City offices will be closed on Wednesday January 1, for New Year’s Day.

Trash, recycling, and yard waste collection will be delayed by one day.

No street sweeping on Wednesday.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Museum are inviting community members to commemorate an iconic moment in American history at the 249th Annual Prospect Hill Flag Raising on January 1, 2025. On this date in 1776, General George Washington raised the first American flag atop Prospect Hill, marking a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War. Each New Year’s Day, the city honors this legacy with a community celebration. 

A Community Curator exhibition curated by Bruce Owens

January 16 – March  29, 2024

The Art of the Festival features photographs, cultural artifacts, and works of fine art and popular culture that tell the story of the largest festival of the Kathmandu Valley. Practiced for nearly 1,400 years, this festival is devoted to a rain god who is honored by both Hindus and Buddhists and is known by many names, Buṃgadyaḥ and Rāto Matysendranāth foremost among them. People of Kathmandu from all walks of life each play their part in creating a dramatic spectacle in which hundreds of people pull the deity in a towering chariot that is as precarious as it is massive. Their success or failure is tied to the fate of the country. The photographs at the core of this exhibition were taken by Bruce McCoy Owens over the past four decades and were shown by invitation in three major exhibitions in Nepal in 2016. Like the festival itself, the exhibit is a collaborative creation, and includes stories of people in the Somerville area who share their memories,  as well as objects, that hold special meaning in connection with Nepalese festivities.

Somerville Media Center will make the move to a newly renovated 4900 sqft community media facility at 29 Properzi Way in Somerville on January 3, 2025, after 16 months in a temporary location.  Our general contractor, Menemsha Solutions, is wrapping up 18 weeks of construction and proceeding with mechanical, electrical, and fire inspections this week.  Movers have been booked to transport equipment and resources from three remote storage facilities as well as pick up new furniture and fixtures purchased to fit our new space.  Community members can soon step into the first brand new facility this organization has offered since 1983.

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Mayor Katjana Ballantyne leads the city menorah lighting with Rabbi Eliana Jacobowitz and music from Councilor At Large Kristen Strezo and Deputy City Solicitor David Shapiro.

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Poet Daniel Kitmanyen writes: “I’m an Endicott College student in the class of 2026. I study environmental science and want to work in conservation. I love poetry because it’s a great way to express yourself.”

Host, Sarah Fishman speaks with Councilor At Large, Kristen Strezo, as they play skeeball at The Public Tavern on Broadway and pinball at Dragon’s Lair in Davis Square.

The MBTA today announced service changes in January on the Silver, Orange, Red, Newburyport/Rockport, and Haverhill lines.

The MBTA is in the process of finalizing its construction schedule for the 2025 calendar year. With the MBTA’s Track Improvement Program complete, work next year will focus on other critical priorities, including continuing to modernize the Red and Orange Line signal system to provide a more reliable trip for riders, accessibility upgrades, performing regular and necessary infrastructure maintenance, and more. The vast majority of work in 2025 will take place during weekends and evenings with some limited weekday outages. The MBTA will release more information about 2025 outages next month.

Community members are invited to a ceremonial Menorah Lighting event on the City Hall concourse (93 Highland Ave.) on Deecember 26 at 6 p.m.  Enjoy traditional songs and sing-alongs. Special gifts will be available for children and light refreshments will be served. The Menorah will be lit each night of Hanukkah.