21,000 ready-to-eat meals provided to residents
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Somerville Public Schools and the City’s Emergency Food Pantry are serving a growing number of residents each week.

This week the City of Somerville distributed 4,000 facial masks to residents in senior living facilities across the city. In other city efforts to aid residents during the crisis, 21,000 meals have also been distributed to families by the Somerville Public Schools and roughly 1,700 persons per week are receiving groceries from the city.

The Somerville City Council is concerned that appropriate protection against COVID-19 infection is being provided to the city’s first responders.

By Jim Clark

An order was put forward at the April 14 meeting of the Somerville City Council’s Committee on Public Health and Public Safety requesting that the Chief of Police and the Chief Fire Engineer appear before the Committee with an update on their plans to keep first responders safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

LTC James Marques, 57A Simulations Officer, 84th Training Command.

By Jessica Sisavath

Lieutenant Colonel James Marques is retiring at the end of the summer from the Army Reserve and National Guard which he has dedicated 37 years of service to. A Somerville native, he joined the Army National Guard in 1983 during his time as a student at UMASS Lowell.

When Marques joined he did not know much about the National Guard. He had two things in mind which was to fulfill his curiosity of how the Army works and take advantages of having his education paid for.

So, Patriots’ Day came and went this week with little fanfare and fuss, and no Boston Marathon, all because of the social distancing requirements cause by the coronavirus threat. We understand the importance of keeping everyone safe, yet we can’t help but miss these grand old traditions that most of us look forward to. It’s unfortunate that we have to give up so much for now, but these events and special occasions will return. For now, be safe and ride this thing out with patience and good humor. After all, what’s the alternative?

Turn your stay at home time into a “staycation” by following some of these useful tips. — Photo © RossHelen / iStock via Getty Images Plus

While vacations sound like the best chance to unwind, planning a trip out of town — and getting there – can sometimes be more hassle than it’s worth.

Here’s how to turn your home into a staycation “destination” that can be enjoyed any time you feel like it:

It began after a bad oil spill that took place in 1969 off the coast of California. A year later, the first annual Earth Day was celebrated to demonstrate universal support for environmental protection and responsible stewardship of the planet and its inhabitants.

Since then, public and official awareness of the negative impacts of human activity – such as air and water pollution – have been raised to a level where concrete action is being demanded to mitigate those effects and heal the ills that have been inflicted on our world.

— Photo by Doug Holder

Old Man Winter took a late bow as it graced the city with a mid-April snowfall last Saturday.

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From the introduction by Megan Marshall:

“Scott kept writing. In the early 80’s, encouraged by the Somerville poet Doug Holder, a co-worker at McLean, he published three poems in the Somerville Community News, including Somerville, Again, and Somerville and Farther North, reprinted here. Denise Levertov, then living in Somerville, sent Scott a postcard saying she “really liked” the second of these; he saved the postcard. His only other publications were two music reviews of Suzanne Vega and Leonard Cohen for the Boston Phoenix.”

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Poet Tyler Comito writes, “I am a senior at Endicott College pursuing my bachelors in Biology/Biotechnology and seeking to continue my education at Merrimack College to get my master’s degree in secondary education. I am originally from Clifton Park, NY, where I grew up, and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to move to the North Shore for four years of my life. I’ve always been interested in writing and being able to express my thoughts in another way. This class with Doug Holder, along with my own initiative, have allowed me to do just that.”