We heard that an accident happened at Central St, and Highland Ave. around 12:15 a.m. early Monday morning that involved a Fire Rescue truck and another vehicle as they were responding to a call to West Somerville. There were reports of extension damage. We hope all involved are doing OK.

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Celebrate Pride in Somerville this month at the city’s annual flag raising and Big Gay Dance Party. First, join Mayor Curtatone and the Somerville High School Gender and Sexuality Awareness Alliance (GSA) on Wednesday, June 9, at 3:00 p.m. to raise the Pride flag in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month and LGBTQ+ Youth Pride. The ceremony will take place on the City Hall concourse at 93 Highland Avenue. Mayor Curtatone, Somerville LGBTQ+ Liaison Jack Treanor, Somerville High School teacher and GSA Advisor Julia Post, and a GSA student representative will speak at the event. Later in the week, the Big Gay Dance Party returns to Union Square Plaza with a “Coming Out … from Quarantine” theme. This free outdoor dance party will feature music by DJ Frenchy, drag performances by Amanda Playwith and JP, an art installation by Nate Devarie, and more. Join the festivities on Friday, June 11, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. (rain date: June 18). Both events are open to all members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. Somerville Pride celebrations are sponsored by Mayor Joe Curtatone, the City of Somerville, the Somerville Arts Council, and the Health and Human Services Department.

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Please join the City of Somerville and the Somerville Bicycle Committee for a one-hour virtual workshop called Bike Network Planning: Lessons for Somerville. This workshop will be led by Mike Lydon, an internationally recognized planner, writer, speaker, and advocate for livable cities. Lydon is a principal at the design firm Street Plans and is working with Somerville as it develops its approach for planning a citywide bike network. This presentation will introduce the bike network planning process, discuss case studies from other U.S. cities, and outline initial next steps for Somerville. A structured Q&A and audience polls will follow the presentation. The event is planned for Thursday, June 10, at 6:00 p.m. Register to attend at somervillema.gov/mobility under ‘Upcoming Events.’

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Celebrating their birthdays this week: Happy birthday to Muriel White, formerly of Winter Hill, who is celebrating this week. We, of course, hope she has a great one. Happy birthday to Carolyn Pedersen, who can be seen all the time here in Somerville, where she’s from. We wish Carolyn a great day. Happy birthday to Suzanne Bremer, of Prospect Hill. We hope she has a great birthday as well. Happy birthday to Betty Casazza, we wish her the best year ever. Happy birthday to Beth Chamberlain, whose husband’s family is from here. We hope Beth has a great day and enjoys the new addition to her home. Finally, to former Councilor At-Large Stephanie Hirsch, we hope she has a great day as well. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Chris Argeropoulos, Elizabeth Rodrigues Fula, Charlie McCarthy, Gavin House, Len Tower, Kevin Tortorella, Rand Wilson, Amanda Esteves, Nancy Lally Kelly, Donna Amenta and Donna M. Quinn 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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Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Anthony Cota,Sr. He will be missed by many. Visitation will be held for Anthony in his Cota Family Funeral Home on, Thursday June 10 from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass on Friday, June 11 at 11:00 a.m. in St. Theresa’s Church, 63 Winter St., (Rte. 62), North Reading, PLEASE GO DIRECTLY TO CHURCH. Burial will follow laying Anthony to rest with his beloved wife Maria in Riverside Cemetery, North Reading. In lieu of flowers please make donations in Anthony’s name to the CSF Dollars for Scholars Endowment Fund, P.O.Box 529, North Reading, MA 01864. See the full obituary at https://www.cotafuneralhomes.com/obituary/Anthony-CotaSr

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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 4 City Councilor Jesse Clingan, and city staff invite you to a virtual community meeting to discuss upcoming schoolyard renovations at the Arthur D. Healey School. This project will construct a new schoolyard and U-12 recreation field, as well as a new staircase and ADA-compliant ramp between school grounds and Mystic Housing. Construction is expected to begin June 21, after the current school year ends, and continue through Spring 2022. The meeting will take place Wednesday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. Discussion will cover the overall construction process, anticipated project schedule, traffic and parking impacts, school access during construction, and safety considerations. To learn more and register to attend, visit somervillema.gov/healeyschoolyard.

