By Kyle Dante

Housing is not easy to come by in any location. Several external factors make housing hard to access. The most prominent reason is income. Other factors include family size and background information. Among the demographics besides income assessed are race and ethnicity, age, and disability.

Somerville’s Board of Health unanimously approved the city’s proposed extension of the eviction moratorium. The moratorium now has a 60-day sunset period and will end on June 30. The city urges tenants and homeowners to use this period to seek assistance if they are facing housing instability. The Office of Housing Stability (OHS) is ready to help and can be reached at 617-625-6600 ext. 2581. Landlords are encouraged to contact OHS on a tenant’s behalf rather than pursuing eviction. For more information, visit somervillema.gov/ohs

Eagle Feathers #252 – The North Coast

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The City of Medford makes up most of the northern border of Somerville and is one of the oldest settlements in the United States. She was originally known as Mistick or Meadford on ancient maps. Her founding in 1630 was the same year as our capital City of Boston and was two years after the 1628 settlement of Charlestown/Somerville.

Many have been complaining for some time now about the lack of adequate parking spaces in the city. And it seems for some that the number of available spaces continues to dwindle as time marches on.

It used to be only the motor vehicle operators who raised their voices in dismay, but lately even bicycle riders have noticed that it’s getting increasingly harder to find a place to lock up while stopping in the city for some shopping, café haunting, or just hanging around.

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Many a Somerville poet has visited and been nurtured by the Grolier Poetry Book Shop. I decided to rerun this article because the former owner of the shop, Louisa Solano passed on April 20, 2022. This is an interview I conducted with Louisa Solano shortly after she sold the Grolier. It appeared in Circle Magazine.

The acclaimed poet Donald Hall said of The Grolier Poetry Bookshop, “It is the greatest poetry place in the universe.” And this may not be hyperbole. Founded in 1927 by Gordon Cairnie, and Adrian Gambet, it was the first bookstore in the Cambridge area to sell James Joyce’s Ulysses.

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Dakota Svec is now a freshman communications major at Endicott College. She’s always had a love for writing and is just now starting to write creatively. She hopes to continue to grow and get more of her work published.

Today, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui of Cambridge and Mayor Katjana Ballantyne of Somerville announced their support for Tanisha Sullivan in her race for Secretary of State. 

“Mayor Siddiqui and Mayor Ballantyne have been at the forefront of efforts to make Cambridge and Somerville more equitable, more inclusive, and more vibrant,” said Sullivan. “I’m proud to have them with us in this campaign, and look forward to working alongside them as an engaged, proactive partner in the Secretary of State’s office, to bring more people into our democracy, ensure transparency and accountability, and expand economic opportunity for residents in Cambridge, Somerville, and beyond.” 

Open Positions: One; Term: Three years

The Somerville Public Library Board of Trustees seeks one new member, and all Somerville residents are invited to apply. Boards and commissions offer an opportunity for residents with a range of experience, skills, expertise, and perspectives to share their talents and insights with their community.

Project Bread’s 54^th Walk for Hunger (virtual) Sunday, May 1

On Sunday, May 1, Project Bread’s 54^th Walk for Hunger will raise more than $1 million to help get food assistance to kids and families across the Commonwealth.

The 2022 fundraiser will be the third event to be celebrated virtually, with a Facebook livestream from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and participants walking in their own neighborhoods throughout the day. Money raised through the virtual Walk is funding Project Bread’s urgent mission to ensure kids have reliable access to food, to directly help individuals and families, and to advocate at the state and federal levels for expedited and efficient relief for those in need. Funds will also support community organizations that are helping people access food locally and ensuring communities have the resources necessary to respond to the hunger crisis now and over the long road to recovery ahead. Likeminded organizations that fundraise as part of The Commonwealth program by forming teams can raise money to support their own work, while also furthering the statewide effort, keeping 60 percent of all funds they raise. 

East Somerville Main Streets is seeking street artists for a mural on the front of the building at Connexion, 149 Broadway.

ESMS and Connexion seek a mural that will celebrate the diversity of the East Somerville community. East Somerville is the most diverse neighborhood in Somerville, with over 35% of residents born outside of the United States, and with large Brazilian, Central American, and Haitian communities. Additionally, nearly 80% of East Somerville businesses are immigrant owned.