Broadway Bus Lanes Forum, Veterans Day Events, and More!
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Speak Your Mind: Broadway Bus Lanes
Are you for or against the new bus lanes on Broadway? Air your views on live TV at a public forum this Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 6-8 p.m. at the Somerville Media Center, 90 Union Square.
In the three years since dedicated bus/bike lanes were installed on Broadway, they have gotten both cheers and jeers from residents, business owners, and commuters passing through the area. Local stakeholders are invited to testify for up to two minutes each about whether they feel the bus lanes have been positive or negative for traffic, bus frequency, cyclists, pedestrians, parking, accessibility, and the environment.
The forum will begin with short talks by former Congressman and Somerville Mayor Mike Capuano and Chris Dwan of the Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets, then it will open up for a public debate moderated by SMC Executive Director Kat Powers. Opponents and proponents are encouraged to participate, but everyone is expected to keep their comments civil.
The event is sponsored by Somerville Media Center, Somerville Media Fund, and Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. Admission is free. Masks are encouraged. For those who cannot attend in person, the forum will be aired live on Channel 3 and at somervillemedia.org and a recording will be available later.
MAMAS Free Store to redistribute donations
MAMAS (Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville) will host a Free Store with new and used winter clothes, including boots, coats, hats, gloves, and more for kids and adults.
The Free Store will be open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 (rain date Nov. 13) at the East Somerville Community School Playground, 50 Cross St.
MAMAS is seeking donations of gently used winter clothes of all sizes and ages, especially coats and boots. Call or text 339-545-1315 for drop-off locations and times. They are also accepting monetary donations to purchase new items for the Free Store.
Honoring Veterans Day
This year, there are several opportunities to commemorate Veterans Day in Somerville. The Moving Wall, a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will visit Somerville from Nov. 10-14. The memorial will be open for public viewing 24 hours a day starting Thursday, Nov. 10, at noon at Mass General Brigham, 399 Revolution Dr. During its five-day stay, members of the public can visit the wall and make crayon rubbings of names. Grief counselors from the Boston Vet Center will be available, and volunteers will be onsite to assist visitors 24 hours a day.
On Veterans Day, Somerville will host a joint Veterans Day ceremony with the City of Medford to honor all who have served in the military. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, with a vehicle procession including the Patriot Riders and the Somerville and Medford Fire and Police departments. Speakers’ remarks will begin at 11 a.m. at the Moving Wall at Mass General Brigham, 399 Revolution Dr.
Later in the day, city officials, the Somerville Museum, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, and members of the public will remember Somerville veterans buried or commemorated by the 1863 Civil War Monument. A ceremony with a bugler starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Milk Row Cemetery, 439 Somerville Ave.
For more information on events or volunteer opportunities, please contact Veterans’ Services at veterans@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600 ext. 4710.
Photo credit: Somerville Media Center and Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism volunteers and staff leaflet Winter Hill for the Broadway Bus Lanes Forum. Photo courtesy of BINJ.
This article is syndicated by the Somerville Wire municipal news service of the Somerville News Garden project of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.
All Somerville Wire articles may be republished by community news outlets free of charge with permission and by larger commercial news outlets for a fee. Republication requests and all other inquiries should be directed to somervillewire@binjonline.org. Somerville Wire articles are also syndicated by BINJ’s MassWire state news service at masswire.news.
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Linda Pinkow is a reporter for the Somerville Wire. She is also a development consultant for the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.
