Ensuring an equitable and prosperous recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is the city’s top priority. To do that, we need your help. Get involved today to help set the city’s priorities for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. To get the conversation started, please join us for a Virtual Forum on ARPA Funding on Wednesday, October 27, at 7:00 p.m.

By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to the 1 Davis Square area last Friday on reports of a motor vehicle accident.

Upon arrival, the officers discovered two motor vehicles in the roadway at the intersection of College Ave. and Elm St.

One vehicle was facing the wrong direction and headed north bound on College Ave. This particular south bound portion of College Ave is a one way. The other vehicle was facing the correct direction on College Ave.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Mom’s Beret, turtle neck, cigar ash goatees and you have instant Beatnik!

The worst part of trick or treating when we were kids was having to wear your clunky winter coat over your costume. We prayed for mild weather. The second worst thing was your parents refusing to spend money on a store-bought costume and forcing you to make one.

The Somerville High School Boys and Girls Cross Country teams traveled to the military base at Fort Devens last Saturday, to compete in the Fort Devens XC Invitational Challenge.

The Charter Review Committee continues its efforts to finalize the revised city charter through the next several weeks.

By Eileen Qiu

Language became the center of attention at last Thursday’s Charter Review Meeting as examination over article one and two of the charter draft drew conflicting opinions.

“One of the reasons why this is here, and it will probably come up in the transition position too, is to ensure that the ordinances are in harmony with the charter,” meeting member Elizabeth Corbo said. “In reviewing the charter every 10 years, if there are amendments in the charter, then that can be reflected in the next review”

City officials and members of the general public celebrated the reopening of the Healey School Tot-Lot last week.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

The Public Space and Urban Forestry Division of the City of Somerville hosted a ribbon cutting on Thursday. The occasion: the opening of a renovated Healey School Tot-Lot.

The ceremony was attended by Mayor of Somerville Joseph Curtatone, a handful of city government members, and members of the public.

Voters have until 8:00 p.m. today, Wednesday, October 13, to register to vote or update their voter information for the November 2 election. Massachusetts voters have the option to register online or via a paper form. To register by mail, call (617) 625-6600 ext. 4200 and request a form be mailed to you or download one from the Elections website, somervillema.gov/elections. Don’t forget that your form must be received by the Somerville Elections Department by 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

By William C. Shelton

Fourteen years ago, we published the following column by Bill Shelton in which he argued that we should not celebrate Christopher Columbus because his deeds were inimical to what is best in American history, law, and culture. This week the City of Somerville has chosen to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day instead.

There is so much in our past of which Americans can be justly proud, but that we never learn in school – stories of great courage, innovation, endurance, and self-sacrifice. At the same time, we celebrate stories that just aren’t true.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

The 16th annual HONK! Festival returned to the streets of Somerville last Saturday with its signature spirit of joy and justice in a new, hyperlocal format. The festival featured multiple neighborhood events cosponsored by grassroots community organizations across Greater Boston. HONK! performers joined activist groups in their own neighborhoods, playing music and raising awareness for arts and social justice causes. More than 15 local brass and percussion bands took to parks, squares, and street corners across Somerville, Boston, Cambridge, and Chelsea. The day kicked off at Somerville’s Seven Hills Park with a performance by the Second Line Brass Band and tributes to Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Somerville Olympian Phil Reavis, Sr. The Uncivil Servants, a new band featuring Mayor Curtatone and City of Somerville staffers played later in the evening.

“(Re)Sisters: Speaking Up, Speaking Out” exhibit.

By Michelle Tian

An unexpected attraction awaits at the Brickbottom Gallery, the (Re)Sisters: Speaking Up, Speaking Out exhibit. The gallery’s white walls are decorated with artistic pictures of uteruses, interpretations of the word “resistance” and an array of feminine accessories and clothing like purses and multi-colored dresses.