As posted on Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn’s Facebook page

Medford is steeped in history of our nation’s founding and today we added to that legacy by unveiling a historical marker commemorating Revolutionary War hero General Lafayette’s Farewell Tour in 1824. Continue reading Medford-Revolutionary War hero General Lafayette’s Farewell Tour in 1824 →

By Bob Katzen

“An Act to end child marriage in Massachusetts is a great step forward that now protects young women and girls from entering into a marriage contract before the age of 18, the age of majority.” Continue reading THIS WEEK’S QUOTABLE QUOTES ON BEACON HILL →

By Bob Katzen

Bill (H 574) – Would require that in order to graduate from high school, students must correctly answer at least 60 of the 100 questions listed on a civics test that is identical to the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services for immigrants aspiring to become naturalized citizens. A students who does not pass the test on the first try is allowed to take the test as many times as he or she wants until he or she passes it. Continue reading STUDENTS MUST PASS CIVICS TEST TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL →

By Bob Katzen

Bill (H 595) – Would require public schools to teach students the history of working people and the labor movement in the United States.
Continue reading SCHOOLS MUST TEACH ABOUT THE HISTORY OF WORKING PEOPLE AND THE LABOR MOVEMENT →

By Bob Katzen

Bill (H 25) – Would require financial education to be offered in all Bay State schools and establish a trust fund to finance course materials and teaching resources as needed.
Continue reading SCHOOLS MUST OFFER FINANCIAL EDUCATION TO STUDENTS →

By Bob Katzen

Bill (H 659) – Would require school districts, at the beginning of each school years to provide parents or guardians of students from kindergarten through twelfth grade information about each standardized assessment test that will be given during that school year including the date of the assessment; the estimated time a student will take to complete each assessment; whether students will be required to take assessments online, or have the option of paper and pencil; and the availability of appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities and English language learners, which will be translated for non-English speaking parents into their preferred language. Continue reading INFORM PARENTS ABOUT STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT TESTS →

By Bob Katzen

(H 634) – Would establish an 11-member task force to review all existing state mandates placed on public schools. In addition to determining the cost of these unfunded mandates for budgeting purposes, the task force would also develop recommendations to streamline, consolidate or eliminate any mandates and reporting requirements that are outdated, duplicative or unnecessary.
Continue reading SCHOOL MANDATES →

By Bob Katzen

This bill would establish a 14-member commission to research the best way of acquiring technology for Massachusetts students, including how to incentivize companies to take part in a program to provide personal computers or tablets to students. As part of its research, the commission will review the current policies in place to provide students with a personal computer or tablet and the barriers to providing all students with one. It would also evaluate the effect on benefits or drawbacks to providing students with a personal computer or tablet and its effects on the digital divide. Continue reading COMPUTERS FOR ALL STUDENTS (H 637) →

By Bob Katzen

Several bills affecting public schools and education were sent to a study committee where bills are rarely actually studied and are essentially defeated. It is a way to kill a proposal without holding a vote on the bill itself. Here are some of the education bills that were sent off to a study committee: Continue reading EDUCATION BILLS SENT TO A STUDY COMMITTEE →

By Bob Katzen

The momentum of labor, including the growth of unions and the increased leverage of workers, is reshaping the traditional workplace dynamic In Massachusetts and beyond. Continue reading U.S. LABOR SECRETARY MARTY WALSH TALKS UNIONS AND THE FUTURE →

By Karen Glover

The enthusiastic response from The Somerville/Medford News Weekly Readers to continuous weekly  articles revealing the secretive tactics of the MBTA and The Mayor’s Office, i.e. their mutual avoidance to transparently share vital information to our community, is propelling increasing numbers of petition signers to take action and spread the word to quickly sign the petition. Continue reading THE WORD IS OUT! MORE AND MORE SOMERVILLE, MA BUS RIDERS MEET ON BROADWAY,THE CLARENDON HILL BUS TERMINAL SITE, TO SIGN MBTA BOGUS BUS PROPOSAL PETITION →

On Saturday, September 10, 2022, at 12:49 P.M., Somerville Police control received a call from the Row Hotel management reporting a guest had used someone else’s reward points to book a room.
Continue reading Real Life Somerville Police Stories: Oluwatomide OLOYEDE (Defraud Innkeeper, Larceny) →

SOMERVILLE, MA – Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville City Council invite residents to attend the fall Community Meetings of 2022. After a hiatus during the pandemic, this twice-yearly meeting series, formerly known as the ResiStat program, will return to each of Somerville’s seven wards to share the latest City progress and neighborhood updates with residents, while also providing an opportunity for residents, elected officials, and City staff to talk with one Continue reading FALL 2022 SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR COMMUNITY MEETINGS WITH MAYOR BALLANTYNE Meetings for All Seven Wards Will Be Held in October →

On Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at 1:35 PM while changing a flat tire on a disabled vehicle outside Saks Off 5th on Grand Union Blvd., I saw a Saks store employee/witness (XXXX) attempting to stop a male shoplifter who was running away from him with merchandise in his hands.
Continue reading Real Life Somerville Police Stories: (Larceny) Arrest →