Meet at the corner of McGrath Hwy. and Broadway at the former gas station lot (empty lot across from Foss Park) on Wednesday, May 26, at 6:00 p.m., for a rally to demand that MassDOT prioritize the safety of people over the speed of cars. Tell MassDOT to: Accelerate McGrath/Mystic Ave. improvements, Create Blakeley Ave. crosswalk now, enact traffic calming measures now, and erect sound barriers along Rte. I-93 to reduce noise pollution. Local officials attending include: Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, State Reps Christine Barber and Mike Connolly, Mayor Joe Curtatone, City Councillors Matt McLaughlin (Ward 1) and Jesse Clingan (Ward 4). The public is invited to sign the petition to MassDOT.. Attendees must follow Somerville’s Covid-19 mask and social distancing policy. Organized by Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets (somervillesafestreets@gmail.com).

*******************************

Somerville will join with the state in lifting remaining COVID-19 restrictions on Saturday, May 29. Please note, as of May 29, state guidelines will still require face coverings to be worn on public transit, in rideshares and taxis, in healthcare facilities, and in other settings hosting vulnerable populations, such as congregate care settings. Until May 29, face coverings remain mandatory in indoor public spaces and also outdoors when 6-foot social distancing is not possible. For more information on the state’s reopening plan and guidelines, visit mass.gov/reopening. All persons age 12 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. 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.

*******************************

Happy birthday this week to several locals: Happy birthday to Mary Hart, the matriarch of the Hart family. She is a great person and we wish her the very best of birthdays. Another great person to wish a happy birthday to Chrissie Clark, our own Editor’s wife. We hope they have great plans to celebrate her birthday! Happy birthday to a great guy we grew up with down in East Somerville, Russell (Rusty) Smithe Jr. We hope he has a great time this week with his many friends and family members. Happy birthday to another local guy, Dan Rogovich, who is celebrating this week. Happy birthday to a good friend who grew up here in the city, who still has ties here David Byron. We wish him the very best of birthdays. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Danny McLaughlinn, Peggy Ryan Lookliss, Karen Ferullo, Tim Devin, John Gore, Mary Champagne Adamson, Denise Pereira Barker and Helen Mooney 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.

*******************************

The City of Somerville Office of Housing Stability is hosting a virtual workshop to assist Section 8 tenants looking for housing. This event is designed for Somerville Housing Authority Section 8 voucher holders or Section 8 applicants in the screening process, but all are welcome. Attendees will learn practical tips, advice, and strategies to make their Section 8 housing search more effective. The workshop will take place on Zoom on Thursday, June 3, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. To learn more and register to attend, visit somervillema.gov/ohs.

*******************************

Free walk-in COVID-19 vaccines are available Monday – Saturday at the Cambridge Health Alliance Vaccine Center at 176 Somerville Ave., right next to the Target near Union Square. And they have vaccines for everyone age 12 and up. If you have not been able to get your shot, don’t delay. Vaccines are available regardless of whether you have health insurance and regardless of your citizenship status. You can go to https://challiance.org/patients-visitors/covid-19-vaccine for full details, hours of operation and other nearby locations.

*******************************

In addition to the free, walk-in COVID-19 clinic from Cambridge Health Alliance, there will be free vaccine clinics at the Kennedy, East, and West this Wednesday from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. for any students or family members 12 years old and up. Learn more and fill out a consent form for students under 18 years old (registration links might require you to sign up for a site in Everett – but persevere and know your info will get to Somerville): https://somerville.k12.ma.us/vaccination-event. It’s also possible to simply walk-in to one of the three sites for a vaccine.

*******************************

Join a community meeting on Thursday, June 10, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., (rescheduled from May 25) to learn about supervised consumption sites (SCS) data and research. At the meeting you can learn more about how SCS work, see data from a recently conducted needs assessment and evaluation that includes input from potential clients of the SCS and other community members, and ask questions and share feedback. A draft version of the needs assessment and evaluation will be available at www.somervillema.gov/SCS by Tuesday, June 8.

*******************************

Healthy, local food is important. The Farmers Markets are open again in Davis Square. Fresh, locally-grown fruit, vegetables, meats, baked goods. Rain or shine, holiday or not. Every Wednesday, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m., May 20 – November 25, at Day St. and Herbert St. (www.massfarmersmarkets.org/davis) and at Union Square, Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., May 15 – November 20. New Location: 366 Somerville Ave., Somerville. Rain or shine. Shop local in open air at their COVID-19 prepared market. For more details, check out their website: unionsquaremain.org.

*******************************

Want to learn about climate action taking place right here in Somerville? This Thursday evening, May 27, the latest cohort of Climate Forward Ambassadors will report out about their most recent projects. The whole event is virtual and you can register to take part at https://cbuilding.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIudumhrD4iG9wDrfQZrnH1JYKePhgbxUJF. There’s never been a better time to get involved in charting a cleaner future.

*******************************

The newly renovated Somerville Public Library West Branch at 40 College Ave. will open for curbside service starting Tuesday, June 1. Pickup will be at the building’s new front entrance weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Patrons will be able to select “Somerville/West” when placing holds online starting May 28. Renovation and restoration work began on the historic building in early 2019 and is now largely complete. The West Branch will open for indoor services at a later date in the not-too-distant future, at which point a proper celebration will be held to mark the occasion. More details will be shared as they’re finalized. In the meantime, visit somervillepubliclibrary.org and follow the Somerville Public Library on social media for regular updates and glimpses inside the new space.

*******************************

Mobile COVID vaccine clinics will be coming soon to Somerville. Dates, times and locations will be announced shortly, and you can sign up to get alerts for them at https://bit.ly/3uegRBv. Pick the place and time that works for you. We want everyone in Somerville to get their vaccine so we can put this pandemic behind us.

*******************************

You might want to check out The City Explorers summer program for your students, offered through the Elizabeth Peabody House. For more information about local summer programming, from free programs to privately-run programs with costs associated, please visit: https://somerville.k12.ma.us/Summer.

*******************************

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.

*******************************

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.

*******************************

Don’t forget, 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.

*******************************

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/.