Congratulations to all the students graduating this week! It’s been a tough and challenging time, but you all pulled through magnificently. As the world gets back to normal, your stars will shine. The Class of 2020 is the classiest of all!

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How great is it to have the Ball Sq. bridge open again? After a year of putting up with snarled traffic and back-bending detours, the people of Somerville can move quite a bit more freely. We’re sure that business owners in the Ball Sq. area will be enjoying a healthy rebound in sales. So be sure to visit them and enjoy the drive!

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The City of Somerville will hold a virtual information session and public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2021 water and sewer rates on Thursday, June 11. The information session will start at 6:00 p.m. and the public hearing will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. Anyone who would like to testify is welcome to attend. Written testimony will also be accepted until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. Written testimony can be submitted by emailing water@somervillema.gov or by mailing it to the Water and Sewer Department, 17 Franey Rd., Somerville, MA 02145. The information session and hearing will be hosted on the GoToWebinar platform and there will also be an option to call into the meeting from a phone. Visit www.somervillema.gov/water shortly before 6:00 p.m. to join live or get call-in information, or call 311. The information session and public hearing will be recorded and rebroadcast on City Cable (channel 13 on RCN, channel 22 on Comcast) and on the city’s YouTube channel. The proposed rates were submitted to the City Council during its meeting on Thursday, May 28, and can be viewed online at www.somervillema.gov/water.

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Sitting in the Fire: An Online Race Retreat, hosted by Somerville Media Center – SMC on June 13, 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Join Healing Our Human Family: Let’s Talk About Race cohosts Diane Wong and Pharaoh Saunders as they invite you to engage in courageous conversations around racial justice and inequity through a modern and historical lens. Go deep in unlearning your own biases and overcome personal roadblocks when it comes to race and racism. Participate in scaffolded role plays where you can practice the hard work of interrupting racism and white supremacy. Learn from experts what it means to truly “sit in the fire” with this hands-on, engaging virtual class. The class will be held on June 13 on Zoom over two sessions, for the full schedule visit SMC’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/events/2649475955327927/

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Celebrating their birthdays this week: Happy birthday to Muriel White, formerly of Winter Hill, is celebrating this week. We, of course, hope she has a great one. Happy birthday to another former Somerville person, Raymond Trant, formerly the Chairman of the Licensing Committee. We hope Ray has a great day for himself. Happy birthday to Carolyn Pedersen, we wish Carolyn a great day. Happy birthday to Suzanne Bremer, of Prospect Hill, we hope has a great birthday as well. Happy birthday to our good friend Beth Chamberlain. We hope Beth has a great day. To the former Councilor At-Large Stephanie Hirsch, we hope she has a great day as well. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Gavin House, Annmarie Callaway, Len Tower, Rand Wilson, Amanda Esteves, Donna Amenta, Nancy Lally Kelly, Donna M. Quinn, Shawn Lynch, Gretchen Ann Graham and Rebekah Gewirtz. a very happy birthday. We hope everyone has a great day. To all the others we may have missed, we sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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The Somerville School Committee will conduct a public hearing on the School Department’s FY2021 Budget, Wednesday, June 17, at 6:00 p.m. GoToWebinar Online Meeting Platform. Please use the following web address to join the budget hearing: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5352296567632079115 The Public is invited to attend.

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Record Store Day 2020 with vinyl index at Bow Market, June 20, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., 1 Bow Market Way. Support an independently owned record store while catching a vibe with live DJ sets. The shelves in vinyl index will be stocked with as many special releases as they can fit while shop co-owner, DJ 7L, and the Soulelujah DJs mix killer funk, soul, hip hop and dance tracks outside in the Bow Market courtyard. Be sure to check their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/132617214831145/ for the official list of music inspired special offerings from your favorite Bow Market shops, bars and restaurants.

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Continuing through Monday, June 15, the Department of Conservation and Recreation will close various sections within Draw Seven Park from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to enable soil surveying work. Additionally, the state park will remain open for the public to visit.

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The Washington Street Art Center presents its inaugural virtual exhibition of the COVID-19 era, a solo show by studio member Catherine Aiello, opening June 20. Power and Service, an online and interactive exhibition, features multimedia work that reflects on and illuminates Aiello’s experience working in the food service industry. An online reception and artist talk take place Saturday, June 20, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Information on how to access the Zoom reception/talk will be available closer to the event at www.washingtonstreet.squarespace.com/events and the artist’s website.

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Healthy, local food is important. The Farmers Markets are open again in Davis Square (www.massfarmersmarkets.org/davis) and Union Square (www.unionsquaremain.org/2020-season). But this year they will be different. Both markets will encourage only one person per household to do the shopping, incorporate social distancing guidelines and allow a limited amount of shoppers in the space. Please sign up for a shopping spot in advance at the market websites. SNAP and HIP benefits are accessible for shoppers in both markets. No gathering or socializing is allowed in the markets. See you there and remember that we are in this together … from a responsible 6 ft. distance, of course.

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East Somerville Safe Pick-up Market takes place Sunday, June 14. Pre-order from the list of participating businesses and pick-up your order safely on Sunday between 10:00 a.m. and noon. For more information, visit https://www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org/market.