The national and state election is this coming Tuesday, November 8. Please go out and vote. And let’s put an end to the ads, opinions, and nasty wisecracks made about individuals. Actually, thank God this month of November has Thanksgiving, and who knows, maybe after the election is finally over we can all sit down and break bread together once again and enjoy other conversations that are less troubling. Christmas is only 54 days away! Peace!

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Don’t forget about the early voting. Don’t stand in long lines on a cold Tuesday, November 8. Join the thousands who already voted in Somerville. Early voting at City Hall began on October 24 and will run until this Friday, November 4. Early voting is in the Alderman Chambers at City Hall. For more information go to the city website at www.somervillema.gov for details, time, location and also if you need an absentee ballot, or you can call 617-625-6600.

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Next Thursday evening, the 10th at 6:30 p.m., a public hearing on Union Square Community Benefits Agreement is scheduled, a discussion on the potential to address displacement and uphold community values. The administration’s proposal for new Union Square zoning has been under discussion by the BOA since a public hearing took place in mid-October. There are three more meetings scheduled in November. The new zoning proposal is designed to unlock the heart of Union Square, especially the area around the forthcoming GLX Union Square station for major development. This public hearing is being held as a result of an official request from 138 voters who are concerned that the development will cause displacement in Union Square. Only the BOA has the power to change zoning. A 2/3 vote of the BOA (8 of 11 Aldermen) is necessary to adopt new Union Square zoning (or any zoning change or proposal). On another, related topic, the Administration has announced it will introduce early in 2017 a second edition of the citywide zoning overhaul proposal.

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Little Sisters of the Poor will be holding their annual Christmas Bazaar on November 12 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., at 186 Highland Ave. Somerville. Big Raffle Prizes, Christmas Items, Games, Baked Goods including Angela’s famous Irish Soda Bread and lunch items including their popular beef stew. Mark your calendars. Don’t miss this annual event running now for over 40 years. 617-776-4420 for info.

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On Saturday, November 12, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Brigham House Assisted Living, 341 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, invites you to their 5th Annual Holiday Craft Faire. Residents and their families are given the special opportunity to kick off their holiday shopping within the comfort of their own home. As always, the public is welcome and they encourage Watertown residents and surrounding communities to come in and support their local craft vendors. There will be plenty of holiday cheer, with complimentary sweet treats throughout the day, in addition to their huge raffle give-away. The Faire puts everyone in the holiday spirit, and Brigham House is looking forward to seeing everyone there. Local Somerville nice lady Lynne Lenoir, along with her partner Dorothy DiMarzo, have been busy preparing for this event, making things to sell, you can bet if these two lovely ladies are involved its got to be good.

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Happy birthday to a lot of our friends and fellow Villens here this week: Happy birthday this week to Alderman at Large Dennis Sullivan. We hope he has a great birthday here in the city. Good guy and sometimes contributor here at The Times Charlie Chisholm is having a birthday this week. Tim Gager, a good friend of The Times and a really great writer himself is celebrating this week. We hope he has a great time. Happy birthday to Bruce Taylor, a good friend who is broker/owner of ERA Key Realty Services in central Mass, with 12 offices. A good guy. Also celebrating is local guy Donald Norton, now off his diet after shedding a total of 45 pounds in 50 days and still losing (on phase 4 of the diet). He’s feeling great but no cake for him!

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Mark your calendar for a public hearing on Thursday, November 17, 7:00 p.m., Alderman Chambers, 2nd floor, City Hall. The mayor will present a proposal for Somerville’s contribution of $50M for Green Line Extension (GLX) funding. The mayor will present a proposal for a city contribution of $50 million to the Board of Aldermen (BOA) at their meeting Thursday, November 10. A vote in favor by the BOA will be necessary for the city to send the money to the state.

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The one and only original “Best of Somerville” ballot is out now and the winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 9, so hurry up and nominate in your favorite category. We also want best idea this year and worst idea this year for 2016 here in Somerville. You can email, mail, call in or just drop your votes in the mail slot at 699 Broadway, Somerville.

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Tufts University Department of Music presents Tufts Sunday Concert Series – Schubert’s Winterreise. Sunday, November 6 at 3:00 p.m. This iconic cycle of “horrifying songs” gazes into the abyss, in the aftermath of loss. Charles Blandy, tenor; Thomas Stumpf, piano. The Granoff Music Center is located at 20 Talbot Avenue on Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit as.tufts.edu/music/musiccenter or call the Granoff Music Center Box Office at 617.627.3679.

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Victor’s Deli of Ball Square now does deliveries. Check it out on Facebook and call them so you can have one of their famous Macaroni & Cheese dishes, or maybe you’d like the Chicken Parmagian with the great sauce that Victor’s is noted for. Call today to have your lunch delivered to you from Victor’s. And remember, you can get $2 off your order  of $20 or more with the coupon we have on page 5.

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Don’t forget, you can still donate to WJIB to help ensure that the FM station will get up and running next year. Relaxing, commercial-free music on the FM band 24 hours a day. Send your (non-deductible) check to WJIB – PO Box 308 – Bath, Maine 04530 and tune in to Bob Bittner on WJIB AM 740 for all the details.

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There will be a public hearing on the third version of the administration’s Athletic Fields Master Plan on Tuesday, November 15, 7:30 PM, Aldermen’s Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall. There were several public meetings early in 2016 in which the administration presented and got feedback on the initial version of this plan. This third version has more information about the proposed surface for each field (grass or artificial turf) and also has a far better timeline for redeveloping and adding fields. The BOA has no formal power to approve or reject this plan. However, the BOA will likely need to vote to approve or deny funds for each major field project on its own.

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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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Look in on the SCATV Channel 3 program The Real Estate Answers Show this Friday night as host Donald Norton of The Norton Group RE will be having as his guest Mayor Joe Curtatone. They will be discussing the upcoming ballot questions here in the city, in particular questions 2 and 5, which he strongly supports. The show will also be on YouTube on the paper’s website and The Norton Group RE site as well. Host Donald Norton of the Norton Group RE, right here in Somerville, has 39 years experience in the field.

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Not Your Father’s Improv: A chance to improve your acting skills. Meets Mondays 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Unity Church 7 William St., Somerville. A Donation of $5 to the Unity Church per session is required.

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St. Catherine’s Parish will hold their annual Christmas Bazaar on Friday, November 11 from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, November 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the parish hall, 179 Summer Street, Somerville. Silent Auction, games, raffles, jewelry, refreshments, items for sale, etc. Free Admission.

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Somerville High School and Trade High Class of ‘81 will be holding their 35th Reunion on November 26 at the Montvale Plaza, Woburn from 7:00 p.m. to midnight. To purchase tickets online visit http://www.somervillehighclass81.myevent.com or mail a $60 check made payable to Anthony Accardi, 1 Marcia Rd, Wilmington, MA 01887. Contact Anthony at 978-621-3729.

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Airport Impacts 101: Perspectives on Environmental Health, a day long conference that brings some of the world’s foremost airport impact experts and environmental health scientists together with interested citizens and policy leaders will be held on Saturday, November 5, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., at the new Partners Healthcare facility at Assembly Square, Somerville. Highlights, including agenda and presenters, are available at the eventbrite site linked in below. They have built in time for conversation. All are all invited to attend. Please get the word out quickly as well to other community members who might be interested. The event is free but attendees need to register online: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/airport-impacts-101-perspectives-on-environmental-health-tickets-28528867611.