In response to COVID-19, the Somerville Winter Farmers Market will be a pre-order only market held in the Armory parking lot from 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 4 and 11. You can order from several of their vendors this week, and then pick up your goods on Saturday. This is a great way to support vendors, especially smaller vendors who do not have the capacity to set up their own delivery systems at this time. Please consider purchasing some of their delicious products. To pre-order or for more information, go to https://www.somwintermarket.org/vendors. SNAP/EBT are accepted.

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The Rockery will be doing a special live stream acoustic performance from the comfort of Jack’s Basement on Facebook (Instagram live feed as well – @therockeryrocks) this Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. Put on some pajamas, pour yourself a cocktail and join in for a fun night. This live stream will be in support of the amazing staff at our favorite bar in Southie, Shenannigans Bar. These guys have been so excellent to The Rockery for about half a decade and really could use some support through these tough times. https://www.facebook.com/shenannigansboston/. If you can spare anything we would ask you contribute to the following: VENMO: @SouthieStaff GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/shenannigans-staff-relief-fund.

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Happy birthday this week to the following: Happy birthday Sue Pye, of the famous Pye family from Somerville. A great lady, and we hope she has a wonderful birthday. Happy birthday to Tyler Hart, of the famous Harts. Happily married and we know he must be celebrating a great birthday. Happy birthday to Pat Scrima, a great guy and former resident. We hope he has a great birthday. And to all our Facebook followers that are celebrating this week, we wish the following a happy birthday: April Yarasitis, Mardy Cummings, Charles Ryan, Douglas Kelley,Michael R. Foster, Leo Connerty, Sarah O’Brien, Rachel Lynn, Liam Seward, Joanna Costante Callinan, Mary Jo Blunt, Patricia O’Leary Shanahan and Carolyn Ryan. Finally, to Joe Cassaro Sr., we hope he has a great birthday as well. To all the others we might have missed, we wish you a happy birthday.

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In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Comcast is offering 60 days of free Internet access to low-income subscribers via their Internet Essentials program, which normally is available to low-income families for $9.95 per month. They have also increased Internet speeds for all existing and new subscribers to the program to 25/3 Mbps. New customers receive a free self-install kit that includes a cable modem with a Wi-Fi router. There is no term contract or credit check and no shipping fee. To sign up call 1-855-846-8376 for English, or 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish. Visit www.internetessentials.com. American Sign Language agents are available via video chat.

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The Somerville Construction Advisory issued on Monday, March 23, remains in full force. The City of Somerville had previously issued Construction COVID-19 Safety Guidelines to allow construction to move forward with site-specific safety plans ensuring social distancing and following state and federal safety guidelines for COVID-19. Upon review of those plans and through spot site checks, we discovered we could not at this time control for every factor to ensure safe social distancing and other health and safety guidelines, particularly due to Somerville’s dense urban environment. Therefore, to protect the workers on these sites, their families, and everyone they come into contact with, the City of Somerville construction suspension remains in full force. Worksite managers with questions should contact their City Project Manager or Inspector.

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As you enjoy the spring weather, remember that social distancing is important even while outside. We know this is hard and feels strange, but it is necessary in order to save lives. Stay six feet away from anyone who is not a member of your household. Playgrounds and courts are closed. Fields and parks should only be used for passive activities like walking and running, and should not be used for team sports. And as always, stay at home if you feel sick. Learn more at somervillema.gov/coronavirus.

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The Somerville Arts Council understands the importance of social distancing and the impact this has caused on the arts community. They want to stay connected and continue to support artists as much as they can. They are launching the Home Alone Art Series (HAAS). HAAS is a series of Art related performances live streamed by Somerville Artists on Facebook. The performances can represent a variety of genres, including music, visual arts, performance, writing, theater, dance and multidisciplinary art forms. HAAS will be scheduled throughout the month and they will provide a schedule to share and follow. Their goal is to hire and pay Somerville artists (both residents and those who have a studio in the city) who are experiencing financial difficulties because of Covid-19 restrictions. To apply, see the website for details: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/homealone

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The GLX is a state project and therefore not subject to the city’s suspension of non-essential construction. MassDOT has issued updated guidelines for its construction sites and workers.

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If you are facing housing instability as a result of COVID-19 (e.g. from a loss of wages or an increase in medical expenses), you could be eligible for up to $4,000 of assistance from emergency funds that are available through the Massachusetts Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program. Learn more at bit.ly/MAraft.

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Everyone should also remember to please support our local businesses in any way they can. Even though restaurants closed and most are only available for takeout, you are encouraged to order out and buy gift cards at the restaurants and small businesses for future use.

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To contact us at The Somerville Times during these closures, please go to news@thesomervilletimes.com. We are still up and running but will be working remotely.

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If you would like to subscribe to receive a digital edition of our paper, go directly online to our website over to the right side and fill out your email address to receive a free, full PDF copy of the paper without the need for going out for a copy of the print edition.