They say that the old must make way for the new. But sometimes it is terribly difficult to let go of the familiar, some of which may have been familiar throughout a lifetime.

Watching various structures go down these past few days in and around the Ball Square area was something of a gut wrenching sight for some. Others took it in stride in their acceptance of the inevitable. Either way, a dramatic sight it was.

Eagle Feathers #177 – Monarch of the Mystic

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The first European settlers in what is now the Somerville area found a sparse number of Indians inhabiting this location. Fur trappers and French explorers just a few years earlier had observed that the aboriginal population amounted to many thousands in this region. They were members of two powerful tribes, the Massachusetts and the Pawtuckets.

Sanjeev Selvarajah was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka on October 16, 1981. He moved with his mother, Sandra, and his younger brother, Vinoo, at age 7 to join his father, Eswaran, in Boston, Massachusetts. After attending Tiny Tots in Sri Lanka, he attended the Hamilton Elementary School and the St. Columbkille School in Brighton, MA, after which he attended the esteemed Boston Latin Academy. Sanjeev received a full scholarship to Boston University, and later attended UMASS Amherst.

*

One thing I tell my creative writing students is to “notice” everything. And that is not easy to do in our mad rush – this fever dream we call life. But poet Judy-Katz Levine notices the birds cawing to her in conversation, a trembling cup of tea, her childhood of “Hard balls, sassafras, streets with bicycles…” Her poems are wells of imagery. This work is by a poet who lives deeply in the moment.

*
18-year-old Julia Mastorakos, from Hampstead, NH, is a Marketing Communications Advertising Major at Endicott College. Her preferred genre of writing is poetry.

After being nominated by Abode Energy Management, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is the newest member of 1% for the Planet. This international program encourages business to give at least 1% of their annual sales to approved nonprofits.

Abode Energy Management, an Arlington-based business, works throughout Massachusetts to improve the energy efficiency of homes as part of the Mass Save Program. Working through the network of Home Performance Contractors in the Mass Save Program, Abode is focused on reducing residential energy consumption.

Arrests:
*

James Moran, of 27 College Ave., April 18, 8:41 a.m., arrested at College Ave. on charges of assault and battery on a police officer, malicious wanton defacement of property, resisting arrest, and assault and battery on a person over 60 or disabled.

Carlos Carrion, of 13 Pine St., Cambridge, April 20, 9:58 a.m., arrested at Somerville Ave. on charges of shoplifting by asportation and disturbing the peace.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

Somerville High School students were encouraged to attend the annual Career Fair on Wednesday, April 10, with representatives from local businesses, non-profits and branches of the military.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Somerville Sanctuary City Steering Committee, and Alianza Americas invite you to have a conversation about how Somerville can be a welcoming and safe community for migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. At Building a Narrative of Hope and Welcoming Spaces for Migrants, Asylum Seekers, and Refugees, attendees will talk about subjects like countering xenophobia and racism and how understanding current challenges in Central America can help to create a welcoming community. You can join the conversation on Wednesday, May 1, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., in the East Somerville Community School Auditorium, 50 Cross Street.

~Photos by Bobbie Toner

Today the demo of the buildings started in Ball Sq. to make way for the future Ball Sq Station.

This is the first building that was taken down Monday morning.