Somerville Poet Laureate Lloyd Schwartz.

Whether you had a PhD in poetry or have just started reading it, you’re invited to share a favorite poem at the Poems We Love event on Wednesday, April 17. Join Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Somerville Poet Laureate Lloyd Schwartz, and the Somerville Arts Council from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., to listen to fellow Somervillians read their favorite poems and song lyrics and to read yours, if you’d like. Light refreshments will be served. Please note that this is an event for sharing other’s work, not for poets to share their own work. For more information, please contact Gregory Jenkins at 617-625-6600 ext. 2997 or gjenkins@somervillema.gov.

Monday, April 15, is Patriots’ Day and City and Somerville Public Schools offices will be closed. Trash, recycling, and yard waste collection will be on a one-day delay all week. There will be no street sweeping on Monday and parking meters and residential parking permits will not be enforced.

Somerville Media Center announces its debut of VOX POP on May 9 at 6:00 p.m. at 431 Artisan Way, Assembly Row. VOX POP is a pop up community arts space that is the result of a collaboration between Federal Investment Realty Trust (FRIT), the property developer and manager for Assembly Row, and SMC, the non-profit community media center based out of Union Square.

Check back Monday a.m. for confirmation on whether “Paul Revere” will ride

Due to a forecast of rain and high winds for Monday, the Colonial Fair portion of the Patriot’s Day events planned for Monday, 4/15, at 10:00 a.m. at Foss Park is canceled. On Monday morning, please check www.somervillema.gov or contact 311 for confirmation of whether “Paul Revere” will still ride and be met by members of the Historic Commission in Somerville at Foss Park at approximately 11:20 a.m.

Activities for all ages planned including Earth Day story times, a meatless cooking class, and the Annual Spring Clean-Up

Join Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Somerville’s SustainaVille program, and other city and community partners in celebrating the Third Annual SustainaVille Week. From Saturday, April 27, through Saturday, May 4, there will be a variety of activities for all ages celebrating sustainability and climate action. Activities include an Arbor Day and Gardening Fair, a self-guided citywide sustainability tour, and an interactive panel discussion about the changing world of waste and recycling. The full schedule of events is below.

(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 Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Superintendent Mary Skipper

Two of the highest callings in public service are to provide basic equality and to educate our children. Sadly, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has fallen short on both of those fronts when it comes to education funding. In 2015, the State Legislature formed a Foundation Budget Review Commission that laid bare our shortcomings. The true costs of educating special needs students, English language learners, and low-income students have been overlooked. The rising cost of health insurance benefits also has eaten into education funding. Many lower-income communities find themselves in crisis mode.

(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 Stephanie Hirsch

Children in Somerville are almost twice as likely to be living in poverty. Though Somerville has very few children nowadays (as a percent of the population), we still don’t have enough programs and services to go around. This Community Heroes column features five people who have dedicated their lives to filling those gaps and helping our children grow up to be healthy, happy, and ready for adulthood. In the descriptions below, each person shares his or her thoughts on how to try to help.

— Photos by Claudia Ferro

Somerville Stop & Shop workers walked out Thursday afternoon after a contract deal could not be reached.

By Jim Clark

A Somerville Police officer was dispatched to the Nike Factory Store at Assembly Row last week on reports of a shoplifter.

Upon arrival, the officer spoke with the store manager who said that she observed a man inside the store, later identified as Anthony Dimeco, who appeared to be intoxicated, conceal a pair of shoes underneath his shirt.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Before Somerville was turned into Detourville we were pretty lucky. Occasionally, we would get stuck behind a trash truck, or have to go a different way because of utility work. You may have noticed lately, however, that you have been sitting in a slow moving line of traffic at various points in the city because of Green Line construction detours.