The city of Somerville announced on Feb. 19 that it is participating in a Rodent Fertility Control Study using Evolve, which is a hormonal fertility control product designed to curb rat reproduction in a humane manner. This is in partnership with the Cambridge Public Health Department and Cambridge Inspectional Services Department.
Somerville-based entrepreneur and community advocate Jason Mackey announced on Feb. 20 his candidacy for mayor, joining other candidates, including the incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne; City Councilors at-Large Jake Wilson and Willie Burnley Jr.; and perennial candidate William Tauro.
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 Somerville City Council voted to approve the allocation of nearly $3 million in funding collected through the Community Preservation Act on Feb. 13. These funds will go to various projects throughout Somerville related to the preservation of historic buildings, maintenance of public open spaces, affordable housing initiatives and support for local nonprofits and community organizations.
The Somerville City Council passed a resolution in support of a contract for Tufts full-time lecturers in a meeting on Feb. 13. The resolution was sponsored by City Councilor at-Large Willie Burnley Jr., who also participated in the union’s walkout in January. Two full-time lecturers were invited to speak at the meeting, where council members expressed overwhelming support for Tufts FTLs.
Concerns are growing over pedestrian safety among Medford residents and elected officials after two elderly men were fatally struck by vehicles in recent months.
In the early hours of Feb. 9, an MBTA Green Line train struck another train at the East Somerville station, hospitalizing five.
Copper Mill Development hosted an open meeting at Somerville Community Baptist Church on Feb. 12 to discuss plans to develop their Elm and Grove Street property to include retail and residential apartments. This was the fifth event Copper Mill has hosted seeking community feedback.
Sitting Somerville City Councilor-at-Large Willie Burnley Jr. announced on Feb. 2 his candidacy for mayor of Somerville, joining fellow Councilor Jake Wilson and two-term incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne in the mayoral race. Burnley emphasized his background as a community organizer as well as his legislative record on the City Council when discussing his decision to run for mayor.
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.
Superintendents in both the Medford and Somerville school districts sent messages to students and families in late January reaffirming existing policies on immigration enforcement after President Donald Trump rescinded a federal policy that prevented immigration raids in schools.
The Medford Community Development Board approved Tufts’ proposed new dorm at 401 Boston Ave. on Feb. 5, allowing construction to begin this spring. The dorm will be a two-building complex with 299 units, and will house almost 700 upperclassmen when it is scheduled to open in 2027. The board expressed their reluctance to make the decision, recognizing the project’s strong public opposition, but focused the decision on whether existing legal restrictions were enough to deny the proposal.
Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn delivered her annual State of the City Address on Feb. 5 in City Hall, covering housing, zoning and transportation issues while reassuring residents about changes to federal policy.School Committee Vice Chair Jenny Graham and City Council President Zac Bears also provided updates from their respective body’s work.
Sitting Somerville City Councilor-at-Large Jake Wilson announced his intention to run for mayor in the upcoming November election, on Dec. 16, 2024, becoming the first to challenge two-term incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne.
On Jan. 29, an annual point-in-time (PIT) count of sheltered and unsheltered people took place in the state of Massachusetts. This year the cities of Medford, Everett and Malden came together with Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) to organize the count with the help of volunteers from across the three areas.
The Medford City Council passed a Welcoming City Ordinance on Jan. 14 with a 6–1 vote to establish Medford as a sanctuary city for immigrants and to ensure the Medford Police Department continues its policy of non-involvement with federal immigration enforcement.
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 City of Medford is launching a new program to offer participating landlords up to $750 per year for renting to veterans as a result of an ordinance passed by the City Council in January. Veterans will be vetted by the city and then partnered with landlords through Housing Families, a local non-profit that works to ensure housing stability. The city is prohibited from giving money directly to citizens.
The Medford School Committee voted unanimously to appropriate $7 million to retain over 14 positions across the school district, fund infrastructure upgrades and reserve funds for a new collective bargaining agreement on Jan. 13. The city’s approval of Proposition 2 ½ override questions 7 and 8 in the November 2024 election, generating $3 million and $4 million, respectively, for Medford schools.
The Somerville Municipal Employees Union ratified a new contract with the city of Somerville on Jan. 9. Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and union leadership signed a tentative agreement that includes wage increases across the board and family leave, among other benefits.
