Join Mayor Joseph Curtatone and the Concussion Legacy Foundation for a conversation and community education night about concussions Thursday, February 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville High School auditorium.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation’s co-founder and CEO Chris Nowinski will be in attendance and Program Manager for Education and Research Cliff Robbins will present a “Concussions and Our Kids” curriculum aimed at educating parents and guardians about the risks facing our youth. Michelle Kelly, Somerville Public Schools District Coordinator for Concussion Management, will discuss the district’s policy on concussions and return to learn and/or play, and the City of Somerville’s Director of Parks and Recreation Jill Lathan will provide updates on the City’s recreation policy. There will also be a Q&A session.

How would you rate the snow removal this week? On a score of 1 being bad and 10 being great we here rate it as a 5. We’ve seen better, maybe Commissioner Koty might not want to yell at the workers over the air – oh, that’s right, he’s forbidden to stay on the air waves, isn’t he? Let us know how you rate the removal this week online.

The exterior of Beautique on the Ave Beauty and Spa was severely damaged, and two occupants of the building sustained injuries, after a truck slid out of control and crashed into it. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Jim Clark

A truck crashed into the front of a nail salon at 251 Highland Ave. last Friday afternoon, injuring two.

According to reports, the accident, which took place at Beautique on the Ave Beauty and Spa, left one of the technicians and the owner in need of medical attention. They were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

They hate us because they ain’t us…

Villens United by Chris Haskell

Nobody throws a victory parade like Boston. Many ‘Villens, Bostonians, and fans from all over New England braved the bitter cold to join the victory celebration after witnessing Tom Brady solidify his legacy as the greatest of all time with his record setting fifth NFL Championship.

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If you’re looking for a hearty stew that tastes like it’s been on the stove all day, this is the one. I happened to hear about this stew recently and decided to do research on how it’s made. I read through many recipes and decided to come up with my own version that’s a bit more heart healthy. This slightly sweet, smoky, tangy bowl of rib sticking goodness will have you craving more once you realize your bowl is empty. Serve over brown rice or any other rice of your choice. Serves 6-8. Total cooking time, 40 minutes.

Just when we thought we might be safe from any further snow hassles for the season, along comes last week’s belly-whopper that sent us out, clutching our shovels and wrenching our backs out of place.

Hopefully, the worst is behind us for the time being. At least it seems so for now.

— Photo by Mik Rosati

Ninet rocks Thunder Road
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By Daniel Sullivan

On Monday night, February 6, I walked into this little known gem of a club called Thunder Road on Somerville Ave. near Union Sq. I was just going to get tickets for the Friday, February 10 performance of blues artist Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson, who has played with many of the legends of the genre. All of a sudden, the band starts its second set. And well, sometimes you’re just in the right place at the time.

The Hero’s Cup Hockey Tournament takes place on April 21 – 23 at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, MA.

By Tom Bannister

The Hero’s Cup Hockey Tournament, the largest first responder hockey tournament in the United States, is set to be held at the New England Sports Center, 121 Donald Lynch Blvd, Marlborough, MA.

56 teams, over 900 first responders, including those from Somerville, will be competing in the inaugural 3-day tournament to raise money for the host charity, The Last Call Foundation. (www.lastcallfoundation.org) Each team also plays for their charity of choice.

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State Rep. Denise Provost reviews this latest collection of poetry by noted critic Dennis Daly:

Twenty-One Ghazals [of] Alisher Navoiy
Translated from the Uzbek by Dennis Daly
Cervena Barva Press, Somerville, MA, (2016)

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One of my poetry students at Endicott College has shared a poem. Here is a bit about her background: Mikayla Rose Brasefield (19) is a sophomore Nursing major from Vernon, CT, with a previous history in Creative Writing. She was featured in her high school’s student-written and published magazine, titled War & Pieces (2015), was awarded an honorable mention in the Nancy Thorpe Poetry Contest (2014), and has won several silver medals and a gold medal for some of her poetry/writings in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Contest. She would like to thank her professor for the opportunity to continue featuring her work and also her friends, family, and boyfriend for always supporting her and giving her constant inspiration.