By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched Third Ave. location last Sunday evening on reports of a large car group.

According to reports, over the course of the previous two Saturday evenings there had been similar calls for service to this area.

Upon arrival in the area, officers encountered approximately 400 cars lined up on both sides of the street and in private parking lots along Inner Belt Rd.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

This article was originally published on March 8, 2014.

In 2009, I did a story about shopping in Davis Square. Someone left this comment: “I had a relative, Hyman Kimmel, who owned a store called Mickey Finn’s in Somerville. Do you know how I could find more data about this store or the owner?”

Teachers, administrators and civic leaders are currently hammering out a plan to get kids back in school this fall.

By Rachel Berets

Five weeks before the school year is set to begin, the Somerville Teachers Association (STA) and the district are debating the safest and most effective way to start teaching in September amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

At a Town Hall on Wednesday July 29, the Mayor of Somerville, Joe Curtatone, Superintendent Mary Skipper, and other administrators presented an update on the Somerville Public Schools Reopening Plan.

On a cloudy day in June, a young man holds his Black Lives Matter sign at Powder House Square.

By Alberto Gilman

The pandemic is proving to be a challenge for the few Black-owned restaurants in Somerville, but the Black Lives Matter movement has created a new sense of direction.

Across the country, the outpouring of support for the African American community through the Black Lives Matter movement has brought about reform and change to the social landscape. Cities and smaller towns all over, including Somerville, have taken part in supporting one another through this difficult time.

The end of the additional $600 per week unemployment benefit will likely create new financial hardship for people in our community. If you’re lucky enough to have some extra money, please consider a donation to the Somerville Cares Fund. This donation-based fund provides direct assistance to Somerville residents, workers, and parents of school children so that they can cover basic expenses like housing, food, and utility bills. If you’re unable to donate you can still help by sharing information about the Somerville Cares Fund with your friends and family.

(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)

Dear Somerville School Committee and Somerville Teachers Association,

We are Somerville parents of PK-high school students. We work in education, science, public health, and medicine. Using published scientific evidence as our guide, we ask that Somerville prioritize an option for the return of our most vulnerable students to the physical classroom setting. We support the option of remote learning for any family that chooses it, and we stress that our most vulnerable students – including elementary aged children, children with special needs, and English learners – deserve the chance to go back to school in-person. This matters not only for our children, but for all children in Somerville. Although we may not represent all vulnerable children within the city, we value and are focusing here on equity for all students.

Before and after the renovation at 18 Billingham St.

By Marian Berkowitz

In 2015, Dylan and Jamie Welsh noticed an old single-family Victorian period house for sale on Billingham Street just outside Davis Square where Dylan is involved in the hospitality field. Even though the property had been renovated in the past, it had been on the market for some time and clearly needed a lot of work.

— Photos by Bobbie Toner

Stop & Shop workers rallied Saturday August 1, 2020 at the Stop & Shop at McGrath Highway in Somerville. Workers are demanding their hazard pay be reinstated. Workers, members of the community, union leaders, political supporters such as Joe Kennedy III and Somerville City Councilor Kristen Strezo came out Saturday to demand hazard pay be reinstated to the workers, hazard pay was stopped on July 4.

Eagle Feathers #210 – Our Mystic Shores

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The seven-mile Mystic River meanders down from the lower Mystic Lake into Boston’s historic harbor. She flows immersed in her own American history. Some say the name Mystic is gleaned from the Native American language.

Even though the summer weather is enticing and it draws us out into the open for social and athletic activities, it is important to remember that the risk of catching the COVID-19 virus is still very real.

More than ever, it is important to follow the established safety guidelines as we continue our efforts to flatten the curve, lower infection rates and ultimately defeat the scourge that has rendered our lives heavily restricted and our patience taxed to the very limits.