A candlelight vigil in remembrance of the victims of this weekend’s devastating earthquake in Nepal, and to support Somerville’s Nepali community members as the rescue and cleanup efforts continue, will take place on the evening of Wed., April 29. The vigil will be held beginning with musical selections at 6:45 p.m. on the Somerville High School concourse, 81 Highland Ave. If you have any questions, please call the Somerville Health and Human Services Department at 617-625-6600 ext. 4300. If you or someone you know is in need of mental health resources, contact the Somerville Trauma Response Network at 857-221-0942. Members of the TRN will also be in attendance on Wednesday evening.
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Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang will be hosting campaign kickoff/fundraiser on Wednesday, April 29 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Olde Magoun Saloon in Magoun Square, next to CVS. The special guest speaker will be Alderman At-Large Bill White with a short program starting around 6:30 p.m. Complimentary food. Cash bar. The suggested minimum contribution is $50 per person, but please come and give what you can.
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Patsy’s Pastry has sure raised the bar, generating many comments, including over 19,000 Facebook hits with people from Somerville all the way out west in CA, sending their goodbyes to Sal, Maria, Vito and Rose, along with all the others. Hurry up and get your favorite desert by May 4. We ordered ours! The sign on the door says they will be back when construction is done. The owners of the development did offer a space to the bakery if they want it, so let them know this week you want to see them back.
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The Holman’s building in Gilman Square is slated to be torn down shortly and the city is letting the MBTA handle the cost of the demolition. The city bought the building back in the 90’s when Mike Capuano was mayor, for at least a million. Too bad the city didn’t get any real use out of the property.
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Funny, the article out of The Globe the other day about the amount of monies spent on snow removal in Cambridge was about $6M, Medford at about $4M but nothing about Somerville. We heard sources telling us that our city spent in excess of $12M. It would be bad if the feds aren’t going to subsidize any large part of that amount. Again, we heard the state got only about $60M from the feds. After Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and some other larger cities are done dividing it up, we hear Somerville won’t get all that much. Too bad!
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More and more sources are telling us here at The Times that the proposed zoning ordinance that must have cost the city a huge amount of money to develop will die on the vine, so to speak. The mayor’s liaison to the Board of Alderman should probably brush up on his social skills. Someone should tell him the difference between the various branches of government! The Aldermen don’t work for him, they work for the voters.
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The yearly SHS Raffle is here again with the $10K first prize winners and many other prizes given away, this hard working Scholarship Foundation is selling tickets at $100 apiece. Send $100 to Joseph Favaloro, P.O. Box 440275, Somerville 02145. The drawing will be held May 8 at the Highlander Café at Somerville High School, 7 p.m. This is a great local charity. They have raised over a million dollars in scholarship monies for deserving high school students. Buy a ticket and go enjoy the evening. It’s always fun, with lots of prizes for those who attend.
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Ward 4 Alderman Tony Lafuente is having his third annual Cinco de Mayo fundraiser Party on May 6, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Cantina La Mexicana in Union Square. Tony sure is popular. It seems like no one is going to run against him again this year. Many of us here at The Times reside in Ward 4 and we think he’s doing a great job. Join him, his family and friends in helping to kickoff his campaign.
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Alderman at Large and President of the Board of Alderman Bill White spoke at the Somerville Chamber of Commerce breakfast this past Tuesday, and he was armed as you’d expect with facts and figures regarding the ever-changing city. The business community appreciated his candor and his knowledge, and why not? If you know Bill you’d expect no less. Some say without reservation he’s the smartest man in city government. Maybe someday he’ll run for Mayor?
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Happy Birthday this week to some Villens and fans of The Times here in the city and elsewhere: A big happy birthday we missed last week was Alderman at Large Jack Connolly. We wish him the very best. This week it’s cheers to Chip Koty, a newly wed local nice guy. We wish him the very best this week. One of the owners of Ball Square Café, Mike Moccia, is also celebrating this week. Maybe he and Omar created a special birthday breakfast? Happy Birthday to Linda Beebe, who is celebrating this week. We wish her the very best. Also this week, Florence Pulsifer Lewis is celebrating. We wish her many more. A nice lady and a great family. Former local realtor, now one of the mortgage officers at Wells Fargo, Jim Bain is celebrating this week. We wish him the very best as well.
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What a great tribute to Tom Taylor it was this past Sunday. His lovely wife Celia and family had a “Celebration of Life” at the City Club. A huge crowd showed up and exchanged fond stories of Tom, who served our city faithfully and with pride for over three decades. What a wonderful person. God Bless to Celia and the Taylor family. They have many good memories of Tom.
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The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (SHPC) invites all interested residents to two free events that celebrate Somerville’s rich heritage. The official kick-off event for Somerville’s Preservation Month will be the 2015 Jane’s Walk this Sat., May 2. The event is part of a global movement of neighbor-led walking tours inspired by urban activist Jane Jacobs. This year’s walk will explore some of the hidden assets of Union Sq. with a leisurely stroll through parts of the Prospect Hill neighborhood. Interested attendees should meet at 10 a.m on the Union Sq. Plaza, in front of the former police station. This event is sponsored by the SHPC and Union Square Main Streets. For more information about these annual walks, visit www.janeswalk.org. On Sun., May 3, join the SHPC and East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS) for a free walking tour entitled “Columns, Cornices, & Corner Boards: Cherished Designs of East Somerville,” from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Led by Edward Gordon, President of the New England Chapter of the Victorian Society of America, the tour will step off from the Mt. Vernon Restaurant at 14 Broadway and conclude with a reception of light refreshments at La Brasa Restaurant. In the event of heavy rain, the tour will be postponed to Sun., May 10. For more information about these and other events related to May Preservation Month in Somerville, contact Brandon Wilson at BWilson@somervillema.gov, or 617-625-6600 ext. 2532.
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The Friends of the Somerville Public Library will hold their Spring Book Sale on Friday, May 15, 12-4 p.m., Saturday, May 16, 10-4 p.m., and Sunday, May 17, 1:30-3:30 p.m. The sale will be held at the Central Library located at 79 Highland Avenue (bus #88 or #90). Supporting Members of the Friends (those with memberships of $50 or more) are invited to attend a preview evening on Thursday, May 14, from 5-8 p.m. This year’s collection of books for sale includes all categories (History, Biography, Arts, Foreign Language), plus lots of DVDs, and as always – plenty of fiction. Kids books $1, all else $2. All proceeds from the book sale are used to support cultural and educational programs at the library including the popular Museum Pass Program. Leftover books will be donated to local non-profit groups or sold online. Please contact the Friends to be considered for a book donation. The Friends of the Somerville Public Library is a not-for-profit organization that helps the library and its branches to provide programs, services and materials not covered by the library’s normal operating budget. If you would like to become a member of the Friends, or volunteer to help with the book sale, please contact the Friends by email at: FriendsSomervillePublicLibrary@gmail.com or follow them at facebook.com/FriendsOfTheSomervillePublicLibrary.
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LIFT Ministries is hosting an evening of praise and worship with a live band, inspirational speakers, and time for prayer. The event will be at St. Catherine of Genoa Church in Somerville on Tuesday, May 19, 7-9 p.m. Come join hundreds of young adults, families, clergy, and friends for a great evening of live music and Christian fellowship. The church is at 179 Summer Street. For more information call the parish office at 617-666-2087, or visit http://www.liftedhigher.com.
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