(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
willmbah.com

I have been following with interest the discussions of the Council on Aging, which is preparing to launch a Survey of Somerville Seniors in the fall. The Council has engaged the University of Massachusetts Gerontology Institute to help design and administer the study. They hope to involve at least 1,500 households and gather data about the status and needs of the population over 65.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville invite community members to provide public comments about rent stabilization at an upcoming listening session. As part of ongoing efforts to continue to reduce displacement and increase housing affordability, the city’s Anti-Displacement Task Force (ADTF) is drafting a rent stabilization law, and community members are invited to share their input on what should be included. Two separate sessions will be offered. The first listening session, for property owners and their advocates, is Thursday, July 20, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The second session, for renters and their advocates, is Thursday, July 27, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Both listening sessions will be hosted in a hybrid format, with the opportunity to participate in person at the Armory or remotely on Zoom. Both sessions will be recorded and posted on voice.somervillema.gov/adtf. For more info visit the city’s website www.somervillema.gov

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Every week we get a produce box delivered from Ball Square Fine Wines, they partnered up with Katsiroubas Bros. Each box contains a variety of vegetables and fruits, like romaine lettuce, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, lemons, limes, mangos, avocados, cucumbers, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple, celery, apples, grapes, mushrooms and more.

Development of a Somerville-specific and local pollinator species inventory and other strategies are under consideration by the Somerville Pollinator Action Plan Advisory Committee.

By Ana Celerier Salcedo

On July 10, The Somerville Pollinator Action Plan Advisory Committee held their bi-weekly meeting to discuss housekeeping items regarding developments on the city’s Pollinator Action Plan.

It’s been getting pretty darn hot lately. And it’s looking like we’ll be facing a good little stretch of even more hot weather in the days and – yes, even maybe – the weeks to come.

There’s little to be done about it other than exercising a little common sense to minimize dangers of heat stroke. Watch your activity levels, get plenty of water, etc. Just be careful and do the right things. You’ll make it.

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At the Longfellow House in Cambridge, MA, poet Afaa Weaver will be the recipient of our New England Poetry Club’s prestigious Golden Rose Award. Last year’s winner was Patricia Smith.

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Lynne Zika is an award-winning poet and photographer and a retired editor of closed-captioning. Awards include: Pacificus Foundation Literary Award in short fiction, Little Sister Award and Moon Prize in poetry, and Viewbug Curator’s Selection, Staff Favorite, and Hero Awards in photography. Her father, also a writer/poet, bequeathed her this advice: Make every word count.

Support critical medical care for homeless pets awaiting adoption and shop for great stuff too

Kitty Connection, an all-volunteer non-profit dedicated to rescuing and finding safe, loving homes for local cats and dogs, will hold a Summertime Online Auction from Friday, July 21 through Sunday, July 23. Auction proceeds will go toward the cost of pre-adoption medical procedures.