As businesses gradually reopen throughout the city of the next weeks and months, please remember the importance of shopping local. These businesses have taken a hit while remaining closed during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and they could sure use a boost as they take their first tentative steps towards getting back to normal. Now and into the future. We owe that to them.

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Somerville seeks short video messages to honor Memorial Day. The City of Somerville Department of Veterans’ Services invites local Veterans and family members of Veterans to submit short video messages to celebrate Memorial Day. Veterans and Veteran families are encouraged to record short messages, about 10 to 15 seconds long, to share what Memorial Day means to them or a message for troops deployed overseas. Submissions will then be compiled into a larger video to mark this year’s holiday. Videos should be submitted by Friday, April 30. They can be emailed to Ted Louis-Jacques, Director of Veterans’ Affairs, at tjacques@somervillema.gov or texted to him at 617-404-5290.

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City Councilor At-Large Bill White announced this week that he will not be running for re-election in November. We want to thank Bill for serving the city of Somerville for the past 24 years and we wish him the very best in whatever he decides to do next.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: A big happy birthday to Ward 7 Councilor Katjana Ballantyne. We hope she has a great birthday for herself with her family. We wish a happy birthday to all of our Facebook friends such as Mark Hnl Kaye, Eileen Langille, Lia Sophia, Jesse Moos, K Muti Standel, Missy Julien-Thelemarque, Olga Solomita, Janet Grigg-Uttaro, Joanne Veneziano Finnegan, Patricia Ferrelli, Carol Duffy and Jackie Coviello, who are all celebrating this week. To all the others we may have missed and, yes, we must admit there are a few more out there. We sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 2 Councilor J.T. Scott, and city staff invite you to attend a virtual community meeting to introduce the Poplar Street Pump Station preliminary design and its integration with the ArtFarm project. The Poplar Street Pump Station project will develop a portion of the ArtFarm site in Somerville’s Brickbottom neighborhood to provide critical stormwater management infrastructure and new park space. It is one in a series of projects underway to relieve flooding in the city, prepare for climate change, and reduce Combined Sewer Overflows in the region. Construction is estimated to begin in Fall 2022 and continue for three years. The meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, April 14, at 6:00 p.m. Learn more and register to attend at somervillema.gov/poplar.

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Applications are now available for Somerville youth 14 and up to apply for the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program. Applications will be accepted through Friday, May 14. Employment opportunities are available in the Parks and Recreation Department, Department of Public Works, and other city departments. Some positions can be done remotely or in a hybrid of remote and in-person work. Youth who are hired can expect to work 20 hours for approximately six weeks starting in late June or early July. All positions pay the city’s living wage rate, which is currently at $15.46 per hour. Youth who would like to apply can do so by visiting http://bit.ly/SomerJobs2021. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis upon receipt of applications.

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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 4 City Councilor Jesse Clingan invite residents to participate in a community meeting on the Healey School tot lot renovation project on Thursday, April 15, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Landscape architects from Warner Larson Landscape Architects will review the construction schedule and plans, which include the Healey tot lot and schoolyard, a new U-12 recreation field, and a new ADA ramp and staircase that will connect the Healey School and Mystic Housing. How to participate: Visit http://bit.ly/HealeyTotLot any time before the meeting to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. You can also dial in using your phone. At the time of the meeting dial 631-992-3221 and use access code 640-540-316. Questions? Please contact Arn Franzen: AFranzen@somervillema.gov.

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Deanna Cremin, a 17-year-old from Somerville, was found murdered on March 30, 1995. Her case remains unsolved. If you have any info about the unsolved homicide of Deanna Cremin, please contact Det. Alan Monaco at 617-625-1600 Ext. 7226. Please help bring closure to the Cremin Family.

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The Somerville Arts Council (SAC) is partnering with Assembly Row to create a new art installation in the form of three giant vertical banners (16’5”w x 58’5”h) that will hang on a façade along Great River Road and face the Mystic River and the Orange Line. For this project, titled “We are Somerville,” they seek new work that conveys the people of our city. They are open to many different mediums. They seek original work that is colorful, vibrant and captures a person’s – and our city’s – personality. They are open to three single images of three different people, as well as “collages” that incorporate different people within a single banner. Somewhere in the design – it could be quite simply – they seek to include the text: “We are Somerville.” They are looking for one artist to create and manage this project. Artists may choose to feature solely their own art, or work with other artists or an organization. For more information and to apply: https://tinyurl.com/yh4ftrdy.

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The City of Somerville’s Elections Department has set up an online appointment system to allow candidates for municipal office to safely pick up and drop off nomination papers and speak with Elections staff while City Hall remains closed to the public. Candidates can sign up for a 30-minute appointment between May 3 and June 9 at www.somervillema.gov/elections. For more information about municipal elections, including how to run for office and a full election cycle calendar, visit www.somervillema.gov/elections

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The Somerville Museum is now open to the public. Hours are Thursdays, 2:00 – 7:00 p.m., Fridays, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m., Saturdays, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. They require all visitors to wear face masks regardless of vaccination status, and everyone needs an advance timed-entry ticket. Tickets available on Eventbrite. Time slots are 1/2 hour long. $5 for Non-Members. Members enjoy free admission. Want to become a member? Sign up here: http://somervillemuseum.org/join-html/

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The Walk for Hunger is seeking participants to join our community dedicated to doing good by helping get food to kids and families during the pandemic. A virtual fundraiser that supports Project Bread’s work to increase food access for people of all ages in Massachusetts, registration opened on Tuesday, February 9. Fundraising continues until May 2, with fun, virtual events taking place throughout the day. In its 53rd year, and its second year as a virtual event, thousands of caring community members will participate in the oldest pledge walk in the country, which is expected to raise over $1 million to help get food to kids and families during this crisis. Likeminded organizations that fundraise as part of The Commonwealth by forming teams can raise money to support their own work, while also furthering the statewide effort. There is no registration fee this year or fundraising minimum. To create a personal or team fundraising page for The Walk for Hunger or to make a donation, visit projectbread.org/walk or call (617) 723-5000.

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The state has announced when all remaining groups will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Monday, April 19: People age 16 or older will be eligible. For more information and to pre-register for an appointment, visit mass.gov/vaccine or call 211. The city of Somerville is also available to help those who face barriers to accessing vaccines, including people who need transportation or language assistance. If you are currently eligible to receive a vaccine and need help accessing the vaccine, please call 311.

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Some reopening restrictions have started to ease since April 5. As more residents have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, including essential and service industry workers, the City of Somerville is moving forward with some additional modest business reopening steps. Somerville is still reopening at a more cautious pace than the state, remaining in a modified Phase 3, Step 1 of the state’s reopening plan until further notice. Starting April 5, restaurants have been allowed to stay open beyond 9:30 p.m. until their regularly permitted closing hours, but must remain at 25% indoor capacity. The city will work with recreation facilities to expand their operations in ways that are safe for each business. The Somerville Museum has been allowed to open, but must adhere to special event capacity caps in effect citywide of 10 persons indoors and 25 persons outdoors. The City of Somerville continues to monitor COVID case, vaccination, and other related data on a daily basis. As more people are vaccinated there is hope for further reopening in the near future, but guidance from public health experts does not support further openings at this time given the recent increase in case numbers across the state.