This week, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne announced that she will be running for mayor, in hopes of replacing Mayor Curtatone, who has said that he will not be running for re-election again. Although she is the first to have formally announced, we’re sure there will be others who step forward for your consideration. We wish her and all the others the best in their bids to become our new mayor.

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How great is it to hear that the newly renovated Somerville High School is now open to serve the needs of our school kids and others in the community? The building looks great and its up-to-date features will be providing state of the art quality educational services for years to come. Congratulations to the planners and builders who made the vision a reality!

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Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 1 Councilor Matthew McLaughlin, Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, and city staff invite you to a virtual community meeting to discuss implementation of the Gilman Square Neighborhood Plan. The meeting will focus on redevelopment at the Mobil gas station site, the former Homans Building site, and nearby green space called the Gilman Triangle on Medford Street behind Somerville High School. City consultants will present conceptual illustrations developed with community input, discuss opportunities and challenges based on existing conditions, and gather feedback on land-use priorities. The meeting will be held online on Wednesday, March 10, at 6:00 p.m. Register to attend at tinyurl.com/GilmanZoning.

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St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and Sally O’Brien’s will be celebrating its Irish heritage. Owner Liam Mannion and Bob McWatters invite the public to come by and enjoy a Guinness, corned beef and cabbage and Irish music on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, at Sally O’Brien’s, 335 Somerville Ave.

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Happy birthday to a lot of our friends and fellow Villens here this week: Happy birthday to a former City of Somerville staffer, Nancy Ross Aylward. We hope she has a great day. Happy birthday to the senior Jim Halloran. We hope he has a great one as well. Happy birthday to Okie O’Connell, a dedicated City of Somerville employee. Happy birthday to Karen Love, of Magoun Square, a pleasant and always nice lady who greets you with a smile whenever you see her. Happy birthday to Antonia Digirolamo, who celebrates today. We wish her the best. Happy birthday wishes go out to Dennis Fishman, who will be celebrating on Friday. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Shu Tai, Diane Wong, Patricia Elledge, Patrick Callinan, Jackie Levy Harrington,Denize Ramos, Donald Coutoumas and Kiette Murphy Jones a very happy birthday.

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Congratulations to those who recently received promotions in the Somerville Fire and Police departments. Fire Department promotions: Deputy Chief Mike Anzalone, District Chief Steve Mauras, Captain PJ Halloran, Captain Derek Nolan, Lieutenant Jim Piwinski and Lieutenant Paul Moreira. Somerville Police promotions: Captain Jeffrey DiGregorio, Lieutenant Michael Perrone, Lieutenant Kevin Shackelford, Sargent Marc Difava and Sargent Eli Kim. Congratulations for the well-deserved promotions!

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SPESO is hosting Rally to Reopen Our Schools on Saturday, March 13, at 1:00 p.m. at Somerville High School. March 13 marks the 1-year anniversary of the school closures in Somerville, and there’s still a long way to go to get all students back to school in person full-time in September. The public is invited to join in for a masked, distanced rally to celebrate their successful advocacy to this point, and to keep the pressure on to bring all Somerville Public School students safely back to their classrooms. All are encouraged to wear red for reopening, and feel free to bring a sign. Speakers will include the parent of a student with special needs, a high school student, and a member of the Latino community. They will also be offering free student and family portraits (safely outdoors and distanced, to of course). All are welcome, including children. They hope to provide translation into Spanish and Portuguese. For those unable to attend, the event will be broadcast on Facebook Live.

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On March 13, a coalition of human rights groups and activists will hold their thirteenth protest in front of Tufts University’s Confucius Institute. Activists have been organizing weekly “Solidarity Saturday” protests every Saturday since December 19 to demonstrate their opposition to an institute funded by a genocidal regime which is committing egregious crimes against humanity. The activists are demanding an immediate closure of Tuft’s Confucius Institute and plan on protesting until their demands are met. Prominent activists and politicians will be attending or speaking at this protest, including Massachusetts State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven, and Somerville City Councilors Will Mbah and Ben Ewen-Campen. Olo Bayul, Somerville Public Schools Teacher and Tibetan activist, will give opening remarks and introduce guest speakers. Sarah Phillips, a member of the This week, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne announced that she will be running for mayor, in hopes of replacing Mayor Curtatone, who has said that he will not be running for re-election again. Although she is the first to have formally announced, we’re sure there will be others who step forward for your consideration. We wish her and all the others the best in their bids to become our new mayor.

