Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Scott @scottistvan.com · 15d

Hey @cityofsomerville.bsky.social whats up with these gates that appeared at the new Ken Kelly park? The one blocking the ramp seems to make the park completely inaccessible to wheel chair users, and they block a good portion of the sidewalk when open.

A black metal gate at an entrance to a park is swung open into the sidewalk adjacent the park

A black metal gate stands shut in front of an ada accessible ramp.

2 3

Reposted by Scott

Racheline Maltese @racheline.bsky.social · 24d

Trans rights are not the rights of a tiny minority, trans rights are everyone’s rights to self-determination, control of our bodies, and a society where opportunity and aesthetics are not restricted by sex assigned at birth

You should support and defend trans people because trans people are people

33 3.2K 7.4K

Reposted by Scott

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 23d

Obviously I talk a lot about bike/ped safety.

But something that is really crazy is how much less safe you *in a car* since 2010.

In spite of all the additional safety technology, vehicle occupants are less safe today than they were 15 years ago.

14 67 290

Reposted by Scott

Jess Sheehan @jfsheehan.bsky.social · 23d

MA elections should not be held on September 1, by far the biggest moving day in the state, because it makes it harder for renters to vote.

www.wwlp.com/news/massach...

www.wwlp.com

1 3 4

Scott @scottistvan.com · 23d

I thought the right liked comedy and hated cancel culture

(...as if pointing out their hypocrisy ever caused them to have an ounce of introspection.)

Dana Jay Bein (DJB) @danajaybein.bsky.social · 23d

Kimmel has been canceled. Colbert. Now Kimmel. The people who “care” about freedom of speech really hate it when it’s used to criticize them. (Y’know, what it was designed for? To criticize power.) This is fascism. When media is silenced by scared dictators, we might as well burn the 1st amendment.

1 1

Reposted by Scott

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 23d

A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say.

This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.

All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.

1.8K 18K 61K

Reposted by Scott

Mike Connolly @mikeconnollyma.bsky.social · 25d

This morning, masked and menacing Homeland Security agents abducted one of my East Somerville constituents. Thankfully another constituent captured this video to document the presumed kidnapping. I’m in touch with colleagues at all levels of government as we work to gather more information.

12 62 150

Scott @scottistvan.com · 25d

Thrilled to be endorsed by @abundanthousingma.org for Somerville City Council At Large! Remember to get out and vote tomorrow Somerville!

1 4

Reposted by Scott

Scott @scottsthoughts.better.boston.ap.brid.gy · Aug 29

Hey #somerville (and neighbors in #boston #cambridge etc) -
I’m hosting a comedy show tomorrow! It’s a fundraiser for my city council campaign, but it also should be a very good show. I’m pulling together some of my favorite performers from theaters across the […]

[Original post on better.boston]

Promotional graphic, reads: comedy at large. Saturday August 30th at 6pm. Union comedy 593 Somerville Ave. scottistvan.com/comedy for tickets

3

Scott @scottistvan.com · Aug 15

Thrilled and honored to be endorsed! Let’s make a vibrant and affordable community here in Somerville.

Somerville YIMBY @somervilleyimby.org · Aug 15

Somerville YIMBY’s 2025 election endorsements are here! We’re pleased to endorse these candidates:

@willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
@scottistvan.com
@benjiwheeler.bsky.social
@wilfredmbah.bsky.social
Jon Link
@benforward3.bsky.social
Naima Sait
Emily Hardt

Read on: somervilleyimby.org/elections/20...

Somerville YIMBY 2025 Election Endorsements and Voter Guide

Somerville YIMBY endorses Willie Burnley Jr. for Mayor, emphasizing his leadership and housing initiatives. Other endorsements include Scott Istvan, Ben Wheeler, Will Mbah, and Jonathan Link for Ci…

somervilleyimby.org

1 6

Reposted by Scott

Somerville YIMBY @somervilleyimby.org · Aug 15

Somerville YIMBY’s 2025 election endorsements are here! We’re pleased to endorse these candidates:

@willieburnleyjr.bsky.social
@scottistvan.com
@benjiwheeler.bsky.social
@wilfredmbah.bsky.social
Jon Link
@benforward3.bsky.social
Naima Sait
Emily Hardt

Read on: somervilleyimby.org/elections/20...

Somerville YIMBY 2025 Election Endorsements and Voter Guide

Somerville YIMBY endorses Willie Burnley Jr. for Mayor, emphasizing his leadership and housing initiatives. Other endorsements include Scott Istvan, Ben Wheeler, Will Mbah, and Jonathan Link for Ci…

somervilleyimby.org

1 9 16

Scott @scottistvan.com · Aug 15

One thing I love about Somerville is that people see a clever bit and go “yeah I want in on that“ see: elf land, cat mayor, etc

1

Reposted by Scott

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · Aug 14

The global phenomenon of “bikelash” has become one of the biggest barriers to implementing interventions that make our streets more liveable, accessible and sustainable. So how do we best manage it as advocates for change? Here are eight strategies we recently presented at the Velo-city Conference.🧵

Powerpoint slides from a presentation entitled “Unleashing the Silent Majority to Beat Bikelash”, which feature photographs of urban transformation from cities around the world.

