By Jim Clark

A Somerville Police officer was dispatched to Assembly Row last week on reports of a shoplifter who fled the Adidas store. 

The officer entered the nearby Puma store and observed a male fitting the description provided standing at the register.

Upon seeing the officer, the man reportedly dropped the item he had in his hand and attempted to leave the store.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I figured if we always talk about the old days, we need to talk about one of our favorite past times, well mine anyway, and that’s watching old TV shows.

I have mastered the art of maneuvering my remote without having to look at it! That’s how much TV I watch. All I ever wanted to do was stay home and watch TV and now I can do it since I retired a few years ago.

The City of Somerville’s Treasury Department launched Citizen Self-Service (CSS), an online tool that allows residents to look up and access bill information. Residents can now view real estate tax bills, water and sewer bills, and personal property tax bills online, in real time, 24/7. CSS also allows residents to see official city records and check their payment history directly,  and it links to City Hall Systems, the city’s online payment vendor, enabling easy payment access that is safe, secure, and free of charge if a checking account is used as the payment method.

Completion of the new Somerville High School athletic field has been pushed to early 2023, due to issues related to removal of asbestos in the field’s soil.

By Joe Creason

The City Council held a regular meeting on Thursday September, 23.

Upon the Mayor’s request, the ARPA Director and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) were given an opportunity to provide the City Council with an overview of the American Rescue Plan Act. This piece of federal legislation was signed into law on March 11, 2021 in response to the economic and public health crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

After going dark for the past 18 months, the Somerville Theatre has reopened, featuring a newly renovated interior.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

On September 17, the Somerville Theatre’s Instagram website released a new post with the caption, “Did you miss us? We’re back! Starting today we’re showing LAST NIGHT IN ROZZIE, PIG, and CRY MACHO.”

After closing on March 15, 2020 more than 18 months ago, the theater opened its door for their first screenings since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our city and region lost a loving friend, precious asset, and shrewdly subtle leader last week. Gina Foglia was an exceptional soul who took enormous delight in the natural world, in other humans, and in integrating the two. Her persistent efforts to enrich the built environment with nature’s gifts produced a legacy that may be viewed throughout Somerville.

Two popular Somerville Arts Council events – PorchFest and the Ignite! Global Food and Fire Festival – are happening Saturday, October 2 (rain date Sunday, October 3). PorchFest musicians of most genres you have heard – and probably a few you haven’t – will be playing live music around the city on porches and in yards between noon and 6:00 p.m. Performers will be given a time to play based on where they are located: west of Willow Avenue performs from noon to 2:00 p.m., between Willow Avenue and Central Street performs from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and east of Central Street performs from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. A full list of performers and a map of performer locations is available at somervilleartscouncil.org. There is also still time to sign up to play PorchFest. Registration is open on the Somerville Arts Council’s website until Thursday, September 30.

— Photos by Eileen Qiu and Union Square Main Streets.

By Eileen Qiu

Let’s take a trip back to 1917, when a man from Somerville who went by the name Archibald Query went door to door selling a sweet white fluffy confectionary cream.

Query lost interest in his business after facing hardships from WWI and sold his recipe to Harold Durkee and Fred Mower for $500. Durkee and Mower started making batches in a kitchen at night and selling them during the day, catalyzing the creation of Marshmallow Fluff in 1920.

*

This past week I harvested two cups of jalapeños from the garden and decided to pickle them to preserve them a bit longer. I made a black bean soup and topped it with guacamole and the pickled jalapeños. They are also great in salads, sandwiches, and wherever else you want to add a burst of heat and flavor.