Streetwise Talk next meeting will be held January 18, at 6:00 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing Company, 14 Tyler St. Come hear Joe Barr, former Director of Transportation for Cambridge, talk about his 7 years working to create safe streets in Cambridge. Attend in person at Aeronaut or Zoom in (visit bit.ly/3ORnXHn)

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Protect yourself against the flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. The city is holding free walk-in vaccine clinics on Wednesday, January 18 and 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Annex (50 Evergreen Ave.). Bivalent Covid-19 (Pfizer) vaccines will be available for ages 12+ and flu vaccines will be available for all ages. Learn more or register to save time at somervillema.gov/vaccines.

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The City of Somerville’s Department of Racial and Social Justice is seeking three Somerville community members to join RSJ’s Civilian Oversight Task Force. The 13-member Task Force will consist of these three open community seats, as well as additional community members, subject matter experts, and other key stakeholders.The application is available online: https://bit.ly/rsj_coapp,More details and instructions to apply in-person can be found on our website: https://somervillema.gov/rsj

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Happy birthday this week to the following: A big happy birthday to our own Dorothy DiMarzo, who gives us all those delicious recipes every other week in our paper. We wish her the very best of birthdays this week. Check out her recipes in our print edition and online, you will enjoy them. Happy Birthday to Philip Ercolini, from East Somerville. We wish him a great day. Happy birthday to Katie Lathasha Harris, we wish her the very best of birthdays as well. To Nancy Huber Coutoumas, who is celebrating this week as well, we wish her the very best. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such as Rachel Tonello, Rosemary Ardagna, Joseph William Schenkenfelder, Bob Crowley LeBlanc, Roy Moulton and Linda LoPresti 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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This year’s election is already starting to gain momentum. We are hearing rumors of who might be throwing their hat in the race for Council At-Large here in Somerville. The names so far that were rumored are long time resident of Somerville, Joe Lynch, who has been involved in the city for many years and former City Councilor At-Large Will Mbah, who held that position in the past. If they run, we wish them the best. We will keep you posted with any other election rumors.

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Congratulations to The Best of Somerville 2022 winners! Please support their businesses and let them know you saw them in The Somerville Times. You can go to the side panel of our website www.thesomervilletimes.com and click on the winners of 2022.

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The bike path Girl Scout cookie sign is back for another year. Troop 82122 is saving their proceeds to take a trip to Savannah, Georgia this spring. Girl delivery in Somerville/Cambridge/Medford http://villecookies.info

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The Somerville Community Growing Center is seeking new Board Members for 2023. They are looking for energetic individuals with diverse backgrounds and life experiences to help lead them into their 30th year. Interested in supporting and growing with them? To learn more and apply visit: https://www.thegrowingcenter.org/board-search

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Mayor Katjana Ballantyne announces that the City of Somerville is now seeking proposals that aim to address the gender wage gap, particularly for women of color who face the greatest pay disparity. Programs that create and maintain employment opportunities for low- and moderate-income women residing in the city are sought. The grants are made possible by the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, the Job Creation and Retention Trust, City funds, and funds generated from development impact fees. Proposals will be accepted until January 31. Interested organizations can download the Request for Proposal package here: www.somervillema.gov/wfd. Print copies are available by emailing WFD@somervillema.gov. For further information, please contact WFD@somervillema.gov.

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The Somerville Arts Council has shared the news that one of the Mystic Mural students, from the summer of 2017, was recently shot to death by a Cambridge Police officer. Arif Sayed Faisal, age 20, will be remembered as a kind youth with curiosity about life and the world. Arif embraced the summer he worked on the Mystic River Mural with quiet curiosity, a collaborative spirit, and a passion for art and environmental education. His loss is felt within the Mystic Mural community, within Somerville. There is a gofundme site to support the family https://gofund.me/77ff124c

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Students in grades 6-8 are invited to participate in this year’s All City Middle Grades Musical. Learn more at: https://highlandertheatre.org/allcity

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The Arts at the Armory’s Performance Hall is available to rent for weddings, parties, and private work functions. With a new stage, aesthetic improvements to the space, and a capacity of 395, the Performance Hall is a versatile, conveniently-located venue in the heart of Somerville’s Spring Hill neighborhood. Did we mention there is ample off-street parking? Learn more at artsatthearmory.org, and fill out the Event Contact Form to book the Performance Hall.

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CAAS would like to hear from you in their Community Needs Assessment survey. They will use the results to improve their understanding of the challenges facing this community and to develop a plan to meet them. They will also share the assessment with you and the broader community. This survey is available in several languages. Your responses to this survey will be kept confidential and anonymous. The deadline is January 31. Survey in English: (https://forms.gle/JEVTUxo5c652Pdzd7). Survey in Spanish: (https://forms.gle/DcMsXVFnyQeYmLck9),Survey in Portuguese (https://forms.gle/Vv626PAMaRVmJNDD9)

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Looking for a way to practice social distancing but 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 Naim at 617-625-6600, ext. 2317 to learn more about the program and to sign up.

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Because this winter begins in an even-numbered year, snow emergency parking will be on the even side of the street all winter, unless posted signage says differently. Check street signs in your neighborhood so you know where you can park ahead of winter weather. You can also learn more about the city’s snow policies at somervillema.gov/snow.

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Somerville teens 13 years and older are invited to earn some extra money by snow shoveling this winter with the City of Somerville Teen Snow Shoveling Crew. www.somervillema.gov/applytoshovel.

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The Fuel Assistance Program, also known as the Home Energy Assistance Program, helps low-income households pay their winter heating bills between November 1 and April 30. Renters and homeowners in Somerville are eligible to apply if they meet federal income guidelines. Learn more and apply online at somervillema.gov/fuelassistance.

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The 13th Annual Somerville Winter Farmers Market (SWFM) is held every Saturday through April 8. The Center for Arts at the Armory is located at 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143. To learn more and for a complete listing of vendors, weekly specials, and live entertainment, please visit www.somwintermarket.org. You can find the market on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SomervilleWinterFarmersMarket, and on Instagram @SomWinterMarket.

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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.