(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 Senator Patricia D. Jehlen

I am Senate chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee and the Committee on Elder Affairs. Each of those committees produced a major bill this session which passed the legislature and was signed, or is about to be signed, into law.

— Photos by Bobbir Toner

On Sunday, September 8, all breeds of dogs and their owners enjoyed the annual free Somerville Dog Festival. The event held games, training, a fashion show, vendors and food and treats. The Somerville Dog Festival is organized by the Somerville Foundation for Animals, which works to make sure no one ever must choose between caring for themselves and their pets. Through your donations and through our sponsors’ generosity, the festival raises money for the Foundation’s Every Pet Counts Care Van, providing free veterinary care to the pets of homeless and at-risk veterans, elderly, and families throughout Eastern Massachusetts. To learn more visit https://everypetcounts.org/

Somerville to host the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony tonight. To mark the 23d anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Department of Veterans’ Services invite the community to a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Wednesday, September 11, at 6:00 p.m. in Davis Square. All are invited to gather for the ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in Davis Square (on the island at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Elm Street).  The observance will honor all victims of 9/11 as well as first responders, workers, and volunteers who rushed to the scene to save lives or to later help carry out the dangerous cleanup. It will include a moment of silence and feature an invocation and benediction by Father Paul Coughlin as well as remarks by Mayor Ballantyne and Veterans Director Jerome Thomas. A bagpipe tribute including Amazing Grace will follow, and attendees will be given individual roses to place on the 9/11 Memorial. The ceremony will be framed by the presentation of and retiring of the colors (national, state, and unit flags) by the Honor Guards of the Somerville Police and Somerville Fire Department.

Crave Cafe is now open and doing business at 198 Holland St. in Somerville. – Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Cathleen Twardzik

Do you have a hankering for a breakfast burrito, a falafel or a burger? Well, Crave Cafe is your next stop in Somerville.

In late August, Crave Cafe opened at 198 Holland St. The cafe, situated where Renée’s Cafe was formally located, between Davis Square and Teele Square. However, it is closer to Teele Square.

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During this time of Covid-19, we’re finding getting together with neighbors for tea and even cocktails is a great way to catch up with each other. All while social distancing, of course. We were lucky enough to have this incredible chai made from scratch by our neighbor Himali. I asked if she wouldn’t mind sharing her recipe. To my delight, she agreed!

Although 23 years will have passed since the terrible and tragic events of September 11, 2001, took place, for many of us the shock and horror remains fresh in our memories. And since we, as New Englanders, were relatively close to the sites of destruction and loss of life, we can perhaps feel those sensations of sadness and even anger a little deeper than some others might, especially since our own Logan Airport played a role in the perpetrators’ deadly scheme.

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Somerville resident Kevin McIntosh has shared this essay with Off the Shelf that he published in https://theeducatorsroom.com/ about the art of teaching and the building of a reputation.

By Off the Shelf Correspondent Kevin M. McIntosh

Kevin M. McIntosh’s short stories have appeared in the American Literary Review, Beloit Fiction Journal, Potomac Review, Chicago Tribune and have been nominated for Best New American Voices and the Pushcart Prize. He has had fellowships at the Ragdale Foundation and Blue Mountain Center. His novel Class Dismissed (Regal House Publishing, July 2021) is informed by his thirty years of teaching English in New York City, Oakland, and Greater Boston. Visit him at kevinmmcintosh.com.

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After retiring from Brandeis University, Karen Klein turned her creative energies first to making ink drawings, then wood sculptures. She continued a daily haiku practice begun in the mid 1990’s, then moved to contemporary lyric. She has been published online and in print journals, including Ibbetson Street, Wilderness House Literary Review, Muddy River Literary Review, Five Fleas, SLANT, and Critical Inquiry. Resuming her dance practice, she founded teXtmoVes, a poetry/dance collaborative in 2016 with performances in local libraries, art galleries, concert venues in the greater Boston area. Her first full-length poetry book, This Close, was published by Ibbetson Street Press (2022). Her chapbook, Embodied, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press.

Earlier this morning a two-alarm fire broke out at 16 Glendale Ave. in Somerville. The first company arrived and reported smoke and fire conditions on the second floor. A search for occupants was carried out and was found to be clear. No report of injuries. The cause of the fire is undetermined currently and investigation is in process.