The city’s Fireworks Celebration set for this Thursday, July 2 at Trum Field. As in the past, along with the mayor and city officials there is a great array of entertainment/music with various food vendors until dusk, then the fireworks begin. What a great job the city does, and it’s funded mostly by private businesses.

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There was lots of activity at the On the Hill Tavern in Magoun Square this week with the shooting of a movie starring comedian Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The film is called the Central Intelligence. One of our own, David Lebann, is also in the movie. The location is supposed to be a bar in Philadelphia, so all Boston sports posters were temporarily removed. The traffic back and forth was intense, but the well-positioned Somerville Police detail kept everything moving. The crew and all the trucks should be long gone by Thursday night for the fireworks at Trum.

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We apologize for reporting last week that St. Joseph might be closing. We take it back and report that the church is doing well, and actually underwent some renovations recently. Some strong statements from the present congregation indicated they wanted to make sure we mentioned that the church is going to remain in the Square, hopefully for a long time.

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A resident recently called the paper and asked when the state was going to finish off Mystic Avenue and we told him to call City Hall. He did so and told us no one knew the answer and that he needed to call the state. Now, wouldn’t you think if you had a question as to what is going on in a particular area of the city that the city would know about it or at least take the resident’s number and call the state and find out and then call the resident back? Yes, he called 311 and that was the answer he got, “We don’t know, call the state.”

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Congratulations to Ricky and Jamie Hart on their recent anniversary. 16 years and still going strong. They are raising two boys and girl and are doing just great. We hope they have a thousand years of happiness and joy. They are very special to us here at The Times.

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A public hearing will be held on the controversy over the potential city taking over the land at Somerville Avenue and Laurel Street for a future firehouse. The owners include a local real estate attorney who represents a lot of developers here in the city, and if the city takes the land they will stand to make a lot of money. The public hearing on the issue will be held July 6 at the Board of Alderman Chambers beginning at 6 p.m. If you have an opinion, this is an opportunity to go and voice your concerns either way.

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We hear that US2 has got their fingers in the Olympics here in Boston. They are invested in it, as well as being the developer for Union Square. We hope that it won’t distract them from the square.

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What well-known alderman is seriously considering running for the senate seat held by Senator Pat Jehlen?

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Victors Deli in Ball Square is thinking of doing afternoon deliveries. Some kind of an announcement will or might be coming in the next few weeks. We know that it’s a popular place, just look at the lines that start forming around 11 a.m. in the morning and running past early afternoon.

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The Board of Aldermen, many of whom have held office for several years, approved the fiscal budget for 2016 basically as submitted by the mayor, with few cuts and nine that would have an impact. It seems that every year the city hires more people for jobs never even heard of before, and again this year there were raises for everyone. Imagine, raises for some department heads every year, and we identified one part-timer who’s been on the job about year or so got something like a $8K raise. Another job got created and filled last year, and even that person received a raise. We think Alderman At large Bill White is right, we need to look at the budget and start making cuts that will count over the years, and stop going to the max on the tax level. Next time you’re at Dunkin’ Donuts read the slip they hand you and thank our state delegation for giving the city the authority to add on sales tax so that the city has another source of income.

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We see that candidate Charles Chisholm, who is running for the open seat in Ward 6, is like everywhere. We personally ran into him on several different streets. The way he’s going he will be losing a lot of weight over the summer. He tells us that he’s getting a favorable reaction from the voters that he’s talking to.

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Happy Birthdays this week to some of our Villen friends and just friends of The Times: Big time happy birthday to our own favorite poet and a great guy, Doug Holder. What a nice guy and a loyal supporter of the paper and, of course, his great friends down in Union Square at the various coffee shops. Happy birthday, Doug. We owe you a cup of coffee and a reading. A former writer here at The Times, Beecher Tuttle, is celebrating this week. We wish him a happy birthday. Happy birthday, too, to Roland Racicot of the famous Racicot family of Cedar St., and, of course, who owns Roland’s in Medford Square. We hear it’s the best jewelry store around. Happy birthday to Dean Glines, of the old time Somerville Glines Family. We hope he has a great day for himself. Happy birthday to a good friend, Cheryl Taylor, who along with her husband owns ERA Key Realty services in the Worcester area, but knows Somerville very well.

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There’s a new web site in town. Check it out at www.somervillema.com. The Somerville Times on the site.

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Jimmy Del Ponte has announced that he will be the guest on Fireside with Jim Callahan on Saturday, July 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WMEX 1510 AM radio. All his friends from his Matty in The Morning Kiss 108, and Dale Dorman And The Breakfast Club on Oldies 103.3 days will also be with him. So you will be able to hear Johnny C, (666 Somerville Ave Somerville Mass and Somerville 02144), Larry The Caterer, Father Mulchaey, Sister Mary Margarine, Pepito The Mechanic, and BLANCHE! And from his Oldies days, Frankie From Everett, Sully The Cab Driver, Joe Jennings, Gus The Gardener, and, of course, CONCETTA FROM EASTA BOST! Tune in, call in, and join Jimmy and Jim Callahan for two hours of laughs and memories. Jimmy is also digging up some of his favorite funny songs and parodies that he wrote for all those zany shows.

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Introduction to Plant Diseases is the topic at the July meeting of the Somerville Garden Club, Wednesday, July 8, 7-9 p.m., Tufts Administration Building, 167 Holland Street, Somerville. If moldy leaves and shriveled fruit are a problem in your garden, come to this free lecture by Jennifer Clifford, Plant Pathologist teaching at Boston College. Her program will include a brief history of plant diseases, the basic concept of how disease evolved, and common diseases of the home garden plants, fruit crops, and vegetables. Meetings are on the second floor, wheelchair accessible. Parking is available on site and the building is a short walk from the Davis Square T station. To learn more, visit somervillegardenclub.org.

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On Saturday, July 4, Healing Hands will be hosting their day-long intensive at The Armory where trauma victims will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of workshops and classes aimed at personal healing. Events run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $100. Following that event is the “Indoor Fireworks” Light Show and Dance Party, which runs from 6:30-10 p.m. General Admission is $10 (admission is included for anyone also attending the Healing Hands event). The Armory’s Summer Theatre Camp’s final performance of The Little Mermaid happens on Tuesday, July 7. The show begins at 7 p.m.

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There will be a Cleaning & Greening event at Groundwork Somerville’s South Street Farm, 138 South Street, on July 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m. This will be their first market harvest of the season for their mobile market and a much needed maintenance day for their farm. Come join Groundwork Somerville and Somerville’s Urban Agriculture Ambassadors for this special event. They will be harvesting, weeding, painting the shed and much more. Space for this event will be limited so register soon. Please email devin@groundworksomerville.org with any questions for this event.

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State Representative Christine Barber has announced that the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO) is seeking candidates interested in becoming correction officers at the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail in Billerica. The MSO will offer a Correction Officer Entrance Exam on Saturday, July 18, 2015. Registration for the exam is currently open. Candidates will be required to complete a twelve week MSO basic training academy. Bachelor’s degree and prior law enforcement/security experience is preferred. Candidates must apply for the exam by Monday, July 13, at 5:00 p.m. For more information and for a full list of qualifications, go to www.middlesexsheriff.org/Employment.