By Jim Clark

A Somerville Police officer was dispatched to the Target store on Somerville Ave. last Thursday on reports of a shoplifter.

Upon arrival, the officer was met by a Target Loss Prevention representative who said that an individual, later identified as Mark Rankin, of Boston, came into the store, grabbed a prepaid cell phone and a backpack, and exited the store without paying. The officer took the reported and left the store.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

This article was first published on September 2, 2009.

It’s that time of year again. Reading and writing and ‘arithmetic. This time of year used to make me sick. When I heard those commercials like “before you go back to school, go to Zayres,” my stomach cringed. It also seemed that we always discovered something really cool right at the end of the summer that was now cut short by school. One year it was extending the forks on our bikes, another year it was hanging out with a new group of girls on the next street. Sometimes it was playing football or Frisbee, but school always goofed it up. I spoke to a few of my friends who, like me, still get a nervous ache in their stomach whenever the beginning of the school year starts.

While Advesa MA was granted a marijuana retailer license by the Licensing Commission, a number of provisional conditions are yet to be met before their doors can open.

By Joe Creason

In an August 2 special meeting, the Licensing Commission granted the owners of Advesa MA a major step on their way to establishing a recreational cannabis dispensary in Somerville. The Commission awarded the Economic Empowerment priority applicants a marijuana retailer license, with several conditions, including that they must first receive a long list of approvals from other Somerville entities before the license is issued.

The Healthy Soil chapter of Mothers Out Front will host a movie night on September 14 spotlighting climate change issues. — Photo courtesy of Mothers Out Front

By Bella Levavi

Chapters of the national organization, Mothers Out Front, are working in Somerville, devoting their time and expertise to fighting climate change at the local level.

The organization started in Somerville and Cambridge in 2012 when one mother had the idea to include mothers in the climate change conversation. Now there are 20 local chapters in Massachusetts, and the organization has mothers fighting in 20 states across the country.

All of us here at The Somerville Times want to wish everyone a happy and safe Labor Day weekend. As summer transitions into fall, we want everyone to keep looking forward to the better times ahead. May the troubles of the past soon be far behind us.

Somerville Human Rights Commission Co-Commissioner Christopher Spicer-Hankle.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

On Thursday, August 26, the Somerville Human Rights Commission held a monthly virtual meeting focusing on the overall functioning of the commission.

The meeting, hosted by Commissioners Christopher Spicer-Hankle and Lara Versari, mainly concentrated on the pressing need for an Executive Director for the Human Rights Commission.

How much do we love summer? It’s certain that we all feel varying degrees of enthusiasm for the season. Some may live to revel in the warm sunshine, while others might prefer a cooler climate, even to the extent of pining for snowy picture-postcard scenes straight out of Currier and Ives.

Something that we should all be able to agree on is the fact that the nice weather sure makes it easier to get around to do fun and exciting things. Whether visiting friends and family – within the confines of COVID-19 guidelines – going to the seashore or nearby woodlands, there is plenty to do here in this beautiful and environmentally diverse part of the world.

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I was introduced to a dessert called magas a couple of weeks ago. A friend came over for a visit and brought a few of these sweet squares to try. I was instantly intrigued by this flavor profile and I asked how they were made. I was lucky enough to have a lesson from my neighbor, Shakuntla Patel, who was kind enough to share this recipe. It’s a common dessert of Gujarat in North East India. It has a nutty and buttery flavor and is best described as a fudge that is rich, dense and sweet.

Arrests:
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Emmanuel Robles, of Boston, August 24, 3:23 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on warrant charges of larceny under $1200, shoplifting by asportation, trespassing, and possession of a class A drug.

Mark Rankin, of Everett, August 26, 5:23 p.m., arrested at Somerville Ave. on a charge of shoplifting by concealing merchandise.