Starting in the beginning of November, many residents across Medford received notices that their residence is serviced by lead pipes.
Medford is working to reduce its number of vacant storefronts through the Vacant Storefront District Program, which will award up to $10,000 worth of tax credits to businesses interested in moving into storefronts that have been vacant for 12 months or more. The eligible storefronts are located in six districts, which include Medford Square, Haines Square, Hillside, South Medford, Wellington and West Medford.
Local election results in Medford and Somerville show a largely successful campaign for proponents of the ballot questions in both municipalities. Voters in Somerville approved Question 6, which will increase the surcharge on the Community Preservation Act from 1.5% to 3%.
The city of Medford has officially been named a Purple Heart City, a U.S. military honor that commemorates local residents — both living and deceased — who were the recipients of Purple Heart medals. Bestowed by the president, the Purple Heart is not only the oldest but also one of the most revered military decorations in the U.S.
Medford, along with seven other Boston suburbs, is asking for input from residents as it develops a new plan to spend funding it receives as part of two separate programs through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In an email sent to the Tufts community Friday afternoon, Executive Director of Public Safety Yolanda Smith provided further information about the fire. “At approximately 11:05 a.m. this morning, a fire was reported at 74 Raymond Avenue in Somerville, a privately owned property where 10 Tufts undergraduate students lived. Somerville Fire and Police, as well as Tufts University police, EMS, and paramedics responded quickly,”
The Medford Police Department is searching for the individual who fired eight gunshots near 364 Boston Avenue around 1 a.m. on Friday morning. The incident occurred next to Pizza Days, a popular, late-night pizza shop frequented by Tufts students on weekend nights.
In addition to answering “Yes” or “No” on five statewide ballot questions, Somerville residents are voting on one local ballot question. Question 6 asks if the city of Somerville should “amend its acceptance of the Community Preservation Act.”
The city councils of Medford and Somerville both voted unanimously to pass resolutions in support of Massachusetts Question 2 in October. If passed, the question — one of five on the ballot — would eliminate the statewide requirement that public school students must receive a passing score on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System in order to graduate from high school.
Medford ballot Questions 7 and 8 will determine whether the city can collect an additional $7.5 million in personal property and real estate taxes to fund the public school system and infrastructure repairs. Questions 7 and 8 are two of three local ballot questions Medford residents will vote on this Election Day.
After Tufts’ Graduate School of Arts and Sciences paused its Master of Public Policy earlier this year, local community members have mobilized in support of the Neighborhood Fellows Program, which annually selects up to five urban leaders to participate in the masters program. The leaders come from underrepresented groups and have experience working in urban communities within the Boston area.
Medford residents will vote on three local ballot questions on Nov. 5, in addition to the five state-wide questions. The first of the three, Question 6, asks voters to approve a debt exclusion for a new fire headquarters that will replace the current one at 120 Main St.
Union Square in Somerville, Mass. is among 38 neighborhoods named in Time Out’s 2024 list of coolest neighborhoods in the world. Locals and business owners in the area seem to agree. From those who have been in Union Square for the majority of their life to those who have moved there in recent ...
Rent prices in neighborhoods surrounding Tufts are rising rapidly, raising concerns for Tufts students and local residents alike. In Massachusetts, a minimum wage worker must clock 120 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom rental home.
The Somerville Central Library resumed its regular weekday schedule on Oct. 2, following over a month of reduced hours aimed at combating violent and disruptive behavior by some patrons. Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne announced the reopening, along with “updated safety measures” put in place to create “a safe and supportive library environment.”
At least 200 residents gathered in the Somerville Community Baptist Church for a meeting on public safety in the Seven Hills and Davis Square area on Oct. 9. Amid rising concerns about homelessness and public drug use in these communities, Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, newly-appointed Police Chief Shumeane Benford and other city leaders tried to balance public safety concern with compassion for unhoused individuals struggling with addiction.
The Medford City Council is working to combat the city’s rodent problem with new ordinances and enforcement tactics, in partnership with the Medford Health Department. The efforts come amid a recent increase in rodents and wild animals such as rats and raccoons, causing concerns about sanitation issues and the spread of disease.
The Massachusetts state government provided $750,000 in funding for the expansion of City of Medford’s “Medford Connects” project, an environmental justice initiative introduced by Mayor Brianna Lungo-Koehn in 2020. The funding comes from the fourth round of Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness ...
Somerville officially launched its second-ever round of participatory budgeting on Sept. 20, allocating $1 million of the city’s budget toward city improvement projects that will be voted on by residents. Participatory budgeting, which Somerville first implemented in 2023, strives to involve more community members in the democratic process by giving them a voice in how the city’s budget is spent.
The City of Medford announced on Sept. 18 that it would move forward with the search for a new fire chief and deputy chief with “assessment center” examinations. Deputy Fire Chief Todd Evans has been the acting fire chief since March, when former Fire Chief John Freedman retired following a period of mass sick leaves by firefighters in February.
