFT bullying plan, data that points to strategies for improving the implementation of the District’s award-winning Wellness Policy, and the plan for improving the implementation of the District’s Safe and Drug Free Schools Plan.

This film is important because parts of Somerville are environmental justice areas close to pollution sources and suffer higher than average levels of heart and lung disease.

The Architectural Access Board will hold a Hearing on 18 Architectural Access Code Violations for Arts at the Armory facility on Monday, May 24, at 1 p.m.

back story: On February 8, Building…

This meeting includes a continuation of the 1 Benton Road case, which has proved controversial.

This Planning Board meeting included continuing hearings on 79-83 Broadway (slightly controversial), 39R Medford St., and 1 Benton Rd. (also controversial). There was also a discussion of declaring properties part of historical districts, sometimes controversial.

“I hope you all get some power someday, so you’ll know what it’s like to have to satisfy your constituents’ demands with a limited budget.”

A heated debate has developed recently in the op-ed pages of The Somerville News between columnist Bill Shelton and Somerville’s Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher over the City’s use of a Reserve Fire Force/List.…

The Somerville Public Schools are OPEN all day tomorrow, May 3rd – and expect to be open throughout the water emergency. Students and staff are asked, if able, to bring their own safe, packaged beverages…

Despite verbal and written opposition by neighbors, the License Commission approved a transfer of a beer & wine license (donated) by Dali to the Arts at the Armory located at 191 Highland Avenue in Ward 5 on April 26th.…

Before the emergence of Coffee Parties, we saw, locally, the advent of Somervillevoices.org, a courageous and worthy experiment in a 21st Century democratic, community- controlled public media forum, and of the much heralded, government- built Resistat program…

Monday, May 24th, 2010, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location : Kennedy School, 5 Cherry Street
Presented by Amy Bamforth, MS and MSW, from the Somerville Community Partnership for Children.

At this workshop we will…

Volunteers are needed to clean the Mystic River banks and remove shopping carts and other debris from the river. Supplies will be provided. This event is sponsored by the Mystic River Watershed Association and the Gentle Giant Rowing Club.

Are you a parent/guardian of a grade PK-8 student in the Somerville Public Schools? Look for your complimentary copy of the first edition of Chop Chop, a new healthy cooking magazine for families, in…

2010-2011 HUD Action Plan Public Hearing

Thurs. Apr. 8 6:30 PM

Ralph and Jenny Center
9 New Washington St.
Somerville MA

[Facility is near the corner of Inner Belt Rd…

City of Somerville Rabies Clinic
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2010
10:00 A.M. – 12:00 noon

RABIES SHOT: Dogs & Cats – $10.00 per animal.

Dog Licensing available at clinic.
It is required that all…

MBTA Rider Oversight Committee Meeting

Mon. Mar. 29 5:00 PM

State Transportation Building
Conf. Rms. 1, 2, 3
10 Park Plaza
Boston MA (map)

This is the regular…

MAPC Bike Meeting with Dr. Anne Lusk

Tues. Mar. 23 6:00 PM

MAPC Offices
60 Temple Place
Boston MA (map)

This Metropolitan Area Planning Council meeting features Dr…

The City of Somerville, with it’s clear mandates and civil rights obligations from Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, continues to be really , truly, obviously unskilled at inclusive community-building.

What a price for tenure? And how can you tell your professor is crazy!

This hearing is important because it is a key step toward getting Federal money for improving Somerville.

Planning for the Unplanned: Recovering from Crises in Megacities – Lessons for Metro Boston

Thurs. Feb. 11 6:00 PM

MAPC Offices
60 Temple Place
Boston MA (map)…

Free Parent/ Guardian Workshop offered by the Somerville Public Schools on Bullying in Schools Today

Monday, May 24th- 6:30-8:30pm, at the John F. Kennedy School
5 Cherry Street
Learn about school interventions to create…

Free Parent/ Guardian Workshop offered by the Somerville Public Schools on Bullying in Schools Today

Monday, April 26th- 6:30-8:30 pm at the Capuano Early Childhood Center
150 Glen street
Featuring a screening of the…

Free Parent/ Guardian Workshop offered by the Somerville Public Schools on Family and Relationship Violence:

