(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)

Dear Mayor Ballantyne,

I am an everyday cyclist and pedestrian living and voting in Prospect Hill Somerville and my family has had several near-death experiences that could be easily solved by better road design. Although I have been pleasantly surprised with some of the commitment to bike safety and recent improvement, I am writing to let you know that I am deeply disappointed to hear about the recent decision to not include a protected bike lane on Highland Ave. this year. More tragedies will happen under your watch until this is fixed.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

When we were growing up in the Somerville of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s we were fearless. We left the house at nine and didn’t come home until it was dark. Then we would go out all night. We did a lot of foolish things back then, both dangerous and very risky. None was more dangerous than hopping freight cars. It always seemed like we were tempting fate.

Somerville’s Anti-Displacement Task Force held the first of two listening sessions on rent stabilization last Thursday. — Photos by Maile Blume

By Maile Blume

Somerville has joined Cambridge and Boston in considering rent stabilization to prevent displacement of the city’s residents. Last Thursday, the Somerville Anti- Displacement Task Force held a listening session for property owners, to inform an upcoming draft of rent stabilization laws for the city. Another listening session for tenants will also be held this Thursday to inform the upcoming legislation.

A resolution to de-prioritization of enforcement of traffic rules for cyclists is currently under consideration by the city.

By Ana Celerier

On Thursday, July 13, The Somerville City Council met to discuss various pending issues.

An item taken up at the council meeting was the de-prioritization of enforcement against cyclists who view stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs.

“LIGHT/COLOR/SOUNDBATH” by Kelly Bishop

By Yoko Zhu

The Art House in Somerville, which hosts emerging artists, is currently featuring artist Kelly Bishop’s first solo exhibition, Paradise Disentangled, now through July 29.

By Khoa Tong

The Somerville Human Rights Commission (HRC) discussed plans to recruit new members to the group in their monthly meeting held on Wednesday, July 19. The meeting was attended by members Christopher Spicer Hankle, Lara Versari as well as Latoya Saulters, Commission Coordinator for the city’s Racial and Social Justice Department.

(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 Will Mbah
Candidate for Somerville City Councilor at Large

At the very end of May, the Special Subcommittee of the City Council on Charter Revision finished its work and sent to the Mayor the draft Amended City Charter. This text was based on the earlier draft that the Charter Review Committee of citizens and city officers had prepared during 2021 and 2022.

The Somerville Mobile Farmers Market is open for the season, selling fresh, local produce through October 28. The market schedule is as follows: Thursdays: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.: Clarendon Hill Towers (1372 Broadway), Fridays: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Council on Aging/SCALE (167 Holland St.), 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.: East Somerville Community School (50 Cross St.). Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: Mystic Housing Development (25B Memorial Rd., at the playground). The market accepts cash, debit, credit, SNAP, WIC Farmers Market Coupons, and Senior Farmers Market Coupons. All are welcome. To learn more, visit: somervillema.gov/farmersmarket.