Five (or so) things to do this weekend: May 18-19
Get in free to the Harvard Art Museums. Get photographed on the red carpet. See the art of the East/Central Cambridge Open Studios. Tune in to Porchfest. Experience “Love on the Run” via Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and Verdi. And have a literary weekend.
MIT sweetens the deal as Kendall Square vote nears
As a zoning vote nears, Massachusetts Institute of Technology officials have offers to the city: among other things, doubling the amount of proposed “innovation space” for startup firms, hiking affordable housing to a proposed 18 percent of units from 15 percent and turning over a decaying parking lot in Area IV to someone who will use it.
Livingstone becomes second candidate to announce for Walz’s rep seat (update)
Jay Livingstone follows Nils Tracy into the special election for state Rep. Marty Walz’s seat in the 8th Suffolk District, which includes Cambridgeport and parts of Area IV and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Council OKs gun buy-back, Area IV name change process
City councillors are making a gun buy-back program just the start of anti-gun efforts in Cambridge, and giving a neighborhood a potentially official way to change its less-than-official name.
Area IV residents want formal process to change neighborhood’s name, councillor says (update)
Residents from Area IV don’t want to be from Area IV anymore, city councillor Denise Simmons said – meaning they want to formally rename their neighborhood. Simmons has a policy order for Monday’s council meeting asking the city manager to start the process.
Nice shot: Watching rats like a hawk
Maybe the rat infestation in East Cambridge, Central Square, Area IV and NorthPoint is getting a natural solution – hawks that like big rats as a snack.
Council isn’t sure if streetlights should get cameras as well as energy-saving LEDs
The city’s 6,400 street lights and 575 park lights will be converted to LEDs from traditional bulbs over three years, but in approving the first $2 million for the project the City Council faced a bigger decision: Whether to put up security cameras at the same time.
DPW voting moved to Area IV Youth Center
Voters used to going to the polling place at DPW Headquarters, 147 Hampshire St., must now go to the Area IV Youth Center, 243 Harvard St., the Cambridge Election Commission said.
Independent, GOP challengers balk at Toomey’s one-debate suggestion (update)
The independent candidate challenging Tim Toomey for the 26th Middlesex District seat isn’t satisfied with the incumbent’s response on holding debates.
Toomey will debate in three-way race for House seat, wants one looooong televised event (update)
The three-way race for the 26th Middlesex District seat in the House of Representatives, held by Tim Toomey since 1993, could see two or three debates, but probably not the five requested by Toomey’s challengers.