Wednesday, April 14th- 6:30-8:30 pm
Location still TBD
Featuring experts from Middlesex Partnerships for Youth and the Middlesex County…

Free Parent/ Guardian Workshop offered by the Somerville Public Schools on Bullying and Cyberbullying

Wednesday, March 10th- 6:30-8:30 Pm at the West Somerville Neighborhood School
177 Powderhouse Boulevard
Featuring experts from Middlesex Partnerships for…

Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Planning Meeting

Tues., Feb. 16, 6:30 PM

Upper Hall
Greek Orthodox Church
29 Central St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the rescheduling of the…

Public Health and Public Safety Committee Meeting

Mon. Jan. 25 6:00 PM

2nd Floor Comm. Room
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

Agenda

Your Walkable Community in Winter: Somerville

Sat. Jan. 30 2:30 PM

Somerville Library
79 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

This is a workshop on walkability in Somerville…

MAPC Mystic River DataCommon Training Event

Wed. Feb. 3 9:30 AM

MAPC Offices
60 Temple Place
Boston MA (map)

RSVP: Patrick Herron, PhD
Water Quality Monitoring Director
Mystic River…

The goal of this meeting is to provide accurate information about Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which was granted last Friday to Haitians living in the United States in response to last week’s earthquake.

Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Visioning Meeting

Tues., Jan. 26, 6:30 PM

Upper Hall
Greek Orthodox Church
29 Central St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the last Visioning meeting…

Mystic River Watershed Association Lower Mystic Initiative Presentation

Wed., Jan. 27, 6:30 PM

Chelsea City Public Library
500 Broadway
Chelsea MA (map)

Flier (PDF)

Why Commissions Can Improve Our Community

Sat. Jan. 30 1:30 PM

Somerville Library
79 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

This is a workshop from the “How to”…

MPO Open House with Clean Air and Mobility Program Briefing

Tues. Jan. 20
Afternoon: 12:00 – 2:00 PM
Evening: 5:00 – 7:00 PM

State Transportation Building
Conf. Rm. Suite 2150
10…

The Haitian Coalition of Somerville is organizing a medical relief trip to Haiti. Members of the Haitian community with medical and organizational skills including five Haitian nurses will be traveling to Haiti as soon as…

The Somerville Community Partnerships for Children and the Parent Information Center have put together a list of agencies that work in Haiti, as well as advice on responding to the needs of children and families…

The Somerville Haitian Coalition, in an effort to mobilize care and support for the Haitian community, will hold a community-wide meeting on Friday January 15 at 6:00 at the Healey School, located at 2 Meacham St.

BOA Committee on Parks and Open Space

Tues. Jan. 12, 6:00 PM

2nd Floor Comm. Room
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

This is an…

This is the first 2010 meeting of the Somerville Bicycle Committee. They may be discussing the contamination issue on the bike path.

This is the second Visioning meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. At this meeting, the group will review the citizen inputs from the earlier SomerVision meetings and pull them together into the beginning of a vision statement.

Mystic River Watershed Association “DoughRaiser” Event

Thurs. Jan. 21, All Day

Porter Square Pizzeria Uno
820 Somerville Avenue
Cambridge MA (map)

Print and Bring Coupons (PDF)

Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) is going to be hosting a Presentation of the Student Health Survey Results.  It will be held Thursday January 21st, 2010 from 6PM – 8PM.  The Presentation will be held…

EPA Mystic River Water Quality Science Subcommittee Meeting

Thurs. Jan. 7, 9:00 AM

R15-006 Conf Room.
15th Fl. Court of Appeals
5 Post Office Square
Boston MA (map)…

We all know that the city has enacted onerous and unpopular parking regulations because it’s desperate for funds.