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There will be a Public Hearing before the City Council’s Committee on Finance, meeting as a Committee of the Whole, on Wednesday, June 9, at 6:00 p.m., on the Order of Finance Committee Chair J.T. Scott, for public input on the proposed FY 2022 municipal budget. This meeting will be conducted via remote participation, online in a webinar hosted on the GoToWebinar platform. You have two ways to be heard at this meeting: 1. To attend and be heard, enter the link exactly as it appears below into your internet browser at any time before the meeting. You will then be asked to register for the meeting. After registering, you will receive an email with instructions to join the webinar when it starts. Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regi…/5845712314029629709.2. If you are unable to attend but wish to be heard, you may send written comments by US mail to the City Clerk, 93 Highland Avenue, 02143, or by email to cityclerk@somervillema.gov. Your comments must arrive no later than 12 Noon on the day of the hearing, in order to be sure they are conveyed to the Council.

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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

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Somerville landlords and realtors are invited to join the city’s Office of Housing Stability for a virtual workshop about the benefits of renting to Section 8 tenants. Learn how Section 8 ensures stable rental income, how higher payment standards can lead to higher rent receipts, and how landlords and realtors can qualify for additional incentive payments and technical support through the city’s SomerVIP program. This event is Thursday, June 24, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Register to attend at somervillema.gov/OHS.

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In honor of National Garden Week, the City of Somerville Health and Human Services Department is hosting a Growing Gardeners workshop for residents who are brand new to gardening. Growing Gardeners participants will learn how to plant, assemble, and maintain their own portable milk crate garden that will work well in any small outdoor space. Crates may include a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. All supplies will be provided. Participants should have no previous experience – this class is designed to grow a new group of gardeners in the city. Workshops will be offered Friday, June 11, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., or Saturday, June 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the City Hall Annex, 50 Evergreen Avenue. Additional dates will be added later this summer and fall. Registration is required. Visit somervillema.gov/GrowingGardeners or call Steven Flythe, Health and Human Services Case Manager, at (617) 448-5347 to reserve a spot.

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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, and City of Somerville staff invite you to a virtual community meeting about proposed schoolyard renovations at the West Somerville Neighborhood School. At this meeting, the project’s landscape architects will present three schematic designs that were developed with community input. The meeting will be held Monday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m. Learn more and register to attend at somervillema.gov/WSNS.

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Walk-in vaccinations available at multiple locations: You now can get a COVID-19 vaccination without having to pre-register or make an appointment. There are walk-in vaccination sites all around Somerville, and just outside it as well. Cambridge Health Alliance vaccine clinics have larger supplies of doses and can vaccinate kids ages 12-17. You do not need to be a CHA patient to use these clinics. They are free and open to all. Local CVS pharmacies and the Stop & Shop on McGrath Hwy are also offering walk-in vaccines. Local Walgreens pharmacies require a brief pre-registration, but can process people quickly if they have open slots and you walk in. Here are the CHA walk-in sites: CHA Somerville Vaccine Center at 176 Somerville Avenue in Somerville, Mon.- Thurs. 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tufts University Gantcher Center at 161 College Ave. in Medford, Wed-Thurs. 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Encore Boston Harbor at 1 Broadway Center in Everett, Mon.-Thurs. 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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Individuals younger than 18 will need parental or guardian consent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A parent or guardian can either accompany a minor age 16 or 17 to their vaccine appointment, or fill out a consent form that the minor can then bring with them to the appointment. Consent forms in multiple languages are available at the state’s website. Parents must accompany children ages 12-15 to their vaccine appointments.

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