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Kara Dardeno, a local lawyer and a member of the Somerville Rotary Club, will plunge into the ocean February 11th to help Rotary raise money to eradicate polio in the world. The Plunge, from Gloucester’s…

The Alderman At Large Debate, held at the Somerville Theatre on October 17, was sponsored by SCATV and “Greater Somerville.” It will be cablecast numerous times leading up to the election on November 8 and…

6:00 PM, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011
Meet at South Station
Speak Our About
– Jobs
– Homes
– Accountability

Unite Us!
Sponsored by Save Our Somerville
Questions? Contact Danny McLaughlin at 857-253-1594…

Universities and Comcast redline Somerville!

Yesterday I went to the farmer’s market in Davis Square.  I bought 5 peaches, 2 tomatoes, and a pint of cherries.  The total cost was $11.80, which was kind of a shock, but I went…

Reverse Mortgages are not an end, but a means. In Somerville, their cap of $625,000 targets a lot of seniors with tenants and other income.

To evaluate city services, the city is asking for volunteers to sign up as “mystery customers” through ResiStat. City workers beware! Find out more from Somerville Patch at: http://somerville.patch.com/articles/wanted-undercover-agents-to-evaluate-city-services?ncid=M255…

Come check out the new mobile market that is opening tomorrow at the Mystic Housing Development. You can find details on our Facebook page…

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mystic-Market/112095808882083…

These notes are partly for myself, since I’ll have another child graduating from Somerville High in a few years…

As seen on SomervillePatch:
Last October, the city introduced a pilot recycling program in a section of Ward 5 to see if residents would recycle more if they could put all their paper, cardboard, glass…

Bob The Magic Guy is performing Saturday May 21 at the Somerville Theater, Davis Sq., at 2:30 and 7:30 PM. An engaging, funny show for ages 8 and up. …

The deadline for our “This happened in Somerville” true story contest for high school students has been postponed one week, to May 8, because we hear some students want to enter but need a little…

I was just walking in Union Square and noticed the newly planted area at the confluence of Somerville Ave and Bow St (the center of the square).  In my opinion, the landscape selection, and in…

Somerville is a tight-knit community, and when one succeeds, all succeed.  A great example of this happened back in 2008, and it happened to the Somerville High School girl’s Varsity Soccer team.

Boy’s soccer…

Help the city re-live Paul Revere’s historic ride from Boston through Somerville and onto Lexington and Concord. Adults and high school students are needed to volunteer at the City’s annual Patriots Day Colonial Fair at…

While the elementary schools hassle with data walls, the high school creates a whole new kind of e-portfolio.

“History of Somerville, 2010-2100″ book reading and talk at the library on February 23.

On Saturday, December 4th, Somerville comes alive with a bounty of holiday shopping.  An array craft markets and retail events all taking place this day makes Somerville the place to find something for everyone on…

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…

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…

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?

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?

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

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…

Submitted a Public Information request regarding the City’s Municipal Needs Analysis and the Municipal Master facilities Plan again this month (This is the 3rd request since August, 2009.).  Per M. Tintocalis, Principal Planner, Economic Development…

Just click the translate link at the top or bottom of the page. Translations powered by Google…

Truthsayer gives gratitude to Villens on Lady Liberty’s Day

At the end of the school year, it seems, people find themselves inclined to reflect on what they like about their kid’s school.  You might suspect that the following five cheerleaders were paid for their…

All citizens of Somerville and Medford should evaluate this document and give feedback, because this is one of the final steps before the project begins implementation. There will be a public meeting on June 30. Written comments will be accepted until July 23 at holly.s.johnson@state.ma.us.

Steve Clift is one of the most successful community media advocates in the nation. His e-Democracy is both a standard and a clarion call for more participatory journalism. In part this is a response to…

Somerville, MA May 3rd 2010 – Somerville “mompreneur” Kerri Friedlander and husband Lucas today announced their intention to hold a Grand Opening sale at the Upland Road location of “TwinkleStar Boutique” in Porter Square on…

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…

Shake Up Shakespeare with Theatre@First! Auditions May 10-12 for performances July 16-18 and July 22-24.

