Somerville residents have been expressing frustration at the lack of progress in solving the air traffic noise problems in the city, according to Alderman At Large Mary Jo Rossetti.

By Jim Clark

An order was submitted by Alderman At Large Mary Jo Rossetti at the November 24 Regular Meeting of the Somerville Board of Aldermen that the City Clerk invite the Logan Airport Community Advisory Committee representative, Wig Zamore from the Community Advisory Committee, to the Board’s next meeting to recommend action for the increased impact of Logan air traffic.

By Charles Lane

MassDOT and the MBTA announced last week that the recently revised North Side Commuter Rail schedules will not be implemented until spring 2016.

We are having a contest here over the next couple of weeks. We are asking anyone here in the Ville who would like to write a poem on the Christmas holiday and what it means to them to send it in to us. Deadline is Friday, December 18. You can email it to news@thesomervilletimes.com, mail it or drop it off at 699 Broadway, Somerville 02144. Poems will be selected by The Times staff and the three top winners will have their poem published in time for Christmas. The best one submitted will receive a $100 gift certificate for the Mt. Vernon Restaurant, a $50 Mt. Vernon certificate for second choice and a $25 Mt. Vernon gift certificate for third place. Submit your poem to be published by The Somerville Times in time for the holiday.

(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 Editor

DAVIS SQUARE – SUGGESTION:

The Davis Square businesses might like to draw up a paper which describes the reasons why it would be wiser to have Davis Square be used no longer as a parade stop. There are too many problems when the area is closed to traffic. And our tax dollars are going for more police work while traffic is stopped to keep shoppers out unless by foot. Businesses lose a lot of sales while these parades continue, taking a good part of the day.

Citations were awarded by the Board of Alderman at their Regular Meeting last week commending two Somerville police officers who were winners of the Alexander McQuestion Police Officer of the Year Award presented by American Legion Post 19. The citation reads as follows: “Be it hereby known to all that the Somerville Board of Aldermen and Mayor offer their sincerest commendations to Officer Albert Gee and Officer Yvon Jean-Jaques for being awarded the Alexander McQuestion Award, presented annually by American Legion Post 19 to the Somerville Police Officer of the Year.

Eagle Feathers #92 – The Hook Shot

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Music, songs, and entertainment are an intricate part of today’s sporting events. They span college fight songs and elaborate band formations to Super Bowl extravaganzas. Half-time shows are almost as popular as the game.

Assembly Row unveiled its unique holiday lighting installation on Saturday night. Rather than just putting up another holiday tree, Assembly Row commissioned the team behind the Illuminus festivals to create an installation that surrounds and lights up the destination’s iconic feature, its three, huge metal trusses.The installation – which includes cabins, lights, sleds and faux hills – was constructed entirely from reclaimed materials – wood, iron, metal, etc. – sourced from within a 20-mile radius. It befits the Somerville vibe, Assembly history and the trusses themselves, which were reclaimed from the old Assembly plant.

When I read in that other newspaper, The New York Times, that Somerville-based writer Claire Messud has a new book out, The Emperor’s Children (Knopf), I was like a dog on a meat truck. I was hungry for an interview. Messud’s book made number five on the New York Times hardcover fiction list. I emailed her and she graciously agreed to answer a few questions I threw her way.

Dianne Silvestri’s poems have been published in Earth’s Daughters, The Comstock Review, The Pharos, The Somerville Times, Evening Street Review, Steam Ticket, Boston Literary Magazine, Apeiron Review, Blast Furnace, and The Healing Muse. Her work also appears in two anthologies: Joys of Eating and paniK: Candid Stories of Life Altering Experiences Surrounding Pregnancy.

The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Preservation Awards. During its annual celebration in honor of Historic Preservation Month in May 2016, the SHPC will honor Somerville residents who performed significant restoration or maintenance efforts on designated historic buildings, or on non-designated buildings erected before 1965. The nomination period is open through Monday, December 7, 2015.