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Prior to the closure of restaurants, I really didn’t think much about making cocktails at home. I mean I had the basic liquors on hand like bourbon, gin, scotch, rum, Sambvca, homemade limoncello, and of course craft beer and wine for when I had people over for dinner and the holidays.

Arrests:
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Tevon Ngomba, August 3, 10:26 a.m., arrested at Temple St. on charges of carrying a firearm without a permit, trafficking heroin-morphine-opium, defacing firearm serial number, and use of a firearm in a felony.

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I caught up with Americas Musicworks founder Rebecca DeLamotte. She talked about her music agency, her artists, and her mission.

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Jacques Fleury is a Haitian-American Poet, Author, Educator and a graduate studies student at Harvard University online. His book Chain Letter to America: The One Thing You Can Do to End Racism, A Collection of Essays, Fiction and Poetry Celebrating Multiculturalism is available at The Harvard Book Store and Amazon.

This summer, Somerville Prevention Services is hosting a series of free virtual presentations about a range of substance use prevention topics as one way to continue to educate and support community members during the coronavirus pandemic. Session themes include tobacco/nicotine, marijuana, problem gambling, anger management in recovery, and alcohol. Upcoming presentations will be held August 13, August 20, and August 27 at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom. Visit somervillema.gov/preventionservices shortly before the meeting to join live. Each session will also be recorded and posted online following the presentation. For more information, please visit somervillema.gov/preventionservices.

Today, Mayors Joseph A. Curtatone of Somerville and Breanna Lungo-Koehn of Medford sent the following letter to Tufts University President Anthony Monaco regarding the university’s reopening plan:

Reminds residents about additional upcoming election dates and vote by mail

The City of Somerville will hold seven days of early voting ahead of the Tuesday, September 1, primary elections. All early voting will take place at Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., and the schedule is as follows:

There is still time to fill out the 2020 U.S. Census – and the time is now. Census takers have begun visiting Somerville homes that have not yet completed the Census. Census takers will be wearing PPE and taking safety precautions, but the safest way to complete the Census (and avoid a visit) is to respond on your own at my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020. You can always verify the identity of a Census worker by calling the local Census office at 212-882-7100.

Volunteer Sasi Muthurajan packs boxes of shelf stable meals for delivery to at-risk older adults at Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services on July 29. Each box contained seven meals.

By Nathan Lamb

Volunteers braved a heatwave on July 27 to help Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) deliver 840 shelf-stable meals to older adults at risk for food insecurity.

Plan proposes community-driven redevelopment of vacant Star Market lot and nearby properties

The City released a draft Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan today, following a year of public meetings, online engagement, and community conversations about the future of the vacant Star Market site. The Plan proposes that the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) take a 2.8-acre area that includes the Star Market, Walgreens, and two buildings at the corner of Temple St and Broadway for the purpose of creating more green open space, affordable housing, and a mixed-use development. Community members are welcome to submit feedback on the draft to the SRA, who will vote on the approval of the plan no earlier than September.