(Lto R) Deputy Chief Vincent Lampley, Firefighter KIlduff, Lt. Otting, Lt. Patriquin, Captain Ardolino, Lt. McKenzie, Lt. Donovan, Captain Stiltner and Chief Charles Breen. — Photo courtesy of Somerville Fire Dept.

On Thursday, September 27, the Somerville Fire Department promoted two Captains, four Lieutenants and hired a new Firefighter. Promoted to Captain were Marc Ardolino and David Stiltner. Promoted to Lieutenant were Francis Otting, Timothy Donovan, Jay McKenzie and Andrew Patriquin. Michael Kilduff was also hired as a firefighter and will start the fire academy on October 15.

The first meeting of the ResiStat Community Meeting fall series will be held in Ward 1, which includes East Somerville and Assembly Square, on Tuesday, October 9. ResiStat is a twice-yearly series of meetings in each of the city’s seven Wards where City news, data, and neighborhood updates are shared and residents can ask questions, and talk with elected officials, City staff, and each other.

SCES Director of Adult Family Care Jeanne Leyden.

By Jeanne Leyden

Fall is a wonderful season here in Massachusetts, when thoughts typically turn to football, apple picking, and enjoying the cooler weather. But it’s also a good time to be aware of fall risks and how they can be reduced.

Falls are not a normal part of aging, but they are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans. In fact, falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Worse, the chances of suffering a second fall double after the first one.

City and Schools partner to engage students in the sustainable disposal of lunch waste at four K-8 Schools 

In Somerville, City and school staff recently teamed up to launch a pilot program to overcome some cafeteria recycling challenges and also add composting to the mix. Nearly two tons of paper materials are recycled each week across Somerville Public Schools, but recycling cafeteria waste is more challenging in a grade-school environment. No matter how well kids sort their materials, inevitably milk, juice, and food scraps find their way into the bins. Then the contaminated recyclables get rejected for pickup and land in the trash after all. The pilot program seeks to change this.

Copies of “Exit West” now available at all three library branches.

The Somerville Public Library announces its pick for the 2018 citywide “Somerville Reads” campaign. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid is now available at all three branches of the library, and events and book discussions are planned to begin in November.

One time, out yard sailing, I went to an advertised sale in Arlington. It was almost 11:00 a.m. when I arrived – late – for a yard sale.

There were kids running around and a couple of mothers trying to watch them while running the sale. They pointed to the garage and on some plywood was a ton of vintage jewelry. I’d hit the mother lode (ha).

The Friends of the Community Growing Center (FCGC) – a 501(c)3 that manages the Somerville Community Growing Center – seeks individuals with diverse backgrounds and life experiences to join its Board of Directors. The Center is a city-owned, volunteer-run green space that for the past 25 years has been on the cutting edge of innovation in urban agriculture and community activism. We are in the process of renovating the Center through a Conservation Preservation Act grant, and are looking for individuals interested in helping to guide us into our next 25 years. Candidates should be excited to delve into any of the different facets of this unique urban space regardless of their primary area of expertise.

The Board of Aldermen Committee on Open Space, Environment and Energy invites all interested community members to a Public Hearing on Trees. The Hearing will take place on Wednesday, October 3, at 6 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chambers, City Hall, 2^nd Floor, 93 Highland Ave. The Committee will discuss and invite brief public testimony on a range of issues relating to public trees and the city’s overall tree canopy including the tree planting schedule, tree canopy development, the coming new Urban Forestry Committee, the drafting of a Native Tree and Plantings ordinance, Green Line Extension-required tree removals, and potential tree plantings for Junction Park.

(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)

Dear Editor,

I’m writing to urge Somerville voters to vote Yes on 3, to keep in place Massachusetts’ public accommodations law. This law is about treating our transgender neighbors and community members fairly.

Many of us have a part of our identity that make others look at us differently – our religion, politics, sexuality, or culture. Most people know how it feels to be bullied or excluded, and transgender people want privacy and dignity just like everyone else. Just as it’s wrong to exclude people based on what they believe, it’s wrong to discriminate against transgender people for who they are.