Anika Parr as a deputy news editor for the Daily. She is a sophomore, and can be reached at anika.parr@tufts.edu.
Polls have closed across the City of Somerville as it holds its municipal election Tuesday. The mayoral, City Councilor At-Large, City Council Ward 7 and Ward 3 School Committee races will be decided.
The Daily spoke with Somerville residents about their reflections on the School Committee and City Council races ahead of election day. Issues that shaped this campaign season included affordable housing and development, public safety and homelessness, special education and disability programming, street safety and design, among others.
The Daily is interviewing candidates for the Somerville School Committee before the municipal election on Nov. 4. All interviews are edited for length and clarity.
The city of Somerville hosted a meeting on Oct. 6 to discuss public safety and homelessness in the Davis Square and Seven Hills area. Residents continued to express concerns and frustrations despite city officials outlining steps they have taken to address the issue.
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.
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.
Tufts’ Department of Psychology hosted an event on Sept. 20 in Cohen Auditorium to celebrate the career and achievements of Professor Sam Sommers, who passed away on March 16. Sommers’ colleagues, students and children spoke at the event, sharing memories and tributes in his honor.
Private music lessons for students have been suspended for fall 2025. Instructors received news of the suspension in July, and students were notified in August. The main reason provided was that the position of director of applied music — responsible for overseeing and organizing the lessons — was left vacant.
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.
Tufts University announced on Tuesday that U.S. undergraduate students from families earning less than $150,000 a year with typical assets will attend tuition-free, beginning in the fall of 2026. The new policy, referred to as the Tufts Tuition Pact, intends to make the university’s commitment to affordability more transparent and accessible.
