The City of Somerville and Somerville Public Schools has decided to try reopening the schools this fall under specific guidelines that are currently being worked out. Some are wary that it is too soon and there is still too much risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus, while others argue that keeping kids out of school is detrimental to their development and an unnecessary burden on their parents and guardians. We can only trust that the city will come up with a plan that is safe and sustainable. What do you think about it?

— Photos by Bob McWatters

The Jeanne Jugan Residence Advisory Board for the Little Sisters of the Poor sent the nuns off to their Provincial Residence in Queens, NY, in grand style on Sunday.

Tufts University is reconstructing the tennis court area on Professor Row to make way for portable dorms to be used as a separation area for any students who may contract Covid-19.

The city’s decision to reopen the public schools this fall has been met with mixed reactions. While some praise the move as being an important step towards regaining a modicum of normalcy after months of social isolation, others wonder if it is too soon to be throwing kids and teachers together so closely at this time.

Public officials assure us that extreme measures will be taken to assure the safety of students, teachers and families as the school year gets underway. The exact procedures that will be implemented are still being discussed and examined, so nothing has yet been set in stone. It is a work in progress.

— Photo courtesy of Somerville Firefighters Local 76

On Monday morning, Somerville Firefighters Local 76 received a much needed delivery of medical gloves from the Massachusetts National Guard. The department extends its gratitude to the Guard for delivering this essential PPE.

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Jacob Kramer met me at my perch in the backroom of the Bloc 11 Cafe in Union Square, Somerville. The fireplace was on full blast – to foil the frigid winter winds just outside the window. Kramer, is a youngish man with a scruffy beard, and wears his long hair in a ponytail. I noticed something wide and child-like in his eyes – undoubtedly some seminal flame that still burns with a kid’s wonder.

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David Donna is a software engineer living in Somerville, and ought not to be taken seriously.

The Somerville Arts Council recently released the application for Artist Housing Certification for newly constructed live/work units at the new Powder House/MarKa development. The certification application and further details are available online at somervilleartscouncil.org/certification.

Three Town Halls to focus on Covid-19 Planning for Somerville Public Schools   

The Somerville Public Schools and the City of Somerville will be jointly hosting three upcoming (not four) online School Planning Town Halls (two in English, one multilingual) on local efforts to prepare for the 2020/2021 school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, due to the pandemic, the Somerville School Committee will be holding two additional summertime meetings.  

— Photo by Bobbie Toner

Somerville’s Shared Streets initiative will roll out new routes starting Friday, July 31. Shared Streets open up low-volume or residential side-streets to pedestrians, cyclists, and other users while still allowing vehicle access for residents who live on the street or who need to use the street to get to their homes, their guests, and service vehicles such as first responders, delivery drivers, sanitation trucks, and street sweepers.