By Joseph A. Curtatone

(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)

We learned some great news this week, as software company SmartBear announced that it will be the first tenant in Assembly Row’s Class A office building, following Partners HealthCare’s announcement that it will build a new office building in Somerville’s newest neighborhood. In choosing Somerville, SmartBear’s CEO specifically cited public transit options, moving closer to other technology companies in the urban core, and amenities that tech workers seek—the culture, art, food scene and more that make Somerville attractive. The company’s move is an important indicator that the years of community planning we’ve done around smart, transit-oriented development, are building a stronger local economy for all our businesses, expanding our tax base and bringing high-quality jobs to Somerville. And we’ve done all this by staying true to ourselves and leaning on our strengths.

— Photos by Bobbie Toner

Milk Row Cemetery opened to celebrate Veterans Day. The following was read at the wreath presentation at Civil War Soldiers Monument, Milk Row Cemetery:

Somerville’s alternative transportation infrastructure improvements has led to its being named among the top cities in the nation when it comes to providing safe and sustainable methods for getting people around. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Jim Clark

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has long been a proponent of making Somerville the most bikeable, walkable and transit-accessible community in the nation. His goal appeared to take a major leap forward recently when the city was dubbed first among northeast cities in bicycle commuting and fifth in the nation overall regardless of population, according to the League of American Bicyclists’ annual report on bike commuting.

Join The Chaille Family of Green and Yellow Cab for the 8th Annual fundraiser for senior transportation: The Family of “Edith Chaille Memorial Transportation Fund” coming up on November 17, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Holiday Inn here in Somerville. The Somerville Council on Aging and Somerville Elders Services are jointly hosting the fundraiser. A buffet, DJ, live and silent auctions will be available for all. This is a great cause in honor of Edith Chaille given by the family to help the elderly here in the city to have free transportation. If you’d like to donate or have any questions please contact Director Karen Tamagna at ktamagna@comcast.net.

Somerville Youth Football has earned its opportunity to challenge the Stoneham Spartans for a shot at the championship.

By Tom Bannister

This past September, Somerville Youth Football’s freshman team (Grades 3 and 4) coached by Kevin Prophete, kicked off their 2014 season with a great start.

The high powered offense led by (Quarterback) Darnell Pierre, (Full backs) Calvin Pierre and Jamal Carter, (Tail backs) Jayden Prophete and Jassad Fenton, (Receivers) James Kalogeropoulos and Austin Pereira had no trouble finding the end zone. Of course, none of that would have been possible without the huge push from the guys up front.

The Statewide Farmer’s Markets Tour 2014 brought its mission of enlightening Massachusetts residents on the benefits of healthy diet choice to Somerville last week.

By Rebecca Danvers

The Statewide Farmer’s Markets Tour 2014 made a stop at the Davis Square Farmers’ Market on Wednesday, November 5.

The tour aims to promote Massachusetts’ farmers markets and raise awareness about healthy eating options for low-income residents across the Commonwealth. Farmers markets provide families and individuals who may not otherwise have access with an opportunity to purchase nutritious food SNAP/EBT benefits.

There are few, if any, of us who don’t look fondly back to our childhood days and the fun we used to have riding our bikes to school and back home, or out on adventures through undiscovered territories, and so on.

For many, these pleasures extended far into adulthood as well. And for certain others, cycling serves as a pleasurable and healthy alternative means of transportation on a regular basis.

Eagle Feathers #65 – Signs of the Time
By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The “time” was 150 years ago and the “signs” appeared shortly after. America was in the last year of the Civil War, 1864-1865. The war would claim over 600,000 American lives and wound a million more before it ended. Every city and town would be affected in one way or another. Somerville was no different. The Somerville militia’s sacrifice would be 98 killed and 250 wounded out of 1,485, or almost one quarter. Hundreds more served in other military branches. The Somerville Avenue 1863 Civil War Memorial to her fallen troops is said to be the first in the nation. This was a spark for the small town’s appreciation later on.

When the war ended, half of the town was open land and began to be developed as streets were laid out from Spring Hill to beyond Teele Square. During the war, much of this area was called Camp Cameron, named after Lincoln’s Secretary of War. Thousands of regional troops were trained there and on Prospect Hill.

Somerville Pop Warner is proud to announce their A-team cheerleaders are moving on. Please help to send the girls to the States in Springfield, MA on November 15. This is the first time in more than 25 years that the girls have gone this far. They have worked very hard and deserve to go. They are Greater Boston League first place and Eastern MA second place champions in their division. This is a once in a lifetime chance for most of these girls.

Harris Gardner (Tapestry of Voices) and myself (Doug Holder–Ibbetson Street Press) met with Gregory Jenkins,( The Director of the Somerville Arts Council), at the now defunct Sherman Cafe in Union Square this summer to discuss the prospects of getting a Somerville Poet Laureate. I have been pushing this for years, but to no avail. There were either vacant promises from local pols, the eye-rolling, the patronizing hand shake – slippery as a snake – well you know the drill. Jenkins was on board with the idea; so then we met with the mayor and he thought it was a good idea as well. Now we have an official announcement, and information about how to apply. We are forming a selection committee, so far it is Greg Jenkins, Doug Holder, Bert Stern, Harris Gardner, Linda Conte, Charles Coe, Ifeanyi Menkiti and others. So if you are a fine poet, community-minded, have a track record of promoting poetry, and have a strong vision for your possible tenure – apply!