Don’t forget good guy and friend to many here in the city, Alderman at Large and President of the Board Bill White is having a fundraiser on Thursday, June 2 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Cantina La Mexicana in Union Square. We’re very lucky to have Bill on the Board of Alderman. He’s one of the smartest and most forward thinking aldermen. He is currently in his fourth year as President of the Board of Alderman. You know you’re good when your colleagues on the Board keep voting for you every year for the office of President. Not in our lifetime has that accomplishment ever been made.

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Our sincere condolences and sympathy to the family of John J. Fallon, who recently passed away here in Somerville. A longtime resident originally from North Cambridge, he was married for 53 years. Mr. Fallon is the father of our own Chief of Police David Fallon. Services were this past week at Keefe Funeral Home and out of St. Saint Catherine’s Church.

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Last week we told you that the special Advisory Committee set up by the mayor is going to make a recommendation to present to the Board of Alderman to raise salaries. Mayor Joe’s salary will go to $180K a year and we hear that the Board of Alderman will be getting a new salary of $40K with the President receiving an additional $2K. The committee is going to recommend salary increases for various department heads and non-union people. Watch for the hearings on this matter in the near future. It should be interesting. Remember, in the city charter the Board of Alderman are suppose to be part time, but some aldermen list this as their job, which we find very interesting, as it’s a part time job.

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All the news from the Building Department is not bad. Kudos to a Ward 7 Building Inspector for spotting a potentially problematic installation of some air conditioning condensers that the installers had misplaced.  It seems that they are supposed to be at least three feet from the property line. A “Stop Work Order” was issued and the matter was corrected to everyone’s satisfaction. Note to property owners: make sure your installers have the proper building permits before they install.

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Our good friend and one of the best constituents’ aldermen here in the city (and he has a full time job) Ward 3 Alderman Bob McWatters will be having a fundraiser in mid-June at Sally O’Brien’s on Somerville Avenue. He packs them in down there and it shows that he’s popular on his own, and doesn’t need anyone to throw him a fundraiser. His reputation for fairness and equity to all is widespread!

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Happy birthday to a lot of our friends and fellow Villens here this week: Happy birthday to Brian Roche, who is celebrating this week. He is an Executive Chef and a great one at that. We hope he has a great day. Happy birthday to our good friend Johanna Webster, a realtor out of CBRB in Andover. We hope she has a great day as well. To our good friend over in Framingham, Nelson Zide, a realtor broker at ERA Keys. We hope he has a great day. To a good guy and friend, Enrique Levin, who’s originally from Mexico and is a student of economics here in the Boston/Somerville area. He’s a great guy and we wish him a happy birthday as well. Finally, happy birthday to Max Zasloff, who just turned three years old. We know for sure his parents will be buying him lots of good stuff.

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Somerville High School Senior Class Day is coming up on Friday, June 3 at the High School’s Centennial Auditorium beginning at 9:00 a.m., As is traditional, the class of 50 years before is represented by about 50 class members, in this case 1966.

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There’s a new website in town. Check it out at www.somervillema.com. The Somerville Times is on the site. Also check out www.medfordma.com. Someone asked online why we keep these two websites in Newstalk. We guess it’s because we like them.

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Next Tuesday, May 31 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Somerville High Library, 81 Highland Avenue, is a Full Meeting of the Democratic City Committee, followed by a Forum for the 2nd Middlesex State Senate Primary, featuring Senator Pat Jehlen of Somerville, and Councilor Leland Cheung of Cambridge. Please email Diane Masters at diane.masters@gmail.com if you have questions for the candidates. They will also be discussing the Green Line Extension, the new High School and will have short meetings of each Ward Committee prior to the forum.

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Celebrate East Somerville at Carnaval @ Somerstreets! Sunday, June 5 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Broadway will be closed off to cars for the celebration. Music and entertainment on three stages. Performances from A Nova Brazil, Los Nitidos, Nuz, Federator Number 1, Mariachi los Viajeros de Mexico, Banda Bahia, Banda de la Paz, El Sistema Somerville, On Stage Dance Company, Teen Empowerment and more. Craft Fair. Food and activities from Around the World Arts, Crafts, Games and more. Motion Parade starts at 2:00 p.m. from the Cross St. Senior Center. For more info visit www.somervillema.gov or www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org/carnaval.

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The Somerville Times is in the process of putting out some more boxes, approximately eight more in strategic places to make it more assessable. There will be some new boxes at Assembly Square as well. A list of boxes will be out with a map showing where you can get the paper, even outside the boxes. If you would like to see the paper at some location near you, call us at 617-666-4010.

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Our condolences to the family and friends of Eileen Doherty, who recently passed away. Eileen was the wife of former SPD Officer Bernie Doherty. The Doherty’s were very popular and a nice family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them this week.

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For those that might be interested in obtaining certification for firearms should look up the Lawrence Rod & Gun Club. They provide an extensive program at the end of which you receive certification for Massachusetts/NRA Certified Firearm Safety Classes. They run a class once a month, which is limited to 10 people and we hear that this is the place to go to learn safety when handling guns. Email gunclub@earthlink.net for more information and or go to their website at www.lawrencerodandgunclub.org and read up about the course. We’ve been told that the course has seen a major increase in people applying for it, especially women. We can tell you first hand here that it’s a great course and quite thorough. The same goes for this in Newstalk. The club has informed us that many residents of Somerville have called or gone to the club to find out about certification.

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Remember, for the best footwear and other name brand clothing go online to www.shoebuy.com, compliments of local resident and SVP Zach Zasloff.

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Please join the Somerville Capital Projects and Planning Department, Ward 6 Alderman Lance Davis, and architect Design Lab to discuss planned renovations to the West Branch Library. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 1, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the TAB building located at 169 Holland St. They will be reviewing and discussing the renovation and scope of library program services in the historic structure, and continue the discussion on the community’s preferred landscape alternative, as well as the scale and viability of the proposed community room addition. If you are unable to attend, please submit questions, comments or suggestions to Project Manager Steve Vitello via phone: 617-625-6600 ext 5124 or e-mail: svitello@somervillema.gov.

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Students of Arthur D Healey School are organizing a No Drive Day for Somerville. The No Drive Day is intended to help reduce Somerville’s emissions when driving motor vehicles. It is expected to help reduce Somerville’s use of fossil fuels, air pollution, and mitigate climate change. The No Drive Day is taking place on June 1. The rain date of the event is scheduled for June 2. People who participate in the No Drive Day will walk, bike, bus, or carpool to school.