Mass General Brigham has a long-term lease of 100,000 square feet of lab space on the lower floors at the 74M building in Somerville’s Assembly Square, said the developer and property manager Greystar on Thursday. The building – named after its address at 74 Middlesex Ave. –... The post Mass General Brigham expands in Assembly Square, giving hope for labs market and a life sciences cluster appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Though all residents of a Teele Square building were able to evacuate safely from a 4:50 p.m. fire Wednesday that persisted for more than three hours, all 43 are now displaced and getting help from Somerville city staff and the Red Cross charitable group to find temporary... The post More than 40 people are displaced after Teele Square fire, chief says appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Where can you buy a Canned Banana Slug, small pin screen, jellyfish earrings, Buddha Boards, plush Albert Einstein, light-up terrarium, a Gregor Mendel beer stein, hand-boiler or a beautiful little laser-engraved moon lamp? All these and much more are at the MIT Museum Store. The museum spent... The post MIT Museum Store makes its missions about play and fun, with just enough school-branded merch appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

While there are certainly small moments of intentional humor in “Verity,” the erotic thriller based on the Colleen Hoover novel, the telenovela nature of everything else, from the horrendous dialogue to the cartoonish romance and characters, makes this story consistently laughable even as it strives for suspense... The post ‘Verity’ is a ludicrous melodrama that twists the story until it stops making sense appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

An eight-story, 99-room Hilton hotel for Teele Square returned to Somerville’s approval process Wednesday to fill a vacant lot known as “The Pit.” Developers faced questions about how they justified the project’s size, but also a new, easier standard for permitting under state law as they return... The post Hotel developer seeks size to pay for unknown ‘Pit’ contamination in a suddenly twice-as-troubled Teele Square appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

A smoky, five-alarm fire in Somerville’s Teele’s Square has been raging since around 4:50 p.m,, bringing support from Cambridge, Medford, Boston, Belmont, Everett, Chelsea and Malden to the site. Smoke poured out the upper floor and from the roof of the three-story brick building at 1147 Broadway... The post Fire rages in Teele Square over a laundromat, reminiscent of a 2011 blaze appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

A discussion about immigration and education held Sept. 23 had to vie for attention with Cambridge groups linked to the issues. The book talk and panel, “Can we meet the moment? Immigrant students + our public schools,” drew criticism beforehand that no current immigrant families were among... The post In exploring ‘Can we meet the moment?’ for immigrants in schools, panelists were only some of the voices appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

“The opposite of normalizing authoritarianism is to make it weird, to call it out and to sort of mock it,” Jennifer Mercieca, quoted by The Associated Press, Aug. 6, 2024 So weird! The Boston Globe spent a week hyperfocusing on a tiny lesbian bar in the middle... The post The Boston Globe Last Ditch lesbian bar story is weird appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Oct. 2: Fully Versed (All She Wrote Books, Somerville) Come celebrate four new poetry collections by four Massachusetts-based poets at All She Wrote Books this Friday. The evening will feature a reading and Q&A with poets John Bonanni, Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Joey Gould and Danielle Jones. Their new... The post Lucky’s Picks: connect with clubs, Burning Man, accessibility and the art of verse appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

$6 Tracy Chang has assembled a global menu within MIT’s remade Metropolitan Storage Warehouse, which Corky White wrote about Sept. 23. The star is the Taiwanese twice-fried doughnut, dusted with kinako powder – toasted soybean flour – by Jun Chen of Enso. The unique pastries have been... The post Taiwanese doughnut at Café+ by Pagu appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Page & Leaf serves Porter Square denizens and Lesley University and is within Porter Square Books, but on the day I visited the sound was laptops clicking, not pages turning. And yet coffee and books are a natural combo. The coffee’s excellent – like the coffee at... The post Where there are books, there should be coffee: Page & Leaf appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

