By Jim Clark

Police officers were dispatched to a College Ave. location last Thursday morning on reports of a man having thrown a woman to the ground.

The suspect, later identified as James Moran, was spotted in the backyard of a College Ave. residence trying to hop a fence.

The third Powder House Blvd. Neighborhood Office Hours session scheduled for tonight, Thurs., April 25, has been canceled. A community meeting to discuss progress on the Powder House Blvd. Traffic Safety plan and officially kick off community discussion of the bike lane options for the Boulevard is scheduled for Wed., May 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the West Somerville Neighborhood School, 177 Powder House Blvd. To see a copy of the plan, please visit www.somervillema.gov/powderhouseboulevard.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

As I look up and down my street and see the trees and shrubs flowering, it signals another Spring in Somerville. This is the time of year all the kids started coming out to play again after the winter.

~Photos by Bobbie Toner and Ron Newman

The demolition of buildings in Ball Sq. to make way for the future Green Line Extension station has begun.

For info on the Green Line Extension visit www.greenlineextension.org.

The Somerville City Council has drafted a proposed ordinance which seeks to establish the city as a “Welcoming Community” for migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.

By Jim Clark

Members of the City of Somerville City Council co-sponsored an ordinance at their latest regular meeting on April 11 which seeks approval of a “Somerville Welcoming Community Ordinance, to establish Somerville as a Welcoming Community, to declare that all are welcome here, and to increase public confidence in city government with guidelines for our voluntary involvement in federal immigration enforcement.”

Freeze frame of video inspections of sewer pipes in the Davis Square area. The inspections, which covered 6.8 miles of pipes, identified at least $3M in needed repairs.

By Denise Keniston

At a public hearing on Monday, April 22, in the Somerville High School cafeteria, while rain pounded down outside overflowing the outdated water and sewer system, Director of Water and Sewer John DeLuca presented – and tried to sell residents on – the “critical need” for a 6% water bill increase and a 7.5% sewer increase. The increase goes into effect on July 1 and will finance surveys, inspections, and repairs- all part of a capital improvement plan.

Congratulations to the Stop & Shop workers who finally got a contract and are back to work. Now, wouldn’t it be nice if the city workers could got one? But who knows?

***********************

Tonight in Saugus, it’s the 7th Annual Giggles Comedy night, the Freemasons on Highland Ave. are hosting their annual Giggles night club with a great night of comedy and a silent auction. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at The Tower of Pizza on Rte. 1, Saugus, Giggles Comedy Club. This year, like the last, local comedian and great guy Lenny Clark will be there, and he’s bringing some of his friends. It should be a great night for laughs, all the pizza you can eat and over 20 baskets to bid on at the silent auction. The money raised is for the “insurance fund” for the Masonic Building at 125 Highland (rear) Somerville. Open to Masons, their families and friends, cost is only $25 pp.

Author of ” Murder at Harvard’s Kirkland House: A Mother’s Worst Nightmare” Denise Cosby.

Denise Cosby, mother of Justin Cosby, who was murdered on the campus of Harvard University in 2009, has penned a searing look at the loss of her son, the court cases that followed, and the impact on greater Boston community. The subject of media headlines for years, the death of Justin Cosby focused attention on issues of race and privilege against the backdrop of an Ivy League school. The book is set to be released on April 27.

(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.)

To the editor:

James Healey and millions of young people around the world have got that right: it’s way past time to get serious about the climate crisis (“Getting serious about climate change,” 4/17). Watching the dedicated activists from the Sunrise Movement, from Extinction Rebellion and the school-based Climate Strike take action all over the world, we can see just how far ahead of their leaders these young people are.