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FY2015 Property Tax Update, Newsletter #2

An overview of the Cambridge Police Department's calls for service on November 5, 2025

Economic Development and University Relations Committee

In January 2020, the largest and most eagerly awaited cache of new materials written by the Nobel-Prize-winning poet T. S. Eliot was finally opened: the 1,131 letters he sent Emily Hale, his little-known American love, over the course of their lifetimes. Their relationship was, in their own words, an “unnatural” love affair, one that began in Cambridge in 1913, when Eliot was a graduate student at Harvard and Hale, an aspiring amateur actress, and that played out in Boston, England and California over the years. Named as one of its "Fifty Notable Non-fiction Books of 2024" by the Washington Post, Fitzgerald's biography of Hale is based on the embargoed letters and extensive research into Hale’s life and times. Hale was much more than just a muse to a literary celebrity. She overcame personal hardship to pursue a career as a professor of speech and drama at prominent American women’s colleges and schools, including Simmons and Smith Colleges and Abbot and Concord Academies. She was a talented amateur actress and director, who performed at many Boston area theaters and later guided Eliot as he tried his hand at playwriting. But in the end, Eliot disavowed her, sending a secret letter to Harvard in 1960 that claimed his love for Hale was that of “a ghost for a ghost,” and confirming that he had arranged for Hale’s side of their 27-year correspondence to be destroyed. In the words of The Washington Post reviewer, “Missing letters, a secret love affair, a famous poet, a beautiful actress—what else could you possibly want in a story?" Sara Fitzgerald is a retired journalist whose career included fifteen years as an editor and new media developer for The Washington Post. In 2020, she also published The Poet’s Girl: A Novel of Emily Hale and T. S. Eliot. Since then, her essays about Hale have appeared in multiple volumes of the Journal of the T. S. Eliot Society and the T. S. Eliot Studies Annual. She has presented at the annual meetings of the Modern Language Association, the American Historical Association, the International T. S. Eliot Society, and at the T. S. Eliot Summer School at Oxford. She is also the author of the biography, Elly Peterson: “Mother” of the Moderates and Conquering Heroines: How Women Fought Sex Bias at Michigan and Paved the Way for Title IX.

Hangout with other teens in the Valente Branch Community Room after school: socialize, unwind, play a game, make some art - your choice! No registration required, drop-in between 3:30-5pm. The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.

Hangout with other teens in the Valente Branch Community Room after school: socialize, unwind, play a game, make some art - your choice! No registration required, drop-in between 3:30-5pm. The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.

Calling all middle grade readers! Meet up in the Curious George Room every third Thursday to eat pizza and talk about books with your friends. Each month’s book will be chosen during the previous meeting. We're starting off by reading Air by Monica Roe. Copies are available behind the Children's Desk Snacks are provided. This group is for ages 10-12. Participants should read the book ahead of this month’s meeting. Registration is required. For questions about Tween Book Group, please email Ellen: ekaluza@cambridgema.gov

Hangout with other teens in the Valente Branch Community Room after school: socialize, unwind, play a game, make some art - your choice! No registration required, drop-in between 3:30-5pm. The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.

Donate your gently used jigsaw puzzles and browse a collection of fun new puzzles to take home! Puzzles of all sizes for all ages are welcome. No more than 5 puzzles per donation when you drop off in advance. You may donate ONLY 1 puzzle at the swap itself. Donation policy: Make sure your puzzle has all the pieces Rubber band or tape the box so it won't fall open Drop off puzzles at the Main Library Q&A desk Thursday October 9 - Wednesday October 15

In this newsletter, readers will learn more about how Cambridge is making affordable housing one of its highest priorities, the ongoing challenges associated with today’s housing market, how policy, zoning, and programming have played important factors in making Cambridge more accessible for new and long-time residents, and where new development is taking place around the city. Learn what resources are available for people seeking to rent in the city, buy a home for the first-time, and/or remain in the community