CineFest Latino Boston, a film festival in its fifth year, returns with an exciting mix of screenings and events to spotlight dynamic Latinx stories in cinema. Running from September 30 through October 4, the festival has expanded into Cambridge, with screenings taking place at the historic Brattle... The post CineFest Latino Boston brings great film and strong community appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Protesters from MIT labor groups gathered Tuesday at the school’s iconic Building 7 and marched down its Infinite Corridor, delivering to the office of president Sally Kornbluth a petition with their contract issues: higher wages, lower health care premiums and job protections for immigrant workers. Around 130... The post MIT labor groups rally, chant and march, raising the idea of a strike if no progress is seen in contract talks appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

The executive director of Cambridge Arts, Jason Weeks, retires at the end of October to take on a role with the Artists Association of Nantucket, it was announced Monday. Weeks began work in Cambridge government in 2000 and became executive director of the arts agency in 2001,... The post Jason Weeks, head of Cambridge Arts for a quarter-century, is retiring and heading to Nantucket appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

The Boston Society of Architects proposed in 1907 the construction of an island in the middle of the Charles River. Named St. Botolph’s Island, invoking Boston’s historical namesake, the artificial landmass was designed as the site for commercial uses and new transportation and government functions. The committee... The post Architects in 1907 planned to unite Cambridge and Boston governments on an artificial island in the Charles appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Two complicated political issues are rarely compatible, but the current multifamily zoning amendments and potential reduction in inclusionary housing percentages seem inextricably tied in Cambridge. Since adoption of the multifamily zoning in February 2025, there has been outcry and division across neighborhoods. Drastic increases in height and... The post Fix inclusionary and multifamily zoning at the same time and get affordable homes built appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

We survived last weekend’s storm and are looking ahead to brighter things — namely, performing arts happenings that will broaden our horizons and change the ways we think. “Stage Spotlight” brings together events taking place in the theater scene of Somerville, Cambridge and beyond.  Two productions that... The post Stage spotlight: ‘Lift Every Voice’ and ‘The Weavers’ appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Before the music and marching starts for the Honk! festival running Oct. 9-11, Somerville City Hall opens “Looking Back at 20 Years of Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands,” a retrospective celebrating the homegrown festival and the movement it helped inspire. The exhibit of photographs, posters, quotes... The post ‘Looking Back at 20 Years of Honk!’ exhibit at Somerville City Hall celebrates the October music festival appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

“The Sexuality of Care” is M.K. Thekkumkattil’s memoir in essays that explores their time as a critical care nurse, healing from trauma and abuse, identifying as trans and rebuilding capacity for relationships using the intellectual and emotional structures of kink. All the essays feed into Thekkumkattil’s vision... The post Reviewed: ‘The Sexuality of Care’ talks about a world without hospitals through a tangle of angles appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

In declining to go on the record with support for Cambridge Public Schools paraprofessionals, substitutes and clerks in contract negotiations, a majority of city councillors on Monday went on the record to express their support for the paraprofessionals, substitutes and clerks in contract negotiations. The policy order... The post Voices of support without votes of support as councillors are confronted with pay for classroom aides appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

A Cambridge property tax rate classification was accepted Monday for a tax levy increase of 6.9 percent, to $725.4 million, lower than the 8 percent increase felt last year but still an increase: for homeowners, up 4 percent from last year to a rate of $6.95 per... The post Cambridge sets property tax rates with a nervous eye on commercial sector and limp biotech market appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

It was still raining Monday from the weekend’s windy nor’easter, and just the estimated 2 inches it brought resulted in at least three combined sewer overflows, the term for releasing waste into public waterways when sewer and water systems get overwhelmed. The area has seen around 30... The post Keeping up with the CSOs: The nor’easter caused spills into the Mystic River appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Q: If I donate something other than cash, such as clothing, can I still get a tax deduction? A: Potentially, yes.If you itemize deductions, qualifying charitable contributions can include cash and noncash donations. The deduction isn’t new, but the floor is. Taxpayers who itemize have long been... The post Tax tip of the week: If you donate stuff instead of cash, you should be able to deduct that too appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

