By David Dahlbacka

In Part 1, I described the structure of oral testimony to be given in a public hearing. In this part, I provide an example based on testimony I gave to the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization some years ago. I have annotated it with italicized notes indicating its structure. Key phrases are in boldface. I suggest that you read this testimony aloud with vigor to a person who has never heard it or read it before. Afterwards, ask them what they remember from it and whether they found the repetitions helpful or annoying. I am confident that they will remember the key points easily and that the repetitions added force to the testimony and were not at all annoying.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I remember always being amazed at how many friends my father had. He was born in Somerville and loved living here. He used to march in the Memorial Day parade with the Italian American War Veterans every year. He was friends with a lot of politicians. Everywhere we went he knew someone. He’d stop in the middle of traffic to start “gas bagging” with someone he knew.

— Photos by Claudid Ferro

The Somerville Council on Aging held an Older Americans Month Celebration on Tuesday, May 12, at the George Dilboy Post. The 2026 theme, Champion Your Health, focused on prevention, wellness, and personal responsibility as cornerstones of healthy aging. It encouraged taking an active role in managing your own health, advocating for yourself, accessing preventive care, and making informed decisions that support independence.

The Somerville City Council recently signaled support for Gov. Healey’s executive order that favors single-stair residential construction.

By Harry Kane

City Councilors offered their support for Governor Maura Healey’s Executive Order No. 651, which aims to facilitate safe and affordable single-stair multifamily residential buildings in the Commonwealth.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Somerville Human Rights Commission Statement on Anti-Muslim Hate Incident at Somerville High School Grounds on January 20th, 2026

Dear Somerville Community,

On January 20th, 2026, during a student walk out for immigrant rights, there was a hostile anti-Muslim hate speech incident on Somerville High School grounds against a Muslim teacher, who was present to ensure the safety of our Somerville High School students. A video of this hostile incident was widely circulated on social media, including the perpetrator’s public account (where more anti-muslim speech occurred) and the Somerville Community Facebook page.

The City of Somerville will coordinate with MassDOT in an effort to curtail excessive after-hours construction noise.

By The Times Staff

Ward 3 City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen requested that the Wilson administration work with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to ensure that extremely loud construction does not occur overnight.

Somerville’s annual Memorial Day remembrance ceremony will be held at Veterans Cemetery on Monday, May 25, at 11 a.m. Community members, veterans, and city officials will gather to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in service to our country. The ceremony will include remarks from Mayor Wilson and the Director of Veterans Services, Jerome Thomas. Somerville Veterans Cemetery is located between Alewife Brook Parkway and North Street. Temporary accessible parking spaces are available on the cemetery side of Broadway. This year’s event timeline is a special observance of Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day, and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Remembrance Ceremony will take place rain or shine.

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For this recipe I used tri-color carrots since that’s what I received in my produce share. Feel free to use whatever carrots you have, or even parsnips. This is a great side dish that goes well with any protein of your choosing. It’s even delicious served at room temperature.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

The City of Somerville Department of Veterans’ Services hosted Salute to Service, a parade honoring all who serve our country and our community and the nation’s 250th anniversary as a free and independent democracy. The parade took place on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 16, pulling forward the annual Memorial Day parade observance and transforming this year’s parade into a special observance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and a recognition of all who serve our nation and in civic life locally.

It began as a way to memorialize the military casualties of the Civil War, and was originally termed Decoration Day. Decorating the graves of the countless multitudes of fallen soldiers helped to console the grieving survivors of the debacle while uniting the once-divided nation in a worthwhile common cause.