Tuesday’s Special Democratic Primary for the State Senate race was a clear-cut example of the need for Instant Runoff. Unofficial results put Sal DiDomenico about 135 votes above the runner-up, Tim Flaherty. The Massachusetts Election 2010 blog has the rough percentage breakdown:…

Excited to get your own vegetable garden growing this spring, but don’t know where/when to start??

In May/June this year, MOVE (the Massachusetts Outdoor Volunteer Experience) and SCA (Somerville Climate Action) will team up…

Susan McLucas, longtime Somerville resident and social change activist, hosts the Boston premiere of “Secret of the Dawn,” a film about the movement to end female excision (FGM, aka female genital mutilation) in the Muslim…

Well, she doesn’t scare this citizen and I doubt she scares you, dear reader, but her sojourn into the birthplace of this here nation sure calls for a strong non-violent response.

We’re looking for musicians, performance artists, dancers, visual artists, storytellers and all creative people to participate in one of the area’s largest public arts festivals.

ArtBeat 2010
Dates: July 16 (evening) and 17 (day)…

From Mass. Jobs with Justice:

Shaw Workers at the Metuen Warehouse went out on strike on March 7th.  They need your support!  Please join their facebook

Representative Denise Provost, Somerville Climate Action, the Initiating Committee of Transition Somerville and Somerville-Medford United for Justice with Peace invite you to a showing of

Escape from Suburbia
Monday, March 8
6:30 to 8:30pm…

I need intense help figuring out which oil heating company to pick. Some give discounts and then free service and insurance. Some give no discounts but come up with a good price, but I’m not…

Aldermen will hear from City Solicitor John Gannon tonight (Tuesday, March 2 at 8pm in City Hall) about the City’s options for terminating the new five year contract with Russell Disposal, in the wake of the Attorney General’s announced settlement agreement “… to resolve allegations that the company violated the Massachusetts Wage and Hour Laws.”

The Somerville Public Schools invites you to tell your stories about learning and teaching in Somerville in our Spring 2010 Digital Photography contest. Complete submissions received by April 5th will have the chance to win…

Our neighbors are being evicted and our communities destabilized by the foreclosure crisis.

The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) in collaboration with Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services (CASLS) is initiating a post-foreclosure outreach…

Somebody took the picture of my house from the car early in the morning today, is there anything for me to worry about? What should I do? I am a new somerville resident…

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.

Why does the city census office send to “current resident” a form that includes personal information about whoever lived at an address a year ago? Are there other alternatives?

In this close race, your vote counts more than ever!

Find your polling place here and then go vote while you can before 8pm…

I attended the BRA public hearing on the Sully Square project at the Shraffts Center. Overall, I am impressed with the design work that has been delivered so far. I asked the BRA to keep…

The House version of the education bill that’s headed for conference committee could open the door to a second charter school in Somerville.…

GET YOUR BEARD ON
STOP SHAVING AND START GROWING
ALL AMERICA CITY BEARD AND MOUSTACHE CONTEST
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2010, 3pm
PRECINCT, 70 UNION SQUARE, SOMERVILLE

A contest sure to tickle your chin. We…

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)

End of Comment Period on Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on Green Line Extension

Comments End: 1/8/10

Submit written comments at the project’s Share Your Opinion e-mail site…

This post came today from Cambridge-Somerville for Change:
The Elections Team held their first meeting Monday night, and we’re working on a bunch of initiatives. We’ll be holding our first phone bank on…

You are cordially invited to our Christmas Eve service tonight at First Church Somerville. The service begins at 7. Our children will be with us in the service. Your children are entirely welcome. Your moms…

