MASSWIRE

MassWire—a project of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism—is a web-based news service covering the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. All BINJ articles published on the Wire are available for republishing by independent community news outlets for free—and by larger commercial news outlets and chains for a fee. Interested news organizations can contact us at masswire@binjonline.org for more information.

The public at large has free access to all MassWire articles here at masswire.news. BINJ’s Somerville Wire municipal news service is also part of MassWire.

Lost Somerville. Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.

SOMERVILLE WIRE: August 16, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Race and Social Justice Talk, Hip Hop Festival and More! Article COMMUNITY LAND TRUST CELEBRATES ITS FIRST AFFORDABLE HOMES Ribbon ...
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Photo credit: Somerville Community Land Trust board and volunteers in front of 7 Summer Street. Photo courtesy of the Somerville Community Land Trust.

COMMUNITY LAND TRUST CELEBRATES ITS FIRST AFFORDABLE HOMES

Ribbon cutting this Wednesday for five new condos in Union Square (Somerville Wire) - Somerville is celebrating the first acquisition ...
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SOMERVILLE WIRE: August 9, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Yart Sale, Crossing Guards Needed, and More! Article CITY HOLDS DESIGN WORKSHOP TO GET INPUT ON PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING SITE ...
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Somerville residents participate in 90 Washington design workshop. Photo by Molly Farrar.

CITY HOLDS DESIGN WORKSHOP TO GET INPUT ON PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING SITE PLAN

Participants use color-coded Lego pieces to suggest housing, stores, business and nonprofit offices, labs, medical/healthcare facilities, common areas, or green ...
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“POLARIZING FORCE”

Governor’s Council weighs controversial Parole Board renomination “You have an unbelievable amount of people who are against you.” Governor’s Councilor ...
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"Somerville, Mystic Avenue, Service Station" by MIT-Libraries is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

SOMERVILLE WIRE: August 2, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Free Meals for Youth, “Moving Wall” Veterans Memorial, and More! Articles TENANTS RALLY IN FRONT OF 6-8 MORTIMER PLACE Protest ...
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CAAS Tenant Rally on July 29, 2022. Photo courtesy of Community Action Agency of Somerville.

TENANTS RALLY IN FRONT OF 6-8 MORTIMER PLACE

Protest “tidal wave of gentrification sweeping the new Green Line Extension corridor” (Somerville Wire) - Responding to soaring rents and ...
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Photo courtesy of the City of Somerville, Mass.

CURB USAGE TO CHANGE

Last chance to weigh in on proposed new rules; final report expected this summer (Somerville Wire) - Since last summer, ...
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OPINION: CREATING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN SOMERVILLE

I am a longtime community services program developer and I wanted to share some good news with my friends in ...
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"Pie" by Eric Ferdinand is licensed under CC-BY 2.0

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE: MAJOR FUNDERS NEED TO GIVE EQUALLY TO ALL NONPROFIT NEWS OUTLETS

Because the current practice of “every outlet for itself” is absolutely failing to rebuild local news in the US The ...
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Photo courtesy of the Patriots Hall of Fame

SOMERVILLE WIRE: July 26, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

City Seeks Poll Workers, 35 McGrath Highway Development Proposal, and More! Articles STREET TREES NEED YOUR LOVE Residents encouraged to ...
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STREET TREES NEED YOUR LOVE

Residents encouraged to water and protect saplings during drought (Somerville Wire) - Have you ever thought about becoming a tree ...
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EDITORIAL: SOMERVILLE MEDIA FUND GIVES FIRST TWO GRANTS

Somerville Media Center and Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism get equal shares of donations raised from community members I’m pleased ...
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Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.

DAVIS SQUARE DEVELOPER PLANS LAB SPACE AS SMALL BUSINESSES AWAIT UNKNOWN FATE

“The Sligos of the world might become history a lot quicker than people might think” (Somerville Wire) – Scape North ...
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Collage by Jason Pramas, CC-BY-SA 2.0. Mailing Junk back to Junk Mailers by Oran Viriyincy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Somerville PD Ford Police Interceptor Utility by Jason Lawrence. CC-BY 2.0.

LETTER: ARTICLE ON COUNCIL DEBATE OVER SHANNON GRANT ‘HEAVILY FAVORS SUPPORTERS’

Hi there, My name is Alessandra Seiter, and I'm a Somerville resident, a librarian, and a monthly supporter of BINJ ...
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SOMERVILLE WIRE: July 19, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Nonprofits Win Cummings Grants, Mobile Farmers Market, and More! Article SUMMER VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM APPROVED With shootings on the rise, ...
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Somerville PD Ford Police Interceptor Utility by Jason Lawrence. CC-BY 2.0.

SUMMER VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM APPROVED

With shootings on the rise, councilors debate funding for annual regional policing initiative A state-funded grant that has been used ...
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CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER CRISIS

A crowd gathered in front of the Massachusetts State House on May 3 to protest the leaked Supreme Court decision ...
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Yard sale aftermath, Somerville, Mass." Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.

SOMERVILLE WIRE: July 12, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Superintendent Search, ArtBeat Returns, and More! Article AFFORDABLE CONDOS FOR SALE Eleven deeply discounted units currently available via lottery Shorts ...
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AFFORDABLE CONDOS FOR SALE

Eleven deeply discounted units currently available via lottery (Somerville Wire) - In collaboration with two private developers, the City is ...
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CENTRA INTELLIGENCE

New Documents Reveal Extent, Cost Of BPD’s Secret Surveillance Strategy After more than 100 white supremacists gathered in Boston and ...
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“What's a ‘Neighborway?’” Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.

SOMERVILLE WIRE: June 28, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Fourth of July Festivities, Tackling Sewer Overflows, and More! Article COMPREHENSIVE BICYCLE NETWORK PLANNED Streets throughout Somerville to be designated ...
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Draft City of Somerville Draft Bike Network Vision. Image courtesy of the City of Somerville, Mass.

COMPREHENSIVE BICYCLE NETWORK PLANNED

Streets throughout Somerville to be designated “Neighborways” with reduced vehicle speeds (Somerville Wire) - The City is currently planning a ...
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HACKS, FACTS & CONTRACTS

As trains broke down, the MBTA’s million-dollar marketing campaign kept running In 2019, a politically-connected state contractor laid out a ...
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"Nope, still in Somerville ... or am I?" Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.

SOMERVILLE WIRE: June 22, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Teen Spaces, Tenant Protection, and More! Article URBAN RENEWAL FOR WINTER HILL Mixed-use development planned at former Star Market on ...
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URBAN RENEWAL FOR WINTER HILL

Mixed-use development planned at former Star Market on Broadway (Somerville Wire) - The long-abandoned Star Market on Broadway in Winter ...
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HIGH DRAMA

Unruly, argumentative Governor’s Council inflames Parole Board Hearings There was high drama on display again at a Massachusetts Governor’s Council ...
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Former phone reflects the day in Somerville. Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.

SOMERVILLE WIRE: June 14, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Money for Your Guns, a More Inclusive Farmers Market, and More! Articles NEW LIFE FOR CLARENDON HILL City gives final ...
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Rendering of new Clarendon Hill development. Image courtesy of the City of Somerville.

NEW LIFE FOR CLARENDON HILL

City gives final approval for expansion, renovation of public housing Clarendon Hill, a 216-unit housing development in West Somerville, will ...
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"Firehouse Reels" exhibit at the Somerville Museum, June 2022. Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.

OPINION: ‘FIREHOUSE REELS’ AT THE SOMERVILLE MUSEUM

Exhibit highlights the once-controversial practice of cities supporting free speech SCAT was born in controversy. When a utility comes in ...
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