~Photos by Bobbie Toner

The 2018 Rás na hÉireann is the most genuine Irish race this side of the Atlantic. It is a celebration of traditions dating back centuries, and simply a celebration of spring in Somerville.

It’s a tradition that most of us have a lot of fun with. Whether one is of Irish lineage or not, St. Patrick’s Day stands for a recognition of Irish and Irish American culture, and in many ways its resulting fusion.

The religious origins of the day have, for some, been obscured and often all but forgotten in favor of the prominent displays of the color green, eating and drinking, and numerous parades. The day has been celebrated on the North American continent since before the American Revolution, and is actually an official holiday in neighboring Suffolk County. Ask any of our Boston brethren and they would – to a single soul – be aware of this fact.

The City of Somerville reminds residents that excise tax payments are due Monday, March 19, 2018. Payment methods accepted include cash, checks, and credit cards, and payments can be made online at www.somervillema.gov/payments, in person at City Hall during normal business or by using the payment box out front, or by mail addressed to Attn: Treasurer/Collector, City of Somerville, 93 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA 02143. Please note that the credit card processor charges a convenience fee for using a card to pay.

(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)

To the editor:

On Thursday, March 1, an awards assembly for grades 5 and 6 was held in the East Somerville Community School auditorium. As the grandparent of one of the children and a visitor from out of town, I attended the ceremony. Here is what took place.

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A new member of Somerville’s Bagel Bards chimes in with this review…

Review by Ravi T.Y

David Giannini’s poetry and prose poetry collection, The Future Only Rattles When You Pick It Up, explores the myth of Sisyphus, and uses it as an anchoring point to explore topics such as innocence, love, death, and meaning. The book is witty yet genuine, raw yet elusive, and just when you begin to think that it is getting too nostalgic – it dawns on you that you are lost in one of Giannini’s intricate meditations. The book opens with:

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Meg Smith is a poet, journalist, dancer and events producer living in Lowell, Mass. In addition to Poetry Bay, her poems have appeared in The Cafe Review, The Offering, Astropoetica, Illumen, Dreams & Nightmares, the Dwarf Stars anthology of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association and many more. As a journalist, her coverage has been in honored by the New England Newspaper And Press Association, including first place awards for coverage of racial and ethnic issues, and coverage of religion. She is a past board member of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! and produces the Edgar Allan Poe Show, honoring Poe’s presence in Lowell, Mass. She recently published a second book of poetry, Dear Deepest Ghost.

Students, including Co-Organizer, Sam Dornstein (far right), hold signs up to oncoming traffic during protest.

#walkoutwednesdays

Students across the state will walk out of class on March 14th at 10:00am, as a part of the national walkout organized by Women’s March Empower. They will proceed to sit in silence for 17 minutes and then will head to the State House. There, students from many schools across Massachusetts will be congregating. At the state house they will be lobbying to pass the Extreme Risk Protective Orders (ERPO) (H. 3610).  Join us in fighting for our lives.

All cars must be moved from City and school lots by 9 a.m. Wednesday to avoid ticketing and towing. Property owners must shovel sidewalks by 1 p.m. Wednesday (within 6 daylight hours following end of snowfall). 
School is canceled Wednesday.

The City of Somerville’s snow emergency will end Wednesday, March 14, at 7 a.m. and normal parking rules will resume at that time. The information below offers tips to avoid ticketing and towing as well as strategies for being a good neighbor and staying safe.

Arrests:
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John Gill, of 499 Walnut St., Lynn, March 8, 12:03 p.m., arrested at Central St. on a warrant charge of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Jaclyn Agosto, of 1374 Broadway, March 8, 2:43 p.m., arrested at home on warrant charges of possession of a class B drug and larceny over $250.