~Photos by Claudia Ferro

The month of March officially marks 175 years since Somerville separated from Charlestown (in 1842),and on Wednesday, March 29 the city threw a birthday party that was “very Somerville.”

By Jim Clark

Police responded to a Pearl St. residence last Thursday on reports of a larceny from a building. Somerville Police control advised the responding units that the suspect was a male in his twenties, small in size, wearing a blue hoodie with a black jacket over it, blue jeans and sneakers. The suspect was pushing a wheelbarrow, walking away from the victim’s house towards Pinckney Street then turned left onto Pinckney Place.

The $2.3 billion dollar Green Line rapid transit extension project was given the green light to proceed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in early April 2017. Greater Somerville’s host, Joe Lynch spoke with MBTA – GLX general manager, John Dalton, one day after the FTA’s public announcement.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(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)

Last week, I met with Somerville business leaders at the 12th annual Business Town Meeting, hosted by the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, to discuss a number of topics on the minds of our business owners. We gathered in the Rockwell Theater under Foundry on Elm as we always do and had an open discussion about what small businesses in our city find hopeful or challenging about the economic climate locally and nationally. We talked about what we as a city can do to ensure we continue to support and expand our local business base. As always, the Town Meeting was informative for me, and I want to share with you some of the things I presented as well as things I heard from the owners that serve you daily.

Alderman Jack Connolly visited Kingdom Rock and his favorite sun-lit spacious classroom, the Pre-K Room.

By Stacie J. Clayton

The new Kingdom Rock Children’s Village (KRCV) in Davis Square will be added to the list of quality group-care providers in the Somerville area for infants through pre-kindergartners.

The Somerville High School Culinary Arts students recently won Best Dessert in the 6th Annual Tech Cook-Off for the second year in a row.

The proposed housing complexes at Clarendon Hill were presented to the public and discussed at a meeting last Wednesday held at the West Somerville Neighborhood School. — Photo by Clara Hudson

By Clara Hudson

On Wednesday evening at the West Somerville Neighborhood School, roughly 60 locals gathered in the cafeteria to discuss the housing proposal at Clarendon Hill. As the fourth workshop in the series, the meeting covered urban design, as well as updates on traffic and transit.

US2 signs agreement to provide Green Line contribution and additional community benefits; covenant brings total developer payments and contributions to estimated $112M
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Covenant between US2 and city goes into effect if Board approves Union Square zoning. Benefits include funding for GLX, job programs, infrastructure projects, and more;also includes binding agreement to negotiate additional community benefits with new Union Square Neighborhood Council

Yes, it’s finally come this far. The City of Somerville now has an agreement in hand that, once in effect, will translate more than 8 years of community discussion on the future of Union Square into action—and pave the way for developer contributions and payments to the community totaling an estimated $112 million and expands the city’s real estate tax revenue by nearly one-half billion ($445 million) over the next 30 years. Contributions include funds for the Green Line extension, sewer and street upgrades, new open space, and more. In response to another key issue raised by community advocates, the covenant requires the developer, Union Square Station Associates (US2) to negotiate a community benefits agreement with community members via the Union Square Neighborhood Council (or an interim council), which is currently forming.

Winter farm stand at the Boston Public Market in Boston, MA.

By Margaux Maxwell

Local food movements have become increasingly popular across the country in recent years for a variety of environmental, ethical, nutritional and political reasons. Throughout Boston, varieties of fresh vegetables and fruits can be found at farmers markets from the heart of bustling Copley Square to residential Somerville to diverse communities such as Dorchester. But for many in New England, this type of direct action goes out the window when they hit New England’s perceived cold and barren winters.

‘Villens United by Chris Haskell

(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)

Whether you live in Somerville, Boston, or another major city where immigration is a hot button issue, you’re likely to have seen our Mayor Joseph Curtatone in the newspapers or cable news networks standing up to Trump’s immigration policies and unwarranted deportations. The Somerville Mayor has drawn a firm line in the sand over the city’s Sanctuary status and isn’t backing down from his critics on the right, including law enforcement.