Grayton Goldsmith

Mini Crossword: November 21, 2024

Hey Wait One Second: Nostalgia

As daylight hours become ever more scarce and a proper wintry chill has finally set in on campus, I find myself longing for summer sun and the impromptu trips to Mystic Lake that once characterized life in the blissful metropolis that is Medford/Somerville. According to researchers at the University of Southampton, this wave of nostalgia that has so suddenly subsumed me in fact has an evolutionary function: Nostalgia can make you feel physically warmer. 

Mini Crossword: November 7, 2024

Service industry workers divided on minimum wage ballot measure

Come election day, Massachusetts voters will be asked to cast their vote on five ballot measures appended to their standard general election ballots. One such measure pertains to the minimum wage for tipped workers.

Hey Wait Just One Second: Code switching

Language is powerful. It’s personal. It’s the first and most important gift we receive from our parents, and we carry it with us for the rest of our lives. As we grow older, we add new words to our vocabulary. Our ever-expanding bank of slang reflects the environment and circumstances in which we live and our accents serve as hyper-specific markers of the places we were raised, for better or for worse.

Somerville honors lives lost, looks forward during National Recovery Month

Throughout the month of September, those passing by Somerville City Hall may notice the 14 purple flags flanking its front lawn. Each flag honors a Somerville resident lost to substance use disorder in 2023. Last year, 22 flags were placed, representing the 22 overdose deaths that occurred in Somerville in 2022. The city’s end goal is to have zero flags outside the city hall one day.September is National Recovery Month, and Somerville is regularly hosting naloxone distribution events and training sessions throughout the month. Naloxone, more commonly known by its brand name Narcan, is an easy-to-use nasal spray that can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Affirmative action for the rich? Reexamining legacy admissions in a post-affirmative action world

It’s no secret that the college admissions process is in turmoil. Regardless of political conviction, higher education has become a prime target for those who are disgruntled with both the current state of American society and its projected future. What was once deemed the “great equalizer” is now viewed by many on both sides of the political spectrum as distinctively elitist, further entrenching socioeconomic divides rather than breaking down barriers.

Somerville pilot program to provide families with guaranteed basic income

In March, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne announced that Somerville will begin a one-year guaranteed basic income pilot program this July. Approximately 200 households will receive monthly payments of $750 to use for self-identified expenses with the ultimate goal of increasing financial and housing stability. Much of this program’s funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, established in 2021.

Residents conflicted over Boston-based developer’s plans to revamp Union Square’s ‘Somernova’ campus

After withdrawing its original rezoning proposal, Boston-based developer Rafi Properties has gone back to the drawing board with its plans to redevelop “Somernova,” a commercial facility in Somerville’s Union Square neighborhood.

Somerville municipal employees continue fight for fair wages

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.