What if the city were as aggressive about clean, i.e. non-icy, sidewalks as it is about parking?…

PSA from the City website:
Important Influenza (FLU) Update

Updated December 21, 2009

The Somerville Health Department has begun to receive more doses of H1N1 vaccine…

OFFERED BY THE SOMERVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SOMERVILLE PTA
For
SOMERVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAMILIES and COMMUNITY MEMBERS

• Youth Alcohol and Drug Use/Social Host Liability*
Wednesday, January 13th – 6:30p.m. – 8:00 PM in the…

Ward 1 ResiStat Meeting

Mon. Dec. 7, 7:30 PM

Cafeteria
Capuano Early Childhood Center
150 Glen St.
Somerville MA (map)

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward…

Ward 4 ResiStat Meeting

Tues. Dec. 8, 7:00 PM

Cafeterium
Arthur D. Healey School
5 Meacham St.
Somerville MA (map)

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward…

BOA Committee on Housing and Community Development

Mon. Dec. 14, 6:30 PM

2nd Fl. Comm. Room
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

This is a…

Ward 7 ResiStat Meeting

Thurs. Dec. 10, 5:30 PM

Tufts Admin. Building (TAB)
167 Holland St.
Somerville MA (map)

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward 7…

BOA Committee on Finance

Tues. Dec. 1, 6:00 PM

2nd Floor Comm. Room
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

Agenda (PDF)

PSA: The following message was sent to the City’s Parents ResiStat email list [link to original message]

———————————————–

Mayor Curtatone and the City of Somerville Health Department are pleased to…

The Somerville Health Department, Institute of Community Health, and the Somerville Community Health Agenda is going to be hosting a Presentation on the Health of Somerville Adults and Youth. It will be held Tuesday December…

Here’s a 12% slope in Union Square, at the crosswalk between 2 HP parking spaces, nearest curbcut to the Union Square Bus stop, necessary to access the commercial area and the SCAT building…

Mystic River Watershed Association Annual Meeting

Thurs. Oct 29, 6:00 PM

BNY Mellon Building
135 Santilli Hwy.
Everett MA (map)

This is the annual meeting of the Mystic…

If you’re on the fence about attending Sen. Pat Jehlen’s forum on expanded State gambling tomorrow night (Thurs. Oct 15 from 7-9pm at Century Bank, 400 Mystic Avenue in Medford), at which State Sen. Sue Tucker and State Rep Kathi-Anne Reinstein will debate the issue, here are some reasons why you should come, and why this really is a big deal.

Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meeting

Tues. Oct. 13, 6:30 PM

Community Room
Visiting Nurses Association
259 Lowell St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the first October meeting of…

BOA Committee on Public Health and Public Safety Meeting

Wed. Sep. 30 6:30 PM

2nd Floor Comm. Room
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)…

2 degrees of warming. 350 parts per million. Does it seem as though we are on track to achieve these? Are you concerned about the chance of passing a meaningful global climate treaty in Copenhagen? Do you want to have a say in the future of our planet? Come to our Climate Action Party! [October 3rd, 7 p.m.] We will broaden our local network of activists, strategize how to make our voices heard, and plan for the days between now and December.

A new online tool exists to plot crimes on a searchable map. This would empower residents to know how safe their neighborhood is and where and what to watch to deter crime. It would probably catalyze neighborhood crime watches and make our streets safer.

Q:  Why Didn’t the Rolling Somerville Pedestrian Cross the Road at the Crosswalk?

A:  Because the City of Somerville Deciders have been playing chicken with standards.

This photo essay will show 30 lost opportunities to create a safer community on Mayor Curtatone’s watch.

Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meeting

Tues. Sep. 15, 6:30 PM

Community Room
Visiting Nurses Association
259 Lowell St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the kickoff meeting for the…

In the past, the state has argued that the environmental burden of the Big Dig on Somerville is mitigated by projects elsewhere, such as the South Shore Greenbush Line, and that the Green Line Extension is unnecessary. Because health effects are local, this argument is specious and has been rejected by the courts. Those who care about the Green Line Extension should continue to argue for local mitigation for local effects.

About a month ago, on Aug 16th, I submitted a 311 service request through the new SeeClickFix tool to repair a loose utility wire tied to the fence at Hodgkins-Curtin Park along Simpson Ave (see photo below). After an initial flurry of promises from a Somerville 311 rep to have the issue fixed asap, it was ignored. Today the wire is still there, menacing passers-by and testifying to the failure of the 311 system.…

My long-lived friends keep telling me stories about pedestrian accidents in Davis Square.  Fractured a jaw.  Twisted knees.  Fractured elbow, shoulder, wrists.  Slipped and broke an ankle, on crutches for 5 months, still don’t feel…

Bullying, is it a problem in Somerville-Why or why not? Prevention and how to deal with bullying in school.

