Dedication of POW-MIA chair at Somerville City Hall

At noon on Friday, November 8, the City of Somerville will join the New England Patriots, Lowell Spinners baseball team, and 14 other Massachusetts municipalities in establishing a POW-MIA chair at City Hall. This chair will remind the public of the 42,000 American servicemembers who have taken as prisoners of war and the 83,000 servicemembers who have declared missing in action since World War II. The display will consist of a chair, American and POW-MIA flags, and a plaque.

The dedication ceremony will begin promptly at noon on the main floor of City Hall, opposite the City Clerk’s office. Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Alderman Jack Connolly, and Joseph D’Entremont of Operation Rolling Thunder are expected to speak. Operation Rolling Thunder is the organizationAn Israeli checkpoint sustained significant damage in the West Bank village of Beit Ummar near Hebron on Friday after clashes broke out following the funeral of 3 Palestinians killed earlier in the day.

Israeli forces incurred into the village of 20,000 on July 25th to quell protests following midday prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan around 2:30pm. Witnesses say two of the three were killed by snipers stationed atop occupied Palestinian homes; a tactic they say is common during clashes.

47-year-old Hashem Abu Maria, a local human rights activist and employee for Defense for Children International was shot, shortly after the protest began around 3:15pm. Witnesses say the killing was unprovoked, as the father of three was simply standing in the vicinity of the demonstration. It’s unclear if he