New Fire Department deputy and district chiefs cars were recently spotted on display in Somerville.

Eagle Feathers #203 – The French American

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

His father was a Huguenot, born outside Bordeaux, France. He arrived alone in Boston by way of Guernsey, England when he was only 13 years, old with not much more than his name, Apollos Rivoire. The young man worked hard learning the gold and silversmith trades. He changed his name to appease the English vernacular, and subsequently passed it and his shop on to his eldest son, the patriot Paul Revere.

It can sometimes seem overwhelming, keeping up with all the latest orders and advisories that are issued as we all deal with the daunting task of protecting ourselves and others against the further spread of the COVID-19 virus.

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Weaponized

Review by Off the Shelf Correspondent Ed Meek

Poetry is always the subject of the poem
— Rowan Ricardo Phillips

I had NPR on in the fall and I heard poem called Violins read by Rowan Ricardo Phillips. I loved the sound of it. Words are repeated and then rhymed and off-rhymed linking sounds and concepts and combining jarring images and language. The poem ends with a date: 1916 and it expresses a bold vision of the 20th century. It’s the best poem in Phillips’ new collection. It begins, “He never saw a violin. / But he saw a lifetime of violence.” Right away Phillips makes this unlikely association of violins and violence – an apt comment on our current era of privilege and Black Lives Matter. He goes on:

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Kaleigh Putnam is a senior from Connecticut attending Endicott College and pursuing a degree in Sport Management. A four-year member of the Women’s Basketball Team she is currently finishing up her last year of classes. She is taking Creative Writing 101 to develop writing skills she hopes to take her into her career.

Somerville residents, workers, and families of SPS school students can apply for assistance

Applications for support are now being accepted for the donation-funded Somerville Cares Fund jointly launched by Mayor Joe Curtatone, the United Way, and the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS). The Somerville Cares Fund will provide emergency financial assistance to individuals and families during the COVID-19 public health crisis to meet needs such as food, housing, medicine, funeral costs, and other essential expenses. 

A new community-wide COVID-19 mitigation program for testing, tracking, contact tracing, and safe social isolation for Somerville residents was announced today by Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) CEO Assaad Sayah, MD, and Doug Kress, of the Somerville Board of Health. 

Cherish Health, a Cambridge technology innovator that pioneers solutions to improve lives and enable care using advanced sensors, artificial intelligence, medical evidence, and human touch, and its non-profit partner, Health eVillages, a global organization that provides medical resources such as mobile technology, training, and apps to low-resource settings, are launching their broad partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic with a program that will monitor and support the health care needs of formerly homeless veterans.

Message from Mayor Joe Curtatone:

To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Board of Health and I have issued a new order to require face coverings to be worn at all times in public. This order applies to anyone age two or older when in any public indoor or outdoor space. This will go into effect on Wednesday, April 29, but there will be a one-week grace period to allow time to comply.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced the launch of a new dedicated text line for victims.  This line will provide victims with direct access to a victim witness advocate via text message.  The line provides the opportunity for victims in non-emergency situations to have live interaction with an advocate in the District Attorney’s Office without having to say a word. This is a valuable tool both for individuals who may feel safer utilizing text and for young people who often prefer text to phone call. Recognizing that many victims are reaching out with questions regarding personal matters, this line provides a person-to-person connection, which can help alleviate the stress of navigating the criminal justice system.