At a Chamber-of-Commerce-sponsored forum on Tuesday evening, ninety attendees heard regional real estate and biotech leaders speak on Somerville’s potential as “the next innovation center.” As many of us have been saying, prospects are excellent. Our proximity to research centers and innovation clusters, local talent pool, outstanding culinary and cultural offerings, and imminent GLX arrival make Somerville a dream location for emerging tech-sector companies.

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Don’t forget, Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang will be holding his re-election fundraiser on Wednesday, March 8. He will be having his re-election fundraiser from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Olde Magoun Salon, 518 Medford Street, in Magoun Square. Plenty of parking in the lot next door. Come celebrate Ward 5 and Somerville’s progress and challenges, and contribute to our future. Guest speaker: State Representative Christine Barber. MC: Alex the Jester. Complimentary food, cash bar. Suggested Donation: $500, $250, $100, $75. Please come and give what you can. Make checks payable to: Committee to Elect Mark Niedergang, 29 Conwell Street, Somerville, MA 02143.

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We want to make an addition to the happy birthdays already wished for. We forgot that 94-year-old Irving “Elmer” Johansen, a lifelong resident of Somerville and a great guy, celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago and we forgot. How can you forget such a nice man, who every time you talk to him he has a wealth of history for our city? If he wasn’t there he knew people who were. Sharp as a tack and always has a nice thing to say about everyone. Happy birthday a good guy and friend, Irving. He as a goal and we hope he reaches it.

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We heard from a couple of sources that Stephanie Hirsch, who is potentially a candidate for Alderman At-Large, held her first public fundraiser (the mayor usually has private ones), and with the calls sent out to various department heads she managed to attract about 40 to 50 attendees.

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Jesse  Clingan  is running for Ward 4 Alderman. Jesse will have his official campaign kickoff on Saturday March 4 at 4:00 at Casey’s Grill 173 Broadway Somerville. The event is open to the public. All are welcome.

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We heard that Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston has a candidate who will be opposing her this year. This will be her first opponent since she originally ran.

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Ward 6 Alderman Lance Davis is rumored to have an opponent. We can’t as of now verify her name but we hear that a woman is considering running against him.

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Happy birthday to a lot of our friends and fellow Villens here this week: Happy birthday this week to Christine Resmini. We hope she has a great day and week for herself. A nice Somerville native who has a good heart. Happy birthday to a potential candidate for either mayor or Alderman At-Large, Sean Fitzgerald. We think it will pretty much be Alderman At-Large. We certainly hope he has a great day for himself on his birthday. He is very closely associated with and worked for both Mayor Gay and Senator Shannon. A person who, if he decides to run, is well qualified. Happy birthday this week to the very patient, understanding, and good-humored Ms. Nancy Trane, the wife of Bob Trane, the former Alderman of Ward 7. Happy birthday this week also to good old time friend Steven Buckley of the famous Buckley family that populated East Somerville. Growing up in East Somerville, they were everywhere, and Steven is now a resident of Assembly Row. We hope he has a great day for himself as well. Again, if you know of anyone celebrating and want their name mentioned, let us know and we will put it here. Happy birthday to all others here in the Ville who are celebrating.

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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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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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It’s 2017 and Demet’s Donuts over on Mystic Avenue is the best. We’re noticing more and more Somerville residents over there getting their coffee and donuts to start the day. The ladies working there are fantastic and always smiling. If you’re in the mood for a huge, great tasting donut drop over early since they disappear as the day gets on.

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Nobody works harder than the people at Goode Gas on Pearl Street. If you’re having a problem with your car they work hard to make sure it runs smoothly without costing you a lot. Stop in for gas and say “Hi” to George at the pumps. He’s never shy for comments on what’s going on here in Somerville. We’re big fans here at The Times and always have been. You can say we grew up knowing Vinny and his brother. Mention that you saw it here.

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Yes, we’re big on the Mt. Vernon Restaurant, but we have to remark on the popovers. They are the best. Get a nice hot one out of the kitchen with some butter, you’ll be asking for more.

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The Tufts University Department of Music presents Angel of Desire: The Funk Rock and Soul Jazz of Adrian Sicam in the Distler Performance Hall at the Perry and Marty Granoff Music Center on Sunday, April 2 at 3:00 p.m. Singer-songwriter and pianist Adrian Sicam will present the very best of his original songs and arrangements from the start of his career through to the present.