I run into Steve Swensen quite often when I head to my makeshift office in the back of the Bloc 11 Cafe. Swensen is a retired Somerville High School English teacher, and boasts that he has spent his 39 year teaching career in these immediate environs.  He shares this poem with us.

Arrests:
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Crystal Bielakowsky, of 158 Everett St., East Boston, December 14, 6:53 p.m., arrested at Broadway on charges of shoplifting by concealing merchandise and furnishing a false name or Social Security number.

Robert Silva, of 55 Springfield St., December 15, 10:00 a.m., arrested at Webster Ave. on warrant charges of indecent assault on a person 14 or older, sexual conduct for a fee, and trespassing.

The Healey School tot lot has an exciting new addition, The Buddy Bench. Thanks to a donation from The Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation and Ms. Conley’s facilitation of the process, students at the Healey School now have a beautiful resource to help them in fostering inclusion and friendships. Developed by a student named Christian, the Buddy Bench concept came from the idea of a designated place where students could sit if they were looking for someone else to play with, and where other students could go to invite someone to play. Christian worked with his principal to make his idea a reality and now schools around the world have added Buddy Benches to playgrounds.

Somerville Artist Resa Blatman.

By Doug Holder

I interviewed Resa Blatman at the Bloc 11 Cafe in Somerville, Mass. We talked about her recent trip to the Arctic, the gentrification of Somerville and its implications for artists, her artwork inspired by Global Climate Change, and art as a commodity, among other things.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Dear Local Families,

We are writing today to encourage you to support your independent retailers this holiday season. Like many other retail businesses, we at Diaper Lab are finding this year particularly difficult. In our niche of independent children’s stores, most  across the country are struggling to stay afloat and many are going out of business entirely.  We only have to look across our parking lot to see Stella Bella’s Davis Square location closing.  Remember Twinkle Star, Bird by Bird, Calliope, Greenward and Isis Parenting?  Those are all stores that were once here in Somerville/Boston, and most opened around the same time we did.  Eight years later, we are the only one of this group that remains.

By Mark Casale

The City of Somerville is taking the lead in reducing emissions to zero by the year 2050 with its recent purchase four electric Ford Focus Hatchbacks. The vehicle in the photos is assigned to the Traffic & Parking Department.

By Somerville Neighborhood News
Contributing Reporter: Karishma Desai

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a colder and snowier winter than normal, while NOAA says we can look forward to warmer season. Winter in New England always puts a strain on heating budgets.

By Jim Clark

Two suspects were arrested Friday after fleeing in a stolen vehicle and crashing it into a median at Lombardi Way under Interstate 93, at which time a pedestrian who was crossing the street was struck by the vehicle.

By Rebecca Danvers

The Somerville Council on Aging is thrilled to announce the newest member to our LGBTQ Advisory Board, Lt. Michael Mulcahy of the Somerville Police Force. Lt. Mulcahy, the first openly gay police officer in the department’s history, bringing with him 29 years of experience and a genuine willingness to help.