Sean Donaghy of Fossil Free Somerville addressed the City Council, speaking in favor of the resolution to urge the state to pass its fossil fuel divestment measures.

By Jim Clark

A resolution was put forward at the latest regular meeting of the Somerville City Council which urges the Massachusetts state legislature to adopt measures H3662/S636 to enable independent public retirement systems to use their prudent judgment regarding fossil fuel divestment.

The National Bike Month Kick-Off in Somerville was held on April 28. — Photos by Jackson Ellison

By Jackson Ellison

May is National Bike Month, which is intended to help spread the health and environmental benefits of riding a bike. The Somerville Bike Committee hosted a Bike Month Kick-Off celebration.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan joined other regional officials in filing a lawsuit aimed at blocking immigration arrests in courthouses.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), and the Chelsea Collaborative filed a groundbreaking lawsuit on Monday demanding an end to federal immigration enforcement in and around Massachusetts courthouses.

The Somerville Chamber of Commerce monthly After Business Hours this month is set for Thursday, May 2, at the Flatbread Company, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Contact the Chamber to make your reservation.

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Driving around Somerville these past several weeks and months has been torture. What with the detours, construction of bridges and the vast amount of pot holes that are everywhere, it has been a major headache. Who plans this to all happen at the same time? The Ball Square bridge closed, Washington St. bridge closed, and now soon the Medford St. bridge will be closed. Then you have Union Square, which is just horrible to get through unless it’s 3:00 a.m. What person is responsible for a city which is less than four miles square with a population of 78K to 80K and makes it so difficult to get around. Regarding the pot holes, the City Councilors are now telling people to call 311. They can’t or won’t do anything. In days not too far in the past, the Aldermen got a call and the pot hole was filled. We hear one City Councilor has multiple pot holes on his street. Wonder if he called 311?

Elected officials and CTA Construction staff were joined by members of the Somerville community recently to break ground on a number of renovations and improvements to the 100-year-old library. The historic building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is classified as a Carnegie Library.

One thing can be said for sure about our great city: there is no want for creative energy and enterprise.

Consider all the wonderful artists who will be participating in this weekend’s Somerville Open Studios (SOS) event. Artisans and crafters of seemingly limitless disciplines and choice of media work and thrive right here among us humble, regular types who wouldn’t know a palette knife from a chainsaw.

(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 Alan Bingham

Historically a worker’s town, Somerville is densely populated bordering Cambridge and Boston. Its location always meant higher than median land prices. The population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries included workers of many ethnic backgrounds, but heavily Irish and Italian.

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Popcorn is one of those versatile snacks that doesn’t have to be boring. There are many different choices out there when it comes to the type of popping corn to choose from, white, yellow, red, blue, heirloom, and so on. Once you chose the type of corn, you can decide what flavorings you want to add to the finished product. I prefer my popcorn with savory flare. In addition to the rosemary flavor, I have tried a mixture of chili powders and even za’atar seasonings.

Arrests:
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James Butler, of 306 Woburn St., Wilmington, April 23, 1:27 p.m., arrested at Mystic Ave. on charges of operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license, possession of a class B drug, motor vehicle operator giving false name or address to a police officer, and failure to stop or yield, and on a warrant charge of possession of a class B drug.

A play by Lawrence Kessenich and Doug Holder*

Reviewed by playwright, Mary M. McCullough

Paul Victor Walsh (center-as the patient) Greg Hovanesian (as Leon–the mental health worker), Lis Adams (the nurse). Presented by the Boston Playwright’s Platform

The Patient, a play adapted by Lawrence Kessenich from a short story by Doug Holder, has three characters. LEON, a mental health generalist, as he refers to himself, sleeps days in his boarding house room. He is getting a graduate degree in American Literature, while working nights in a mental hospital. His work entails sitting by the bedside of a drugged and bound PATIENT. Other than speaking directly to the audience, his only interactions are with the patient and an overly friendly NURSE who attempts to engage Leon in her social life, outside the hospital. The play raises questions about sanity. When the patient wakes to confront Leon, the patient’s questions and analysis of Leon life threatens Leon’s fragile sense of himself. Leon tells him to go back to sleep but who is really asleep? The patient is more alive and more rational than Leon, asserting that Leon can choose to live differently. He also tells Leon that his boarding house room is a “suicide suite.” Leon, in a beautifully written, poetic monologue, early in the play, confirms he is “dreaming of remote possibilities that are actual dead ends.” Is Leon a suicide candidate? The play leaves one thinking that Leon and the patient are opposite sides of the same coin; and that the coin is about to be flipped. The play is well written and very intriguing.