~Photos by Claudia Ferro

The 13th Annual HONK! Festival, the 3-day free festival bringing brass bands from all over the United States and the world to Somerville for a celebration of music, community and activism took place last week, from October 5 to 7.

Mayor Joseph Curtatone and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD), in collaboration with LaCourt Enterprises LLC, are pleased to announce an affordable rental opportunity for two (2) rental units at the Chadwick building located at 131 Orchard Street in Davis Square. The units are available through the Inclusionary Housing Program via an application and lottery process, for eligible households with a combined gross income at or below 50% or between 51 and 80% of the Area Median Income (“AMI”).

The public got its chance to weigh in on the matter of too many trees going away in recent years at a public hearing held last week by the Open Space, Environment and Energy Committee of the Board of Aldermen.

By Jim Clark

The Open Space, Environment and Energy Committee of the Somerville Board of Aldermen held a special public hearing in the City Hall Aldermanic Chambers of Wednesday, October 3, to update the public on matters related to the city’s Urban Forestry Plan, and to hear comments from the public on related matters.

If you would like to subscribe to receive a digital edition of our paper, go directly online to our website – www.thesomervilletimes.com – over to the right side and fill out your email address to receive a free, full PDF copy of the paper. By the way, if you scroll further down, a link to former editions of the paper are online as well, and all recent legal ads have been online for anyone who needs the legal ad they just ran.

The Somerville Commission for Women and RESPOND held their annual Candlelight Vigil to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month on Wednesday, October 3, in recognition of those whose lives were lost to domestic violence in Massachusetts over the past 12 months. This is done by reading their names and observing a moment of silence. Community service providers were also in attendance to discuss available services.

Many have been scratching their heads and wondering out loud what the heck is going on with trees in the city? One week we hear about large swaths of greenery being taken down on public lands, the next week city officials are wringing their hands and pointing fingers in all directions looking to place blame.

There has even been talk of regulating what, when and where foliage – including trees – can and should be trimmed or removed from private property.

Arrests:
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Sophie Douglas, September 29, 9:42 p.m., arrested at Highland Ave. on charges of trespassing, disorderly conduct, and assault and battery on a police officer.

Jennifer Rivera, of 133 Perkins St., September 30, 3:54 p.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on a charge of larceny over $1200.

Neighbors take a photo with the Tufts mascot, Jumbo the Elephant. — Photo by Anna Miller, Tufts University

This year’s Tufts University Community Day was a huge success, bringing some 3,000 neighbors to the Medford/Somerville campus on Sunday, Sept. 30, for music, festivities, and a BBQ lunch.

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Somerville writer Ari Appel reviews Somerville Bagel Bard’s latest book of poetry War Zones:

 With its tragic accounts of war and its human toll, War Zones by Zvi A. Sesling is an outstanding addition to any bookshelf, especially that of someone interested in war. It is consistent in portraying the uselessness and waste of war, each poem building off of the effect of the last as reading the book leaves one with a progressively darker and darker image of what war means.