Advocates, a nonprofit human-services provider, has been designated by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services to operate community behavioral-health sites serving Arlington residents.

The effort is part of a state initiative designed to provide accessible and equitable mental health care, including to people in crisis who otherwise would seek care in a hospital emergency department.

The service sites in Waltham and Framingham plan to open in January and to serve 31 communities in eastern and central Massachusetts. They will operate among a statewide network of 25 centers whose mission is to help meet the growing demand for behavioral health care caused, in part, by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 In recognition of National Wellness Month, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is sponsoring free Bluebikes Adventure Passes each Monday in August as part of its second annual “Mindful Mondays” initiative.

The free passes are available across the system’s 11 municipalities, including Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Newton, Revere, Salem, Somerville and Watertown. Blue Cross is the title sponsor of Bluebikes, which is owned by the municipalities and operated by Lyft.

To take advantage of complimentary passes on “Mindful Mondays,” riders can download and open the Bluebikes app, select “Adventure Pass,” and enter the appropriate code. Each code will unlock one free Adventure Pass, which includes an unlimited number of two-hour rides during a 24-hour period. The codes are:

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DPW topping-off with town officials and partners. / Jim Badershall, Commodore, photo

A topping-off ceremony for the new, $44 million public-works facility on Grove Street was held on Tuesday, Aug. 9, celebrating construction to date. The completion is scheduled for fall 2023.

Hosted by the town’s project partners, Commodore Builders and Sydney Project Management, the owner’s project manager, the ceremony commemorated the project’s continued progress with the placement of the last steel beam, marking a major milestone of the project.

“It is wonderful to see the new public-works facility take shape,” said Town Manager Sandy Pooler, in a town news release.

“It is appropriate to have a modern facility befitting of the vital services public works provides the Arlington community all year long. From managing major infrastructure -- like water and sewer and our roadways to maintaining our trees, parks and cemeteries -- their work is instrumental to the quality of life in Arlington.” 

Page leads a recent rehearsal. / Mystic Chorale photo

UPDATED Aug. 12: After 33 years of service, founder and Artistic Director Nick Page will lead a final season of preparation for his final concert with Mystic Chorale, titled “The Heart Dances, the Soul Sings.”

This project will be his last involvement with the Arlington-based musical group before his long-planned relocation to Missouri.

Rehearsals are to begin next month, with the concert in December

Organizers say they hope that this season and its concert will pack an emotional punch, balancing explosive energy and tenderness.

Page has been known over the decades for his enthusiastic direction and award-winning musical arrangements. This upcoming Mystic Chorale season, as in the past, will feature pieces old and new.

The season theme comes from a new piece composed by Page called "Halev Roked," with the words “The heart dances, the soul sings.” More songs than ever will feature the chorus as a whole, including Ysaye Barnwell’s arrangement of "I Am Determined (To Walk in Freedom)" and the anthem "The Storm is Passing Over (Courage My Soul)."

Workers needed; vote-by-mail information

Cooper Tavern marker at Broadway Plaza. / Town of Arlington photo

UPDATED Aug. 10: In 1775, no Starbucks stood at what is today Mass. Ave. and Medford Street. At that site was Cooper's Tavern.

A historic marker at the renovated Broadway Plaza outlines the tale:

Here stood Cooper’s Tavern,
in which
Jabez Wyman
and
Jason Winship
were killed by the British
April 19, 1775. 

Richard A. Duffy, town historian, provides some backstories.

“There are images of a building constructed in 1826 that replaced Cooper’s Tavern, known variously over time as the West Cambridge Hotel and the Arlington House hotel.