Ward 2 City Councilor J.T. Scott has been sounding the alarm about a malicious phone scam currently taking place locally.

By The Times Staff

A sophisticated scam operation that targets individuals has City Councilors concerned.

The phony phone arrest scam was brought up in conversation at the latest City Council Meeting on February 27 with the aim of warning residents and bringing awareness to these harassing calls.

“There have always been scammers,” said Ward 2 City Councilor J.T. Scott. “Particularly, they prey on residents who may not have English as a first language or some of our elderly residents.”

The Somerville Arts Council is excited to announce PorchFest 2025, the citywide live music event, is returning on Saturday, May 10, from 12 to 6 p.m. (rain date: Sunday, May 11). 

To ensure a safe, enjoyable, and well-organized experience for all, this year’s event will feature new safety measures and structural updates designed to enhance the day for both performers and residents. All information is available on somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest

(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 Jeffrey  Shwom

In the past 6 months of covering our city through the newspaper, my smile has grown wider and my faith in our city has grown stronger. People care here. People want and build community here. People stand up for what they believe in here. Even if standing up amplifies the differences, big and small, between us.

It’s important to acknowledge that some people are staying inside these days because of fear. Fear of being themselves, fear of being from where they are from, and fear of the unknown and uncertainty. The thing that I hang my hat on is that, together, Somerville is a stronger city than any other. Our four square miles may be the toughest, most resilient mileage in the country. Because deep down, we care about each other, we care about the world, and we care about humanity. And we do it all in a very Somervillen way.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del ponte

My parents bought our house in 1960 for about $15,000. We moved from Ball Square to Davis Square. 

We would go to St. Clement’s school where the nuns taught. Surely the stuff nightmares are made of.  We got our phone number back then, too, when we used the phone abbreviations MO, PR, and SO. If you recall this, you’re about as old as me.

Wednesday evening a car drove into a home at 50 Wheatland St. in Somerville. Somerville Fire Department secured the first floor of the building from the basement. No injuries are reported at this time.

— Photos by Jeffrey Shwom

By Jeffrey Shwom

Scenes of a towering structure made of wood, trees, and other materials, being precariously dragged and coordinated by hundreds of religious devotees, adorn the walls of the Somerville Museum. The Art of the Festival – Celebrating the Rain God of the Kathmandu Valley continues through March 29. The exhibit was curated by Bruce McCoy Owens, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus at Wheaton College.

A joint meeting was held last week to discuss the many pressing issues facing Somerville schools.

By Carlie Lombardi

On Monday, March 3, the School Committee’s Building Facilities and Maintenance Committee held a joint meeting to address pressing concerns about school infrastructure, budget constraints, and emergency planning for potential school closures.

Jovana Calvillo a lead organizer with Somerville for Palestine and of the rally sharing her story growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants.

On Saturday, March 8, 200 Somerville residents rallied in support of our immigrant neighbors in front of the East Somerville Library for two hours in 30-degree temperatures. The rally featured Somerville residents sharing their immigrant stories and loudly declaring their existence here. Many local organizations shared their ongoing work and commitment to support immigrant communities during national attacks on immigrants and undocumented people. Rally attendees joined calls for an end to deportations and ICE raids, for Maura Healey to declare Massachusetts a Sanctuary State, to uphold Somerville’s sanctuary city status, and for city elected officials to affirm immigrants’ important role and right to be in our city and schools.

The recent theft of public art in the Gilman Art Park area has left some local artists saddened and concerned. — Photos courtesy of Robert Smith

By Alexi O’Neil

Gilman Park is a small area on Pearl Street where artists have been able to place their work for decades. After becoming a finalist for an art-fueled grant through the city of Somerville last month, artist Robert (Bob) Smith has come forward to announce his heartbreak over his missing sculptures.

(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 Jack Connolly
Jackconnolly422@gmail.com

Several community meetings have been held by Copper Mill LLC, the proposed developers of the Elm St./Grove St location currently occupied by the Burren, McKinnon’s Market and Dragon Pizza. The most recent meeting was held on February 12th before a standing room only crowd at the Community Baptist Church. The developers stated that the city encouraged them to meet with the community to get reaction to their proposal for a 500-unit, 25-story [put height in feet here] tower. The developer claims that this size and scale are necessary to make the development profitable and that there would be no compromise on the proposed number of apartments and building height. By the way, this is the third attempt at redeveloping this site by the owner and development team after two failed previous attempts.