A new civics
If we learned about civic assemblies in social studies, I don’t remember it. So we had Tavishi Chattopadhyay dig into how and why these citizen bodies are formed and what they do. They interviewed people from two other cities that have used such groups to address complex civic issues. Of note: done right, these efforts build trust in government. Given that ShotSpotter is something of an anti-trust subject here in Cambridge, the civic assembly approach might be effective.
Btw, ShotSpotter was fully reinstalled as of Monday. This week also saw Somerville School Committee vote to combine the Winter Hill and Brown schools in a single building. We hosted Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. for a discussion of local legislative priorities. We also have the latest installment of our Grabbing a Bite conversations, this time with playwright and director Ran Bechor.
My favorite story of the week is a stone-cold scoop on our local ice cream shops. Vote for your favorite and you’ll have a chance to win a gift certificate to your choice from the list.
Top stories
Civic assemblies, common in Europe, have helped build trust
In the U.S., cities like Akron, Ohio and Lexington, Ky. have had success using these temporary bodies to get community feedback.
Winter Hill, Brown schools will merge
Somerville School Committee makes its recommendation to build a single large K-8 school, despite vociferous opposition by City Council president Lance Davis.
ShotSpotter is back in action
Cambridge police said the acoustic detection system is operating again in the same parts of Cambridge where it was previously.
A roundup of Cambridge and Somerville’s ice cream shops
What’s the best scoop near you? We give you a rundown of flavors we like. Cast your vote for your go-to spot.
Tampopo’s may be closed, but it’s still feeding us
Yasumasa Ito has posted some of his recipes on a website dedicated to the memory of his 34 years running the popular eatery.
Markey on reinvesting in innovation, abolishing ICE, surveillance tech and more
The incumbent senator discussed a wide range of plans if re-elected, many of which would affect Cambridge and Somerville residents.
Grabbing a Bite with Ran Bechor
The playwright and director of Adam Theater took a big leap this year, giving up a position at Harvard to go full-time as a playwright and director.
Primaries approach
Markey is far from the only candidate facing a challenger; this year in Cambridge and Somerville there are more districts with competitive races than not. For Cambridge voters, tonight is a candidate forum organized by the Cambridge Democratic City Committee, 6 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library’s main branch.
For more events, check out our interactive calendar.
If you go to something, submit a photo to Community View. This week, it’s make way for goslings.
And have a great Cambridge week!
Michael F. Fitzgerald
mfitzgerald@cambridgeday.com
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