The CHA Somerville Vaccine Center is now accepting walk-ins, as supply allows. The Center is open to all, five days a week and some Saturdays. You can get booster shots for ages 12+ and initial vaccines for ages 5+. The vaccines are free, regardless of immigration or health insurance status, and you don’t need to show ID. Full hours and details are here: challiance.org/vaccine. You can still make an appointment at tinyurl.com/metronorthvaccine. If you’re a CHA patient, you can also make an appointment through MyChart: challiance.org/mychart. If you need assistance finding a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, you can call 3-1-1 (617-666-3311).

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Somerville Baseball registration is open for the Spring 2022 season. Somerville Baseball offers programming for youth ages 5 to 15. Registrations runs until March 1. Visit www.somervillelittleleague.org to learn more about Somerville Baseball, and click on the registration tab to register.

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Massachusetts has established a temporary program requiring employers make paid leave time available for employees impacted by COVID or who have side effects from vaccination. Learn more: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-temporary-emergency-paid-sick-leave-program

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Happy birthday this week to the following: Happy birthday to John Arvantis, who is celebrating this week. Also, happy birthday to a good guy, Jason Ribeiro. We hope he has a great day this week. Happy birthday to our good friend and a great guy, Bob McWatters. We wish him the best and hope he has a great day. Also celebrating this week, Steve DeCarlo, who serves the city so well as its Director of City Cable Operations. Happy birthday to Eleanor Pye. We hope she has a great day as well. We wish all of our Facebook friends, such Matt Sullivan, Karen Crane Brisbois, Sarah Martino, Alan Carvalho and Carolyn Dacey Corbett a very happy birthday. We hope everyone has a great day. To all the others we may have missed, we sincerely wish them the very best of birthdays.

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If your child or teen is struggling with stress or anxiety, you can help by reaching out, listening, understanding, offering support, and connecting the student with key staff at school. Learn more about the #SomervilleTogether campaign for youth mental health at http://bit.ly/3s5uMfu.

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Order your High Mowing Organic Seeds by February 7. Your purchase helps support the activities of the Friends of the Community Growing Center in Somerville. Please use this form to place your order: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSeM1…/viewform.

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Looking for a way to practice social distancing but still remain connected to other people? Look no further than the Somerville Council on Aging’s Friendly Phone Caller program. They have many wonderful volunteers who are waiting to give you a call. Whether you are looking to make a new friend or would just like a friendly chat to look forward to every week, this program has you covered. Call Natasha at 617-625-6600, ext. 2317 to learn more about the program and to sign up.

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The City of Somerville’s Memorialization Committee, which names public assets like buildings, streets, and parks, is accepting applications to fill one resident position. The committee meets on an as-needed basis. Appointees will serve a two-year term and must be confirmed by the City Council. If you are interested in applying, please send a statement of interest to memorial@somervillema.gov by Friday, February 19. For more information on the Memorialization Committee please visit bit.ly/MemorializationCommittee.

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Rent a space at the Arts at the Armory’s unique spaces. Are you looking for a unique and memorable venue for an event? Their historic and spacious Performance Hall, intimate and charming Café, and comfortable and functional B5 meeting/classroom/rehearsal space are all available to rent. Learn more about our spaces here. For more information, please contact events@artsatthearmory.org.

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The Healey School is excited to host their homegrown book fair again this March with the mission of every child in the school going home with books to expand their home library. The Healey School is looking to collect a diverse selection of new and gently used books for their PreK-8th grade students. If you would like to donate books for this event, please bring books in good condition to bins at either the Healey School main entrance vestibule or any of the Somerville Public Library children’s rooms (East, West, and Central.) Books in languages other than English are especially welcome. If you have any questions or would prefer book pick-up, please contact: Debbie L. at schmidtopold@yahoo.com, Nancy O. at nancyboconnor@gmail.com or Aprill B. at aprillhuddle@gmail.com.

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If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or were exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should get tested. Find a testing site near you or where to get an at-home test kit at somervillema.gov/covidtesting. If you test positive: The CDC advises to isolate for at least five days.

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Students at the Brown, Kennedy, and Winter Hill schools participated in the national Johnathan Jones Get Active Coding Challenge using Unruly Splats, vying against schools across the country for top honors. The Brown school beat all other schools in the country to earn national recognition. A special celebration took place earlier this week and Brown School students had an opportunity to hear directly from Jones, a New England Patriots cornerback and two-time Super Bowl Champion. Learn more about this innovative event in this recent Boston 25 news video clip https://www.boston25news.com/news/somerville-schools-win-national-stem-competition-sponsored-by-patriots-super-bowl-champ/d81246b5-c868-4a66-93b8-b2b624bf594d/

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Prepare for the 2021/2022 snow season by reviewing parking rules and signing up for alerts. Because this winter begins in an odd-numbered year, snow emergency parking will be on the odd side of the street all winter, unless posted signage says differently. Check streets signs in your neighborhood so you know where you can park ahead of winter weather. You can also learn more about the city’s snow policies at somervillema.gov/snow.

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The Somerville Public Library invites you to an intro to Dungeons and Dragons event starting February 5. The event is open to anyone 12 years to adult and will be run by professional Dungeon Master Danger Wizard. Participants will get an overview of Dungeons and Dragons, create their character, and begin the campaign. The campaign continues on February 12, 19, 26, March 5, and concludes March 12. All meetings are from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the Central Library Auditorium. Space is limited, pre-registration is required. For more information or to sign up, email Ellen at ejacobs@minlib.net or call her at (617) 623-5000, x2936.

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Somerville’s Winter Farmers Market takes place Saturdays, 9:30 – 1:30 p.m., through April 16, at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. Offering the best locally grown and produced agricultural items and more. They offer a diverse range of local and New England produce, as well as cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, pastries, chocolate, and wine. They feature rotating guest vendors each week, as well as live entertainment and activities. Check out the schedule and map at www.somwintermarket.org. They accept SNAP/EBT & HIP, CREDIT and DEBIT cards. $15 SNAP match for EBT customers.

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The Somerville Council on Aging presents Powers Music School, Thursday, February 10, 1:00 p.m., at the Holland Street Center. Enjoy an afternoon of live music. Grab and Go Lunch available after the performance. Please RSVP to Debby at 617-625-6600, ext. 2321 or DHiggins@Somervillema.gov

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Somerville’s requirement to wear a face covering in public indoor spaces remains in effect. Make sure your mask covers your nose and mouth at all times when in public spaces and that it fits snugly around the sides of your face.

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If you are unable to access a COVID-19 vaccine due to transportation challenges, but otherwise are able to leave your home, please call 3-1-1 to get connected to transportation assistance.

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Individuals who are homebound are encouraged to schedule an in-home COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the state’s COVID-19 In-Home Vaccination Program. The program is open to all individuals who are homebound, including 5- to 11-year-olds, and individuals seeking both initial or booster doses. To schedule an appointment, call the In-Home Vaccination Central In-take Line at (833) 983-0485. The Intake Line is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Representatives are available in both English and Spanish, and also have access to translators for over 100 languages. Due to high demand, the current estimated wait time for an in-home vaccination appointment is 4-6 weeks.

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Somerville Council on Aging hosts Bingo, Tuesdays at Ralph & Jenny Center and Thursdays at Holland Street starting at 10:00 a.m. Grab and Go lunch available following Bingo. RSVP to Debby Higgins by calling 617-625-6600, ext. 2321 or email Debby at DHiggins@Somervillema.gov

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