Please join the Somerville Homeless Coalition on March 26 for the Annual Gala, Spring into Action at the Row Hotel in Assembly Square. The evening will feature a keynote address by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. Proceeds from the event will benefit the guests and clients of the Somerville Homeless Coalition (SHC).

*

Review by Off the Shelf correspondent Dennis Daly

Raquel Balboni butters her readers with luscious phrases and salted cream stanzas in her first book entitled XXX Poems. She churns her verses with naked abandon in an avant-garde display of unabashed kisses ingrained with unabashed cravings.

*
Thomas DeFreitas was born in 1969 in Boston. He graduated from the Boston Latin School, and attended the University of Massachusetts. His poems have appeared in Dappled Things, Ibbetson Street, Muddy River Poetry Review, Plainsongs, and in other publications. Tom is a member of the New England Poetry Club and lives in Arlington.

(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.)

By Joseph A. Curtatone

While the Encore Casino has been open and operating for several months now, the discussion about a transportation link between Somerville and Everett has recently reignited after Encore leadership floated the idea of gondola over the Mystic River. Somerville has been clear about our vision for accessibility and connectivity around the Lower Mystic basin, but we’ve had serious concerns about a footbridge connecting our community to the then-proposed casino. With the new proposal, now is a good time to think holistically about our region’s transportation needs.

Arrests:
*

Jamie Nucci, of Cambridge, February 18, 7:27 a.m., arrested at Highland Ave. on charges of operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, marked lanes violation, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

Kenneth Powers, of Saugus, February 18, 2:26 p.m., arrested at Mystic Ave. on a warrant charge of shoplifting by asportation.

The Kennedy School set aside a room specifically as a retreat for students and staff who are searching for a quiet, contemplative space.

The room contains several pieces of exercise equipment, yoga mats, meditation pillows and is painted a tranquil blue with a beautiful mural on one side. The Kennedy has a history of piloting sophisticated mindfulness programming. Read a district blog post about Kennedy Mindfulness practices in the early grades

Join representatives of the City Council, School Committee, Somerville High School Building Committee, and Infrastructure and Asset Management Department on Monday, March 16, for a community meeting to discuss construction progress and remaining work to be done on the Somerville High School Building project. The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Somerville High School cafeteria, 81 Highland Ave. Light refreshments will be served.

The Friends of the Community Growing Center’s volunteers have been busy tapping local sugar maple trees and collecting their sap across the Tufts University campus.  Join them on Saturday, March 7, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. for the Boil Down – a free event for all – and experience the process of boiling sap into maple syrup. Taste fresh local syrup, learn how to make your own, and connect with other folks in the community.

It’s time to think spring and decide what seeds you want to plant in the 2020 growing season.  Take  part in our Annual Seed Sale & Swap.

They will be partnering with High Mowing Seeds from Vermont, who offer them a percentage of seed sales to help support the Growing Center’s activities.