 “Primetime,” about Chris Hansen and the television show “To Catch a Predator,” touches on the topics of pedophilia, criminal entrapment, media ethics, law enforcement collusion with entertainment, ambition, self-harm and integrity. With so much going on, it must have been irresistible to the filmmakers. But “a... The post ‘Primetime’ asks too many questions and offers too few answers appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

By Bailey Merlin of the Bisexual Resource Center For many, picturing a world in which they are more comfortable being themselves online than with family, friends or peers might be difficult. But for LGBTQ+ youth, that is often the reality. Recent surveys show consistently that young people are more... The post As Massachusetts eyes online safety, don’t let it silence marginalized voices appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

More than 100 years old, the Association of Notre Dame lives along Massachusetts Avenue, sandwiched unassumingly between Eclipse Video and the wine bar Zusammen and beneath a judo club. The establishment, known colloquially as Le French Club, is an old-school “members only” club that tries to embody... The post Joke, smoke and play horseshoes with friends at Cambridge’s Le French Club appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Boston’s nightlife gets a bad rap as “no New York,” which is to say the city dozes off before 3 a.m. But until then, there’s life across the Charles River and underground in Cambridge’s Central Square, literally: The Lower Level nightclub at 55 Bishop Allen Drive is... The post From behind the controller, Cambridge DJs shape Central Square nightlife appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

“Heart of the Beast,” a survival thriller following one man’s heartfelt relationship with his loyal dog, is gleeful in its sentimentality yet this wannabe tear-jerker offers very little in the way of memorable adventure or compelling drama. James Belmont (Brad Pitt) is a retired Green Beret who... The post Man’s best friend takes center stage in the survival thriller ‘Heart of the Beast.’ appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

I got several warnings from friends that I shouldn’t go to Fluff Fest, Union Square’s annual celebration dedicated to Marshmallow Fluff. I declined to listen. I wanted to like it. I can handle a crowd, and I was puffed with civic pride at the idea of the... The post Where was all the Fluff at the Fest? appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

These are just some of the municipal meetings and civic events for the coming week. More are on the City Calendar and in the city’s Open Meetings Portal. Property tax, transportation tiff City Council, 5:30 p.m. Monday. City manager Yi-An Huang asks $2.3 million out of a... The post Cambridge meetings, Sept. 28-Oct. 5: Property taxes, bike lanes to Belmont and Barron Plaza reopens appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

I rarely have anything good to say about this administration. I must, however, commend vice president J.D. Vance for his initiative in reaching down the military hierarchy to get the unfiltered views of generals and admirals in the field. By doing so, he has avoided the two... The post From a managerial perspective, compliments to J.D. Vance appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

These are just some of the municipal meetings and civic events for the coming week. More are on the City of Somerville website. Combining two public schools New School Building Project School Building Committee, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday. The committee considers the size of the parking... The post Somerville meetings, Sept. 28-Oct. 5: The Pit-replacing Teele Square hotel project returns to the agenda appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Adorned in an emerald green dress, Indian classical dancer Anjali Nath had the Fall Into Dance event audience count to 16 as she told a Kathak story. With middle and ring fingers meeting her thumb to form antlers, she was a deer; drawing her arms into a... The post Dancers will dangle from a Kendall Square skyscraper, and more to learn about the upcoming season appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

The three-eyed cat, a perennial mascot for Fuzzstival, is ready to pounce Oct. 2-3. The music festival returns to The Armory with 18 bands, gathering a lineup that’s become an annual temperature check on a certain kind of art rock mood cultivated by local booking outfit Illegally... The post Fuzzstival, home of the three-eyed cat, returns at the start of October appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Find more of Rusty Epstein’s cartoons here. The post Saturday cartoon: Here, kitty appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

