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.
The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition held a drop-in name change clinic on Feb. 11 in collaboration with the City of Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission. This clinic was hosted at the Cambridge Public Library.
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.
The Somerville Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change held a meeting to discuss progress on school decarbonization, youth climate engagement and advancements in renewable energy accessibility for the community, on Jan. 7.
On Monday, Nov. 18, the Somerville Department of Health and Human Services held a community meeting about the opening of a new winter warming center in the Cummings School building once renovations are finished.
The Somerville Public Health and Public Safety Committee discussed their ongoing efforts to address homelessness in Somerville in a meeting on Nov. 12.
The Tufts Federalist Society held a debate on Oct. 24 focusing on whether Project 2025 —the Heritage Foundation’s 900-page blueprint for the next Republican president — is a threat to democracy. Jonathan Wolfson, a contributor to Project 2025 and the Chief Legal Officer and Policy Director at the Cicero Institute, and Samuel Gebru, Tufts professor of the practice in the department of political science, argued for and against Project 2025, respectively. The conversation was moderated by senior and Federalist Society co-President Trent Bunker.
The Jonathan M.Tisch College of Civic Life hosted a discussion titled “Voting Machines Everyone Can Trust,” led by Dr. Ben Adida, co-founder and executive director of VotingWorks on Wednesday. Adida spoke about the history of voting machines, current voting practices and his approach to building the next generation of voting machines.
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.
