Professor Martin Blatt knows his history and is concerned local officials are about to repeat it – namely arrests and violence against protesting students.

Public meetings this week look at city-funded housing vouchers; transportation planning policy; universal after-school options and the middle-school experience; and what’s next for a church weathervane made in 1721.

In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, the vibe is strangely spooky with a Third Annual “Hafoween,” Crypt Night, Zombie Prom and Here Come the Mummies performing, but there’s also Arab American and Japanese festivals, a Glowball “anti-gala,” Taylor Swift trivia and comedian Emma Willmann.

Schools in Cambridge and Somerville are protesting over Gaza, but administrators and police are moving with caution, emphasizing support for protest and free speech to contrast with the tarnished images of officials elsewhere.

In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, there’s Paul Giamatti’s “Chinwag” podcast, The Bread and Puppet Theater, Record Store Day, “Secret Sounds of Ponds” and other Earth-related events, cake decorating and Shakespeare’s 460th Birthday.

These looks at what’s on screen in the coming week include Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent science fiction masterpiece “Metropolis” with live musical accompaniment, spooky doings for Space Week, Michael Cimino’s 1978 Best Picture winner “The Deer Hunter,” dual Gatsbys and more.

In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, there’s Sri Lankan cooking, Susanna Kaysen and “Girl Interrupted” a “Little Prince” opera, a Patriots Day colonial fair, Space Week, Grolier Poetry history, a bluegrass festival and a Flat Top Johnny’s reopening pool party.

In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, Jason Mantzoukas does improv comedy, Angélique Kidjo performs, there’s an archaeology fair, advice on how to run the Boston Marathon, the answer to “Can we grow buildings?” and an all-clarinet band.

In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, there’s poet Nikki Giovanni, sex revolutionary Candida Royalle, joke fests and mystery comedy, new plays and folk metal, “Dope Science,” a tribute to Lana Del Rey and “Essays in Praise of Excess.” 

In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, there’s the tiny-piano-using Chromic Duo and Cambridge Symphony Orchestra; robots, AI and eclipse prep; Joie de Vivre, horrors of the sea, edible insects and more; and Brexit and tech writer Kara Swisher.