By William A. White Jr.

The following are excerpts from Alderman White’s speech delivered at the Board of Aldermen Organizational Meeting on Monday, January 9, 2017 in the Aldermanic Chambers:

The developments in Washington, D.C. teach us that there are many factors that may have a drastic impact on our programs and finances but are beyond our control.  So as we move forward in debating the very important financial and development issues that face us, we must keep this fundamental fact of life in mind.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, the Health and Human Services Department and the Somerville Public Schools hosted the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration event, entitled “One Somerville” on Monday, January 16, in observance of national Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The annual event was held at the East Somerville Community School and featured a keynote address by Tufts University’s Provost and Senior Vice President David R. Harris, as well as presentations by winners of a student essay contest and a presentation of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words and photos.

Once you make these, you will never purchase croutons from a store again! In just a few minutes of preparation and a trip to the oven, you will have the most delicious, crunchy bits to top your salad or soups. Feel free to customize with your own preferences of spices and herbs. Any choice of bread can be used. I used day old sourdough for these.

The Somerville High School Girls Varsity Basketball team played Saugus last Wednesday, January 11 at Saugus and lost 43-61. They played Everett high at home on Friday, January 13 and lost 32–58. The game was neck and neck during the first two periods, but Everett picked up their game at the end. The team next plays Notre Dame Academy in Hingham on Wednesday, January 18 and Medford High at home on Tuesday, January 24.

George Fernandes was born on April 19,1924 in Somerville,MA, the son of John and Gabriela Fernandes. George passed away in Dallas, TX on January 8, 2017. George was preceded in death by his mother Gabriela, father John, his wife Juanita, sister Theresa Doherty , brother John Jr. and granddaughter Misty Kelley. Surviving him are his son Gerald, daughter Cynthia Hanson, sister Lorraine Hughey, and granddaughters Aaran and Ashley.

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Guest columnist, Somerville Poet Ed Meek, chimes in with this review:

Poetry Matters
ISBN 978-0-9965026-3-413.95.
April 2017

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The new Poet Laureate of Somerville Gloria Mindock writes, “I will serve the Somerville community with regular office hours, hosting a poetry round table open to all writers, workshops and readings for the elderly, poetry with puppets for children, readings and an informative talk about El Salvador’s civil war and the Salvadoran writing today in our community, and the giving away of free books throughout Somerville as part of Read America Read. I look forward to representing the city of Somerville for the next two years.”

Arrests:
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 Maureen Doyle, of 630 Salem St., Malden, January 9, 8:17 p.m., arrested at Canal St. on a charge of shoplifting over $100 by asportation.

John Dubuque, of 60 Concord Ave., January 11, 12:38 p.m., arrested at McGrath Hwy. on charges of threat to commit a crime and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Nonprofit organizations from Medford, Somerville, Boston, and Grafton receive grants from the Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund on Jan. 13, 2017. Contributions to the fund are made by Tufts employees from all campuses. (Anna Miller/Tufts University)

The Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF) committee recently awarded $5,405 in grants to 13 programs in Somerville. TNSF collects donations from university employees throughout the year and then awards grants to community-based, charitable organizations that serve Tufts’ host communities (Medford; Somerville; Grafton; and Boston’s Chinatown, Fenway, and Mission Hill neighborhoods) and actively engage Tufts volunteers in their work.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, the Health and Human Services Department and the Somerville Public Schools announce the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration event, entitled, “One Somerville,” to be held on Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of national Martin Luther King Jr Day.