By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to a Boston location last week in regards to an assault that occurred in Somerville. Boston Police officers were also on the scene.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

The Star Market and Brigham’s on Winter Hill has been vacant for years. Everybody is wondering what the plans are for the large space, if any. I think it would be a good place for Walmart and a KFC.

Groups from all over Somerville will be testifying on May 25^th at a City Council public hearing about their negative experiences with the city planning process for real estate development in their neighborhoods.  Residents claim that they are encouraged to participate with the promise that they can determine the future of their community.  Instead, their contributions are ignored or altered by the city’s planners in order to cater to the proposals of real estate developers. 

 Somerville residents offer supportive comments at public forum hosted by Planning Board and City Council’s Land Use Committee. 

The Hamilton Company announced today that it is encouraged by supportive public comments and the overall response from Somerville residents at a May 18 city-sponsored public hearing to discuss the company’s One Union Square development. 

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The Caucus will be held to choose up to 10 delegates and 4 alternates.

On Saturday, September 23, delegates will gather at the Tsongas Center in Lowell to adopt a Party Agenda and/or Platform by a majority vote of Convention delegates present and voting based upon the recommendation, subject to amendments, of the Party Agenda or Platform Committee. Resolutions may be developed through a process beginning with caucuses of local Democrats.

Somerville High School Girls Tennis took on Revere at Tufts on May 17. SHS honored their seniors as Girls Tennis finished their season with a 4-1 win over Revere.~ Photos by Alex Fredette.

To see more photos from this match visit: https://alexfredette.smugmug.com/Tennis/SHS-W-T-Revere/

The city, in partnership with the Somerville Homeless Coalition, has established its Engagement Center, intended to expand on services available to the unhoused community. — Photo courtesy of SHC

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, in partnership with the Somerville Homeless Coalition, has announced the recent opening of a new Engagement Center to support Somerville’s unhoused residents.

(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 Wilfred Mbah
Candidate for Somerville City Councilor at Large

We attended the May 15 hearing on the FY2024 Sewer and Water rates at which the city agencies proposed increases of 12% for water and 17.5% for sewer service. For an average household, the combined annual bill would rise from $900-$1000 to $1,030-$1,250.

(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)

More public input and process is needed

By Howard E. Horton, Esq.

The City’s new Bike Network Plan is comprehensive and, generally, well-thought out in its attempt to make biking safer – and, of course, the plan has had a lot of input from bike riders. More than 50 new miles of interior streets and roads will be impacted by new bike lanes, safety markings and related equipment. But, what is less apparent is how these changes will impact parking, automobiles and other users of our streets – as these new bikeable miles are all contained within Somerville’s very small footprint of 4.2 square miles.