The rumor mill has it that Ward 5 City Councilor Mark Neidergang may not be running for reelection next term, and already someone has announced that they will be running for his seat. Nothing has been officially announced yet, but whatever the facts are we wish him the best for the future and thank him for his service to the city.

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Two more restaurants have announced that they will be closed for the winter: Spoke Wine Bar in Davis Square and Daddy Jones in Magoun Square. We hope the proprietors and staff hang in there and enjoy the hiatus as best as they can. We look forward to their reopening in the near future.

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Join local businesses through December 12 for The Holiday Stroll, a week-long celebration of Union Square sparkle, discovery, and holiday delight and enter to win cash prizes up to $1000. Get Merry with a Mask and enter to win cash prizes up to $1000 by helping to judge the Storefront Decoration Contest, conquering the Keep Small Strong Challenge when enjoying unique eats and rad retail, following the Festivus Trail, and taking Elfie Selfies. Dozens of locally-owned businesses await with all you need to stuff your stockings, deck your halls with local art, make your tastebuds celebrate, and more. For more info, visit: https://www.unionsquaremain.org/holiday-stroll.

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to a great and good friend, Billy Murphy, who is celebrating this week. Happy birthday to Irene Bremis, the premier real estate broker in West Somerville. We wish her the very best. Happy birthday to Kevin McDevitt, a good guy at the DPW. We wish him a great day. Happy birthday to Ann Cassesso-Ercolini. We wish her the very best of birthdays as well. Happy birthday to Cheryl Callahan, who is a lifelong resident and a nice person. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Kristen Chiaraluce, Annmarie Costante, Sandy Piccolomini Ryle, Barbara Jewers, Barbara J Pinnelle Vivian and Kelly Rouillard Murphy 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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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 6 Councilor Lance Davis, and Ward 7 Councilor Katjana Ballantyne invite you to attend the third virtual community meeting about the Holland Street and College Avenue Mobility Improvements project on Wednesday, December 9, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place on the GoToMeeting webinar platform. Register to attend at bit.ly/HollandCollegeMeeting3. At the meeting, staff will review the community process to date and present the proposed final design for changes to improve roadway safety for all users and support sustainable, multimodal transportation. The proposed design includes new crosswalks, protected bike lanes, bus priority lanes, traffic-calming bump-outs, and other changes. Staff will take questions and additional input from community members. The proposed final design is available for review at somervoice.somervillema.gov/hollandandcollege. For more information or to provide feedback, please contact the Mobility Division at transportation@somervillema.gov.

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Please join the GLX project team for a general project update. This presentation will feature a visual tour of the project showing the latest progress on construction activities. The meeting will be held via a Zoom webinar on December 9 at 6:30 p.m. Register in advance for this webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EOA6uxlbRzKUYEVWoSHouQ. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. For more information on GLX visit www.mass.gov/glx

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The Somerville Council on Aging has masks available for Somerville residents who are 60 and over. If you are still in need of a mask or may know of a friend or neighbor who may still need one, you can pick one up at their drive through location: Holland Street Senior Center, 167 Holland Street on Thursday, December 10, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please call 617-625-6600 ext. 2300.

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If you need assistance accessing food, there are several resources available to you locally. Visit the COVID-19 Help page at https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/covid-19-help-food-housing-and-financial-assistance to learn more. There you will find a chart that includes local food pantry schedules, contact information, languages spoken at the food pantry, and whether or not you need to bring ID.

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Please join the Council on Aging in spreading a little cheer to Somerville’s seniors this holiday season. Help them send cards, letters, or notes to brighten up a senior’s day. The unsealed cards, letters or notes can be dropped off at the Holland Street Senior Center, 167 Holland St. A box will be inside the vestibule. The notes will be delivered to seniors throughout the month of December. For more information, please call Debby Higgins, Outreach Coordinator at 617-625-6600 ext. 2321 or dhiggins@somervillema.gov

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Join the Community Growing Center this December for their twice-weekly Open Hours. All month long, volunteer hosts make sure the garden is open for visitors to enjoy every Tuesday, from 3:00 to 4:40 p.m., and Saturdays, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come by the Growing Center, stroll the paths, enjoy the plants in the garden, and take a moment to enjoy this little green oasis tucked right into Union Square. Remember to bundle up to stay warm, dry, and comfortable: dress in layers (base, insulating, and outer shell), bring a thermos of something warm to sip, and keep moving out there. Due to current public health conditions, a limited number of visitors are allowed in the site at any one time. But if you come by and they’re full, please just swing by again soon. To learn more about the Community Growing Center, visit www.thegrowingcenter.org.

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The City of Somerville invites teens ages 13 and older to consider being part of the Somerville Teen Snow Shoveling Crew and earn money while helping your Somerville neighbors this winter. Participants are paid for each house upon completion. Visit: https://forms.gle/JYC5y7uW2s7EyBSN7 to apply. Contact Jennifer Mancia at jmancia@somervillema.gov or (781) 490-3878 if you have questions.

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Groundwork Somerville is celebrating 20 years of service to the Somerville community. Join them in a series of free virtual events to celebrate their work and community. To learn more about upcoming events, visit http://www.groundworksomerville.org/help-us-celebrate-20-years-of-groundwork-somerville/.

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Join East Somerville Main Streets this Sunday, December 13 with new and returning vendors for the last market of the year. Shop safely from 10:00 a.m. to noon this Sunday at Deano’s Parking lot, 15 Garfield St. Pre-ordering in strongly encouraged. Select vendors will be offering on-site sales. Check out the market website for more information: https://www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org/market.

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Reminder: city buildings are still closed to the public. Although city buildings remain closed to the public, a number of city services are still available online or by calling 311. Check the “City Service Status” tab on the city’s COVID-19 page for more information.

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