The city has been exploring the idea of operating a “supervised consumption site” in the city, to help lower the instances of death and serious injuries to those who use hard drugs, such as opioids and other substances that are injected intravenously.

The idea is to provide a safe, clean place where users can inject their drugs under medical supervision, without fear of interference by law enforcement personnel.

Josephine Rizzo recently received the Joe Carr “Spirit of Life” Scholarship from the Medford Rotary Club. Josephine is the daughter of Joseph Rizzo, an employee in the Information Technology Department for the City of Somerville. Pictured here is Joseph and Josephine with Mayor Brianna Lungo. Other scholarship recipients are: Leo McCabe Memorial Scholarship – Ruby Piscatelli; John C. Kirwan Memorial Scholarship – Jack Benoit and Rian Benoit; Medford Rotary Leadership Award – Amy Orcutt, Mark Egitto; “Service Above Self” Scholarship – Talia Ritchie, Charles; Oxnard Citizenship Award – Tyler Lam; and Joseph Mahoney Scholarship – Elizabeth Lazzaro.

Former Somerville Aldermen Bob Mcwatters and Bob Trane stopped by City Hall to wish outgoing City Clerk John Long well wishes on his retirement. John Long received a citation from the city at the last Council meeting, which partly read: “John Long is retiring after more than three decades of dedicated service to the City of Somerville. During his tenure, John served as Clerk of Committees for 7 years, Assistant Clerk of Committees for 3 years and as City Clerk for more than 20 years, serving under 5 Mayors and working with a total of 37 Aldermen/City Councilors.”

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I caught up with the multi-faceted Joshua Sariñana to talk about his new project with the Somerville Arts Council, titled Through These Realities, that will seek six local poets and photographers of color, who will create a series of images, inspired by prompt-guided poetry from poets.

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Lynne Zika’s poetry has appeared in numerous literary publications: Poetry East, Exquisite Corpse, The Anthology of American Poets, etc. She has written for newspaper and radio and for trade and consumer magazines. In addition to editing poetry and nonfiction, she worked as a closed-captioning editor for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. She received a Pacificus Foundation Literary Award in short fiction, and her photography has received the Celebrity Award and the 2020 Choice Award from Viewbug.

During the height of tonight’s heavy rain and thunderstorms, Somerville Police and Fire, State Police and Cataldo Ambulance responded to the boat house on Shore Drive. Initial reports where one person was pulled out by the police department. 

A second victim was reported still missing in a kayak. Shortly thereafter the second victim was also taken out of the water.

A town hall meeting focused on the potential impacts of a supervised consumption site (SCS) on neighbors and businesses originally planned for Tuesday, July 27, has been postponed to Thursday, August 12 at 6 p.m.

Where’s the “Equity” for our dining workers?

The Tufts Labor Coalition will be organizing a rally in front of Dewick Macphie Dining Hall on Tufts University campus on Friday, July 30^th at 3 p.m. Attending the rally will be Tufts Dining workers, Somerville and Medford community members and organizations, Tufts students, and local elected officials. Speakers will include workers, students, and community members. The rally will serve as a way to stand in solidarity with Tufts Dining workers as they demand that the Tufts administration either pay them during Summer 2021 or allow them to collect unemployment insurance until the Fall Semester.

A walk-in clinic for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be held Tuesday, July 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the City Hall Annex at 50 Evergreen Ave. No registration is necessary, but if you prefer, you can pre-register at somervillema.gov/vaccine. The clinic is free, and open to all people 12 years or older, regardless of immigration status or health insurance. Identification is not required. All minors must have parent or guardian permission. Anyone 12-15 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Permission forms will be available onsite, or you can download one here. If you need assistance, please call 311 (617-666-3311).