Local

Somerville releases final plan for new citywide bike network

By Estelle Anderson | May 17

Somerville released its first-ever Bicycle Network Plan on April 11 to build an 88-mile system of connected bike lanes throughout the city. The network, which will be completed within the next few decades, would make Somerville the only municipality in Massachusetts besides Cambridge to establish a citywide bicycle network.

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Local

Robert Goldstein discusses time at Tufts, Mass. public health priorities as he takes DPH reins

By Peri Barest | May 17

Kate Walsh, Massachusetts secretary of health and human services, appointed triple-Jumbo Robert Goldstein (LA’05, M’12, GBS’12) as the state’s commissioner of public health on April 4. Goldstein’s time working with the Sharewood Clinic as an undergraduate and medical student shaped his commitment to helping underserved communities access medical care, he told the Daily a week into his tenure.

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Local

Markey, Ballantyne discuss Green New Deal at Somerville High School

By Carly Cohen | May 16

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne spoke at Somerville High School on April 24 to discuss the Green New Deal and its local implications.

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Local

Somerville passes new ordinance to prevent discrimination against people in polyamorous relations

By Katie Spiropoulos | April 14

The Somerville City Council passed an ordinance on March 23 seeking to combat discrimination against polyamorous people in the workplace and in interactions with law enforcement. The bill is one of the first of its kind, and comes three years after Somerville passed an ordinance officially recognizing polyamorous relationships. 

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Local

Medford City Council passes ordinance to establish affordable housing trust

By Carly Cohen | April 13

The Medford City Council recently passed an ordinance to create an affordable housing trust for the city. This trust would allow a selected board to buy small properties and secure land to turn into more affordable housing. Medford residents would be able to buy or rent property from the city, and that property would be kept under market rates.

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Local

Medford, Somerville city councilors talk local politics at Tufts event

By Shannon Murphy | April 3

City councilors and Tufts alums Judy Pineda Neufeld of Somerville and Kit Collins of Medford returned to Tufts to speak about their careers and paths to local government in the event “The Importance of Local Politics: Perspectives from Local City Councilors” held in Olin Center for Language and Cultural Studies on Monday, March 27. Nimah Mazaheri, chair of the political science department, moderated the event.

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Local

Somerville allocates $1.6 million toward housing supportive services

By Estelle Anderson | March 13

Somerville’s Housing Division plans to allocate $1.6 million in federal funds towards services including rental assistance and housing stabilization by 2030. The funds were awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnership American Rescue Plan Program, an initiative that provides funding to reduce homelessness and increase housing stability across the country.

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Local

Proposed Mass. bill would allow parents to use campaign funds for childcare

By Carly Cohen | March 1

A bill that would allow parents running for public office to use campaign funds for childcare was recently introduced by Massachusetts State Senator Patricia Jehlen, who represents Medford, Somerville, Cambridge and Winchester. 

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Local

Massachusetts Democrats want major moves on gun safety in 2023

By Amelia Colafati | February 28

Massachusetts Democrats plan to use the 2023 legislative session to further gun control legislation in the state. The Democrats hold a majority in both the state House and the state Senate. Along with recently elected Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, state legislators and activists have high hopes for a major gun safety package.

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Local

City tells Somerville Media Center to relocate by April 30

By Michaela Loughran | February 27

The City of Somerville is requiring Somerville Media Center to relocate from its current home in Union Square by April 30. Formed in March 1983, SMC produces local radio shows and TV shows as well as youth programs that seek to educate children in the use of media tools to tell their own stories. 

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Local

Somerville ZBA approves plans for 299 Broadway housing, retail development

By Estelle Anderson | February 22

Somerville’s Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously on Feb. 1 to approve permit requests for a new Winter Hill building complex, representing a major step towards the area’s long-desired revitalization. Located at 299 Broadway, the site of a closed Star Market, the development would consist of two mixed-use buildings, multiple retail spaces and a civic plaza, in addition to a pocket park along Seawall Street. 

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Local

Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism raises $5,000 to keep the Somerville Wire running temporarily

By Peri Barest | February 10

The Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism raised $5,000 in three weeks to keep running the Somerville Wire, Editor Jason Pramas announced in a Feb. 2 editorial. The donations of 40 Somervillians allowed the Wire, an online, independent news service, to avoid a long-term spring hiatus.

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Local

Somerville starts ‘consolidated rental waitlist’ for affordable housing

By Tessa Moore | February 6

The City of Somerville plans to launch a new consolidated rental waitlist in late 2023 to simplify the application process for reduced-cost housing opportunities as part of the city’s expanding inclusionary housing program.

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Local

Mayor Wu delivers her first State of the City Address

By Matthew Sage | February 1

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivered her first State of the City Address on Jan. 25 at MGM Music Hall. It is the first State of the City Address held in person in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Local

A homeowner looking to rent out rooms was blocked by an obscure law — now lawmakers want to change the rules

By Matthew Sage | January 26

A Somerville homeowner attempting to rent rooms in his house to Tufts students has faced unexpected resistance from the city government on the grounds that his request to house unrelated students is unlawful. The homeowner, who requested that the Daily not identify him by name, has been appealing to the Somerville City Council for months.

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Local

Somerville City Council passes measure to eliminate medical debt

By Layla Shaffer | January 26

The Somerville City Council unanimously passed a resolution on Jan. 12 calling for the cancellation of Somerville residents’ medical debt. Headed by City Councilors At-Large Willie Burnley Jr. and Charlotte Kelly, the plan details the reappropriation of American Rescue Plan Act funds to buy medical debt portfolios in bulk for those residents who make up to 400% of the federal poverty rate, or those for whom debt is 5% or more of their annual income.

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Local

Cambridge reels after police killing of Sayed Arif Faisal

By Ariana Phillips | January 24

The Cambridge City Council held a special meeting on Jan. 18 to discuss the protocols of the Cambridge Police Department after police fatally shot Sayed Arif Faisal earlier this month. Faisal was a 20-year-old Cambridge resident and engineering student at UMass Boston. 

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