Update: Due to inclement weather forecasted for Saturday, June 24, the Somerville Family Fun Day event has been canceled. 

Kickstart your summer and join the City of Somerville Parks and Recreation Department for the annual Family Fun Day event on Saturday, June 24 (no rain date – event will be cancelled for inclement weather), from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Trum Field (541 Broadway).

(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)

Massachusetts is a tough state to make ends meet. That’s why I started driving for Uber and Lyft. Now my financial livelihood could be destroyed by labor-backed bills seeking to rewrite the rules for rideshare and delivery drivers like me. I balance caring for my ailing mother while working as an independent contractor between her medical appointments. Some people want jobs with rigid 40-hour schedules but being an “employee” does not work for everyone.

Celebrate the flaws, the quirks, the accidental genius that lousy lenses can create! Images of any subject matter, made with a “toy” camera (or any low-tech camera with no or very limited exposure control, such as pinhole, Holga, Diana/Diana clones, Brownie, Ansco, disposable cameras) are eligible. Key criteria are plastic lenses and lack of reliable exposure control. Straight Polaroid-type images, or images made with cell phones or cameras with full automatic or manual exposure control (such as the Lomo LC series) will not be considered. It should go without saying, but we’ll say it: AI-generated images are not eligible.

Rotary members shown from left to right: Nancy Kavanagh, Gilda Nogueira, Gene Brune, Ann Kirby, Sylvia Walker, and Morgan Redman from the Somerville Animal Food Pantry.

With the wonderful generosity of Porter Square Star Market on Saturday, June 10, the Somerville Rotary Club held its semi-annual food drive, along with Somerville Rescue Allies Animal Food Pantry.  Proceeds of the food drive benefit Somerville non-profits Project Soup, Respond, and St Patrick’s Women’s shelter.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

(Originally published on August 16, 2014)

I don’t know about everyone, but a lot of people, including myself, have artifacts or mementos from a place they once worked in or frequented. I have a book of matches from BoBo’s Chinese Restaurant that used to be in Ball Square. When WR Grace (Dewey and Almy) on Alewife Brook Parkway tore down the buildings that housed the boiler room that my dad worked in for 38 years, he kept two of his favorite steam gauges. Those really neat looking gauges are still in my cellar.

November 23, 1935 – June 19, 2023

Dorothy J. (DiMarzo) Montalto, of Somerville, passed away on June 19, 2023, she was 87. Born and raised in East Boston, she was the daughter of the late Catherine (Giardullo) and Romolo DiMarzo. The beloved wife of the late WWII United States Navy Veteran Peter N. Montalto, she was the devoted mother of Joseph P. Montalto and his wife Nancy of Framingham. A cherished “Auntie to All,” she was especially close to her nieces: Dorothy DiMarzo and her wife Lynne Lenoir of Somerville, Karen Chase and her partner James Forde of Billerica and her late husband Michael Chase, and Susan Haley and her husband Shon of Litchfield, New Hampshire. She is the loving “Grandmother” to Alyssa and Kayla Chase, Justin and Matthew Haley. Dorothy is survived by her sister-in-law, best friend, and devoted caregiver, Roberta DiMarzo of Somerville as well as many more nieces and nephews, who she loved dearly. She was the dear sister of the late Anna Salsgiver, Ida Storniolo, Catherine Bardaro and Nicholas DiMarzo.

— Photos courtesy of Kiwanis Club of Somerville

On Sunday, June 11, members of the Kiwanis Club of Somerville participated in the East Somerville Main Streets, Carnival celebration.  Nine Somerville Kiwanis members assisted by another six family and friends distributed nearly 250 bicycle helmets to children at the event.  

The Next Wave Jr. High School Class of 2022-2023 graduation ceremony took place at SHS Highlander Forum on Wednesday, June 14. Nine students received their diplomas while proud friends and family members witnessed and took part in the celebration.  — Photos by Claudia Ferro

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Malden Chief of Police Glenn Cronin have announced that Mohamed Abdulaziz, 35 of Somerville, has been charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm without a license and possession of ammunition in connection with a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning, June 18 in Malden.