The Shiny Shop has popped up in Harvard Square’s Smith Campus Center with bedazzling and other cozy crafting events, advertised as using its glittery “disco-inspired community art” to improve the visibility and safety of cyclists and users of micromobility devices. People can drop in Wednesdays and Thursdays... The post The glittery crafts at The Shiny Shop can make bicyclists more visible or just brighten your day appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

A Somerville law taking effect Oct. 14 requires rental-property owners to tell tenants in writing within 48 hours that they are selling their home. The Notice of Building Sale Ordinance says owners must deliver a Notice of Building Sale form either in person and get a signed... The post Property owners must tell their tenants that they are selling under a Somerville law taking effect next month appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Like many Cambridge residents, I have family in nearby towns. My in-laws in Belmont are active folks who envy Cambridge’s street safety infrastructure, but are one small gap shy from visiting pending grandchildren by bike: the Outer Huron Safety Improvement Project. Right now, our only option is... The post Close the gap between Cambridge and Belmont now, not with a five-year delay appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Formal recognition of the Davis Square Neighborhood Council won unanimous approval Thursday from the Somerville City Council. The news was greeted with excitement within the 642-member neighborhood group, already a state-recognized nonprofit, that started two and a half years ago with just 11 people exchanging email addresses.... The post Officials approve 642-member Davis Square Neighborhood Council, which once could fit around a table at J.P. Licks appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Developers at the Harriet Jacobs House in Harvard Square nearly walked away Thursday from a hotel-and-homes project that won over its neighbors – so exasperated by questioning at the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal that they’d revert to a residential-only project that the same neighbors had been... The post Harriet Jacobs House hotel plan that has support from neighbors nearly turns into their all-condo ‘nightmare’ appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Free vaccine clinics open across Cambridge and Somerville in October, offering Covid and flu vaccines for residents with or without insurance. Some clinics offer RSV vaccines as well. Everyone 6 months and older is eligible for vaccines in Massachusetts, though those considered high risk, including immunocompromised people... The post There are 25 free vaccine clinics in Cambridge and Somerville, and places to get free masks and tests appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Of all the people who could’ve been outside Arts at the Armory at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, a man in his pajamas looked the most out of place. “I live across the street, and I’ve never seen this many people outside. What’s going on?” he asked the... The post Electronic duo ear presses play at The Armory on its Rumspringa ’26 tour appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

A three-alarm fire tore through an empty duplex home early Thursday at 8-10 Park St., which is by a commercial district in Somerville’s Ward 2 – immediately behind a Boston Garden cannabis dispensary, across from the Cambria Hotel and Josephine restaurant, and by a Walgreens pharmacy and Conway... The post Empty home near Somerville businesses is gutted in three-alarm fire appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Tufts University’s annual welcome to its Somerville and Medford neighbors, Tufts Community Day, has at least one great way to make friends on Oct. 4: free treats from The S’more Bot. Invented by the Somerville Highlanders Robotics team in 2020, the device churns out exactly the s’mores... The post The S’more Bot is back at Tufts Community Day, along with free lunch, a pet photo booth and Quiet Garden appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

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Tiny Turns Paperie opened in 2019 as, appropriately enough, a tiny space on the upper floor of Somerville’s Bow Market. I remember taking a quick browse through the whole 163 square feet. Eventually it doubled in size and, in 2023, moved to the much larger space it... The post Tiny Turns Paperie grew into a browser’s paradise of puzzles, toys and games, mugs, magnets and hourglasses appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

When Gold Star Mothers Memorial Park reopens in the fall of 2028, it is expected to include an elaborate enclosed splash pad and water play area with a design revealed for the first time at a community meeting Wednesday. Though it’s for kids, the adults presenting the... The post Talk about splashy: Plan for Gold Star Mothers park has exciting water features and the Grand Junction path appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

New Zealand’s Aldous Harding, a star on the rise, made her return to the Sinclair in September, performing a set larded with songs from her latest album “Train on the Island” in front of a sold-out Cambridge crowd. The album title appears to be a reference to... The post Kiwis, Aldous Harding and other strange birds shine at The Sinclair appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.