The City of Somerville’s SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs (SOIA) is pleased to host an open house to connect with residents, city staff, and local service providers. SOIA provides multilingual, culturally competent programs and services and advances policies to support Somerville’s immigrant community. The open house is Thursday, January 26, from 12:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the SOIA office (42 Cross St.). The event will feature community resource tables and a series of presentations from SOIA staff, followed by a mix-and-mingle social hour: Haitian Creole: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., Portuguese: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., Nepali: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., Mandarin/Cantonese: 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., Spanish: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., Mix and Mingle: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Drop in at any time during the open house to speak with SOIA staff, learn more about available services, and meet your neighbors. For more information, email Courtney Henderson at chenderson@somervillema.gov.

(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)

As a 42-year resident of Somerville, I am excited for the future of this City and watching it reach its fullest potential through smart legislation and a modernized charter. As a member of “old school Somerville (Yikes!),” I also long for the continuation of those ingredients that have been deeply embedded in the soul of this City for decades. I realize the Goldilocks / perfect porridge expectation, but in this case, I truly believe it is possible.

There is a lot of history connected to the City of Somerville, and with it plenty of heroes to celebrate. One such individual is Medal of Honor recipient retired Navy Capt. Thomas Gunning Kelley, a current resident of the city.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Navy announced that the future guided-missile destroyer DDG-140 will be named after the 83-year-old Kelley, who received the Medal of Honor in 1970 for actions during the Vietnam War.

Eagle Feathers #271 – Medal of Honor   

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The first military medal bestowed by our government was a gold medal. It was awarded to a man who spent considerable time engaged in Charlestown/Somerville during the most crucial year of her history. It was bestowed upon general George Washington to commemorate the Evacuation of Boston by the British in 1776.

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The Somerville Arts Council (SAC) has announced that the mural panels that were created this summer by the Mystic River Mural Program have been installed by the Somerville Department of Public Works.

The new State Auditor Diana DiZoglio for Massachusetts was sworn in on January 18. DiZoglio posed with (L to R) Lieutenant Barry Hamilton, Former Alderman Bob McWatters, Deputy Chief Michael Avery and candidate for Somerville Firefighters Marc Atwater at her post-ceremony celebration.

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By Off the Shelf Correspondent Ed Meek

Irish feuds run like fissures through my family history. My younger brother fled to northern Maine thirty years ago and didn’t even come back for the funerals of our parents. He resented the criticism my parents leveled at him for not being the person they wanted him to be, and he resented my sisters and me for remaining close to our parents. My uncle Dan did not speak to my mother and father for ten years after his wife lost her engagement ring and my mother had the gall to give her sister a replacement. So, I was redisposed to identify when the musician Colm (Brendan Gleeson) picks a fight with his friend Padraic (Colin Farrell).

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Anne Elezabeth Pluto grew up in Brooklyn, NY before it was cool. She is Professor of Literature and Theatre at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA where she is the artistic director of the Oxford Street Players. She is an alumna of Shakespeare & Company and was a member of the Worcester Shakespeare Company 2011 – 2016. She was a member of the Boston small press scene in the late 1980s and is one of the founders and editors at Nixes Mate Review and Nixes Mate Books. Her publications include chapbooks: The Frog Princess, White Pine Press (1985), eBook Lubbock Electric, Argotist ebooks (2012), Benign Protection, Cervena Barva Press (2016), the edited print edition of Lubbock Electric Nixes Mate Books (2018), and full length collection The Deepest Part of Dark, Unlikely Stories Press, NOLA (2020).

Arrests:
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William Hancock, of Rehoboth, January 17, 12:17 p.m., arrested at Mystic Ave. on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon and on warrant charges of possession of a class B drug and receiving stolen property.