Happy St. Patrick’s Day, also known as Evacuation Day here in the Greater Boston area. We hope everyone has a great holiday and have a great time with all the celebrations going on in and around Boston. Here in Somerville we hear through the rumor mill that Liam at Sally O’Brien’s will be making sure that everyone who shows up Friday night will feel the Irish spirit and pride. We know that other well-known Irish pub’s here in the city will also be celebrating, so enjoy. But we’re going to Sally O’Brien’s because everyone knows your name and it’s all family.

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Tonight, Wednesday, March 15, Ward One Alderman Matt McLaughlin will be holding a fundraiser over at American Fresh Assembly Row, 301 Canal Street.

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Are you trying to figure it out as others are? Why did the city call for a “snow emergency” at midnight with all cars to be removed from odd sides of the street by 4:00 a.m.? Why not at 4:00 a.m. with cars to be moved by 8:00 a.m., especially since most people are not up after 12:00 a.m.? Could it be about more revenue for both the towing company and the city? We heard one time that there is an estimated 68,000 registered vehicles in Somerville’s 3.5 square miles. It seems like DPW Commissioner Stan Koty might want to remember he’s about the only one to get up at 4:00 a.m. It just doesn’t make sense to us. One way or another, the cars would be off the street. Just give the residents (you know, the taxpayers, Stan) a little more reasonable time. Don’t worry about Stan being on the radio yelling at all the DPW guys. He’s not allowed near the radio, so we hear. It must be nice not having the boss yelling and screaming! Enjoy the storm. What would we do without the PC crowd treating us all like children.

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Coming up on Monday, March 27, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., a fundraiser for Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne will be held at Sabur Restaurant , 212 Holland Street in Teele Square. Katjana has been a good alderman representing the residents of Ward 7 and the city. She is also very concerned and dedicated.

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Coming up on Saturday, April 6, 7:00-9:00 p.m., a fundraiser hosted by the Welcome Project, YUM a taste of Immigrant City, at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue. Ben Echevarria invites everyone to come and try out foods from different countries. Ben and his family have been very involved for many years here in Somerville. He’s a good guy and dedicated to many causes here in Somerville.

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Happy birthday to a lot of our friends and fellow Villens here this week: Happy birthday to one of our favorite senior citizens and a great guy who has been an active part of our city for decades, Dan Spinosa, of the famous Spinosa family of Winter Hill. Happy birthday to John Ciriello. We hope he has a great one. Happy birthday to senior Jim Halloran. We hope he has a great one as well. Happy birthday to Okie O’Connell, a dedicated City of Somerville employee. Happy birthday to Karen Love, of Magoun Square, a pleasant and always nice lady with a smile whenever you see her. Happy birthday to Pat Crawford, formerly of the Hudson St. area, now in NJ. We wish her a happy birthday.

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When passing the building at the corner of Temple and Broadway in Winter Hill, do you think what some of us think, that the building looks like it is being made out of Legos? Notice the fake brick over the fake siding that you place the fake brick into? If a good wind comes up Winter Hill, anyone living there and paying over $2K – some over $3K – might find it blown down. Just saying. They construct these buildings nowadays to last only 30 years, so we’ve been told. Look at Assembly Row, with the new multimillion-dollar condos and they too look like they’re built with Legos as well.

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The Highland Masonic Building Association will be holding its annual (now 5 years) Giggles Comedy Night on Wednesday, April 28, at Prince of Pizza on Rte. 1. Come join in and have a night of laughs and a chance to win any one of over 25 gift baskets. Every year over 100 locals gather and have a great night of comedy with 3-4 professional comedians, plus a few surprises again this year. Contact Donald Norton at donaldfnorton@gmail.com or Bobby Potaris at potarisconstruction@yahoo.com.

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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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We hear that a well-known person with a lot of support will be jumping into the Ward 4 alderman race. We have yet to confirm it, but we hear he might be running. If that is so, expect a huge fight for the Ward 4 seat this coming November. We’re still only hearing eight names running for At-Large, but with one more there will be a primary, so there’s plenty of time.

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There will be a Public Hearing before the Board of Aldermen’s Committee on Finance on Wednesday, March 22, at 6:00 p.m., in the Aldermanic Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, on the Order of Alderman Tony Lafuente, Chairman of the Committee, for public input on #202944, a proposed appropriation and authorization to borrow $255,982,704 for the construction of a new Somerville High School. The public is invited to attend and be heard.

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Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang, and the City of Somerville’s Engineering Department invite all interested residents to a community meeting to discuss the ongoing Cedar Street Water and Sewer Infrastructure Upgrade Project, on Tuesday, March 21, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria in the Kennedy School, 5 Cherry St. Construction is expected to begin on Cedar St. at the beginning of April. At the meeting, City staff will update residents on the status of the project, upcoming work, and provide short- and long-term look aheads for the project. Residents will also receive hand-delivered letters prior to the meeting with additional information for abutters. The Cedar Street project began in Summer 2016, and is expected to continue through at least Fall 2017. For more information, or to sign up to receive bi-weekly email updates, please visit www.somervillema.gov/cedarstreet.