We hear the Somerville High School Class of 2021 Graduation will take place on June 7 at Dilboy Stadium, with each student being able to have two guests. We will update as more becomes available.

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The City of Somerville Health and Human Services Department is partnering with Riverside Trauma Center to offer a free two-day virtual training in Psychological First Aid and Post-Traumatic Stress Management for individuals who live or work in Somerville. Participants will learn basic behavioral health disaster-response skills in order to support youth and adults impacted by a traumatic event. This training would be beneficial for school staff, youth workers and service providers, human service workers, nurses, juvenile justice and law enforcement personnel, clergy, social workers, and anyone providing services in a support capacity. Training sessions will be held Friday, June 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, June 11, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants must attend both sessions. Learn more and register at somerville-ma.gov/HHS.

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The City of Somerville moved into a modified Phase 4, Step 1 of the state’s reopening plan on Friday, May 7. This means that indoor capacity for several businesses will be increased significantly, something that the local economy desperately needs. For specific details and general guidelines, go to https://www.somervillema.gov/reopeningphase4. Additional reopening steps, beyond the modified Phase 4, Step 1, will go into effect on Tuesday, June 1. All of the newly allowed activities will be subject to regular City permitting and safety rules and sector-specific COVID-19 guidelines. Dance floors will be allowed at private events, but facial coverings must be worn and there should be social distancing between households. Food and drinks will be allowed with recreational activities, but they must remain in one location. This means, for example, moviegoers can have snacks and drinks at their seats during a screening or bowlers can have food at their lane. For more information and regular COVID-19 updates, visit www.somervillema.gov/coronavirus and sign up for city alerts at www.somervillema.gov/Alerts. Community members are encouraged to sign up for every alert method: phone call, text, email. Also follow FB.com/SomervilleCity and @SomervilleCity.

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Katjana For Mayor of Somerville Virtual Campaign Kickoff. Katjana Ballantyne will be holding a virtual campaign kickoff, May 12 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Here is the kickoff event link to join: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/katjanakickoff.

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To those celebrating their birthdays this week: Happy birthday to Melissa Hurley, who is celebrating this week. A nice person, we hope she has a great birthday. Happy birthday to Donald Chamberlain, we wish him the best. Happy birthday to Caroline Shea Rosas, who is also celebrating this week. Happy birthday to local attorney Neil Berman. We hope Neil has a great birthday. To another great local attorney, Edwin Smith, we wish him nothing but the best as well. A great guy, and one of the best real estate attorneys here in Somerville. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Mary Ellen Myhr, Diane Murphy Sullivan, Donny Caprigno and Beth Foley Delacruz 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 Arts Council and Metropolitan Area Planning Council are conducting two surveys to find out if Somerville artists have stable access to space for their work. There are two surveys: one for individuals and one for organizations. Artists who live or work in Somerville are invited to take whichever applies to them. Each survey takes five to 10 minutes to complete, and the data collected will be used to identify the risks arts spaces face, to inform city policies, and to establish programs that help preserve and develop arts spaces. Both surveys can be found at www.somervilleartscouncil.org and will be open until May 24.

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Save the date: The next GLX General Public Meeting is planned for June 30, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The meeting format will be virtual, and a link will be posted soon on the GLX website. The meeting will include updates on: Construction Status, Recent Project Milestones, Testing and Commissioning of GLX service. For project information, please visit www.Mass.gov/GLX.

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If a vehicle is booted, all unpaid parking tickets must be paid in full within 48 hours to have it released, otherwise the vehicle will be towed. While the Parking Department office remains closed to the public, payments can be made online at somervillema.gov/parking, over the phone (call 1-844-807-9069), or by placing a certified bank check made out to “City of Somerville” in the secure drop box outside the Parking office at 133 Holland Street. For more information, please visit somervillema.gov/parking.

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The City of Somerville continues to monitor COVID case trends, vaccination rates, and other related data on a daily basis. As more people are vaccinated there is hope for further reopening in the near future. All persons age 16 or older are currently eligible for vaccination. For information on how to schedule an appointment, visit www.somervillema.gov/vaccine or call the statewide helpline at 2-1-1.

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Do you have ideas on how to keep cool in the heat? The City of Somerville, in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, is now accepting applications for the Keep Cool Somerville Community Projects Grant Program to support creative and impactful cooling solutions this summer. Residents and community groups are invited to propose small-scale pilot projects to improve resilience to hot weather. A handful of projects will be funded to be implemented over the summer. No project is too small. Grants can range from several hundred dollars to just under $10,000. Potential projects could seek to raise awareness of extreme heat risks and coping strategies, improve access to cooling resources, promote mutual aid during heat waves, or any other idea that improves community resilience to hot weather, especially among residents most likely to be impacted. Grant applicants are encouraged, but not required, to draw on the Cooling Strategies Toolkit for inspiration. There are several opportunities for interested applicants to get feedback or assistance before submitting a proposal. Multilingual assistance is available. Applications are due Wednesday, May 26. For more information, including application instructions, virtual event links, and the Cooling Strategies Toolkit, visit somerville-ma.gov/keepcool.

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CHA Somerville Hospital offers free testing at Assembly Row. To make an appointment, call 617-665-2928 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.). The mobile COVID-19 testing unit offers testing for all in our neighborhoods. To make a mobile appointment, call 617-682-0583. Mobile testing schedules, as they become available, and more testing information can be found at somervillema.gov/covidtesting. The state’s Stop the Spread testing sites are also an option, including in the nearby communities of Chelsea and Everett. For more information, visit the state’s web-site: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test.

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Applications are now available for Somerville youth 14 and up to apply for the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program. Applications will be accepted through Friday, May 14. Employment opportunities are available in the Parks and Recreation Department, Department of Public Works, and other city departments. Some positions can be done remotely or in a hybrid of remote and in-person work. Youth who are hired can expect to work 20 hours for approximately six weeks starting in late June or early July. All positions pay the city’s living wage rate, which is currently at $15.46 per hour. Youth who would like to apply can do so by visiting http://bit.ly/SomerJobs2021. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis upon receipt of applications.

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Hate incidents impact victims as well as the community. In an effort to make reporting hate incidents easier for the residents of Somerville, you may now report them using an online form. Visit the Somerville Police website under the Home tab and submit your Hate Incident report: www.somervillepd.com/home/.

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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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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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