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Somerville municipal employees continue fight for fair wages

By Grayton Goldsmith | March 14

Established in 1963, the Somerville Municipal Employees Association has since grown to represent more than 260 municipal workers, with bargaining units that cover everything from the Department of Public Works to the library department to school nurses. For more than 20 months, however, these vital city workers, prohibited by Massachusetts law from going on strike, have been working without a contract.

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Local

Local publication to end coverage of Somerville

By Almer Yu | February 29

Following a national trend of local newspaper closures, the Somerville Wire — a municipal news service which has now served the city of Somerville for the better part of three years — will soon close its doors for the final time.

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Local

Medford calls for ceasefire in Gaza following neighboring cities of Somerville, Cambridge

By Shannon Murphy | February 14

On Feb. 6, Medford became the third city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, following just over a week after the cities of Somerville and Cambridge called for the same. City Council Vice President Kit Collins proposed the resolution, passed in a 5-1-1 vote during last week’s city council meeting after public testimony from dozens of constituents.

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Local

Rep. Pressley secures $2.4 million in federal funding to renovate Clarendon Hill Apartments

By Nicholas Prather | February 14

In early January, Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosted a community roundtable with Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and local authorities to discuss affordable housing, specifically, the plans for the Clarendon Hill Redevelopment Project. This project seeks to add 375 apartments to Clarendon Hill’s original 216 units, totaling 591 units of mixed-income housing across three buildings and several townhomes.

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Local

Oldest men’s prison in Mass. to permanently close

By Summer Maxwell | February 8

The Massachusetts Department of Correction announced on Jan. 24 its plans to close the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord, a medium-security men’s prison, by summer 2024, falling in line with Gov. Maura Healey’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget recommendation.

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Local

City of Somerville opens first seasonal ‘warming center’ for unhoused residents

By Grayton Goldsmith | February 7

The City of Somerville has created an overnight warming center for unhoused residents that will stay open for the winter season. Located at The Armory at 191 Highland Ave., the new center is a partnership with two local nonprofits: Housing Families and the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

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Local

Somerville residents critique new plans for Davis Square

By Almer Yu | February 7

Community members gathered at the Somerville Public Library West Branch on Jan. 29 to critique an updated commercial area plan for Davis Square. Somerville city planners shared their progress on their plan to redesign Davis Square’s commercial core, then opened the floor to  local residents for feedback.

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Local

Somerville becomes first Mass. city to call for Gaza ceasefire

By Anna Fattaey | February 6

In late January, Somerville became the first city in Massachusetts to pass a resolution calling for an enduring ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution, which was brought forth by City Council President Ben Ewen-Campen, was passed in a 9–2 vote after close to three hours of testimony and deliberation on Jan. 25.

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Local

Mayor Wu gives second State of the City address

By Sarah Firth | January 17

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivered her second annual State of the City address at the MGM Music Hall on Jan. 9, introducing new plans for housing developments and access to public education.

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Local

Somerville residents speak up for outdoor development

By Shannon Murphy | January 17

Representatives from the City of Somerville gathered feedback from community members at two public meetings earlier this month in order to update the city’s conservation and recreational development goals for the next seven years.

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Local

Mayor Ballantyne rejects police chief candidate, sending search for a replacement into a fourth year

By Anna Fattaey | December 4

Somerville Mayor Katanja Ballantyne and Somerville’s Police Chief Search Committee announced on Nov. 9 that their search for the next chief of the Somerville Police Department will continue. Somerville has been in the process of selecting the new chief since December 2020, when former Chief David Fallon retired.

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Local

Somerville removes gender requirement from its marriage certificates

By Estelle Anderson | November 29

Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and City Clerk Kimberly Wells officially removed the gender identification requirement from Somerville marriage certificates on Oct. 19. Rather than having to select either “male” or “female” on their marriage certificates, Somerville couples can now choose to leave this field blank.

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Local

Medford breaks ground on new community path

By Grayton Goldsmith | November 28

On Nov. 2, the City of Medford broke ground on the half-mile Clippership Connector which will connect over 10 miles of preexisting greenways and bike paths whichreach from Boston to as far north as Lynn.The path, expected to be completed by 2025, will be the culmination of over 10 years of work by the city and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, as well as multiple civil society organizations.

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Local

Here’s what Somerville’s ‘rat czar’ is doing about the city’s rodent problem

By Samantha Eng | November 9

Somerville has a rat problem. “I mostly see them in parks and around my house, especially at night,” Elizabeth Lohr, who lives near Davis Square, said. “You can hear them scurrying around and sometimes darting into the path.”

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Local

Tufts student runs for Somerville city councilor position

By Matthew Sage | November 7

A Tufts student might soon represent local residents as city councilor in Somerville’s upcoming election cycle. Jack Perenick, a member of the Class of 2025, is running for the Ward Five city councilor position against Naima Sait, an Algerian immigrant and long-time educator. At bimonthly meetings, the Somerville City Council is responsible for passing ordinances on issues ranging from zoning laws, creating special boards and commissions and approving mayoral budget modifications. Ward Five encompasses the center of Somerville and includes the business districts of Magoun Square, Ball Square and Porter Square. Council positions are part-time and span two years.

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Local

Rick Caraviello is challenging incumbent Breanna Lungo-Koehn in upcoming municipal election

By Carly Cohen | November 6

Medford City Councilor Rick Caraviello is running against incumbent Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn in the city’s municipal election on Tuesday. Both candidates plan to give Tufts students more recreational and dining opportunities and revitalize the city as a whole.  

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Local

Massachusetts lawmakers introduce bill targeting legacy admissions

By Matthew Sage | November 3

Shortly before the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Affirmative Action in June, Massachusetts legislators introduced a state bill that, if passed, would discourage colleges and universities from using admission practices that favor wealthier applicants.

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Local

Medford holds forum on lead contamination, environmental racism

By Shannon Murphy | November 2

Clean Water Action and the Mystic Valley area branch of the NAACP held a public forum at Medford City Hall on Saturday to discuss the problem of lead contamination in drinking water and how communities in the Mystic Valley area can protect themselves against it. The presentation was hosted by Maureo Fernández y Mora, Clean Water Action’s state co-director for Massachusetts. Fernández y Mora focused on the relationship between environmental contamination and social justice.

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Local

Somerville residents, civil employees convene at the city’s first Civic Day

By Joe Montalto | October 19

Somerville hosted its first-ever Civic Day on Sept. 30, where visitors were invited to learn about a variety of city-wide departments. In an interview with the Daily, Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne shared details about the city’s aspirations and priorities. The event, which took place at Somerville High School, focused on introducing residents to the city’s government services and programs. Along with the mayor, the city’s Rat Czar and several councilors were also in attendance.

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Local

MBTA removes slow zones on the Green Line

By Grayton Goldsmith | October 19

The MBTA has restored service to Union Square ahead of schedule and lifted all speed restrictions on the Green Line Extension, Phillip Eng, MBTA general manager and CEO, announced in an Oct.11 press release.

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