Amid efforts to expand fair housing in the city, the Newton Fair and Affordable Housing Partnership honored Josephine McNeil and Jini Fairley with this year’s Sheila Mondschein Award “for outstanding leadership in promoting fair housing.” Dozens of public officials, civic leaders, family, and friends gathered in War Memorial Hall at…
Posts published in April 2026
We corrected Reflections program for disabled students to be relocated to Franklin Elementary (first paragraph after the heading “Limited playground accessibility”). The originally published version of this article incorrectly stated that the Williams playground did not appear on the City’s 2025 Capital Improvement Plan.
For the second year in a row, Emily Craven (NNHS ’22) has run the Boston Marathon to raise the funding that makes possible the Fig City News summer internship program, now in its fourth year. And once again, Emily has exceeded her goal. This year she has raised $10,300 —…
The NPS Reflections Program at Williams Elementary School in Auburndale is moving to what will be the newly reconstructed Franklin Elementary school beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year. The program is described as being for students requiring “extensive content modifications and instructional methodology that integrates functional skills and substantial related…
The LigerBots, Newton’s dual-high school FIRST Robotics team, finished 10th out of 200 New England teams and qualified for FRC Worlds at the New England District Championship (DCMP) in Springfield, Saturday, April 18. The LigerBots and their robot, “Hermes,” will travel to Houston, Texas to compete, April 29 – May…
Grace Yang has won a Silver National Medal in the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her work, How to Find Belief. A junior at Newton South HS and a former Fig City News intern, Yang was recently named co-Editor-in-Chief of the Newton South HS Lion’s Roar newspaper. Sangeet…
Mayor Marc Laredo marked his first 100 days in office on April 11, citing progress on his promises to expand housing, improve basic City services, and strengthen community connections. His administration is advancing those priorities, though many initiatives remain in early stages, as residents raise questions about school funding, federal…
Highlights this week: City Council City Council is not scheduled to meet this week. Public Safety & Transportation Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled. Public Facilities Committee will meet Wednesday regarding: Programs & Services Committee will meet Wednesday regarding: School Committee School Committee is not scheduled to meet…
In a January 2024 interview, I discussed Newton City finances, pension and benefit obligations, and NPS negotiations. I supported the City fully funding its pension liabilities but cautioned that doing so by 2032 — eight years prior to the 2040 Commonwealth deadline — might jeopardize funding for other vital City…
Join the Newton Free Library and WGBH for an Indie Lens Pop-Up! Hosted at the Library on Thursday, May 14 at 6:30pm, this event will feature a screening of the Independent Lens documentary The Grocery List Show, followed by a panel discussion about the many culinary traditions of Newton residents. Hosted by Top Chef…
City Council is not scheduled to meet this week. Public Safety & Transportation Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 22 has been cancelled. See Meeting Cancellation Notice. Public Facilities Committee will meet in person (City Hall, Room 204) and virtually (Zoom link) on Wednesday, April 22 at 7PM. The agenda…
April Break is this week, and schools are closed. School Committee is not scheduled to meet this week. School Councils are not meeting this week.