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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.

The Somerville Museum is pleased to announce the second bi-annual competition for community curators, two of whom will be selected to install their proposed exhibits in  the museum’s gallery spaces at 1 Westwood Road, Somerville, MA. Those selected will also receive seed grants of $2,500 for exhibition costs.

The Museum welcomes proposals from those with extensive resumes as well as those with little experience yet with dynamic and imaginative visions. We encourage applicants to visit both the museum and its website at www.somervillemuseum.org in order to learn more about the museum’s wide-ranging exhibition history. Strong proposals should be clear and concise, presenting innovative and engaging ideas, along with an active programming agenda that will attract a diverse group of participants and visitors.

Union Square as it was in the days of old.

Join the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission, ArtsUnion, and Shape Up Somerville on Sunday, September 23, for a free walking tour of historic Union Square. The tour will step off from Bow Market at 345 Somerville Ave. at 2:30 p.m., and conclude at 5 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St. The tour will be led by Ed Gordon, New England Chapter President of the Victorian Society in America. RSVP is requested due to limited space. For more information and to RSVP, contact Brandon Wilson at BWilson@somervillema.gov, or 617-625-6600, x. 2532.

Please join Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Veterans’ Commissioner Bryan Bishop on Friday, September 21 at noon to raise the POW-MIA  (Prisoner of War – Missing in Action) Flag and remember the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who served as Prisoners of War or are considered Missing In Action. This ceremony offers an opportunity to pause and reflect on the service and sacrifice of so many who have served our country. The flag raising will take place at noon on the City Hall Concourse, 93 Highland Ave.

The City of Somerville is currently seeking applicants for seven members of the public to re-establish the Urban Forestry Committee. The Committee’s input is intended to support and guide policies and plans currently being reviewed and advanced by the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development and the Department of Public Works. The Committee will advise the City on matters related to the management and maintenance of all existing and new trees and shrubs on public grounds and public ways. Members may also review issues related to the health, effective maintenance, and protection of existing trees and shrubs on public grounds and public ways; update information in the tree inventory; support public education and outreach on urban forestry; and provide comments during any city permitting review processes.

Join Somerville Media Center for one of the most brutal sporting events of the month: The Spelling Bee! Want to be a part of the fun festivities, sign up at https://goo.gl/KQedKV.

Re-live your glory years as a grammar school know-it-all. Show your 6th grade English teacher you turned out literate after all. Prove to your friends that you are “indeed” (not “indicted”) a good speller and it’s your phone’s autocorrect getting you into trouble. This is a fundraiser event for SMC.

Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) announced today the results of the program’s annual “Shoulder Tap Surveys,” designed to discourage adults from purchasing alcohol for people under twenty-one. During the project, youth worked to measure the willingness of a complete stranger to purchase alcohol for a minor.

SCAP also announced this fall the beginning of their annual Compliance Checks, assessing how Somerville establishments perform in regards to preventing underage sales to minors. Compliance checks will continue at random through September 2019.