ACCESS Drug User Health Program, in conjunction with the cities of Somerville and Everett, held a discussion forum last week focusing reducing drug overdoses. ~Photos by Melissa Rosales

By Melissa Rosales

ACCESS Drug User Health Program partnered with the City of Somerville and Everett to discuss overdose aftercare services, harm reduction and the use of fentanyl strips last Wednesday, June 19 at the Public Safety Building, 220 Washington St. The ACCESS mobile health van was also present for tours to explain how they can assist in reducing overdoses.

(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 William C. Shelton

Somerville is in the midst of a deepening crisis. The Mayor and others have named it a “housing crisis.” But the crisis is systemic, and our shrinking stock of affordable housing is only one aspect.

Mayor Joe Curtatone held his re-election event this past Monday. About 80 – most were payroll patriots employees – showed up at this campaign kickoff. We heard his campaign even did robo-calls. One of our Newstalkers mentioned that he got a call about the kickoff and couldn’t figure out why. He is a registered Republican and has never gone to any of Mayor Joe’s fundraisers. The new Dilboy Post is said to hold way over a 100 and something. It must have looked bare, with only 80 people present. One person told us that in his speech he mentioned Donald Trump 19 times. Now, don’t you think he should have been talking about development and various projects going on in the city? We couldn’t find out why the Personnel Director, who we heard hasn’t received a college degree, had her salary shoot up to $147K. That must piss off some other department heads. Does the DPW Commissioner Stan Koty make that amount?

By Erin Nolan

Last week, Sgt. George R. Schipani was finally returned to his hometown of Somerville for the first time in almost 70 years. Schipani, who was killed in action during the Korean War in early 1951, was buried with full military honors, including a procession led by Massachusetts State Police and the Somerville Police Department, at Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery on Saturday, June 22.

By Marshall Collins

At the June 13 Planning Board meeting, the developers behind the revitalization of Union Square shared their updated vision for open space, which was refined based on feedback from the community over the rigorous 18-month community process.

The Fourth of July holds a special significance in the hearts of truly patriotic Americans. Not only is it a time to celebrate the birth of our nation, but it also happens to fall at the best time of year to make good times happen, summer.

Who among us doesn’t enjoy the occasion? Who can resist the warm glow of good fellowship between friends, neighbors and families as the “birthday” of our nation comes around?

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Ah, the mushy peas. I was served mushy peas with my order of fish and chips while vacationing in Ireland. I had heard of them, but never really thought about what they consisted of. I must say I wasn’t really impressed with my first taste. They were pale greenish gray with a bland muted pea flavor.

The 2019 City of Somerville Fourth of July celebration takes place this Thursday, June 27, at Trum Field, beginning at 6:30 p.m., with fireworks scheduled at approximately 9:15 p.m.

Join Mayor Curtatone for the annual 4th of July Fireworks with live entertainment on Thursday, June 27, from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m., at Trum Field, 541 Broadway, Somerville.

The entertainment lineup for the celebration includes performances by the USO Metropolitan New York Performers and local Disco-Funk band Booty Vortex, leading up to a 20-minute fireworks display beginning at approximately 9:15 p.m.

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Longtime Somerville resident, college professor, poet, and philosopher Ifeanyi Menkiti passed away at the age of 78 this month. Menkiti is noted for saving the famed Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Harvard Square, when he took over ownership. I am grateful for him for many things, his warm welcoming presence, his poetry, his generosity, and his humanity. I am also grateful that he bought the Bloc 11 Cafe building on Bow Street in Union Square years ago. He told me over lunch there that he wanted a cafe that would be a meeting place for writers, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and others. As we looked across the crowded cafe, I realized his vision had been met.

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Krikor Der Hohannesian lives in Medford, MA. His poems have appeared in over 150 literary journals including The Evansville Review, The South Carolina Review, Atlanta Review, Louisiana Literature, Connecticut Review and Natural Bridge. He is a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the author of two chapbooks, Ghosts and Whispers (Finishing Line Press, 2010) and Refuge in the Shadows (Cervena Barva Press, 2013). Ghosts and Whispers was a finalist for the Mass Book awards poetry category in 2011.