NEWS STORIES:
•Students at Somerville’s John F. Kennedy School are raising $5,000 to build a library at their Ethiopian Sister School, the Gordama School, and fill it with books. Students have already raised over $450…

Sitting in my Inbox right now is an e-mail from a woman who works with the Somerville/Medford branch of United for Justice with Peace (UJP), an organization officially dedicated to “peace and justice” in…

This idea of the whole city reading the same book is interesting.  What book would you recommend?  The Glass Castle?  The Audacity of Hope?
This spring Somerville will launch its first “one city, one book”…

2 changes in Somerville Climate Action’s Calendar:

> Tonight’s (Nov. 18th) Forum on Green Roofs in Somerville has been postponed due to expected low-attendance resulting from the concurrent Green Line Extension community meeting.  We…

From Bill Barrell at SCAT: In an effort to cut through all the media hype the “Somerville Producers Group” created a show about the facts of H1N1 and the seasonal flu.

Groundwork Somerville is holding its first “Doughraiser” at Pizzeria Uno’s in Porter Square on Friday November 6th.  Uno’s will donate 20% of the check to Groundwork, if you write “Groundwork” on your check!

Groundwork…

Our neighbors are being evicted and our community destabilized by the foreclosure crisis.

The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) in collaboration with Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services (CASLS) is initiating…

On October 24th Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians will gather around the Dead Sea to form giant human numbers: Israelis will form a 3, Palestinians a 5, and Jordanians a 0.  An aerial photograph will link…

Hi Gang,

My hat is off to all the Alderman and School Committee Candidates for giving their time to appear on our Somerville Community Access Television “Candidate Forums 2009″.  Every Candidate in all the…

Saturday October 24, 3:00-5:50 PM Somerville Climate Action has joined with 350.org, Greenpeace, Mass Council of Churches and others to create the Boston Under Water Festival. The bicyclists among us may participate in Somerville’s contingent…

Here’s an issue to unite all the factions of our diverse city–double-pole utility poles! The Globe says we have 192 of them in Somerville. And there may be something we can do about it. In fact, two things.…

The debate on expanded gambling in Massachusetts is heating up, with hearings scheduled this month, and a vote likely early next year.  One of the first public discussions this session will be held on Thursday…

State Rep. Denise Provost provides constituents with an informative e-newsletter from time to time.  In case you’re not on her mailing list, here’s what she wrote recently about the Green Line project:

What’s Up…

Approximately a third of Somerville High School students could not meet MCAS English test standards in 2008. Cuba, which has the highest literacy rate in the world according to the United Nations, might have some lessons to teach us about how to model our educational system.

I don’t have a personal story on how Senator Kennedy’s office helped me but I’ve heard quite a few astonishing stories over the years that gave me an impression of a truly compassionate public servant. …

The clerk in the health inspection office/trash pick-up just told me that they had access to the system to abate citations up until a few months ago, but it was taken away from them…

Traffic Board Meeting and Hearing

Thurs. Aug. 13, 6 PM

Aldermanic Chamber
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

Agenda (PDF)

This is…

The message below was sent by Richard Saunders, Director of Music for the Somerville Public Schools. He is rightfully outraged by a bill currently being considered by the House of Representatives, (Bill H111)which would require school music department to sterilize instruments. Here’s a Globe article about it. …

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…

How many Somerville residents blog or tweet regularly about life in Somerville? Which blogs or Twitter accounts do you check regularly? I’m not into the Twitter scene yet, but here are some of the local blogs I’d recommend.…

From the SPS homepage, entitled “A message from Tony Pierantozzi, Superintendent of Schools”
… The extent of the impact of the current financial crisis on fiscal year 2010 remains unclear. We do know…

Twitter is a magnificent social website  where one can let people know what they are doing.  Many famous people have twitter and post on twitter. Twitter is a great place to show that famous people…

Apropos of Barry’s belief that Somerville needs more and better investigative reporting, you can learn to do it yourself!  Northeastern University School of Journalism and the New England First Amendment Center are offering a May…

Come out to the Progressive Democrats of Somerville (PDS) Annual Meeting. See what exciting things are happening with PDS as it celebrates the start of its 6th year.

