Every year we put out a call for Somerville residents to shop local during the holiday season. It’s a good practice that keeps your money circulating inside your community. Directing our spending money to local businesses is something each of us can do to make the world around us a better place. The local economy plays a big role in our quality of life.

Food-insecure communities are depending on several socially concerned nonprofit organizations to get them through the hard times they are contending with in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Max Eidelman

Despite the tumult of the past year, we still find ourselves in the season of giving right now. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that it is more important now than it has been in recent history to give to those in need.

Revolutionary Clinics check presentation (L to R: Jen Atwood – Executive Director of East Somerville Main Streets; Tom Schneider – CMO of Rev Clinics, Mike Kerwin, GM of Rev Clinics Somerville, Gary Perry, Community Outreach Manager Rev Clinics, Michael Libby, Executive Director or Somerville Homeless Coalition).

Revolutionary Clinics, one of the state’s leading providers of medical marijuana, is celebrating the three-year anniversary of its medical marijuana dispensary located at 67 Broadway, Somerville. Since opening on November 9, 2017 as the city’s second dispensary, the location has served over 160,000 patient visits. To mark the momentous occasion, Rev made $10,000 in contributions to be split among four local non-profits.

Eagle Feathers #219 – Pearl Harbor Week

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The riveting reality of the Japanese attack on our American fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, horrified our nation.

As we get into the snowy months of winter it’s good for all of us to make sure we understand what the odd-even rules are and where we stand this season.

Here is a reminder of what the city’s snow parking rules and guidelines are for the 20/21 winter season:

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Interview with Meia Geddes.

Off the Shelf correspondent Meia Geddes, a former Somerville resident, is the author of The Little Queen, a whimsical and wise epic that received a starred Kirkus review and was included on their “Best Indie Books” list. Actor Rosie Jones recently narrated The Little Queen to create a beautiful audiobook, good company for these pandemic times. Below is an interview with narrator Rosie Jones on the craft of audio and acting.

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Joshua Corwin, a Los Angeles native, is a neurodiverse, two Pushcart Prize, one Best of the Net nominated poet and Spillwords Press Publication of the Month winner. His collection Becoming Vulnerable (2020) details his experience with autism, addiction, sobriety and spirituality. Corwin has forthcoming collaborative poetry projects with Ellyn Maybe and David Dephy. He hosts the poetry podcast Assiduous Dust, writes for Oddball Magazine and teaches poetry at The Miracle Project, an autism nonprofit. www.joshuacorwin.com.

Arrests:
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Jason Ventolieri, December 4, 9:55 a.m., arrested at Franklin St. on warrant charges of shoplifting by asportation, possession of a burglarious instrument, and larceny from a building.

Somerville High School students in the National Honors Society with staff members Cynthia Massillon and Veronica Rowlinson held a Thanksgiving Food Drive for non-perishable food items and monetary donations that smashed previous records. Students were able to donate meal kits directly to families, donate food to a local pantry and give $1300 to the Clarendon and Mystic Housing Authority Toy Drive, an initiative Dean Massillon described as “close to home for the students.”

Open Positions: Eight positions available

Term: 12 months (anticipated)

Availability: Immediate

The City of Somerville is seeking community members to serve on a Charter Review Committee.