23 190 390

Reposted by Scott

lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · Jul 25

i wish we had a sane and stable national politics so we could treat "lebron james sends cease and desist to AI company making pregnant videos of him" the most important story of the week that it deserves to be

26 380 2.5K

Reposted by Scott

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · Jul 26

I do firmly believe that refusing to outsource your basic cognitive functions to LLMs right now - as so many are stumbling over themselves to do right now, like hogs trotting to a pile of slop that’s been set up inside of a butcher’s delivery truck - will very much pay off in a few years.

110 1.5K 7.3K

Reposted by Scott

The Boston LOL 💜 🚲 ⚡ @thebostonlol.bsky.social · Jul 26

Boston Critical Mass tonight was lit #BikingInBoston

Riders gathered in the Boston Common at dusj

Bikers riding up a hill toward the iconic Citgo neon sign, red evening sky above

Bikers heading downtown toward the Pru skyscraper and the "stack of books" building in the early evening as the sky behind to turn pink

Blurred bikers and signs as critical mass moves on Comm Av

4 22

Reposted by Scott

The Boston Globe @bostonglobe.com · Jul 25

Fenway Park concession workers are launching a strike amid a contract dispute with Aramark and hours ahead of a Red Sox-Dodgers weekend series at the park.

Fenway Park workers launch strike before Red Sox game - The Boston Globe

The strike comes after Unite Here Local 26, the union representing the workers, and the ballpark’s concession company, Aramark, failed to reach a contract agreement.

trib.al

1 10 38

Reposted by Scott

American Fietser @americanfietser.bsky.social · Jul 25

Roundabouts don't request safe speed compliance, they demand it.

7 12 96

Reposted by Scott

Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · Jul 23

I’m fine with limiting the speed of e-scooters and e-bikes just as long as we do the same for every vehicle on our roads.

23 110 840

Scott @scottistvan.com · Jul 23

Legit so good

1

Scott @scottistvan.com · Jul 16

Cross-posting, now with direct link to request a yard sign! I mean, who doesn’t want my name in big letters sitting proudly on their lawn?

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

2

Reposted by Scott

Scott @scottsthoughts.better.boston.ap.brid.gy · Jul 16

Have you ever thought “wow my yard/front window really just needs a hit of vibrant teal and purple and also I want to support a fun progressive city council candidate who loves #safestreets and #transit (and upzoning and small businesses)?”

WELL HAVE I GOT […]

[Original post on better.boston]

A selfie of me (mid 30s bearded white guy with teal hair wearing a baseball hat) next to a teal and purple campaign yard sign that reads “Scott Istvan for Somerville city councilor at large”

1 3 2

Scott @scottistvan.com · Jul 9

…but I thought no one bikes in the rain!

Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · Jul 9

Very ordinary rainy morning commuter traffic in Kendall.

3

Reposted by Scott

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · Jul 7

Art is inefficient. Care is inefficient. Joy is inefficient. Humanity is inefficient. Don't let them take that away.

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · Jul 7

Also talked about The Onion being inefficient on purpose.

www.status.news/p/the-onion-...

What has it been like shifting from reporter to media executive, managing a staff instead of filing stories yourself? And do you write any of the jokes at The Onion? Or are you strictly managing the business?

The Onion’s process is deeply, beautifully inefficient. Every day, our writers take 150 headlines into a physical writers room in Chicago and whittle them down to maybe one or two. These people throw away the funniest sentence I will ever write in my life six times by noon every weekday.

The point of taking over this place was to preserve this process, which I learned this week is almost assuredly more rigorous than The New York Times.

That’s why I don’t touch any of it. I just try to get more people to pay attention to the output, and get our work into different mediums and new places. We brought back the paper, reinvested in the Onion News Network, bought a full page ad in The Times for something they were going to write anyway. The role is to make the world-class work they’re already doing seep into everyday American life more frequently, and that’s working.

You actually can do this, you know. You can just try to highlight the beauty of things you like and not try to vampirically extract value at every step.

If people get one thing out of this whole Q&A, I hope it’s that. You do not have to make an A.I. version of your own employees that operate at 1.5x speed but produce purely iterative garbage, especially in media and journalism. People don’t actually want that shit. Make a good, human thing and people will bend over backwards to support you. This is a valid way to run a company.

6 260 880

Reposted by Scott

Melissa & Chris Bruntlett @modacitylife.com · Jul 8

When Hidalgo steps down next year, she'll have left an inspiring legacy: 350 km of protected bike lanes, 130,000 bike parking spaces, 300 school streets, 145,000 trees, 45 km of parks, and 140,000 fewer car parking spaces. Largely thanks to a light, quick, cheap experiment started 20 years earlier.🔚

People in casual summer attire walk, cycle, lounge, drink and dine on the “Paris Plages”, an artificial beach installed along the River Seine each summer.

16 65