Don’t forget, for all you Ball Square Café fans, starting this Friday, July 13, and every Friday night thereafter, they will stay open until 9:00 p.m. We’re excited, Omar and Mike are the best, the menu is always great. We can’t wait to see the specials for Friday evenings. Mention you saw it here!

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Happy birthday this week to several locals: We wish former mayor and great guy Gene Brune a very happy birthday this week. Gene has given so much more to this community before and since he left office. He is affiliated with and is a spokesman for many local Somerville charities. He truly is someone who has left office that doesn’t forget where he comes from. Happy birthday Gene, we hope you have a great time this week with your many friends, family and admirers here. Happy birthday one of the nicest police officers here in the city, Mike Wyatt, who is celebrating this week. He’s not the only one, but he’s one that stands above the crowd. Happy birthday, Mike. Happy birthday to Joe Vanessa of the Modelo’s Market Café in Magoun Sq. on Medford Street. A nice guy, and a great market that has one of the best hamburgers here in the city. Try them. Happy birthday to our good friend Anne Webster, a realtor up in the North Shore at CBRB. We’ve known Anne a long time and we hope she has a great birthday. Happy birthday as well to all the others we may have missed and, yes, there are a few more out there. We sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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Demets Donuts in Medford is getting very busy, but those donuts and the large variety are like the old Day’s Donuts, huge and tasty. Almost a sin facing you when you come in for just coffee. It’s hard to not get that jelly or lemon, not to mention the coconut donuts. The Somerville Times is available every Wednesday at the donut shop. Stop in, get a coffee and few of those delicious donuts, or maybe the real – and we mean real – egg sandwiches, from real eggs.

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Local attorney and good guy Phil Privitera’s 50th birthday party was held at his home in Arlington, a beautiful home and very generous family. He had a huge crowd show up, many locals from Somerville as well. A nice guy who is down to earth and gets along with everyone.

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Some of us were trying to hear the Board of Aldermen’s public hearing on Monday night. Whoever is in charge of volume control, please adjust it so people can hear everyone. We’re wondering if anyone else out there had the same problem? Funny, some meetings you can hear clearly, but perhaps someone isn’t paying attention. You’d think with the huge budget the Communications Department has they would make sure that all the Board of Alderman meetings and hearing can be heard. Just saying.

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This week it’s Friday the 13th. Does anyone know why it’s considered unlucky? Check back next week for the answer.

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Miss watching the Board of Alderman meetings on TV? You can view them in their entirety on Comcast channel 22, as well as on YouTube. Watch your city at work and see how these dedicated members of our community are serving you, the public. We can’t say this enough, watch the meetings on either cable broadcast live, or go online to YouTube to watch them. You will find some pretty hysterical information there about what’s happening in the city. This should be required viewing for everyone who cares about what is happening here. Even the committee meetings are online. After all, the Board of Aldermen is voting to spend your money. Wow, the raises some department heads are getting. Of course, those friendly with the mayor are the ones that are getting huge ones.

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This past Monday evening, July 9, a public hearing was held by the Board of Aldermen’s Legislative Matters Committee on the revised Demolition Review Ordinance was held. The ordinance is about the city wanting to take control of all properties and what you do to your property including new roofs, sidings and even if you want to put on an addition. Remember this next year when these aldermen are up for re-election and the mayor as well. Next, the city will want to tax us for rubbish pickup. The city just wants to take more and more money, calling it fees in-stead of taxes. Some are even talking about rent control here in the city. Are you tired of having your hard earned money being stolen?

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Last week we ran the centerfold on Rosemary’s Italian Garden and received a lot of calls telling us they too have great gardens here in the city. If you are someone that has a great garden or something different and unusual that you’d like to submit to the paper, along with a brief his-tory of it, we would be glad to publish it. Email us at news@thesomervilletimes.com.

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This summer and fall, representatives from the City of Somerville and the GLX team will be offering opportunities for community members to ask questions and get answers in person at the Green Line Extension (GLX) Drop-In Q&A/Info Table on Saturday, July 14, starting at 11:00 a.m. in Davis Square prior to the ArtBeat Festival. Feel free to swing by and learn more about construction, bridge closures, and what’s to come for the neighborhood and the city as a whole. Learn more about the Green Line Extension at somervillema.gov/GLX.

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The Somerville City Club is looking to increase its membership. For the time being membership is open to any resident here in the city It’s a great organization that has been around a long time, with lots of activities that support local charitable groups here. Contact the club on Innerbelt Road across from Holiday Inn for more details.

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Last month, the Winter Hill Yacht Club hosted the monthly Somerville Chamber of Commerce after business hours social. Some who were there looked around and took notice of how nice the place was and what it would look like if it was turned over to the residents of Somerville as a public marina. Right there on prime land in Assembly Square, a nice marina for the public. How does that sound? Especially since we hear their membership of Somerville residents is very low compared to the total number of those who are in the club presently. We think the city’s aldermen should move on a proposal to take over the so called club. It would make a great addition to the city. After all, it is on state owned property, leased with certain conditions and a yearly fee, whatever that is, in our opinion. Aren’t elitist yacht clubs outdated? Wonder how they serve the community by having that huge gate closed to private club members and their cars. After all, it is on public owned property, leased with certain conditions by the state DCR and a yearly fee. Maybe the state should pressure the club to turn over the membership list and addresses? Bet it would read more like Winchester, Weston, Reading, Stoneham, Mel-rose residents, and then Somerville residents.

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Have you thought you’d like to do some writing, a little story about Somerville as either a newbie or Villen? We have about 80K people and we would love to hear about your adventures here in the city. Maybe you want to write about a particular subject like our Bob Doherty and Dorothy DiMarzio, or like when Jimmy Del Ponte wrote his stories about the city (hey, that’s an idea maybe we can talk him into a little writing again). Or maybe you’d like to express your opinion like Bill Shelton, as many others have over the years. Not just the politicians, but those from our community. Give us a call at 617-666-4010 or email news@thesomervilletimes.com and tell us about your idea. We would love to tell it to the rest of Somerville.