Improve Family Bonding and Reduce Risk of Teenage Drug Use, Violence and Teen Pregnancy.  Register now.  See how below.

Guiding Good Choices is an interactive program for all parents of pre-teens and teens, children…

As many of you may be aware, STEP and Tufts University have come together in a community partnership to form CAFEH (the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure). We have just begun a year long study to learn whether living very near major highways poses health concerns for residents’ health. I am writing to ask for your help. …

Somerville Committee on Public Health and Public Safety

Wed. Aug. 26, 7:30 PM

2nd Floor Committee Room
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)…

Our friend reports that her son (22 months) fell while walking on bricks at the Walnut Street Park, fractured his right femur, and is in a cast for four weeks.  She says that…

Thanks to SomervilleVoices for providing this venue to post our Public Information Requests -and to share the responses (or lack therof) that we receive.

Here’s one example of a PIR response that raises red…

H1N1 Vaccination Strategy Meeting, Saturday, Aug. 29th, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Center for Arts at the Armory. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has selected Somerville as one of ten national sites for…

Crossing guard posts have been announced.

Please visit the Somerville Public Schools’ website to download a copy of the crossing guard list and see a google map of posts.

Or browse the…

Are you, your friends, or your children being affected by bullies?
A discussion for YOUTH, PARENTS, AND SOMERVILLE RESIDENTS to discuss
• What is Bullying
• Types of Bullying
• Tips for youth to assist them with bullying
• Tips for parents to assist youth with bullying…

Public Hearing: Proposed Amendments to Mass Air Quality Standards

Tues. Aug. 4 10 AM

MA Department of Environmental Protection
2nd Fl. Atlantic Conf. Rm.
One Winter St.
Boston MA (…

For the sixth consecutive year, Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) will partner with the City of Somerville and the Somerville Police Department to host the local celebration of the National Night Out Against Crime and Drugs.…

Citizen Scientist Training Workshop

Sat. Aug 1 PM – 4 PM

Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH)
143 Border St.
East Boston MA (map)

This workshop sponsored by…

This is the regular meeting of the Federal EPA committee on the Mystic River. Matters of interest: * Mystic River environmental status * Status of Combined Sewer Overflow mitigation

sponsored by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to provide information on what planning information is provided by the Commonwealth and how to access it. * Data sources for public health effects of VOCs in I-93 and McGrath corridors. * Data sources for economic development along Green Line.* Data sources for transportation development impact equity.

I have a new idea as to how Somerville can raise revenue: ticket jaywalkers.  I drive through Davis Square daily to drop my son off at daycare and DAILY come across pedestrians who think it is OK to cross the street wherever they want.  …

This Somerville ARRA Funding Watch is gleaned from the Massachusetts Area Planning Council’s Municipal Resource Guide on the Federal Economic

In spite of the overwhelming cupidity of the Board of Aldermen, one or more may ask why or how the Mayor connects “access” to higher tickets across the board? … The obvious conclusion is that he cares nothing about access, and everything about money. While that may be good for his budget, it is at real cost to citizens and businesses, and, ultimately, to the management system that justifies – or rationalizes – that cost.

I thought it was strange that Boston was closing schools. I hadn’t heard of any cases in Somerville since that first lady that got it a couple of months ago. So, then when I heard…

Music for Hope Concert to Benefit RESPOND
Saturday, May 30, 2009
7:30pm, Tufts University – Cohen Auditorium

With summer just around the corner and tens of thousands of young people entering the workforce in Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick has proclaimed May “Safe Jobs for Youth Month” to focus attention on preventing workplace injuries and deaths.…

The City will be hosting our first annual Shape up the Old Somerville Road Race, a 2.7 mile race/walk beginning and ending on the City Hall concourse. A children’s “Fun Run” will begin from the…

The Mayor’s Office recently announced that the City of Somerville will host a 2.7-mile “Shape Up the Old Somerville Road Race,” combining an old tradition in the Recreation Department’s “Old Somerville Road Race,” and a…

