‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the Ville
There’s houses decorated on all seven hills

Civic Celebration to Be Held in Spring

Due to increasing public health concerns amid the current surge in COVID-19 cases locally and regionally, as well as the spread of the more infectious Omicron variant, Mayor-elect Katjana Ballantyne is moving Somerville’s January 3 Inaugural Ceremony to virtual and the reception will be postponed and transformed into a Civic Celebration in the spring. City Council President Matt McLaughlin and School Committee Chairperson Andre Green also announced that the swearing-in and City Council and School Committee Organizational Meetings that precede the Inaugural Ceremony will be held fully remotely and broadcast live. 

By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to the Polo store at Assembly Row last week on reports of a larceny.

Upon arrival, the officers were told that a man entered the store at approximately 10:12 a.m. and stole two coats, totaling $846.

When speaking to the store employees, they said that the individual took off in the direction of the MBTA station on Foley St. Police dispatch notified the Transit Police as well.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (center right) joins IBEW Local 103 at for a holiday toy drive event.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103 were joined by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Quincy Mayor Koch, Somerville Mayor-elect Katjana Ballantyne and Boston elected officials this weekend to pack up thousands of toys for donation to local families for the holidays.

— Photo courtesy of Google Street Maps.

By Eileen Qiu

New retail spaces, restaurants and other commercial spaces are all on the table for a residential and commercial development on Elm St. and Porter St.

Earlier in October, the Urban Design Commission hosted a meeting and heard Mouhab Rizkallah lay out his plans for a development on Elm St. and Porter St.

We understand almost two years of battling this disease has created COVID fatigue. Thanks to Somerville residents continually pulling together during this pandemic, our local case, hospitalization, and fatality numbers have run well behind state and national numbers. Your efforts have made a positive difference and saved lives. We will get to the other side of this. If we pull together, we can keep each other safer during this surge. So…

Here is the COVID-19 update for Wednesday, December 22. Please also check somervillema.gov/covid19 for information and resources that are updated often.  

The City of Somerville received 16,650 free at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits from the state that are being distributed via various channels to Somerville residents who have limited access to testing, limited means to purchase at-home tests, and are at high risk of exposure. 

Somerville’s outgoing and incoming mayors jointly announced the city’s first major allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars today, dedicating $9 million in funding to childcare, rental assistance, and a Universal Basic Income pilot project. This joint commitment by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Mayor-elect Katjana Ballantyne comes after the city’s initial round of community engagement seeking to identify priorities for ARPA funding.

Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone took time on Monday night to deliver his personal observations and well wishes to those gathered in person and online.

By Jim Clark

Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone gave a farewell address to the Somerville community in the brand-new Somerville High School auditorium on Monday evening.

Curtatone is wrapping up his ninth term as mayor this month, handing over the reins to his successor, Mayor-elect Katjana Ballantyne after the first of the year.

By Eileen Qiu

A comprehensive bicycle network plan with a goal to have 75 percent of work commutes happen without the use of cars in mind was discussed at a community meeting hosted by Director of Mobility Brad Rawson last Wednesday.

Surveys aimed at community engagement and cyclists were tasked with gathering data for reliable ways to get around and understand where the most practical areas for mobility are.