We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Stan Koty, who passed last week. He served the city for many, many years, most recently as DPW Commissioner, and will be missed.

(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.)

Sir,

In late August the city released a new version of the planned zoning, v4.0. Previously, version 3, from January 2019, was preceded by multiple public meetings as part of the neighborhood planning process to help the city understand what the constituents wanted, and did not want.  Building height and massing were major topics of discussion with many visuals prepared by city staff, and people voted on what they preferred.

(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 James Healy

Greta Thunberg, who has become a leading voice on tackling the climate crisis, was three years old when Al Gore released his Oscar award winning documentary an Inconvenient Truth. Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swede, who just recently arrived in the U.S. on a solar powered yacht – as she’s against flying, began skipping school on Friday’s over a year ago to protest her government’s lack of action on climate change. What initially began as a small strike in solidarity with Greta, has now become a global movement that has seen millions of young people leave their classrooms and ask their government officials to take the science of climate change seriously and act.

All of us are asking ourselves – or anyone who will listen – how much more tragedy do we have to face while innocent pedestrians keep getting mowed down on our city streets?

Yet another victim was struck by a motor vehicle just last week, the third in the span of only a few months.

Massachusetts seniors joined Governor Charlie Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders at the State House today as the Governor signed into law two budget provisions that will improve the health and quality of life of low-income seniors. One initiative will expand access to the Medicare Savings Program to 40,000 low-income seniors, and the other will enable the state to better control the exorbitant and growing costs of pharmaceuticals.

SMC Youth Media Open House

Thursday, September 19, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

at SMC Studios, 90 Union Square

RSVP at https://scatvsomerville.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f666d0ca2473e6d81ef0dc44f&id=6448202265&e=a6639670d7

The greater Somerville community is invited to learn more about Somerville Media Center’s robust and popular youth media education programs during our Open House. There will be various hands-on media production activities happening throughout the afternoon. Light refreshments will be provided.

Aleef Mahmud, a 30ish young man, met me in the lobby of the Artisan’s Asylum, a hotbed for technology and the arts in Union Square in Somerville.

Mahmud is the founder of PROTYO, a concern that develops artificial intelligence for things like automated cars, robots, thermostats, medical devices, etc. Although he is located in Somerville, in the Asylum he has employees working all over the world.

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Janet Sylvester has published two books of poetry, That Mulberry Wine and The Mark of Flesh and has another, And Not to Break, in the works.  She teaches writing at Harvard Summer School and Harvard Extension and Reading Poetry at MIT.

Arrests:
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Luciano Castro, September 11, 1:14 a.m., arrested at Fellsway West on warrant charges of miscellaneous municipal ordinance violation, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, and assault and battery.

Marcus Peterson, September 11, 3:02 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on a warrant charge of felony daytime breaking and entering.

— Photo courtesy of MarKa, LLC

New green, open space to be added as part of ongoing mixed-use development project at 1060 Broadway.

As part of the ongoing reconstruction of the former Powder House Community School, located at 1060 Broadway, the pedestrian walkway connecting Broadway and Holland St. will need to be closed for approximately four months as the project team begins work on the new green space adjacent to the building. The walkway closed on Monday, September 16, and remain closed through at least the end of 2019. During the closure, pedestrians may access Holland St. by heading west on Broadway to Teele Square, or east on Broadway to Paulina St.