Rafi Properties, Owner and Operator of Somernova, announced that Mimi’s Chūka Diner celebrated its grand opening in the Aeronaut Foods Hub at Somernova. Designed to be a welcoming neighborhood restaurant, Mimi’s Chūka Diner, founded by local Chefs Ted Woo and Jon Awerman, will bring Japanese-adapted Chinese cuisine (“chūka ryori”) blended with the American diner concept to Somerville.

*

Recently, I caught up with poet Ellen Steinbaum to interview her about her new collection, Leavings.

Steinbaum wrote me: “Leavings is my fifth collection and I’ve also written a one-person play. My work has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize and is included in anthologies including Garrison Keillor’s Good Poems, American Places; The Widows’ Handbook; A Mighty Room: A Collection of Poems Written in Emily Dickinson’s Bedroom; and Cavan Kerry’sWaiting Room Reader II. An award-winning journalist and former Boston Globe columnist, I write a blog, Reading and Writing and the Occasional Recipe, which can be found at my web site, ellensteinbaum.com.”

*

Emma Colmary is an aspiring author and illustrator of children’s literature and is currently attending her final semester at Endicott College. Her poetic and artistic works are closely tied to her appreciation for earthly and celestial wonder. She enjoys storytelling, glitter glue, and little trinkets.

The city is making repairs to the roof of its 90-92 Union Square building. This work, being led by the city’s Capital Project Division, is expected to begin later this week and continue through the spring. 

The building, a former firehouse that dates to the late 1880s, is in need of significant structural repair and was closed in August 2023 in the interest of public safety. Repairs to the roof are being undertaken as an interim measure to prevent further water damage to the structure from taking place. These repairs will necessitate the removal of the clock tower from the building. The clock faces and mechanisms will be retained for potential future use.  

Winter can stretch budgets to the breaking point. With increased costs for food, heating, housing, and transportation, many Massachusetts families are facing tough choices. If you or your family need help accessing food, don’t wait – call Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline today at 1-800-645-8333.

On Sunday, City Councilor At-Large Willie Burnley Jr announced his run for Mayor of Somerville. The prolific legislator has been a driving force for change since he was elected in 2021, passing a dozen laws that include expanding tenant rights, enhancing cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure with his Safe Streets Ordinance, ensuring police accountability, improving accessibility, reducing barriers to affordable housing, and creating first-of-its-kind protections for polyamorous residents.

Municipal Empowerment Act relieves administrative burdens, supports fiscal strength, and expands tools available to support communities 

Governor Maura Healey filed legislation to help local governments across Massachusetts reduce long-term fiscal pressures, attract a talented workforce, provide high-quality services, and streamline operations to best serve residents. Governor Healey announced her plan to refile the Municipal Empowerment Act last week, in tandem with a Chapter 90 reform bill the Governor filed to make meaningful investments in municipal transportation infrastructure.  

Denise Bergman, “Dangler #42,” paper, acrylic, glue, 2022

Abstract painter and Brickbottom Artists’ Building founding member Diane Novetsky has assembled a cohort of three inventive painters for a new exhibit of current abstraction at Brickbottom Gallery opening February 9 and running through February 28.