By Erica Dakin Voolich

In previous years in October, I’d be telling you about teams, each of three students, arriving at the gym at Tufts University for an engineering challenge on a Sunday afternoon. Well, guess what happened with Scrapheap in the pandemic. No such event was possible.

Our hearts go out to the Ferro family. Our own photographer, Claudia Ferro, and her family lost their home last week to a fire. The community has been stepping in and helping them out however they can, and for that the family expressed how grateful and overwhelmed with happiness they are towards everyone. If you would like to help out, a gofundme fundraiser for Claudia Ferro page has been set up by their granddaughter, Arianna Andujar: https://gofund.me/a0fcdde3. It also gives an address where things can be dropped off. They will be publishing a thank you in our paper once things settle down, but they wanted us to share how grateful they are for all the help.

— Photo © charmedlightph / iStock via Getty Images Plus

With nearly half of all Americans employed by a small business, these establishments need our support more than ever.

According to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, 46 percent of business owners surveyed have seen a drop in revenue over the past 12 months, with some entrepreneurs seeing even more severe impact.

The following press release was issued on December 23, 2020:

Dear SPS Parents and Guardians,

As we prepare for the Winter Break, we want to provide you with an update of the building ventilation work and school reopening plans as shared at Monday night’s School Committee meeting (slides available here). We appreciate the work that Rich Raiche and his team at Somerville’s Department of Infrastructure and Asset Management (IAM) have done over the last several months to ensure that our school buildings are ready for a safe reopening.

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Scratch made daily, Davis Square Donuts and Bagels offer specialty donuts like maple glazed bacon, Nutella filled, butternut crunch, chocolate glazed, old fashioned jelly, Bavarian Cream and more. The maple glazed bacon donut is light, airy and chewy, covered with a sweet maple glaze topped with salty pieces of bacon. The butternut crunch features that old fashioned dense texture and flavor that will remind you of your childhood. The filled donuts are definitely filled to maximum capacity and you’re sure to get a taste of whatever filling you choose in every bite.

What a relief to have 2020 behind us, right? Well…

To a certain extent, we can certainly breathe a collective sigh of relief. But to be realistic, our problems are far from being totally behind us.

Without meaning to be a wet blanket, we must also acknowledge that there are many challenges and issues held over from last year that must be met with resolve and smart behavior.

Arrests:
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Carmelo Maldanado, of Boston, December 24, 9:40 p.m., arrested at Mt. Vernon St. on warrant charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a burglarious instrument, and attempt to commit a crime.

Keyshawn Huggins, of Weymouth, December 31, 8:39 a.m., arrested at Washington St. on warrant charges of possession of ammunition without FID card, carrying a firearm without a license, drug possession to distribute, and possession of a large capacity firearm.

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The year 1980. The city of Revere. It is a coastal town right outside of Boston, but the Hub’s skyline looks like OZ to the denizens of this gone-to-seed burg.

Carey, who is originally from Revere, knows the walk and can talk the talk. He is able to catch the bullshit banter of the barroom, and the invective from the numerous poseurs, thugs and cops, that circle each other in a compost heap of their own making. Carey’s brutal dialogue reminds me of my favorite Boston crime writers – the late George Higgins (The Friends of Eddie Coyle).

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Our poet this week is Adrian Shaw. Adrian writes us from England: Adrian’s poetic enquiries have been recently collated into a collection of two volumes, and the final one of this trilogy is, at present, unfolding.

The arts editor of Somerville’s Ibbetson Street magazine, Jennifer Matthews, has released a new music video this week, entitled Exploding Stars. Matthews, a gifted and accomplished singer/songwriter, appears in the video dancing in a diaphanous blue gown, her hands uplifted to the sky, the raining light and to the wonders of the universe.