Odd/even parking started last week on April Fool’s Day, and will go through to December 31. Those Traffic and Parking people will be walking around handing out tickets, so watch the signs on the various streets for the day your street is earmarked for street cleaning.

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The Somerville High Scholarship Foundation is once again having its huge drawing coming up in May 13 at the Highlander Café at Somerville High School. Refreshments will be served beginning at 7:00 p.m. Drawing at 8:00 p.m. Several door prizes will be given out during the drawing for the $10,000 grand prize. Tickets for the drawing are $100 each. You can purchase one or share the cost of one with many in your home/office or with friends. It’s a great fundraiser for the kids. Over the years the SHS Foundation has benefitted many students. Make your check out to S.H.S. Raffle and send it to SHS Raffle c/o Joseph Favaloro, P.O. Box 440275 Somerville 02144. It’s been a great organization here in the city since 1990 and has grown over the years, serving many Somerville graduates to further their education. See you at the drawing. It’s a lot of fun and a great night out.

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Somerville Recreation will be holding a road race in conjunction with the Mayor’s Shape-Up Somerville Initiative. The race to be held on Sunday, April 24, with the kids race at 10:30 a.m., while the adults 5K race starts at 11:00 a.m. The proceeds will go to the Somerville Youth and Recreation Foundation (SYRF). This non-profit foundation was formed exclusively for charitable purposes. For more information go to www.SomervilleYouthRecF.org.

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Happy birthday to a lot of our friends and fellow Villens here this week: Happy birthday to Sue Pye, a nice lady who is celebrating this week. We wish her the very best. Another local who grew up here is Tyler Hart. We wish him the very best of birthdays as well. To a good guy and another local, Bruce Rollins, Jr., a great family man, and friend, happy birthday. Happy birthday to Pat Scrima, another great guy and a true Villen. We hope he has a great day for himself. A good friend of one of the writers here at The Times also celebrates this week: Happy birthday to Jonathan Doran of Lexington, who loves The Somerville Times. He’s the past President of the Lexington Lions. To a local guy who is one of the big wigs down at DPW for the city, nice guy Steve MacEachern, happy birthday this week. Sissy McWatters-Ankenbauer is celebrating this week as well. We wish her a Happy Birthday.

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We apologize for overlooking one of our favorite’s people last week, Ms. Jaime Motta. Yes, the famous Jaime at Attorney Sean O’Donovan’s law office celebrated her birthday. Paula LeBlanc (same office) made a beautiful homemade cake filled with candy for Jaime. Both ladies work together and are all well known here in the city. We wish Jaime a very special belated happy birthday and big thanks to Paula for making Jaime’s wish of a great birthday cake come true.

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There’s a new website in town. Check it out at www.somervillema.com. The Somerville Times is on the site. Also check out www.medfordma.com. Someone asked online why we keep these two websites in Newstalk. We guess it’s because we like them.

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For those that might be interested in obtaining certification for firearms should look up the Lawrence Rod & Gun Club. They provide an extensive program at the end of which you receive certification for Massachusetts/NRA Certified Firearm Safety Classes. They run a class once a month, which is limited to 10 people and we hear that this is the place to go to learn safety when handling guns. Email gunclub@earthlink.net for more information and or go to their website at www.lawrencerodandgunclub.org and read up about the course. We’ve been told that the course has seen a major increase in people applying for it, especially women. We can tell you first hand here that it’s a great course and quite thorough. The same goes for this in Newstalk. The club has informed us that many residents of Somerville have called or gone to the club to find out about certification.

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Condolences to the family and many friends of Eldon F. Gaudet who recently passed away. He was well known in the city, in particular in Ward 2 and 3 in Union Square. He was a retired postal worker and army veteran who served in Vietnam. Services this week were held at Brown-Flaherty Funeral Home in Union Square and St. Josephs Church. His good friends down at Sally O’Brien’s will certainly miss his charm, character and great wit. Liam, the owner of Sally O’Brien’s, will hold a reception after the funeral 1:00–4:00 p.m. today Wednesday, April 6.

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Show Your Support for the GLX at two important upcoming meetings. The next step in the battle to save the Green Line Extension is next week. Once again, we need you to come out in large numbers to let the decision makers know that they have to deliver on their promises to build the Green Line Extension, including light rail service to all stations (including Union Square), all the stations (including Route 16), and the Community Path. Meeting Information: Monday, April 11 – Fiscal Control Management Board Meeting. The meeting begins at 10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. is the time for public comment. MassDOT Boardroom, 10 Park Plaza, Room 3830, Boston. To make sure that there have been no changes in the date, time and location, check this link: http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/public_meetings/?id=6442455500. Wednesday, April 13 – Green Line Extension public meeting at the Somerville High School Auditorium, 81 Highland St. 5:30 p.m. Open House at 6:30 p.m. Presentation, Q&A. Join in at one or both meetings and voice your support for the Green Line Extension, and tell your friends and neighbors to join you. For more information, go to http://www.somervillestep.org/.

