On Wednesday, June 3 and Thursday, June 4, we still have room for Somerville residents to sign up to take a sneak peek at an early prototype of the all-new www.SomervilleMA.gov, and share their ideas to make it better. Volunteers will complete a 45-minute testing session at the Cummings School, 42 Prescott St. During the session, participants will be asked to find pieces of information on the website, and then share their feedback on whether they were successful or not and how the process could have been better. Visit www.SomervilleMA.gov/testdrive to learn more and sign up for a test session. For more information, contact City of Somerville Webmaster Dan Moore, at DMoore@somervillema.gov.

Ryan Mercier, Anthony Vallesio enter apprentice program at Bent Electric

Somerville High School seniors Ryan Mercier and Anthony Vallesio began a five-year apprentice program today after each earned an IBEW Local 103 scholarship for the pre-Apprentice Partnership Program at Bent Electric. The apprenticeship program allows participating students to become members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.  IBEW Local 103 represents all of eastern Massachusetts.

Energy-efficient LED lightbulbs in street, decorative and city building external lights would save estimated $450,000 annually, reduce CO2 emissions by 600 metric tons per year

A funding request that would allow the conversion of every City of Somerville-owned streetlight and other light fixtures to energy-efficient LED lightbulbs—which would pay for itself in cost savings within five years and advance the city’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050—is currently before the Board of Aldermen for review.

Arrests:
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Neris Calderon, of 43 Broadway, May 25, 9:38 p.m., arrested at Central St. on charges of violation of city ordinance possession of a dangerous weapon and drug possession to distribute.

Due to the inclement weather forecast, the June 1 morning SHS graduation rehearsal and evening graduation event at Dilboy Stadium have been cancelled.

Graduation will be held Tuesday, June 2, 6:00 pm at Tufts University’s Gantcher Sports and Convocation Center.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz, the Somerville Public Library, designLAB architects and Design Technique, Inc. invite all interested community members to a visioning meeting for upcoming renovations to the West Branch Library on College Ave. The meeting will be held at the Tufts Administration Building, 167 Holland St., on June 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. For more information, contact Project Manager Steve Vitello at SVitello@somervillema.gov, or 617-625-6600 ext. 5124.

On Sunday, May 31, 2015, at 3:52 a.m., the Somerville Police responded to a report of two injured persons located outside 98 Professors Row. Upon arrival, police located two male victims suffering from apparent stab wounds to the neck. The first victim is a 20-year-old male from Boston who suffered serious injury and was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital. The second victim is a 19-year-old male from Boston who suffered apparent non-life-threatening injury and was also transported to MGH.

The Black Lillies, jumping at the chance to entertain you at Johnny D’s on June 3. — Photo by Missy Sprouse

Embracing the change and the challenge
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By Jim Clark

East Tennessee Americana never had a finer representative than the collective gathering of talent known as The Black Lillies, who will be performing at Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant and Music Club on June 3.

Here is one featured news segment from the recent Somerville Neighborhood Newscast, a community service production of SCATV: Board of Aldermen Confronts City Hall on Zoning. Over 1,000 comments from residents and push-back from the Board of Aldermen have led City Hall to slow down its campaign to get a new zoning ordinance passed this summer, and have encouraged the aldermen to take a more proactive role in what eventually does get passed, when, and how.

RESPOND, Inc. Executive Director Jessica Brayden has been named as a finalist for the Mass Nonprofit Network’s Excellence in Leadership Award.

By Rebecca Danvers

Jessica Brayden, Executive Director of RESPOND, Inc., has been named a finalist for the Mass Nonprofit Network’s Excellence in Leadership Award.

Brayden has been at the helm of RESPOND, a Somerville-based domestic violence agency, for the past six years and has been committed to raising RESPOND’s visibility and reach within the community, enabling the organization to fulfill its important mission of supporting victims of domestic violence.