Local

Somerville pilot program to provide families with guaranteed basic income

By Grayton Goldsmith | April 19

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.

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Local

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

By Grayton Goldsmith | April 17

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.

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Local

Mayor Ballantyne reopens Somerville’s search for a new police chief

By Nicholas Prather | April 9

At the end of January, Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne announced the resumption of the City of Somerville’s search for their next chief of police after three finalists for the position were ultimately rejected by the mayor’s office last November. The search will be led by the city’s Racial and Social Justice Department, its Human Resources Department and public-sector executive recruitment firm GovHR, which serves as the requisite external consultant to identify and certify potential candidates. This search has been ongoing since March 2020, when former Chief David Fallon announced his retirement. Interim Police Chief Charlie Femino has led the department since Fallon’s retirement took effect in December 2020.

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Local

Somerville builds community through CultureHouse

By Teagan Mustone | April 8

CultureHouse, a nonprofit placemaking organization based in Somerville, transformed a vacant storefront into a vibrant community center in Union Square. Since its opening in January 2024, the pop-up, located at 64 Union Square, has offered a space to foster community and build intercultural and intergenerational relationships.

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Local

Somerville municipal employees continue fight for fair wages

By Grayton Goldsmith | March 14

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.

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Local

Local publication to end coverage of Somerville

By Almer Yu | February 29

Following a national trend of local newspaper closures, the Somerville Wire — a municipal news service which has now served the city of Somerville for the better part of three years — will soon close its doors for the final time.

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Local

Medford calls for ceasefire in Gaza following neighboring cities of Somerville, Cambridge

By Shannon Murphy | February 14

On Feb. 6, Medford became the third city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, following just over a week after the cities of Somerville and Cambridge called for the same. City Council Vice President Kit Collins proposed the resolution, passed in a 5-1-1 vote during last week’s city council meeting after public testimony from dozens of constituents.

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Local

Rep. Pressley secures $2.4 million in federal funding to renovate Clarendon Hill Apartments

By Nicholas Prather | February 14

In early January, Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosted a community roundtable with Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and local authorities to discuss affordable housing, specifically, the plans for the Clarendon Hill Redevelopment Project. This project seeks to add 375 apartments to Clarendon Hill’s original 216 units, totaling 591 units of mixed-income housing across three buildings and several townhomes.

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Local

Oldest men’s prison in Mass. to permanently close

By Summer Maxwell | February 8

The Massachusetts Department of Correction announced on Jan. 24 its plans to close the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord, a medium-security men’s prison, by summer 2024, falling in line with Gov. Maura Healey’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget recommendation.

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Local

City of Somerville opens first seasonal ‘warming center’ for unhoused residents

By Grayton Goldsmith | February 7

The City of Somerville has created an overnight warming center for unhoused residents that will stay open for the winter season. Located at The Armory at 191 Highland Ave., the new center is a partnership with two local nonprofits: Housing Families and the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

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Local

Somerville residents critique new plans for Davis Square

By Almer Yu | February 7

Community members gathered at the Somerville Public Library West Branch on Jan. 29 to critique an updated commercial area plan for Davis Square. Somerville city planners shared their progress on their plan to redesign Davis Square’s commercial core, then opened the floor to  local residents for feedback.

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Local

Somerville becomes first Mass. city to call for Gaza ceasefire

By Anna Fattaey | February 6

In late January, Somerville became the first city in Massachusetts to pass a resolution calling for an enduring ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution, which was brought forth by City Council President Ben Ewen-Campen, was passed in a 9–2 vote after close to three hours of testimony and deliberation on Jan. 25.

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Local

Mayor Wu gives second State of the City address

By Sarah Firth | January 17

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivered her second annual State of the City address at the MGM Music Hall on Jan. 9, introducing new plans for housing developments and access to public education.

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Local

Somerville residents speak up for outdoor development

By Shannon Murphy | January 17

Representatives from the City of Somerville gathered feedback from community members at two public meetings earlier this month in order to update the city’s conservation and recreational development goals for the next seven years.

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Local

Mayor Ballantyne rejects police chief candidate, sending search for a replacement into a fourth year

By Anna Fattaey | December 4

Somerville Mayor Katanja Ballantyne and Somerville’s Police Chief Search Committee announced on Nov. 9 that their search for the next chief of the Somerville Police Department will continue. Somerville has been in the process of selecting the new chief since December 2020, when former Chief David Fallon retired.

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Local

Somerville removes gender requirement from its marriage certificates

By Estelle Anderson | November 29

Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and City Clerk Kimberly Wells officially removed the gender identification requirement from Somerville marriage certificates on Oct. 19. Rather than having to select either “male” or “female” on their marriage certificates, Somerville couples can now choose to leave this field blank.

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Local

Medford breaks ground on new community path

By Grayton Goldsmith | November 28

On Nov. 2, the City of Medford broke ground on the half-mile Clippership Connector which will connect over 10 miles of preexisting greenways and bike paths whichreach from Boston to as far north as Lynn.The path, expected to be completed by 2025, will be the culmination of over 10 years of work by the city and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, as well as multiple civil society organizations.

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