By The Times Staff

As another year passes, we look back now and highlight some of the local stories of particular interest that we covered in 2019.

The year began with the City of Somerville’s legislative body officially becoming the Somerville City Council (formerly the Board of Alderman) on January 31. The name change was approved when Gov. Charlie Baker signed a home rule petition on January 1 requesting the switch to City Council.

Future plans for the former Star Market site were among the topics addressed at the December 17 meeting.

By Adam Parise

On Tuesday, December 17, residents gathered in the cafeteria of the Arthur D. Healey School to discuss the vacant site of the former Star Market on Broadway. The attendees were not pleased with the fact that nothing has been done with the parking lot ever since the store on Broadway went out of business 12 years ago.

Professor Jared Ross Hardesty spoke on the subject of his new book “Black Lives, Native Lands, White Worlds: A History of Slavery in New England” at Tufts University on December 18.

By Shira Laucharoen

Professor Jared Ross Hardesty of Western Washington University says that his book Black Lives, Native Lands, White Worlds: A History of Slavery in New England is one that the country needs right now. Hardesty discussed his work in a lecture given at Tufts University on December 18.

On behalf of the publishers, editors, writers and – most importantly – the staff here at The Somerville Times, we want to wish you all the very best in 2020 for the city, its residents and those who love Somerville like we do. Happy New Year 2020 to all!

The Winter Farmers will be in operation every Saturday at the Arts at the Armory through April 11.

By Robert Sondak

The Somerville Winter Farmers Market has evolved over a decade from a local winter farmers market into a large urban indoor market featuring more than 50 venders and drawing roughly 800 to 1,000 customers each week. Today, it is the second largest farmers market in Somerville, followed only by the Union Square summer farmer’s market.

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Whenever I’m entertaining and oven roasted potatoes are on the menu, I always try to make a little extra. I love repurposing potatoes for home fries. It’s a real time saver in the morning. I originally tossed the diced potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper and dried parsley and roasted in the oven until soft and crispy.

Looking back to the year just passed is an interesting thing to do. Sometimes sobering, at other times amusing, yet always somewhat inspiring if one considers what has been accomplished and what else is left to be done.

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The “Queen” of the small press, poet Lyn Lifshin, has passed at the age of 77. Lifshin was published in almost every magazine out there including my own. You always knew it was a Lifshin submission because it was an overstuffed envelope with 50 to 100 poems, and many of them were very good.

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Dancer, poet, Karen Klein founded teXtmoVes, a collaborative of poets/dancers/ choreographers who perform together and independently, most recently at Urbanity Central, Boston. Her haiku have been published nationally, internationally, and anthologized. Her poems have been printed in The Cape Cod Poetry Review, Pudding Magazine, The Comstock Review, SLANT, The Somerville Times, online in The Drunken Boat, Fusion Magazine, read as Sunday Poet on Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene, WCAI Poetry Sunday, and Poet-to-Poet interview with Doug Holder, Somerville Cable TV. A member of Steeple Street Poets, she is compiling her first chapbook.

Arrests:
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John Elwell, of 27 Vernon St., Malden, December 27, 1:26 p.m., arrested at Assembly Row on a charge of larceny over $1200.

Itamar Neto, of 153 Second St., Framingham, December 27, 8:56 p.m., arrested at McGrath Hwy. on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.