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Some Medford residents experienced issues at polling stations during September preliminary election

By Evan Vezmar | October 9

During the Sept. 16 preliminary elections for Medford City Council, multiple Medford residents were told that they were no longer active voters on the voter roll. Massachusetts law requires cities to send a census every January, requiring all registered voters to confirm that their place of residence is accurate, with voters only being marked as active voters after the Medford Elections Commission receives the census. However, when some voters went to the polls in September, they were told they were inactive, despite having mailed the census.

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Local

Medford School Committee reviews policy for generative AI use in classrooms

By Carly Cohen | October 9

The Medford School Committee approved the first reading of a new policy, “Use of Generative AI in Medford Public Schools,” on Sept. 22. Though the policy still must pass a second reading before it is formally adopted, the committee voted to include it in the school handbooks, offering guidance on how teachers and students can choose to responsibly use artificial intelligence while the committee takes time to adopt the policy.

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Local

Upcoming election events in Medford and Somerville

By Josué Pérez | October 8

With just 27 days left before the municipal elections in Medford and Somerville, several events have been organized to give candidates for city council, School Committee and mayor an opportunity to share their platform with prospective voters and face off against competing candidates.

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Local

Somerville to decide on mayoral term extension and major charter overhaul in November

By Anika Parr and Theo Weller | October 7

Two questions will appear on Somerville’s Nov. 4 general election ballot: one proposing to extend the mayoral term from two years to four, and the other proposing updates to the city charter, which has remained largely unchanged since 1899.

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Local

Somerville City Council delays ballot mailer information statute ahead of November election

By Niki Wang and Alexandra Tse | October 6

On Nov. 4, Somerville residents will decide whether or not to adopt the city’s first new charter in more than a century and whether to lengthen the mayor’s term from two to four years. However, voters will not receive mailed explanations of the ballot questions after the City Council postponed adopting a state statute that would have required it.

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Local

Medford community calls for transparency on Tufts’ financial contributions to city

By Ananya Shah and Julian Glickman | October 2

Efforts to access a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes agreement between Tufts and Medford have reignited discussions over the university’s role in its surrounding communities. Tufts, which is exempt from property taxes on most of its Medford/Somerville campus due to the Dover Amendment, a Massachusetts law that negotiates agreements with the two cities to make voluntary financial contributions as a substitute for taxes.

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Local

Medford to update signage and street design via wayfinding survey

By Evan Vezmar | September 26

Medford is planning a citywide update to its wayfinding — the system of signs, markers and design elements that help guide people through an area — to improve navigation and highlight local landmarks.

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Local

Over 100 protest reported housing of ICE agents outside Hyatt Place Medford

By Anika Parr and Zach Halverstam | September 24

Residents protested Tuesday night outside the Hyatt Place in Medford in response to reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents staying at the hotel. The demonstrations were a follow up to a similar protest on Saturday on the Hyatt’s premises.

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Local

Ketanji Brown Jackson hosts event at Chevalier Theater

By Carly Hope | September 18

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson spoke at an event at the Chevalier Theater in Medford on Sept. 11. One of the latest stops on her book tour, the venue was full of attendees. 

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Local

LIVE UPDATES: Incumbent Ballantyne ousted in 2025 Somerville preliminary election

By Anika Parr and Alexandra Tse | September 16

Polls have closed across the City of Somerville as it holds its preliminary election Tuesday. The mayoral, City Councilor At-Large, City Council Ward 7, and Ward 3 School Committee races will be narrowed before the municipal election on November 4. After the preliminary election, the top two candidates will remain in each position pool except for the councilor at-large race, where eight candidates will advance to the general election.

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Local

LIVE UPDATES: Unofficial results are in for 2025 Medford preliminary election

By Evan Vezmar and Julian Glickman | September 16

Polls have closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday as Medford voters will narrow down a large field of at-large City Council candidates from 17–14 tonight as the city decides on the body’s composition for the next two years.

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Local

Residents, officials concerned over sale of 21-acre Medford property to MBTA for bus facility

By Julian Glickman | September 12

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority closed on a 21-acre property at 440 Riverside Ave. in Medford, where it intends to store and maintain buses, frustrating residents and officials who worry about its impact on the neighborhood and a missed opportunity to build a supermarket. Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced on Aug. 25 via Facebook that the MBTA had closed on the property.

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Local

Davis Square Neighborhood Council elects inaugural board

By Alexandra Tse | September 12

Community members in Davis Square elected the inaugural board of directors for the Davis Square Neighborhood Council (DSNC) last month. The nine-member body, according to its website, aims to give the community “a seat at the table” in shaping the neighborhood’s future, with its primary function ...

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Local

Progress stalls on Medford rezoning as city council and the mayor work to negotiate way forward

By Julian Glickman | September 4

The large-scale rezoning of Medford has been indefinitely paused as the city’s contract with Innes Associates, the zoning consultant partnering with the city, expires.

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Local

Boston City Council unanimously passes resolution supporting SMFA professors of the practice

By Josué Pérez | August 14

The Boston City Council passed a resolution supporting the professors of the practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts on August 6. Negotations for the SMFA PoPs’ first contract began in April 2024. The resolution represents the most recent attempt to address prolonged negotiations and build support for the PoPs.

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Local

Candidate field for Medford elections largely set

By Julian Glickman | August 7

The list of candidates running for mayor, City Council and School Committee in Medford has been largely finalized following the July 29 deadline to submit nomination papers. Our Revolution Medford, the progressive organization that supports a majority of incumbent members on the City Council and School Committee, announced its list of endorsements on Tuesday.

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Local

Candidates certified for 2025 Somerville municipal election as withdrawal period ends

By Anika Parr | July 8

The list of certified candidates for Somerville’s municipal election was finalized on Monday following the deadline for candidate withdrawals. According to Nicholas Salerno, chair of the Somerville Elections Commission, the drawing for positions on the September ballot will take place on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Preliminary elections are scheduled for Sep. 16.

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Local

Public safety hearing exposes growing backlash to SoundThinking surveillance in Somerville, Cambridge

By Anika Parr | June 18

The Cambridge Public Safety Committee held a hearing on the police department’s use of SoundThinking, formerly ShotSpotter, on June 2. The gunshot detection system, used in both Cambridge and Somerville, has recently drawn criticism from residents — particularly because both cities are sanctuary cities.

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Local

Q&A: Mayor Lungo-Koehn shares goals for fourth mayoral campaign, accomplishments as Mayor

By Josué Pérez | May 13

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn met with the Daily to discuss her initiatives and remaining goals for the city as she begins her fourth reelection campaign for Mayor.

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Local

Medford City Council approves updated version of new charter after negotiations with mayor

By Julian Glickman | April 28

The Medford City Council passed an updated version of the city’s charter in a 6–1 vote on April 15, nearing the end of a years-long process that now moves to the Massachusetts State House and, ultimately, Medford voters.

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