Somerville-based entrepreneur and community advocate Jason Mackey announced on Feb. 20 his candidacy for mayor, joining other candidates, including the incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne; City Councilors at-Large Jake Wilson and Willie Burnley Jr.; and perennial candidate William Tauro.
The cities of Somerville and Chelsea filed a lawsuit in a Massachusetts district court challenging federal immigration policy on Feb. 24. The cities, represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights, argue that recent federal actions unconstitutionally pressure sanctuary cities to participate in federal immigration enforcement.
Professors of the practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts most recently held a bargaining session for their first contract with the university on Feb.25, continuing negotiations that began in April 2024. The professors are seeking wage increases, heightened research support and increased transparency on hiring practices from the contract.
On Tuesday, Tufts Democratsdecided to lobby in support of a bill that would improve accessibility for homeless individuals applying for Massachusetts identification cards. The groupbegan preparing for the multistep lobbying on Beacon Hill at theMassachusetts Legislature.
The Tufts Community Union Senate met with representatives from the Office of Residential Life & Learning to discuss student housing concerns. Senators discussed the club funding, late stays at the end of the semester for international students and possible collaborations between ResLife and Tufts Dining among other issues.
Tufts Community Union Senate unanimously passed two resolutions. Submitted by Class of 2028 Senator Jesse Kitumba, the resolutions requested an expansion of language options for students during the Senate meeting on February 17.
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.
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.
Concerns are growing over pedestrian safety among Medford residents and elected officials after two elderly men were fatally struck by vehicles in recent months.
Tufts Community Grants, which provides funding to nonprofit organizations, opened its annual grant application program, which will be available until Friday.
The Tufts Community Union Senate met with the Tufts University Social Collective to brainstorm project ideas and discuss club supplementary funding during their Sunday meeting. When the final request was adjudicated, junior Dhruv Sampat, senator and TCU treasurer, reported the Senate had allocated $300,000 in supplementary funds to date this semester, compared with $150,000 at the same time last semester, making this semester’s treasury spending the highest in its 50-year history.
The Tufts Federalist Society and the Onero Institute recently hosted a panel to discuss the rise of the far right, both domestically and abroad. The panel featured Professor David Art, chair of the Department of Political Science, as well asappellate attorney and policy writer Dennis Saffran.
Chloe Courtney Bohl (LA’24), Julia Shannon-Grillo (LA’24) and Summer Maxwell (LA’24) joined The Tufts Daily at different points in their undergraduate years, with different goals and on different sections of the paper. Their work on the Daily led them toward career paths that aligned with one overarching passion: journalism.
On Feb. 25, 1980, the first issue of The Tufts Daily was released. At the top of its front page, in typewriter ink, is the very first news headline: “Tuition Protest.” The article covered a protest attended by hundreds of students over a $1,226 hike in tuition, mirroring the challenges students continue to face today.
On Friday, the federal judge overseeing the lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health — filed by 13 Americanuniversities including Tufts — extended the block on the agency’s attempt to reduce funding for indirect medical research during the case’s first hearing. The extension allows the judge more time to make a final decision on the case.
In the early hours of Feb. 9, an MBTA Green Line train struck another train at the East Somerville station, hospitalizing five.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association issued a new policy banning people assigned male at birth from competing on women’s athletics teams, regardless of gender identity. Athletes assigned female at birth may still compete on women’s teams, so long as they are not on hormone therapy. Participation in team practices will be largely unaffected.
Copper Mill Development hosted an open meeting at Somerville Community Baptist Church on Feb. 12 to discuss plans to develop their Elm and Grove Street property to include retail and residential apartments. This was the fifth event Copper Mill has hosted seeking community feedback.
Tufts researchers are expressing concern over President Donald Trump’s attempt to halt federal research grants and the National Institutes of Health’s announcement to cap funding for indirect research costs at 15% — though temporarily blocked by a federal judge — in early February.
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.
