(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)

Sir,

Somerville Home is closing as you report, and yes they cannot stay operational at the current level of reimbursement. On average, it costs about $30-35 a day more to provide care than what Masshealth (Medicaid) will reimburse. Urban reimbursements are higher than non-urban but neither Somerville, nor Cambridge, are considered urban by Masshealth. The reimbursement is lower.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

City Year and Biogen Care Deeply volunteers teamed up to support students at the West Somerville Neighborhood School (WSNS) on Friday, September 14.

Approximately 200 Biogen Care Deeply volunteers completed a day of service, arriving at the school at about 9:20 a.m. Friday morning to take part in a day-long school beautification project.

Sometimes the truth hurts. In the case of long established and, in some instances, highly revered historical figures such as Christopher Columbus and others, facing up to the hard facts can be a difficult thing to accept.

How many of us lived most of our lives hearing and believing in the myths and half-truths associated with the supposed great explorer? It is almost like a religious sense of devotion to a tale that has been told for generations, indeed for centuries.

Eagle Feathers #162 – The Royal and Ancient Game of Golf

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

It is uncertain how far back in time that the game of golf originated, but the organized introduction of the sport can be found as early as 1457 at Saint Andrews, Scotland. At that time, the popularity of the game had already become so great that it actually began to seriously interfere with the more prevalent martial pursuit of archery.

Arrests:
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William Bambery, of 318 Pearl St., Cambridge, September 10, 12:03 p.m., arrested at Elm St. on warrant charges of disorderly conduct and threat to commit a crime.

Juan Molina, of 43 White Court St., Apt. 3, Clinton, September 11, 5:32 p.m., arrested at Canal St. on a charge of shoplifting by asportation, and on multiple warrant charges of shoplifting by asportation.

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Michael Todd Steffen is a Somerville resident and an occasional contributor to The Somerville Times. Here is his review of the memoir of a founding editor of Ploughshares magazine, DeWitt Henry:

One of the many virtues of DeWitt Henry’s new book Sweet Marjoram (ISBN 978-1-941196-72-4, MadHat Press, 2018) is its liberally associative arrangement. It allows us, like our favorite books of lyrical poetry, once we’ve read it through and are on to this welcoming element, to open its pages where we will and just start reading. Skipping through a book is a good way to allow its individual passages to surprise us, to get by or around, in some cases, the author’s control freak editor and modesty, to get at the book’s heart, or “meat.” In the case of Sweet Marjoram, one may even on a first perusal jump to the 17th essay, “On Meat,” where our sources of fascination knock against our weaknesses and guilt.

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Joanne DeSimone Reynolds has published poems in Salamander, Ibbetson Street Press, Wilderness House Literary Review, and Sanctuary Magazine. She has written reviews for Boston Small Press and Poetry Scene, and is a long-standing participant in Plein Air poetry at Old Frog Pond Farm in Harvard, Ma. Her chapbook Comes A Blossom was published by Main Street Rag in 2014.

Flooded vehicle waits to be towed after the water level recedes from under the Washington St Bridge. — Photos by Bobbie Toner

A fast moving storm caused flooding in basements and underpasses around Somerville Tuesday morning. A flash flood alert remains in effect until 2:15 p.m. today.

The underpass at McGrath Hwy. and Mystic Ave. was closed for a period of time because of the flooding. One vehicle was caught in the flood water under the Washington St. bridge during the fast moving storm.