This Sunday at 9a the West Somerville area churches invite y’all to our olde, olde tradition of recalling Jesus’ paradoxically humble entry into Roman-occupied Jerusalem amidst the poor and disenfranchised, the People! The original grassroots…

Thanks for Barry and Dave for setting up this blog and the Google group on this issue, and who ever got the Globe to provide some coverage of this issue on Sunday – good stuff!…

On Friday I was a guest at the high school’s Multicultural Fair. It was the most dramatic and most successful cultural event I’ve ever seen – beating everything from Lincoln Center to the MFA…

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…

Perhaps a SomervilleVoices.org blogger can be the next Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow?

The International Women’s Media Foundation announces the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship for  full-time, part time or freelance journalists working (for at least 3 years)…

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.

The Jesus fish kissing the Darwin fish? Why not? Our church is celebrating the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the…

This sounds like a proactive and timely step on the part of the mayor, but is this “outside” panel of “experts” truly a good source of guidance for our city in these dire times?

Rep. Denise Provost and I invite people to join us in a celebratory inauguration lunch at Orleans Restaurant in Davis Square on Jan. 20 at 11:30. There will be a large-screen TV tuned to the…

I was looking for some general information about Portland, OR and went to their city website and there, right in full view(!), was a link labled “Request Public Records.” The link leads to…

ECIP is an integrated early childhood program with a mix of standard and special education children ages three and four. Classes meet four days per week for 5.25 hours per day. There is one teacher and one paraprofessional in each class for a maximum of 15 children.…

The Somerville Public Schools is looking for businesses, non-profit partners, volunteers and community experts to work with us planning and running afterschool activity clubs from 4:00-5:30 PM for students in Grades K-8 across the City. We know you have great experience helping students learn in innovative ways, enthusiasm for afterschool learning, and a desire to help students develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be successful throughout their lives.

This winter, the Somerville Homeless Coalition will serve hundreds of men, women, and children who would otherwise have no place to call home or enough food to feed their families. Jump to their website to learn how to donate, or read on.

Nearly a third of Somerville residents were born outside of the United States. Who are we in this immigrant city? What dreams and aspirations brought us here? How did we cope in a new community and in a new country? What brings us together – what pulls us apart – across generations of immigrants?

On November 1st, I submitted a grant proposal for $390,000 on behalf of the Somerville Voices team to the 2009 Knight News Challenge titled Transforming the News and Each Other. Please take a look. Your comments would be appreciated. We should find out if we make it past the first round on Nov 15th, so stay tuned for more details.

As promised here is the latest and greatest from Somerville Community Access Television. Check out the footage from the Community Arts Festival and from a Nepali Community Event. See a separate posting for the interview with Bill Shelton about Charter Reform on Fred Berman and Bill Bumpus’ Monday evening show, Progressive Voices.

This week’s Somerville Journal includes an Op-Ed regarding our rights as voters. Voting is a fun community activity, and no voters should be steered to vote absentee-unless they prefer it that way (or will be out of town on the 4th). Here are 2 photos showing a polling site that was entirely inaccessible (right at the entrance), for wheelchair using voters of Ward 7, Precinct 2, during the Primary, September 16, 2008:

Has anyone heard when Somerville Avenue, affectionately known to neighbors as The Little Dig, is supposed to be finished? It seems to be a really big job so I’m not complaining, but it would be good to know.

At 7:30 this evening I was out knocking on doors in Medford, although at that point I had to stop under street lights to read the list of Sciortino supporters that I was supposed to…

Come to a FREE screening of the award-winning documentary:
A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash

Learn more about the film at www.oilcrashmovie.com

We are now reaching the end of the era of cheap, abundant oil,
but what will happen when oil production begins to decrease?

