Did you know that Union Square Main Streets and Union Square Farmers Market offer a dollar-for-dollar local SNAP match for all 25 Saturdays of the market season? This match allows people to double their buying power at the market – through the match, $15 becomes $30. As a relatively new Union Square business owner and graduate student in nutrition policy and programming at the Tufts Friedman School, I am excited to take part in fundraising for a program that has made such a large impact on our broader community. This SNAP match is made possible thanks to the City of Somerville, local businesses, and neighbors who donate through Good Food For All.

The current solo show at The Art House highlights emerging artist Kelly Bishop, who investigates space, structure, and high-key color as she challenges the idea of existentialism. Her vibrant oil paintings provide a pathway into another realm for viewers to find peace and solace within.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Why did they let City Hall basically rot so badly? I don’t know if there are any plans to fix it up but I posted the question to my social media friends and this is what they feel about City Hall being in such bad disrepair. Here are the comments in quotes.

Somerville’s Municipal Voucher Program (MVP) is one program that aims to address the housing crisis by providing a subsidy to make housing more affordable for low-income residents. ~Photos by Maile Blume

By Maile Blume

This budget season, in response to community organizing, Somerville allocated $3 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund for flexible rental assistance starting this July. However, community organizers say more needs to be done to address the ongoing housing crisis.

The previously announced 42-day suspension of Green Line service between Lechmere and Union Square Stations from July 18 to August 28 will not take place. The repair work on the Squires Bridge has been postponed until September 2023. For updates visit the MBTA’s website: www.mbta.com/.

(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 Jason Mackey

“Massachusetts politics is a funny thing. The Commonwealth is full of vibrant debates, clashes of ideologies, and sometimes, surprising paradoxes. A particularly glaring paradox today centers on the Massachusetts House of Representatives, specifically, two self-proclaimed Democratic Socialists: Somerville Representatives Erika Uyterhoeven and Mike Connolly.

(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

On July 1, 2023, Somerville and other cities in the Commonwealth have launched a new era of development and construction regulation. A new set of updated energy-efficiency regulations, called the Specialized Stretch Code, have taken effect. All buildings in the city that will be newly built or reconstructed will have to incorporate systems for heating, cooling and electric power supply, which conform to the best standards of efficiency and carbon-reduction.

By Beatriz Leite

The Somerville Health and Human Services Department held their monthly meeting for the Somerville Commission for Women, this past Friday, July 7.

The Somerville Arts Council’s ArtBeat festival has become a much beloved annual tradition here in the city for many.

One thing can be said for certain, it brings to the fore some of the most imaginative and unique creations one could ever wish to see, hear, and – sometimes – even feel.