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The City of Somerville and the Somerville Arts Council hosted another year of PorchFest on Saturday, May 13.  People of all ages took to the streets to enjoy a day of beautiful weather, dancing and listening to all genres of music throughout the streets of Somerville.  — Photos by Devon Moos

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Celebrate Jane Jacobs, a world-renowned urban activist on a walk exploring “Boynton’s Changing Yards,” presented by the City of Somerville’s Historic Preservation Commission.

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Shop the Square Saturdays at a Market with a $15 SNAP Match

Union Square Main Streets celebrates the opening of the 19th season of the Union Square Farmers Market in Somerville Saturday, May 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the Union Square Plaza, and will be open rain or shine each Saturday through October 28.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ended Public Health Emergency on May 11

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ended on May 11, as did the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 public health emergency. As the country and state transitions to this next phase of the pandemic, the City of Somerville will continue to supply free masks and rapid tests to the community based on supply and resources.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, the City of Somerville, and the Somerville Arts Council invite you to take part in this year’s PorchFest on Saturday, May 13 (rain date: May 14). 

Have you ever sat on your porch and overheard a neighbor strumming a guitar? PorchFest takes this idea and multiplies it, creating a citywide event for all to share their love of playing and listening to music. PorchFest began in 2011 and has been growing rapidly ever since. This year, more than 200 musical acts will perform on porches, stoops, and front yards all over town. Genres range from cosmic Americana and killer blues to Afrobeat, acid folk, and space rock.

Arrests:
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Felix Almendarez, of Chelsea, May 2, 2:46 p.m., arrested at Mt. Vernon St. on a charge of furnishing a false ID info to law enforcement, and on warrant charges of no inspection sticker and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Food For Free recently received a brand new 22′ refrigerated Isuzu box truck to add to the nonprofit’s fleet. The truck will augment Food For Free’s overall food transportation capacity by up to 27,000 lbs. (the equivalent of 22,500 meals) per day, and increase the organization’s engagement with Greater Boston Food Bank transportation partners (smaller agencies without their own vehicles) by over 50 percent. Since the vehicle is equipped with a liftgate, Food For Free can serve partners with or without loading docks, and it is just the right size to access certain locations that larger trucks cannot.

Somerville Open Studios (SOS) took place on May 6 -7. SOS is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of producing an annual open studio and related events in Somerville, Massachusetts. Through its programming, SOS gives access to the work of visual artists living and working in the city of Somerville. They provide opportunities to view art made within the community; to interact with local artists; and to have access to artists’ working spaces. Their goal is to broaden the public’s exposure to, and appreciation of, finished works of art as well as the art-making process. This exposure both educates the community and raises awareness of the diverse artistic experience available in Somerville. — Photos by Claudia Ferro, Denise Provost and Monica Calvo

By Jim Clark

On Wednesday of last week, Somerville Police officers in charge for the day shift at the Somerville Police Department received a call from a member of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, alerting them that one of their detainees who had been arrested the previous night was wanted by them.