Cambridge Trust Vice President/Commercial Relationship Manager Maria Montgomery (second from left) and Sr. Vice President/Commercial Lending Brian Kelley (second from right) present a $5,000 check to SCES Home Care supervisor Alaudia Ramos (left) and Executive Director Paul Hollings. Kelley is also a member of the SCES Board of Directors.

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is pleased to announce that Cambridge Trust has pledged to match the first $5,000 of donations for the Little Necessities program this holiday season.

Little Necessities is a locally funded program that gives SCES the flexibility to meet essential needs that are not covered by government programs; a new mattress after a bedbug infestation; a microwave for someone who can no longer cook due to memory loss; or a gift card to purchase emergency groceries are just a few examples of how Little Necessities provides help.   

City and Somerville Public Schools officials announced Monday the launch of a public engagement campaign to bring greater attention to the challenges facing Somerville children and adolescents in mental health and social-emotional wellness, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I got my very first electric guitar on Christmas day 1966.I had asked for one the two previous Christmases so it was a pretty big deal. Other great gifts I got were The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour album and an Aurora model car racing set. What was your very favorite gift you received when you were a kid? Here’s a mash up of what some of my Somerville friends said. It reads like the longest Christmas gift list ever.

Kiwanis President Mernaysa Rivera-Bujosa and Program Chairman James Lynch display a couple of more than one hundred donated toys at the annual event.

On Thursday, December 9, the Kiwanis Club of Somerville were joined by members of the Somerville Lions Club and the Somerville Rotary Club for their annual combined luncheon meeting to support the Marine Corps Toys For Tots campaign.

Angelina “Angie” (Puma) Lepore, 93, of Medford passed away peacefully on December 6, 2021. Born on July 19, 1928 in Boston, she was the daughter of the late Paolo and Mattia Puma. Devoted wife of Dominic F. Lepore for 49 years, and loving mother of Ralph Lepore, both predeceased. Beloved sister to her twin brother Paul J. Puma Jr. of Leominster and his wife Rose Marie (Salvi) Puma, and the late Salvatore, Josephina, Louisa, John and Andrew. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Angie was kind, generous of heart and loving, and had a wonderful sense of humor. She will be deeply missed.

A pedestrian refuge island at the intersection of College Ave. and Kidder Ave. in Somerville. — Photos by Melina Nguyen

By Melina Nguyen

Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians travel every day on Somerville’s maze-like streets. According to some, the city haphazardly jumbles together commuters who walk, bike or drive, and pedestrians and cyclists face possible danger at every crosswalk.

By Jim Clark

At the latest meeting of the Somerville City Council on Thursday, December 9, a resolution was written and introduced by Councilor At-Large Kristen Strezo and unanimously approved by the Council in support of workers of Diesel Cafe, Bloc Cafe, and Forge Baking Company (as DBF United) and their goal to unionize.

As the holiday gift shopping season intensifies, it’s important to remember that our local merchants are depending on us all to do our best to shop local. With the challenges they have dealt with over the past year or so, many are struggling to stay in business. Let’s help them to get back to business and be here for us in days, months and years to come.