5 Things to Know Today, Thursday, June 21

Good morning, here are five things to know today:

Weather: The heat continues today, with highs expected around 97 degrees and a heat index of 100, according to the National Weather Service. It could reach 90 again tomorrow.

For six new recruits to the Medford Police force, Tuesday's swearing in was a long time coming. The recruits, Frank Cugliata, Mark Cardarelli, David Ottaviano, Brandon M. Mean, Christopher Coughlin and Kevin Conway, were selected in November, but the state's police academies have all been booked up for months. They are all finally slated to attend the MBTA's police academy June 25. They were sworn in by Mayor Michael McGlynn and City Clerk Ed Finn in a ceremony in the Mayor's office Tuesday afternoon. "I think everyone of these young men wondered if this day would happen," Police chief Leo Sacco said at the ceremony.

Sparks Fly Over Medford to Minuteman Bus Funding: By offering their kids only MBTA passes to get to school, parents of students at Minuteman Regional High School believe Medford Public Schools are using their children as bargaining chips. Medford Superintendent Roy Belson sees it differently. "The Medford Public Schools are no longer going to be a doormat for Minuteman Vocational," Belson said Tuesday. "We're going to stand up." The proposed Medford school budget includes cutting $50,000 in funding for a school bus to transport Medford students to the school, located in Lexington, and replacing the bus service with MBTA passes for students.

John Brewer's Opening New Newtonville Location: Don’t tell Medford's Bill Honeycutt he won’t succeed with his new restaurant in Newtonville. “The more people that tell me that nothing has succeeded here, the more desire I have to prove them wrong,” said Honeycutt during an interview with Waltham Patch last week. Honeycutt is aiming to open “Brewer’s Coalition,” pub at 344 Walnut St. on Aug. 1, hopefully starting a new successful chapter for a corner of the city that has seen many prior restaurants close. Honeycutt, a longtime restaurateur, currently owns the two locations of John Brewer’s Tavern in and .

Bertucci's restuarant is holding a collection drive for the non-profit. Drop off clothing, crib sheets, strollers, car seats and other baby items between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Saturday.