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A Cambridge man in his 40s, who had reportedly pulled a weapon on his health care worker and then barricaded himself inside his large, multi-unit Massachusetts Avenue residential building apartment, was safely taken into custody by officers and transported to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation earlier this afternoon.

On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, leaders from the City of Cambridge and the Commonwealth gathered with nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) to mark the beginning of renovations at the former Sacred Heart church rectory and school in East Cambridge. By the end of 2027, POAH plans to complete construction on the property, which will create 46 new permanently affordable apartment homes.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow announced today that thirty-two years after the crime occurred, Edward J. Watson, 65, of Mattapan, has been arrested for the murder of Michelle Miller. Miller, a former U.S. Army soldier was 29 years old when she was last seen alive in Central Square, Cambridge. Her body was found in the basement of a vacant apartment two weeks later, when a neighbor complained of a foul odor.

Do you rent an apartment in Cambridge? Are you confused by your lease? Do you have maintenance issues in your home that haven’t been addressed? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may want to learn more about your tenant rights! Join us for Know Your Rights: Housing! In this presentation, you will learn about your rights as a tenant and Cambridge resources that support renters. We will be joined by attorneys from Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services and the City of Cambridge’s Office of the Housing Liaison.

A changing climate means that winters in Massachusetts are getting weird. Hear from some of Cambridge's sustainability experts on the ways climate change is affecting our winter weather -- and how to best prepare your home or apartment for colder weather while saving money. Questions from attendees are highly encouraged! This event will be hosted at the Main Library and livestreamed for remote attendees. Please select whether you will attend in-person or online below when registering. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants one hour before the event. Questions about this event can be sent to alengel@cambridgema.gov.

Join the Cambridge Public Library for a symposium exploring themes of the Revolution and the history of Mark, Phillis and Phoebe. Mark and Phillis were two enslaved people who were publicly executed in Cambridge in 1755 after being found guilty of fatally poisoning John Codman, the man who enslaved them. After the execution, Mark's body was gibbeted, displayed publicly in chains on Charlestown Common, for many years. Symposium participants will include Kyera Singleton, Executive Director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters and Postdoctoral Fellow at Tufts University's Slavery, Colonialism, and their Legacies at Tufts Initiative, as well as Brandeis University legal historian Dan Breen and others. The keynote speaker for the event will be Kellie Carter Jackson, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and the Chair of the Africana Studies Department Wellesley College. Registration is required.

This Month's Read: Hyperion, by Dan Simmons Reading Interests: The group concentrates on science fiction and fantasy. An advanced reading schedule is published each summer. Example selections include: Neuromancer by William Gibson and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Requirements: A love of speculative fiction and a desire to talk about books. The group is friendly and informal. How to get the print book: Copies of the print book are set aside at the Main Library Question and Answer desk on the ground floor. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during service hours and a staff member can help you check out a copy. E-books and digital audiobooks are available on Libby or Hoopla. We'll meet in the Rossi Room on the ground floor of the Main Library. For more information, contact Carrie at csauder@cambridgema.gov.

Join us for a lively discussion of a great book in person at the Main Library! Snacks will be provided. For ages 7-9 and a parent or caregiver. This month's book is The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman. Four very different students are stuck sitting together at the “D” table, but form an unlikely alliance when one of them creates a machine that can do their homework for them at the press of a button. Soon, though, tensions form and even when they try to put it behind them the machine takes on a life of its own. Copies of this month's book are available at the Children's Desk. Both caregiver and child should read the book before the discussion to participate. Registration is required — only one registration is needed per family. For questions about parent/child book group, please email Rachel: rbeaton@cambridgema.gov

Join us for a lively discussion of a great book in person at the Main Library! Snacks will be provided. For ages 7-9 and a parent or caregiver. This month's book is Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn. When a valuable necklace is stolen from Simon's new apartment complex, it's up to him and a quirky neighbor to solve the mystery before he and his family have to move again. Copies of this month's book are available at the Children's Desk. Both caregiver and child should read the book before the discussion to participate. Registration is required — only one registration is needed per family. For questions about parent/child book group, please email Rachel: rbeaton@cambridgema.gov

Join us for a lively discussion of a great book in person at the Main Library! Snacks will be provided. For ages 7-9 and a parent or caregiver. This month's book is One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko. When Liam and his two younger sisters find out they will have to give away their beloved (if unhousebroken) dog Cupcake or risk being kicked out of their apartment, they cook up extreme and hilarious schemes to keep the dog. Copies of this month's book are available at the Children's Desk. Both caregiver and child should read the book before the discussion to participate. Registration is required — only one registration is needed per family. For questions about parent/child book group, please email Rachel: rbeaton@cambridgema.gov