Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Ah, springtime. The crocuses are croaking and the buds are budding. All of a sudden, it’s the second half of March already. Soon it will be back to street cleaning and road races.

Local inventor David Lichter and his daughter proudly show off the “Lock Horns” auto wheel theft prevention product.

By Joei Chan

After Somerville resident and scientist David Lichter bought his first car back in 2009, little did he know that his beloved Honda Accord’s wheels would be victim to near-theft mere weeks later in Davis Square.

(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 State Senator Pat Jehlen

On March 14, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed the EARLY ED bill, to increase support for early education and care (EEC). We recognized the importance of quality EEC for children, for families, and for businesses and the economy.

The 2024 street sweeping season will resume on Monday, April 1, and continue through December 31. Check signs in your neighborhood for sweeping days. Visit somervillema.gov/sweeping for a full schedule and to sign up for complimentary street sweeping reminders by text, email, or phone. For more information on street sweeping procedures, visit park-somerville.com.

— Photos by Bobbie Toner

The annual Ras na hEireann 5K road race, the most genuine Irish race this side of the Atlantic, took place in Somerville last Sunday, March 24. This race was born in Ireland and named in honor of its famous sister race, the Ras na hEireann International Cross Country held in Termonfechin, County Louth, Republic of Ireland. The Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 5Km was open to all, from beginners to international stars, with many of them in very creative outfits.

If there’s one universal certainty among most – if not all – people, we surely enjoy the transition from the cold, gloomy atmosphere of winter to the explosion of life and natural beauty as the months of spring unfold.

Hallmarks of this special time include the religious holidays that many of us celebrate, such as Easter, for those of the Christian faith, and the rites of Passover practiced by those of the Jewish faith. Likewise, the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr begins later this month.

*

My regular breakfast consists of yogurt, granola, and fresh berries. I wanted to switch things up over the weekend and splurge a bit. So, this is a mascarpone stuffed French toast, topped with a bananas foster sauce. This was so rich and decadent it truly hit the spot. Serves 4.

The Center for Teen Empowerment youths on the TD Garden jumbotron.

A group of Somerville youths had a memorable experience on Wednesday, March 20, attending the exciting Boston Celtics game at TD Garden, where the Celtics held off the Milwaukee Bucks 122-119.

*

Reviewed by Off the Shelf Correspondent Thomas DeFreitas

The late American poet Donald Justice once offered his opinion that American poets fall into one of two “camps”: the Walt Whitman camp and the Emily Dickinson camp. Whitman-poets are marked by their rambunctious, capacious inclusivity, their embracing acceptance of everything from stamen to stevedore, from wisteria to winebibber. Dickinson-poets are marked by cadence and deliberation, by a discriminating selectivity, by the understated emphasis on one or two painstakingly chosen things. (Justice himself professed a preference for Dickinson’s “closed room”).