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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Sunday, March 16, 2025

News | Local



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Local

Somerville City Council approves allocation of nearly $3 million in funding from Community Preservation Act

The Somerville City Council voted to approve the allocation of nearly $3 million in funding collected through the Community Preservation Act on Feb. 13. These funds will go to various projects throughout Somerville related to the preservation of historic buildings, maintenance of public open spaces, affordable housing initiatives and support for local nonprofits and community organizations.


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Local

Somerville City Council passes resolution supporting Tufts full-time lecturers in contract negotiations

The Somerville City Council passed a resolution in support of a contract for Tufts full-time lecturers in a meeting on Feb. 13. The resolution was sponsored by City Councilor at-Large Willie Burnley Jr., who also participated in the union’s walkout in January. Two full-time lecturers were invited to speak at the meeting, where council members expressed overwhelming support for Tufts FTLs.





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Local

Somerville’s Willie Burnley Jr. joins mayoral race

Sitting Somerville City Councilor-at-Large Willie Burnley Jr. announced on Feb. 2 his candidacy for mayor of Somerville, joining fellow Councilor Jake Wilson and two-term incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne in the mayoral race. Burnley emphasized his background as a community organizer as well as his legislative record on the City Council when discussing his decision to run for mayor.




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Local

New Boston Avenue dorm approved by Community Development Board, construction to begin this spring

The Medford Community Development Board approved Tufts’ proposed new dorm at 401 Boston Ave. on Feb. 5, allowing construction to begin this spring. The dorm will be a two-building complex with 299 units, and will house almost 700 upperclassmen when it is scheduled to open in 2027. The board expressed their reluctance to make the decision, recognizing the project’s strong public opposition, but focused the decision on whether existing legal restrictions were enough to deny the proposal.


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Local

Medford leaders deliver 2025 State of the City Address

Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn delivered her annual State of the City Address on Feb. 5 in City Hall, covering housing, zoning and transportation issues while reassuring residents about changes to federal policy.School Committee Vice Chair Jenny Graham and City Council President Zac Bears also provided updates from their respective body’s work.




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Local

Medford passes Welcoming City Ordinance

The Medford City Council passed a Welcoming City Ordinance on Jan. 14 with a 6–1 vote to establish Medford as a sanctuary city for immigrants and to ensure the Medford Police Department continues its policy of non-involvement with federal immigration enforcement.


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Local

Residents and wildlife experts sound alarm for escalated bird deaths in Somerville

Somerville residents and wildlife experts are raising concerns over the high frequency of bird deaths over the past months. Two owls were reported dead in Somerville over a two-week period in December 2024 with necropsies revealing internal bleeding indicative of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning, according to the founder of the nonprofit Save Arlington Wildlife.


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Local

Medford to launch landlord incentive program aimed at housing veterans

The City of Medford is launching a new program to offer participating landlords up to $750 per year for renting to veterans as a result of an ordinance passed by the City Council in January. Veterans will be vetted by the city and then partnered with landlords through Housing Families, a local non-profit that works to ensure housing stability. The city is prohibited from giving money directly to citizens.


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Local

Medford School Committee appropriates override funds to new positions, programming

The Medford School Committee voted unanimously to appropriate $7 million to retain over 14 positions across the school district, fund infrastructure upgrades and reserve funds for a new collective bargaining agreement on Jan. 13. The city’s approval of Proposition 2 ½ override questions 7 and 8 in the November 2024 election, generating $3 million and $4 million, respectively, for Medford schools.