More than 80 Somerville Public Schools (SPS) students honed their math skills at The Calculus Project (TCP) this past July.

Co-directed by SPS Data Coordinator Kenya Avant and Innovation Project Specialist Jason Behrens, this was the third year Somerville offered the program, which targets underrepresented student populations in the STEM fields.

Collect stamps, be entered for prizes for supporting local businesses

The City of Somerville, in partnership with local businesses in Ball and Magoun Squares, will launch the Somerville Business Loyalty Program on Sunday, September 22, 2019. Loyalty cards will be available at the Ball Square Festival on September 22, at participating businesses in both squares, and at the City Hall Welcome desk, 93 Highland Ave.

During the excavations at the rear if the basement of the West Branch Library a circular well, which had been covered and unused for decades has been discovered. It seems to be in good condition but with town water supply a well was no longer needed.

Fluff Travels: All Roads Lead to Fluff returns to Union Square on Saturday, September 21 (rain date, Sunday, September 22).

Festival-goers will be treated to multiple performance areas, antics and escapades, games that are free to play and free to win, including Parkour, a community cooking contest, and more. Festivities are expected to attract 20,000 Fluff fans and traffic will be rerouted around Union Square to accommodate festival activities. Revelers are highly encouraged to walk, bike, or take public transit.

Join the Ball Square Business Association and the City of Somerville in the second annual Ball Square Festival on Sunday, September 22. From noon to 5 p.m. there will be music, activities, food, and a beer garden on Broadway, right in the heart of Ball Square.

(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. 

10 years: Every 10 years there is a national census and the data collected each decade has far-reaching effects. The next census is happening in 2020 and we’ve already started work to make sure our results are as accurate as possible. One reason that’s important is that it affects representation – the number of seats each state gets in the House of Representatives is based on population, so an accurate census means each state gets the seats it is entitled to. Census data is also used for establishing districts for state legislature, and is even used by businesses and organizations when making decisions about where to locate offices or other facilities. Just as important, U.S. Census counts determine federal funding amounts over the next 10 years.

Acting Mayor’s Marijuana Advisory Committee selects three entities based on community criteria

Somerville City Council President Katjana Ballantyne, who is serving as Acting Mayor for the Host Community Agreement process for marijuana retail entities, announced today that she intends to sign Host Community Agreements (HCAs) with three adult-use marijuana retailers. The selected entities and their proposed locations are: Union Leaf, 71 Union Square; New England Select Harvest (NESH), 378-380 Highland Avenue; and East Coast Remedies (ECR) 76-82 Central Street.

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— Photos by Claudia Ferro

Riverfest 2019 took place on Saturday, September 14, at Assembly Row at Assembly Square.

It was a day full of live local music, free children’s activities and the annual fireworks show over the Mystic River at sundown.

By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to the CVS store at 1 Davis Square last Saturday on reports of a shoplifting.

Upon arrival, the officers were met by the store manager, who told them that two men had just shoplifted from the store and one of them was chased out of the store.