Thanks to the interdependence of everything, Barry Rafkind’s post Keep Big Brother ouf of Somerville has morphed into a discussion about whether or not traffic cameras can induce more folks to obey traffic laws (see comments starting from # 7). I’m saying that, with regards to the specific pedestrian safety issues that Steve Roix has worked gallently to solve, this speaks to a deeper need to create a signal timing plan…

Dear Chairperson Bill White and distinguished aldermen, I strongly object to the installation of surveillance cameras in public spaces around our city and urge you to request their immediate removal. I believe this surveillance program, which was roundly rejected in Cambridge, MA, violates American ideals of freedom and liberty and the Constitutional right to privacy…

Reminder:  Tonight at 7:00 at City Hall is the hearing on surveillance cameras.  Below is an op-ed that appeared in last week’s Somerville Journal.  Please come and give your opinion tonight!  Thanks,

Melissa…

Reminder:  Tonight at 7:00 at City Hall is the hearing on surveillance cameras.  Below is an op-ed that appeared in last week’s Somerville Journal.  Please come and give your opinion tonight!  Thanks,

Melissa…

This past January, when my wife was 31 weeks pregnant with our baby, she slipped on an icy patch of sidewalk in Somerville, did a belly-flop, and ended up in the hospital with pre-term contractions as a result.  A group of residents is organizing to advocate for more effective snow removal policies and stronger enforcement.…

March 6, 2009:  Today, President  Obama and Attorney General Holder announced funding allocations for state and local law enforcement assistance.  MA is allocated State joint funding, plus 148 MA cities will also receive local government individual…

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 then I’ve noticed that the community path, especially between Morrison and Cedar streets have become a free-for-all doggy park, where owners turn their dogs loose.…

On my way down to the train at Davis Station around 8:30am this morning, I was about to pass through the gate when a transit officer asked me to submit to a bag inspection. There was a group of about 4 or 5 officers wearing yellow and black jackets standing next to a small folding table with a machine on top.

Two days ago, the City of Somerville announced it would start enforcing regulations prohibiting the use of bicycles on sidewalks with fines between $20 and $50… Given the city’s budget problems, I wonder whether this policy change is motivated more by a need to find new sources of revenue rather than by public safety concerns.

From an Oct 12th article on Boston.com: Romulo Santos of Somerville headed off to work Sept. 9 at a Wal-Mart in Walpole as usual. But that day he was electrocuted on the job. Some might consider the 47-year-old Brazilian native’s death a freak accident, but local advocates say that for many immigrant workers, the risk of injury is all too real. Tufts University, Cambridge Health Alliance, and five Somerville community groups have come together to raise awareness of occupational health risks and to teach people their rights.

From a phone message received today, October 8:

Hello, this is an important message from the National Institutes of Health.

On October 14 we’ll be holding a meeting of the NIH Blue Ribbon…

Does anyone know what, if anything, the city is doing about the tremendous increase in airplanes roaring overhead day and night? It’s often as frequent as every 30 seconds for hours on end, and sometimes the planes are extremely low.

Crossing guards are posted at the following corners every school day to make help students safely walk or bike to school. Each corner is staffed from approximately 7:30-8:30 AM and again from 2:25-3:00 PM.

Folks,

Just a reminder about this meeting about a proposed bio-lab in Cambridge.  As residents of Somerville, we can speak to the danger of the materials going through our city…

You may not have heard, but a developer is planning a Level Three biotech lab in Cambridge , to test toxic gases and other intriguing Cantabridgian products. What’s particularly interesting and notable to Somerville is that such items cannot be legally transported through tunnels, so, if they come from the airport, they come through Somerville . Nobody in Somerville seems to have noticed, but such a lab could kill your kids. Level Three labs are legitimate alternate testing sites for Level Four substances on occasion, and lack only the security conditions for that higher status.

Isn’t it odd that there has been no discussion in Somerville at all about the Cambridge Biolab 3, pending in East Cambridge?? The requirements for transporting its contents mandate “no tunnels” so everything that goes to Logan goes through Somerville. And everything is virtually all that’s in the Biolab 4 except fissionable materials!