Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I used to love driving but now I only drive when I have to.

I find myself staying in my house a lot lately. Oh yeah, winter just ended. That explains some of it, so I know the nice weather will force me to go out more.

Flex posts have been recently installed citywide and most of them were run over within days. Desperate for solutions, one council member suggests a citywide 20 mph speed limit. — Photo by Denise Keniston

By Denise Keniston

Travel across Somerville’s Willow Ave., or many other busy streets in Somerville, and you’ll likely encounter what looks like giant cigarettes flattened to the ground. These “flex posts” are so-called soft-hit posts; plastic barriers meant to separate motorists from cyclists and pedestrians and prevent drivers from speeding.

The first of several upcoming open office hours for the Powder House Boulevard Traffic Safety Plan took place last Wednesday at West Somerville Neighborhood School.

By Jackson Ellison

The first open office hours for the Powder House Boulevard Traffic Safety Plan were held by The City of Somerville Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development’s Transportation and Infrastructure Division at West Somerville Neighborhood School last Wednesday, April 10.

Ball Square is not impossible, and traffic is not bad at all. It’s easy to get in and out, so don’t forget the many food establishments there. All the businesses would appreciate you still dropping by to shop, eat, or just say “Hi” – it would be very welcome. The Ball Square Café, Sound bites, Kelly’s Dinner – or almost everyone’s favorite, Victor’s Deli – don’t forget Lyndell’s Bakery and, of course, True Grounds is open for business as well. Traffic around the square is good, with plenty of parking. So there’s no excuse for not shopping there. Ward 5 Councilor Mark Niedergang has done a great job in keeping residents and businesses up to date as to what is going on. We compliment him for doing a fine job.

Thanks to 3D printing technology, jewelry design artisans such as Vanessa Templeman, with her Winter Hill Jewelry business, are finding new ways to brings their ideas to realization.

By NaBeela Washington

From digital blueprint to 3D model, Winter Hill Jewelry continues to pave the way for eco-friendly 3D printed jewelry. Beginning in late 2015, Vanessa Templeman sought out her family’s 3D printer to bring her curiosity in jewelry to life. Little did Templeman know that this would lead her to start Winter Hill Jewelry.

(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.)

By James Healy

Imagine being born into a crisis whose progression you had absolutely no control over, where those responsible for the crisis’s escalation are unfazed by their past actions, and are not only indifferent, but in some cases, opposed to finding a solution. This is the position which millennials and Generation Z young people find themselves in when it comes to the crisis of climate change.

Representative Christine P. Barber, of Somerville and Medford, testified recently in support of a bill she filed to make prescription drugs more affordable to consumers by increasing the transparency and accountability of prescription drug costs.

No matter how one may feel about labor unions and movements in general, it is clear to many that the employees of the Stop & Shop market chain have got a legitimate beef with their employer.

Last week, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and Stop & Shop management reached an impasse in their negotiations, triggering a walkout and subsequent series of protest demonstrations across New England.

Arrests:
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Belhadj Rachid, of 39 Boylston St., Boston, April 8, 1:30 p.m., arrested at Assembly Row on charges of resisting arrest, and multiple counts of shoplifting by concealing merchandise, and on a warrant charge of shoplifting by concealing merchandise.

Reinaldo Perez, of 167 Kennedy Dr., Malden, April 9, 12:47 a.m., arrested at Central St. on warrant charges of uninsured motor vehicle or trailer, possession of a class B drug, assault and battery, possession of a class D drug, and possession of cocaine to distribute.

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Review by Lee Varon, Off the Shelf correspondent

Denise Bergman’s new book of poetry, Three Hands None, is a stunning collection. The incident at the heart of the book is the assault of the narrator by a stranger who breaks into her apartment. She describes “a twenty-year old woman alone in a tiny speck of bed/ deep inside sleep wakes up to a man with a knife at her throat.”