“À quatre folioles” is French for “four-leafed,” in this instance its implies, clover. The piece recognizes a historical correspondence between Brook Watson and Andrew Brown, in which Watson describes the return of the Acadians after the deportation, and their story of perseverance.

The Sonic Liberation Players explore new ways of encountering sound.

Nathan Lamb is Director of Outreach and Community Relations at Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services

By Nathan Lamb

I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions, but one incident over my holiday break has me dedicated to doing more in the coming year.

It was Christmas dinner at my father’s house, and his in-laws had questions for me. A lot of questions, actually. They know I am communications director at Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES), and they were hoping to get some direction on how to help a family member who is facing a wide range of aging-related challenges.

Learn about proposed improvements to Broadway in the Winter Hill neighborhood and share your feedback at a community meeting on Monday, February 4, at 6:30 p.m., in the Healey School cafeteria, 5 Meacham Street. Proposed work includes creating a dedicated bus lane on a portion of Broadway, as well as bike lanes, additional crosswalks, and looking at traffic signal timing.

Free Digital Literacy Workshops
Ongoing; February – June 2019 at Somerville Media Center

Register at www.somervillemedia.org

SMC is offering a set of free digital literacy workshops geared toward audiences who want to improve their ability to navigate and participate in the digital media sphere and greater social economy. This SMC Digital Literacy program will address a wide spectrum of digital inclusion factors like taking full advantage of utilizing smartphones, researching the internet, learning media production, graphic design, building user friendly websites, becoming a community journalist, deepening media literacy knowledge and in general creating media savvy consumers.

Members of the public are invited to attend a public hearing hosted by the Board of Aldermen to hear testimony on proposed changes to the City’s condo conversion ordinance. The changes are designed to both protect the rights of property owners while also offering better protection to tenants especially the elderly, persons with disabilities, and persons with low and moderate incomes. The hearing will take place on Thursday, January 31, at 6 p.m., at Somerville City Hall on the 2nd Floor in the Aldermanic Chambers. All interested persons may provide testimony.

(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 Mayor Joseph Curtatone

Taking a closer look at notable city data—and interesting numbers. 

69% City census response rate: Each year the City is required by law to conduct a local census and last year nearly 70% of households responded. While that’s a pretty good response rate, we always want to get as many completed census forms as possible. The annual census helps us maintain the voter rolls and have up-to-date population numbers, which are helpful for things like planning for resource allocation. There are also federal, state, and grant funding sources that use population information, so having an accurate count ensures Somerville is getting its fair share. Census forms will be hitting mailboxes in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out. The form only takes a few minutes to fill out and you can return it in an included pre-stamped envelope, by email, fax, or by dropping it off at a library branch or City Hall. If you don’t get a census form (or misplace it), you can visit www.somervillema.gov/elections to print one out or call 311 to request one. 

By Jim Clark

Last Wednesday morning, an individual entered the Somerville Police station to report that their vehicle had been broken into the night before.

The victim told police that he had parked his vehicle in front of his house on Electric Ave. at 6:00 p.m. the that evening.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

At the first mumblings of snow, us kids went into “snow day mode.” We watched Don Kent on Channel 4 and waited to see “Somerville” flash across the screen during the no school warnings. If Sudbury flashed, no dice! But eventually when we saw Somerville scroll across, we became jubilant! No school!

Event to be held on January 25 at the Historic Sheraton Commander
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By Francine C. LaChance

2019 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the Grolier Poetry Foundation and Forums Trust. The first in a series of events, planned to raise financial support and celebrate the Grolier legacy, features Peter Balakian, Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet and Grolier Board Member, and Susan Barba, Poet and Senior Editor for New York Review Books. They will read from their poetry, discuss their work, sign books, and take questions from the audience. This event will be held on Friday, January 25, at 7pm, at the historic Sheraton Commander, coincidentally, also established in 1927, the same year as the Groler. Afterwards, there will be a reception with generous amounts of delicious hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Although the reading starts at 7pm, doors will open at 6:15pm to welcome guests who would like to enjoy food and a drink before the reading.