Another T Line Extended Beyond Boston? Patch PM

It's Tuesday, Jan. 26. Here is what Patch has been covering in Middlesex County and across Massachusetts today.

MBTA To Study Extending Silver Line To Somerville, Neighbors

Transit officials will study an extension of Silver Line service to a handful of greater Boston communities, including Somerville. The Silver Line Extension Alternatives Analysis, announced Monday by MassDOT and the MBTA, will assess the feasibility, utility and cost of different alignments and service frequencies in Somerville, Everett, Cambridge, Chelsea and Boston.

"In Somerville, we pride ourselves in aligning transportation policy with housing and economic development policy," Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said in a statement. "Our advocacy for one-seat mass transit service connecting Logan Airport with Kendall Square via East Somerville is rooted in a firm commitment to addressing current and historic inequities in our City and in our region."

The study follows recent recommendations by the Lower Mystic Regional Working Group and the Everett Transit Action Plan to extend Silver Line service to Everett and neighboring communities. The aim is to provide service at levels close to rapid transit for those living just beyond the reach of the Orange and Blue Lines.

Read more here.

Elsewhere in Middlesex County

Arlington Vaccine Supply Comes Up Short

The town received a fraction of the Moderna vaccine doses it requested, forcing it to limit Wednesday's clinic to a subset of home-based healthcare workers. The Health Department had requested 1,000 doses to cover Arlington, Belmont and Lexington residents in Phase 1 but received 300 doses.

"All across the state the amount of doses received has been much lower than requested," Christine Bongiorno, director of Health & Human Services, said in a statement. "We stand ready with our regional partners in Belmont and Lexington to administer the vaccine when distribution levels increase. We ask residents to be patient and, if possible, seek alternative vaccination sites offered by the state."

Medford Approves Temporary Changes At Notorious Intersection

The Traffic Commission approved a series of temporary changes at the intersection of Main and South Streets at its meeting Jan. 19. Officials stressed the importance of providing some relief while the city and MassDOT weigh more permanent changes, which could take up to 2-3 years.

MassDOT last year identified the intersection as one of the top 200 crash locations in the state. The intersection spans multiple jurisdictions, which at times has caused frustration over the inability of the city and state to get on the same page.

Columbus' Last Stand? Melrose Schools Ready To Oust Holiday

After a misstep and a delay, the inevitable seems at hand.

The School Committee is scheduled to try yet again Tuesday night to eliminate Columbus Day from the district's calendar, officially replacing the controversial holiday with Indigenous Peoples' Day.

New School Committee Chair Jen McAndrew is seeking a vote that would change the second Monday of each October beginning with this year, Oct. 11.

New Northeast Metro Tech Design Starts To Take Shape

The design of a new Northeast Metro Tech building is still in the early stages, but developers provided a glimpse into what a new school at the site would look like. The project team submitted the Preferred Schematic Report to the Massachusetts School Building Authority after experimenting with various design options and student enrollment levels.

The report recommended a new building that would satisfy an enrollment of 1,600 students be built at the site. Northeast Metro Tech currently has 1,250 students enrolled.

Malden Sets Vaccine Clinics For Phase 2

As Phase 1 of vaccinations wrap up in Massachusetts, Malden has announced a series of vaccine clinics for Phase 2, which includes people over 75 years old, people over 65 with one or more comorbidity, school employees and transportation workers.

Clinics will be held in the field house at the Salemwood School on Tuesdays, Thursdays and the first and third Saturday of each month, Health Director Chris Webb said. The Tuesday clinics will run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursdays will be 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Across Massachusetts

Runners rejoice: The Boston Athletic Association said Monday it hopes to hold the 2021 Boston Marathon on Oct. 11. There are still several hurdles for the BAA to cross, including getting approval from the eight towns along the marathon route. The event was canceled for the first time in its 124 history in 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Having trouble reading this? It may be because of a widespread internet outage affecting the U.S. People posting on Twitter reported having issues connecting with various online services in a geographic area stretching from Washington to Boston. Disruptions to internet services are always a hassle, but have become even more excruciating as the pandemic forces millions of people to work from home and students to attend school remotely.

Say it isn't snow: Much of Massachusetts will see snow this afternoon and into Wednesday, with the eastern parts of the state looking at a dusting to three inches. But a bigger storm could be taking shape and hit us on Sunday.