Join Ben Ewen-Campen, Ward 3 and SMC’s Joe Lynch for their city council update.

Among the agenda items addressed at the latest meeting of the City Council Legislative Matters Committee was discussions pertaining to police officer hiring policies.

By Joe Creason

The Legislative Matters Committee held a meeting on Wednesday, March 18, to discuss pending issues on the city’s agenda. Many of the Committee items being discussed this past week focused topics of public safety, health and the police.

Disposal of fats, oils and grease – such as those produced by restaurants and other sources – was a major topic undertaken by the city’s Board of Health at their latest meeting.

By Max Eidelman

Somerville’s Board of Health met for a virtual meeting this past Thursday, March 18.

The bulk of the meeting addressed the city’s FOG (fats, oils, grease) regulation. Per the EPA’s website, “Grease from restaurants, homes, and industrial sources are the most common cause (47%) of reported blockages” in sewage systems.

Spring has finally sprung in Somerville and elsewhere, so here’s to hoping that in the months to come we can all begin to enjoy a return to something more akin to the kind of living that we are accustomed to. May one and all stay safe, remain patient, and keep looking forward to better days. They are on their way.

(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)

One bright spot over the past twelve months of COVID-19 has been the expansion of outdoor dining. It has made Davis Square a better place and kept some of our businesses alive. This success has shown that traffic does calm, and pedestrian safety is improved when outdoor space is prioritized for people.

One of the finer benefits of New England living is standing witness to the massive explosion of nature’s rebirth and renewal, seemingly amplified here. Grass, trees, wildlife and flowers seems to go forth and multiply at an astounding rate, as if on cue to the call for “Action!”

How nice it will be to stroll through a park and feed a few squirrels. To replant a garden plot and watch as life springs forth. Or to take the family on a weekend getaway to the beach or mountains.

Eagle Feathers #226 – City of Homes

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Through the years, Somerville has often been called The City of Seven Hills. This was a misnomer, because in reality, there were fourteen hills, remembered over time by twenty-eight different names.

Darryl Vincent Tatum
December 12, 1961 to January 29, 2021
Somerville, MA

A colorful, spirited, compassionate and loving person has gone to meet his Maker and our ancestors. Darryl will be greatly missed in many realms for many reasons. Darryl lived in the South End and Back Bay neighborhoods of Boston for the first two thirds of his life. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1980. He also, attended Northeastern University. Darryl found his passion in music production and programming. And did he have the voice for that profession! He worked at various radio stations around the country including WRBB, and the former WILD, as well as, on a Gospel radio station in Louisiana. He worked with Mel King at the South End Technology Center as well as an instructor for an internet-based radio platform. Darryl was all things music. He was a giving man. He always wanted to help; and he would. He was a people person. Along his life’s journey and daily adventures, he met and made friends just about everywhere he went.

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Andreza Moon is a multidisciplinary artist based in Somerville since 2003. She is originally from Brazil. She told The Times, “I am a face and body painter, actress, circus performer and theater producer. I have already won nine awards because of my work. I also received a citation from the House of Representatives of the State of Massachusetts, for my dedication to the arts and Brazilian culture.”