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The Gilman Square Neighborhood Association and the Somerville Arts Council are looking for input to guide the process for a large-scale public artwork for the Traction Power Substation Building (aka “that large grey block”) and future public art opportunities. They invite Gilman square residents and business owners, and visitors to Gilman, to fill in this short survey to participate in this process and in visualizing the future of Gilman Square. Survey Link: https://somervoice.somervillema.gov/gilman-square-plan-implementation/survey_tools/gilman-square-public-art-survey-2

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ROOTED Armory Cafe & Farmstand re-opened on Tuesday, March 2. Please plan to stop by frequently for delicious takeout menu items – including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and coffee drinks made at our espresso bar – and groceries featuring produce, dairy and pantry items, and beer and wine. Order online so that your order is ready when you come in. Open hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., 191 Highland Ave.

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The City of Somerville still remains in the limited Phase 3, Step 1 stage of reopening that went into effect on February 1 until at least March 15. Capacity limits in Somerville businesses will remain at 25% or the limit set in the business’s city-approved health and safety plan until further notice. Somerville also continues to hold the limit on attendance at gatherings to no more than 10 persons until further notice. The limit applies to both indoor and outdoor gatherings of any kind unless otherwise specifically permitted in city activity-specific guidelines.

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Gov. Baker announced last week that k-12 teachers, childcare workers, and K-12 school staff will be eligible to register for COVID-19 vaccines on March 11. Anyone who is eligible to receive a vaccine can register for an appointment by visiting mass.gov/vaccine or calling 211.

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Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is offering free transportation to COVID-19 vaccination sites to Somerville residents age 60 and up as well as adults of any age with disabilities. Appointments must be scheduled in advance. To learn more or schedule an appointment, contact SCES at 617-628-2601 or info@eldercare.org.

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You can find video updates from GovTV about progress in the vaccine rollout, as well as recordings of vaccine informational sessions with medical professionals by clicking the “Videos and Podcasts” tab on somervillema.gov/vaccine. There are recordings available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and Nepali. Or watch the videos on basic cable or GovTV on YouTube.

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The city has been holding virtual vaccine information sessions and Q&As in multiple languages throughout the vaccine rollout. To find out when a session is coming up, click the “Events” tab on somervillema.gov/vaccine.

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If you or someone you know would prefer to get occasional vaccine updates via a phone call, you can sign up by visiting somervillema.gov/vaccine or calling 311. If you prefer email updates, don’t worry, you won’t be missing any information if you don’t sign up for calls. All information sent out via calls will also be included in these email updates.

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Make sure you’re wearing the right face covering. The CDC has guidance on choosing a face covering that best protects those around you. Three things to keep in mind: Your face covering should be made of at least two layers of washable, breathable fabric. It should completely cover your nose and mouth. It should fit snugly against the side of your face. That means if you’re getting a face covering for a child, you should look for one designed for smaller faces.

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Apply for small business relief funds. The City of Somerville has made $5 million available to small businesses in its third round of the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Fund. Eligible businesses can apply for grants of up to $25,000. Applications are now available and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Learn more about the funding, including eligibility requirements, or apply for funds online.

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Somerville’s Winter Farmer’s Market takes place Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., through April 10, at 191 Highland Ave. Offering the best locally grown and produced agricultural items and more. Online pre-order market with a small outdoor “live” shopping market. They offer a diverse range of local and New England produce, as well as cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, pastries, chocolate, and wine. They feature rotating guest vendors each week, as well as live entertainment and activities. They accept SNAP/EBT, CREDIT and DEBIT cards. $10 SNAP match for EBT customers. For market information visit: http://www.somwintermarket.org.

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The Pandemic – Electronic Transfer (P-EBT) Program was created spring 2020 to provide eligible families funds to purchase food while schools were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended through the end of the 2020-21 school year. Visit https://www.map-ebt.org/home/#ihdtab for additional information.