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We’re sorry to hear that The second East Somerville Reunion that was being planned for this summer has been cancelled due to the lack of contributions. Hopefully they can get people to help up as sponsors in the future.

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This past Sunday the Somerville Democratic City Committee’s Reorganization Meeting and Caucus was held at the cafeteria at Somerville High School. It’s official, the once revered and popular committee has been taken over by the extreme Progressive branch of the party. A lot of the moderate Democrats have left and we hear more are going to be doing the same. The party of the progressives, which claim to be inclusive, is only inclusive to those with similar opinions. In a city with about 75K people – and now about 48K registered voters – that the Progressives citywide can’t fill a room says a lot, don’t you think? Not that long ago each ward would have about 100 or more involved in the caucus. They couldn’t find a place big enough to hold one citywide.

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In various wards even today new faces show up and some not so new, but the same game is played anytime. We hear that the newly elected School Committee person from Ward 3, Lee Erica Palmer, is not that popular with her colleagues on the Committee and has made some people off the Committee not to happy too. We hope it’s not true. We would like to think she’s the same nice person that ran for office a year ago and who has only served since January of this year.

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Special guest comedian and local celebrity Jimmy Del Ponte will be with us for the 4th Annual Highland Masonic Building Association “Giggles Comedy Nite” on Wednesday April 20, at the Prince of Pizza on Rte. 1 Saugus. The public is welcome. A private room with some of Boston’s finest comedians, great pizza included for $25 and a silent auction with many donated items will be available afterwards. Everyone wins. Contact Donald Norton at 617-623-6600 x 11 for information. Tickets at the door – or you can reserve – are again only $25 donation to the HMTA insurance fund, which is not a tax deduction. Last year well over 100 attended a great night of laughs, food and good friends.

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This week marked the eleventh anniversary of the death of former Senator Charlie Shannon. He is missed by many here from all walks of life that he touched during his many years serving the residents of the district, in particular Somerville. Senator Charlie Shannon was a great motivator, leader and a champion for Somerville. It didn’t matter what political opinion you had. The present Senator Pat Jehlen, on the other hand, has not even come close to what Senator Shannon did here in the district. Senator Pat Jehlen has not proposed ONE piece of legislation that was voted on or approved by the Senate, since she ran and was elected eleven years ago. But we do know she’s the consummate politician, continuously elected to various offices since 1973. We guess that is an accomplishment, isn’t it? Or is it?

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A big fundraiser for Mayor Joe is coming up on April 13 in Boston on Charles Street, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

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Many people were surprised to see that the city, in particular the DPW commissioner, did not call snow emergency this past Monday. We think it’s because the city will make more revenue now that street sweeping is in effect and many would be confused and automatically park on the odd side of the street. Well, that’s what we think. And oh yes, the world didn’t end because no snow emergency was called.

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Coming up on Monday, April 18 is the Patriots Day celebration at Foss Park. The ceremony begins at 10:00 a.m. The Somerville Historic Committee will have booths and information, as it has in the past. It’s a great time for history and a family outing. Bring the kids out to meet and greet the Paul Revere re-enactor ride in on his horse as he travels from Boston through old Somerville – in Colonial days this was part of Charlestown – up through Medford over to Lexington and Concord to warn the Minutemen that the British are on their way.

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We guess the mayor has not made many friends over in Everett, in particular Mr. Wynn, who is the owner and developer of the proposed new gambling casino that was approved a few years back. Mayor Joe has filed lawsuits on behalf of the city to block Wynn from building his casino, but in the meantime all those union members are now out of a job. In short, Mayor Joe claims that the 13K vehicles that will come and go to the casino and would probably pass through Somerville is a health hazard to us, the residents. Why wait until the plans have been set, work was about to begin and hundreds of people are now in the dark as to if and when they can start the project? How many cars come and go at Assembly, which is right across the river from the proposed casino? Mr. Wynn the other day on TV said some not so nice things about our mayor and even suggested that no funds would come to Somerville, like Boston will get. We hope that the situation can be resolved and those that need the good paying building jobs – never mind afterwards – gets underway.

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We’re hearing a lot of people remark that Assembly Square isn’t that much a part of the city like it’s suppose to be with its shops and restaurants. Do you hear the same?

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The El Sistema Somerville Spring Concert takes place on Tuesday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. at East Somerville Community School Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.

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Friends and family will be paying tribute to Ken Kelly while raising funds for four cyclists riding the Pan-Mass Challenge in his honor. The event takes place on Tuesday, April 12 at Brass Union, 70 Union Square. Check out the Eventbrite page for more information and direct links to make online donations.

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The public is invited to join Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne for joint open office hours this Saturday, April 9, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Angelina’s, Holland St., Teele Sq. Joining Ballantyne will be Rep. Christine Barber, and School Committee Member Ward 7 Carrie Normand.