The City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee will hold a public hearing on the proposed Village Center Overlay District zoning (maps and text) on Monday, June 26 at 7PM. It will be held both in-person (City Council Chamber, City Hall) and virtual (Zoom link). See the presentation that the City’s Planning Department…
Posts published in June 2023
Back in 8th grade, Zack Gusenoff started Page Turners, a book group at Harrington House, a group home run by The Home for Little Wanderers for children ages 8 to 13 who have experienced trauma or a disrupted family life. Zack wanted to encourage upper-elementary school kids at The Home to…
Created in the 1600s by a dam for a grist mill, Bullough’s Pond is now a Newton landmark. Learn about its history and enjoy a presentation by Newton photographer, Ellen Foust, who shows a selection of cloudscapes and other stunning views. Foust has photographed the pond almost daily since 2018,…
We have updated First-ever voluntary DNA collection by state planned at Newton City Hall — postponed by weather and ACLU concerns with quotes from George Annas, Tarik Lucas, and the City of Newton.
Over 250 Newton residents gathered at the Hyde Community Center field on Monday to mark Juneteenth, the anniversary of the order in Texas on June 19, 1865 proclaiming freedom for enslaved people. The event featured live music, food trucks, vendors, family-friendly activities, and booths supporting local Black-owned businesses. The program began with…
Newton Upstanders — a group of residents committed to embracing diversity and creating a welcoming culture based on equity, inclusion, and belonging — testified at a special meeting of the Human Rights Commission on June 14 regarding the recent incident at this past year’s Boston Marathon. As reported by Fig…
The first-ever voluntary collection of DNA from Massachusetts residents had been scheduled for Saturday morning at Newton City Hall by the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. The event was promoted foremost as a means to solve crimes and identify human remains. In practice, the collected DNA would enable the state to instantly connect residents and their extended relatives to DNA evidence of interest. This could implicate them in crimes, identify them as anonymous whistleblowers by DNA left on a document or envelope, confirm their presence at protest rallies by DNA they leave in the air, or reveal genetic diseases. The event has been postponed.
Jean Carlo Contreras and Noelia Mendez have found Newton to be a great place to live. Jean Carlo moved here in 2013, and Noelia joined him in 2020. One thing they have missed, however, is the coffee from their native Costa Rica. In Noelia’s case, you might say that coffee…
Once an industrial and manufacturing area with large mills providing work for immigrants, Newton’s California Street is now a mix of single-family houses, small stores, unique small manufacturing enterprises, and an increasing number of multi-family buildings, including a 40B development on Los Angeles Street. Its assets include proximity to the…
Every Thursday from June 22 through July 27, The Allen Center (35 Webster Street, West Newton) will host Summer Pop-Ups, 11:30AM to 2:30PM, featuring lunch from a local restaurant, pop-up shops of local businesses, music, and kids’ craft activities. Orchestrated by Lauren Berman’s civic-minded marketing firm, ALL Over Newton, the…
Waban Resident Chris Pitts has been very active over the years to bring to Newton “outstanding cultural performances that not only entertain but also celebrate excellence.” Chris has been in the music business since the 1970s, both as a performer and a producer. Using his skills, he has taken Newton’s…
Anishka Srikanth, NNHS sophomore and Life Scout of Troop 209 Waban, placed a pencil case with marker, highlighter, and pencils into a backpack. She zipped it tight and put it into a box with four others like it. “Done.” By Saturday’s end, 200 such lime-green school bags would be complete.…