Nearly 45 local businesses and Union Square Main Streets will merrily present the Union Square Holiday Stroll for a fifth year on Saturday, December 14 from noon to 6:00 p.m.

This free, family-friendly event invites all to join in an afternoon of Union Square discovery filled with festive happenings and holiday delight. Event-goers will find:

Shop Small MA has teamed up with Tiny Turns Paperie and Courtney O’Keefe to present holiday markets spread across Somerville this season. Vendors will be setting up shop in Warehouse XI (11 Sanborn Court), La Brasa (124 Broadway) and the main hall of the historic Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, with crafted goods perfect to conquer anyone’s shopping list.

Please join the Somerville Department of Public Space and Urban Forestry, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, and the Somerville Public Schools on Wednesday evening, December 11, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a community meeting to discuss layout and design options for the new West Somerville Neighborhood School schoolyard. The meeting will be held in the WSNS cafeteria, 177 Powder House Blvd.

What and where are Somerville’s Opportunity Zones and Why Should You Care?

By Diego Marcano and Flaviana Sandoval

Did you know that there are two “Opportunity Zones” in the city where investors can get tax breaks on capital gains they invest in property and businesses located in these areas?

Somerville Prevention Services held trainings, presentations on overdose prevention and Narcan administration.

The City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services Department announce that all Somerville municipal buildings are now equipped with Narcan, a life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of opioids, as part of ongoing efforts to save lives and educate the community on overdose prevention.

Senesi, Assunta M. (Scafiddi) – Of Somerville December 4, 2019. Beloved wife of the late Frank R. Senesi, Sr. Loving mother of Karen M. Toner and her husband Robert of Somerville. Sister of the late Tony, John Scafiddi and Catherine Suckney. Dear grandmother of Jennifer, Marissa and Kimberly Toner. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Student of Esh Circus Arts at Carnaval
© Stan Eichner

East Somerville Main Streets has announced their 2019 Photo Contest Winners: Emily Ackman, Stan Eichner, Jeanine Jenks Farley, Michele J Martin, Julia Murphy, Deborah Pacini, Benjamin Preston, and Bill Trudell.

(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

Taking a closer look at notable city data—and interesting numbers.  With snow season officially upon us, here’s a look at some numbers on City snow operations and snow emergencies.

4 feet: The Boston area gets an average of about four feet of snow each year. But if you’re lived here for even a few years, you know that winters can vary wildly. There have been years when we’ve only seen a couple of feet, but there have also been years like 2015 when we got around nine feet of snow, most of it falling between mid-February and mid-March. Although we don’t know what we’re in for each winter, City staff – especially at DPW – have to plan and be ready for snow, ice, and whatever else Mother Nature throws at us.

By Jim Clark

A Somerville Police officer on uniformed patrol in the early hours of last Saturday, November 30, observed a man walking along McGrath Highway and determined that he might be intoxicated.

The man, later identified as James McKenna, of Dorchester, then took a right onto Linwood St., which is a common area for individuals to park their vehicle when attending local bars.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of playing music for the combined class reunions of St. Clement’s classes of 1968, 1969 and 1970.

What a great experience it was. I attended St. Clement’s from grades 1 through 8. My late sister Christine attended grades 1-9. The class of 1970 was my sister’s class so many of her friends were there. There were lots of familiar faces.