The City of Somerville is accepting applications to fill 10 seats on the newly formed Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee. The committee’s input will support and guide city policies and plans to make improvements for public transit riders and pedestrians. Committee members will promote riding transit and walking and will work to create a more comfortable, safe, and enjoyable built environment for doing so. Community members committed to advocating for a robust multimodal transportation system are encouraged to apply to serve on the committee as members.

Construction crews will be working in the MBTA right-of-way adjacent to Granville Avenue (across from the future Ball Square Station) in Medford this weekend. The purpose of the work is to install a new storm drain line that will eventually run to Granville Ave. and tie into the line at Winchester St. at a later date.

(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

One in three low-income households reports not having enough food when children are home over the summer, and two out of three have to make tough choices between buying food and covering other important expenses like utilities or medical bills. While those are national statistics we know that there are families in Somerville having to make those same choices. This shouldn’t be the case and, as a community, we need to work together to address childhood hunger.

Thirty-fourth Middlesex District State Rep. Christine Barber.

Massachusetts State Representative Christine Barber’s bill to require health plans to regularly update their provider directories was included in a bill passed unanimously in the House of Representatives this week.

Speaker Robert DeLeo’s package related to children’s health and well-being included a policy initiative championed by Representative Barber (Somerville and Medford). “People seeking health care are often unable to find a provider that meets their needs because of outdated and unclear provider directories,” Rep. Barber explained. “This initiative will help people find the right health provider through better access to accurate information from their health plan.”

By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to a Broadway location on reports that a man had broken into the residence and had fled. The reporting party knew the male as Jamari Ellcock-Davis.

An officer located a man on McGrath Highway matching the description given and was able to identify him as Ellcock-Davis.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

This inner city tale can be an “insert name here” story. Let’s call him Bill. In 1986, Bill was a young, quick witted, energetic and lovable cut up. Everyone loved him. He worked in a very popular business in a busy part of Somerville and would occasionally come out of nowhere singing and joking especially if someone he knew was in the store. A one-man show.

The Davis Square Neighborhood Plan comment period has been extended to allow additional input from community members. Comments will now be accepted through Friday, August 30. The plan will then be presented to the Planning Board on September 5, 2019. Planning Board meeting details will be posted to the city calendar, so please check there for details.

The house at 135 Highland Avenue is home to a unique display of creative splendor, lovingly rendered in glass and found objects by resident Martha Friend.

By Erin Nolan

Plastic babies waving multicolored wands sit atop plastic, pink horses in Martha Friend’s backyard at 135 Highland Avenue in Somerville. The babies purse their bright red lips and arch their dark eyebrows.

L to R: Matthew Mitchell, Patricia Contente, Maryanne Frangules, Elizabeth Addison, JoAnn Rivvecio, and Stuart Roelke.

By Melissa Rosales

From My Heart To Yours, a documentary education project screened for the first time for the public on July 31 at VOX POP, Somerville Media Center’s summer community arts and events space. The documentary is a collaboration between the City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services Department and the Somerville Media Center.

Mothers Out Front have been highly visible and vocal as they try to draw attention to the issues involving gas leaks in the area and force responsible parties to do something to fix them. ~Photo courtesy of Mothers Out Front

By Jennifer Grimes

On July 25, mothers of the Somerville community came together to protest National Grid’s inaction and demand that the gas leaks in East Somerville be repaired.