Mary Marshall, Ward 3 School Committee candidate, is hosting the Somerville Sunsetters at her home, 43 Boston Street, this Thursday, July 11, at 7:00 p.m. Come join her for a great performance and a chance to meet and talk with Mary.

(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 William C. Shelton

Considered as a system, Somerville is drastically out of balance. Severe imbalances exist between workers and jobs, residential and commercial property, open space and population, affordable and unaffordable housing, foreseeable city expenses and sustainable revenues, and within age and income distributions.

(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 Greg Karczewski
President, US2

As we prepare for Thursday’s Planning Board meeting, I wanted to take the opportunity to sincerely thank the Union Square community for creating a vision for the future of Union Square and working together to realize it.

By SC

The Somerville Arts Council and the local non-profit organization Haitians United celebrated Somerville’s Haitian community by putting together Haiti in the ‘Ville!, an event full of art, music, dance, and food at the Center for Arts at the Armory on Saturday, July 6.

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This type of Chinese cabbage, which is similar to mustard greens, is a rich source of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. It has a sweet and slightly bitter flavor that is complimented with the sweet ginger and garlic. The soy and Sambal Oelek add a slightly salted and spicy element to the dish, topped with a nice toasted flavor provided by the sesame oil. You can even add some toasted sesame seeds for garnish. This side dish can be prepared, cooked and served in all about 15 minutes.

Sure, everybody complains about the price of everything, but nobody does anything about it. Or do they? Or can they?

Take the case of the recent MBTA fare hikes. Plenty of people complained about the raised rates, but with no effect. The one thing that was accomplished was increasing awareness of the many problems that the transit system is dealing with: mechanical failures, interruptions in service, and overall quality concerns.

Arrests:*

Joseph Norman, of 90 Flint St., July 4, 8:17 p.m., arrested at Bonair St. on charges of carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a firearm with ammunition, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest.

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Some years ago, 23 to be exact, I remember Richard Wilhelm (my trusted arts/consultant at Ibbetson Street), his wife Elisa, my wife Dianne and I, picking up the late Diana Der-Hovanessian (president of the New England Poetry Club) at her house in order to go to a COMPOST reading both Der-Hovanessian and I were participating in. We were contributors to the new issue of COMPOST, (that was based in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston) titled The Hub of the Universe: Celebrating Boston. Some of the cream of the crop of the Boston poetry scene were in this issue, such as Robert Pinsky, Sam Cornish, Rosanna Warren, Joe De Roche, Fred Marchant, Jack Powers, Kevin Bowen, and Richard Moore, to name a few.

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Toni Bee is a poet, educator, and advocate. Raised in Dorchester and educated in Roxbury, where she grew her daughter up on the other side of the bridge and became the elected 2011 Poet Populist of Cambridge, the first woman to grace that position. Bee was also the 2016 Inaugural Cambridge Poetry Ambassador. Toni has worked with youth for years and extensively with the City Spotlight teens of The Wang Theatre.

Openings available on five essential Boards & Commissions

The City of Somerville is seeking to fill vacancies on eight essential boards and commissions appointed by the Mayor and coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. Boards and commissions offer an opportunity for community members with a range of experience, skills, expertise, and perspectives to share their talents and insights with their community. The Mayor’s office will be accepting applications for the open positions through Monday, August 5, 2019.