Don’t forget Somerville voters can cast their ballots ahead of the March 3 primary election during early voting hours through Friday, February 28. All early voting sessions will take place at City Hall, 93 Highland Ave. Early voting hours remaining are Wednesday, February 26, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, February 27, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday, February 28, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The rally in support of paraprofessionals gathered outside the Somerville Public Schools Central Office, while president of the STA Rami Bridge spoke, on February 24.

By Shira Laucharoen  

Chanting vociferously and carrying signs, throngs of rallying individuals flooded the meeting room for the Somerville School Committee at 8 Bonair Street, on February 24. The community members were standing up for the rights of paraprofessionals who work in Somerville schools, asking for a new contract that would grant them fair pay and job security.

Fabric artist Tori Costa will be displaying her collages fashioned from textile materials at the Somerville Media Center through March 28.

By Isabel Sami

The Somerville Media Center is now showcasing a number of contemporary textile pieces by Tori Costa, a fabric artist and former Somerville local. Costa makes collages out of recycled materials she’s acquired from her travels as well as from her own home, and she says that part of the reason she began to make fabric collages was due to her lifelong love of textiles and fabrics. She is also aided by her background in quilting, a craft she began after graduating college twenty years ago.

As voters ponder who they might want running on the national ticket in November, they are now tasked with searching their souls for the right answers to questions posed at the ballot box next week.

There is also the matter of choosing candidates for the State Committee for the Second Middlesex Senatorial District and Members of the Ward and City Committees.

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).

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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.

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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:
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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