Ibbetson Street literary magazine, founded in Somerville in 1998 by Doug Holder, Richard Wilhelm, and Dianne Robitaille, will celebrate the release of the 50th issue at the Central Branch of the Somerville Library, 79 Highland Ave. on March 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Open to the public.

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Street sweeping begins for the season on Friday, April 1. Make sure you know when your neighborhood is swept and where you can park by checking signs in your neighborhood and visiting www.somervillema.gov/sweeping. The schedules are currently being updated. Street sweeping helps keep leaves and other debris out of storm drains, which helps prevent flooding. Help keep the streets clean – and avoid getting a ticket – by moving your car on street sweeping day.

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The City of Somerville’s Racial and Social Justice (RSJ) Department invites the community to a virtual forum to meet department staff, learn about their work, and find out how to get involved on Thursday, March 31, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Go to somervillema.gov/virtualtownhall at the start time of the forum to join online, or call 311 on March 31 to get call-in information. Interpretation into Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Nepali, Mandarin, and American Sign Language will be provided.

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Sav-Mor Spirits will host a grand opening of its new Assembly Row location April 1– 3. They will have tastings, giveaways (non-alcoholic) and a lottery for the chance to buy some rare items. The ribbon cutting will be held on April 1 at 4:00 p.m.

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Happy birthday this week to the following: Happy birthday Sue Pye, of the famous Pye family from Somerville. We hope she has a wonderful birthday. Happy birthday to Tyler Hart, of the famous Harts. We wish him a great birthday. Happy birthday to Pat Scrima, a great guy and former resident. We hope he has a great birthday. We wish a happy birthday to all of our Facebook friends such as Megan O’Brien, Kathleen Kennedy, Daniel M Rivera, Christopher John,Charles Ryan, April Yarasitis, Heather Ann, Douglas Kelley, Leo Connerty, Sarah O’Brien, Liam Seward, Rachel Lynn, Joanna Costante Callinan, Lyss Nicole, Patricia O’Leary Shanahan and Carolyn Ryan, who are all celebrating this week. To all the others we may have missed and, yes, we must admit there are a few more out there. We sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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Thaddeus Piper MacDonald, an 8th grade student at the Argenziano School, recently placed first in the Grades 6-8 category of the Youth Art Month (YAM) Flag Contest, administered by the Council for Art Education. This year’s contest theme was “Art Connects Us.” Winning flag entries will be on display on the Massachusetts Art Education Association’s YAM website. Youth Art Month is a celebration of the visual arts and the skills that are developed through visual arts experiences, such as problem-solving, creativity, observation, communication, and critical thinking. Congratulations to Thaddeus on his outstanding work, and his art teacher, Diana Taremi.

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Somerville’s indoor mask mandate ended Saturday, March 5. The City of Somerville lifted its mask requirement for city buildings and events on Monday, March 21. This means all city-issued mask mandates are now lifted. Some federal and state mask requirements remain in effect. The Somerville School Committee voted to make masks optional in Somerville Public Schools as of Monday, March 14. The decisions to lift the local mask mandates follow current guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But businesses can still set their own mask policies, so make sure to check before heading in. More information, including where to find the latest health guidance can be found at somervillema.gov/maskmandateupdate.

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Mayor Katjana Ballantyne has announced that the City of Somerville is launching mattress and box spring recycling starting the week of April 4. This free service is available to all residential households that have city-managed trash collection. Residents will simply need to schedule a pickup and place their items on the curb on the pickup day. For more information on recycling in Somerville, please visit www.somervillema.gov/MattressRecycling.

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Running coach Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello is holding a marathon-a-month in 2022 to raise awareness for social justice organizations. Owner of The Atalanta Effect, Duclos-Orsello hopes to bring attention to Boston-area nonprofits doing work around equity, diversity, and justice. Future organizations Duclos-Orsello plans to highlight include Jane Doe, Inc., the Cambridge Women’s Center, and Somerville-based The Welcome Project. More information can be found at https://www.theatalantaeffect.com/ or by following Duclos-Orsello’s journey using #LizRuns20224aCause on social media.

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Families and community members are invited to join Somerville Public Schools on Wednesday, March 30 for a virtual roundtable, Working TOGETHER to Support Our Students. City and district representatives will discuss challenges and solutions related to the mental health and social-emotional wellness of Somerville children and teens. Event details will be posted on their #SomervilleTogether event page. For more information about the #SomervilleTogether campaign, visit www.somerville.k12.ma.us/together.

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The City of Somerville, Arts Council, and OSPCD, is seeking three artists to serve on an Armory Master Planning Committee. This committee will guide the municipal consultants and staff in preparing the Somerville Armory Master Plan over the next few months, in preparation to transitioning the property into a public community arts center. Comprised of a diverse mix of municipal leaders and local artists, the Committee will meet six times to discuss the following issues. For more information and to apply go to: https://forms.gle/Vv9dcS25SfjBBgAa9

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The Haymakers are happy to play the fool on Friday, April 1, at Union Tavern, 345 Somerville Ave. at 8:00 p.m. Opening up the night is Somerville’s own UnCivil Servants.

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The CHA Somerville Vaccine Center is now accepting walk-ins, as supply allows. The center is open to all, five days a week and some Saturdays. You can get booster shots for ages 12+ and initial vaccines for ages 5+. The vaccines are free, regardless of immigration or health insurance status, and you don’t need to show ID. Full hours and details are here: challiance.org/vaccine. You can still make an appointment at tinyurl.com/metronorthvaccine. If you’re a CHA patient you can also make an appointment through MyChart: challiance.org/mychart. If you need assistance finding a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, you can call 3-1-1 (617-666-3311).

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Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and Ward 3 City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen invite you to a virtual public meeting about upcoming construction in Spring Hill. The Spring Hill Sewer Separation Project is one in a series of projects across the city that will mitigate flooding, reduce waterway pollution, and upgrade century-old infrastructure. The first phase of work will begin in earnest this spring and is expected to continue through 2023 on Summer Street (Belmont Street to Bow Street), Central Street (Highland Avenue to Summer Street), Westwood Road, Avon Street, and Carter Terrace. This meeting will outline the project goals, scope of work, and anticipated construction impacts. Join in Wednesday, April 6, at 6:00 p.m. For more information and to register to attend, go to somervillema.gov/springhill.

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The Somerville Historic Preservation Division invites you to take home a piece of Somerville history. Designed by local artists, this historic collection of Somerville stickers and magnets tell a unique story of Somerville’s history. Purchases help support local organizations and small business, and display the Somerville pride. Visit the Somerville Historic Preservation Division website to find out more about their historic events, education, and preservation efforts: https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/ospcd/historicpreservation.

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Looking for a way to practice social distancing but still remain connected to other people? Look no further than the Somerville Council on Aging’s Friendly Phone Caller program. They have many wonderful volunteers who are waiting to give you a call. Whether you are looking to make a new friend or would just like a friendly chat to look forward to every week, this program has you covered. Call Natasha at 617-625-6600, ext. 2317 to learn more about the program and to sign up.

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Are you a Somerville High student with a passion for food, community, and justice? Join Groundwork Somerville’s spring Green Team internship program. You’ll earn school credit while making friends, working for social justice, and learning about sustainable farming. Apply here: https://forms.gle/4e5bAyLZ1pVAToMi6

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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.