The victorious Crimson Quackateers team.

By Erica Dakin Voolich

On October 29, 30 high school students on 10 teams gathered in “The Cage” in Cousens Gym at Tufts University to compete in the 13th annual Scrapheap Showdown. Instead of the usual interesting “junk” in the center of the room when the students walked in, there were piles of paper along with large cones of string. The students were given their challenge: to design and build a four-foot-span paper bridge. The teams worked intensely, designing, building, testing, reinforcing, and adjusting their bridges.

Free Halloween event features pumpkin decorating, activities for kids, haunted “house,” and more!

Join the City of Somerville on Thursday, November 2, for the annual “Haunted Hall” event on the City Hall concourse from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The family-friendly event will feature a costumed Halloween Stroll, safe Trick-or-Treating, games and activities, refreshments, a Haunted “Hallway” tour, and more.

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Recently I had the pleasure to interview poet Ben Berman. Berman is a thin, wiry man who sports an amused smile and doesn’t take himself too seriously. He has the look of a man who is curious about the world. I can picture him closely examining a leaf or an ant with his children for an extended length of time.

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Daniel Hudon sends us three prose/poetry pieces from his new book, Brief Eulogies for Lost Animals: An Extinct Reader. Hudon, originally from Canada, is a lecturer in astronomy and math. He lives in Boston, MA, and can be found at danielhudon.com and @daniel_hudon.

By Donald Norton

This past Saturday at a packed Sally O’Brien’s – both inside and out – about 150 people attended as U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed Mayor Joseph Curtatone for reelection.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

Saturday, October 28, East Somerville came together at the Chuckie Harris Park for this years Halloween Block Party.
This years event  featured make your own Halloween mask, doughnut on a string eating contest, face painting, Fear Factor game, mini trick or treating, Halloween family photos and much more!

Arrests:
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Bela Pakular, of 411 Windsor St., Cambridge, October 23, 7:37 p.m., arrested at Grandview Ave. on a charge of operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor.

Nicholas Stiles, of 10 MacArthur St., October 26, 3:23 p.m., arrested at Broadway on charges of disorderly conduct, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery.

Thursday, November 2, 2017, 6:30 p.m. at the Community Baptist Church, 31 College Ave.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 6 Alderman Lance Davis, and the City of Somerville Engineering Department invite residents to a community meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss upcoming construction to drainage systems abutting a portion of the Community Path. The meeting will be held on Thursday, November 2, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Baptist Church at 31 College Ave. Impacted sections include the area between Willow Ave. and Grove St., and along portions of Winslow Ave.

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East Somerville Main Streets​ and​ Somerville Media Center ​invited candidates ​for ​Ward 1 ​School Committee and Alderman​ to Connexion for a forum and debate.

Community Path (Buena Vista Rd. to Cambridge Line) expected to be closed for approximately one month during excavation. Detour routes available at www.somervillema.gov/detours

The City of Somerville’s Engineering Department announced this week that a portion of the Community Path, between Buena Vista Rd. and the Cambridge line, will undergo much anticipated repairs to the drainage system and a retaining wall to address recurring flooding issues and improve safety along the path. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic will be detoured for approximately one month, beginning in mid-November, as crews excavate in this area. Detour routes can be found at www.somervillema.gov/detours, and will be posted on sawhorses along this section of the path over the next several weeks.