The last thing you expect to encounter is a lilting Southern accent when you walk into the Director’s office at the Central Branch of the Somerville Public Library. But that’s part of the package you get with the new Director Nancy Milnor. Milnor is a native of Tennessee and has run libraries in Galveston, Texas, St. Louis Missouri, to name just a few locales. Milnor’s last job was the relatively “genteel” position of director of the Connecticut Historical Library. She left those tony environs to work in the milieu that is her first love: the public library system.

This is an announcement to all Somerville residents about Somerville’s fifth annual National Night Out (NNO) against crime and drugs. Please pass on the message about this important community and crime prevention event.

Come see the power of words and the power of girls join forces at Teen Voices’ annual Pens of Power Conference! Join over 100 Boston teens for a Saturday devoted to the power of the written word. Local female poets, novelists and journalists will lead exciting workshops and talk about what motivates them to write. Enjoy free lunch, prizes and beats from DJ D’hana.

Tired of getting ever higher energy bills? There are many ways you can reduce your energy consumption, save money and reduce your impact on the planet. Check out Somerville Climate Action for practical energy saving information and videos. Somerville Climate Action (SCA) is a group of volunteers working to reduce energy use and resulting global warming gases in Somerville homes and businesses.

Sustainable Somerville — a nascent network of community organizations working to make/keep Somerville a great place to live, work, and play — is sponsoring a Sustainability Scavenger Hunt at ArtBeat (Saturday, July 19th in Davis Square), to show how the common thread of sustainability connects the work of the

Another of the city’s popular family events, Family Fun Day includes a variety of activities for residents of all ages. Obstacle courses, games, watermelon eating contests, dancing, and a dunk tank are only a few examples of the day’s events! Dunk the Mayor! Dunk your Alderman! Eat your weight in watermelon! Bring your children, your parents, and your friends.

When can I drop off hazardous household waste? When does school start? Now you can find out on Somerville Voices.…

Just a heads up: the Somerville Garden Club is presenting a self guided garden tour  “Urban Gardens  Revealed,” TOMORROW June 21, from noon to five.  Be aware that tickets ($12) have been selling out, indicating more interest than the Garden Club may have anticipated.  As I write this they are still available at Pemberton and…

What would you like to know that could help you live better in Somerville?

So far, we’ve put together on this web site information about summer activities for kids, and property tax breaks available to many residents.

We’d like to do more along those lines—offering useful information in an easy-to-use format. What shall we work on…

Here’s an idea for formulating one’s beneficial worth to a community:

If you have a job serving the public, and you’re not doing it, then take the number of people you are not serving adequately, divide it by 10, and place those zeros to the left of one. Then put a decimal point at…

Even though today I feel like words are ultimately meaningless, I’m gonna start a little idea train here, asking what makes a community:

I would like to invite you to the East Coast Theatrical Premiere of SOUR, which is screening with the upcoming Boston International Film Festival series mid-day on June 14th. Filmed in 2006 during the Second Lebanese War, SOUR presents a new look at the grassroots peace process begun by 9 young skaters from Israel and…

All are welcome to join our open meeting tomorrow, Sunday, June 1st, 6-8pm in the 3rd Floor Community Room at the VNA at 259 Lowell Street. We’ll be brainstorming stories for the blog and discussing ways to improve the website.  Please RSVP to info(at)SomervilleVoices.org if you plan to attend. If you’re not able to come…

Take a look at the strong article by Somerville veteran Matt McLaughlin in the Somerville News. It’s about the controversy over Sen. James Webb’s bill to restore the GI Bill to what it was when FDR signed it during World War II: a ticket to college for American veterans.…

I’m due to get some of this incentive money from the federal government. Perhaps some of you are too. Since it isn’t in my budget, I’d be happy to pool it with others for some good community cause.

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! …

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.…

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.…

Save Our Somerville would like to welcome home Sargent Matthew McLaughlin…