Music, food, dancing, and community– Newton’s fifth annual Juneteenth celebration brought together a melting pot of generations, cultures, and emotions on the lawn outside of the Hyde Community Center on the sunny afternoon of June 19. Juneteeth, celebrated on June 19th, recognizes the day that enslaved African Americans were informed…
Posts published by “Amanda Birbara”
The Charles River Regional Chamber (CRRC) hosted its first women’s conference, Momentum, connecting attendees and speakers from various fields to share knowledge and network on the Wellesley College campus on June 13. Angela Pitter, CRRC board chair and founder and chief executive officer of LiveWire Collaborative, a Newton-based digital marketing…
The West Newton Armory is being converted into 43 new permanently affordable intergenerational apartments. At the groundbreaking on the morning of June 9, which celebrated the beginning of the construction for the housing project, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Housing Secretary Ed Augustus, State Senator Cindy Creem, and other officials posed with…
On June 7, the second evening of Eid al-Adha, the Syrian American Social Club hosted a feast at the Second Church in Newton, bringing together Arab Americans and honored guests from diverse backgrounds to celebrate the Islamic holiday. Eid al-Adha is a holy celebration that honors the Prophet Abraham and…
The loss of the beloved Goldstein family has struck many members of the Newton community with profound grief. On May 31, over 200 people gathered at the Hyde Community Gym for the Newton Theatre Company’s (NTC) presentation, Remembering the Goldstein Family, honoring the memories of each Goldstein family member as…
Newton’s 51st Annual Theodore D. Mann Mayor’s Community Breakfast was held on the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst on May 28 to celebrate Newton’s leaders, community, and youth. Over 300 attendees ate breakfast and listened to speeches and music under a one big tent on that sunny Wednesday morning. …
Twenty local restaurants teamed with Nourishing Newton, the Charles River Regional Chamber’s Food assistance program, to donate over 2,000 meals to residents facing food insecurity in April and May. Launched in 2021 during the pandemic, the program has just finished its fifth year distributing food throughout Newton in a partnership…
Amid residents’ concerns about Newton moving toward having no houses with character or even backyards, the pace of home demolitions has decreased significantly recently, and the City’s regulation of home construction is facing on-going changes. The Zoning and Planning Committee has spent months trying to address community distress about teardowns…
Newton’s latest restaurant, Lavender Café, is inspired by Venezuelan flavors and cuisine. The breakfast spot had its soft opening on May 6, welcoming many new customers. Co-owners Naisbel Azarak and Haylee Kulig run their catering business, NaisLee Catering, together and have now taken on their latest venture, running a cafe. …
The largest Newton-Taiwan Day celebration took place on May 3 at Hyde Playground beside the Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston on Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands. Saturday’s warm weather welcomed a large crowd to gather for the wide variety of Taiwanese food and drink vendors,…
On May 1, the Newton Community Farm hosted a panel discussion about local efforts to address food justice, reducing waste, and distributing food. The four panelists spoke to the overlapping missions, challenges, and necessities of their different organizations: The discussion – moderated by Kristina Pechulis, executive director of the Massachusetts Food…
No gym, no problem! Childhood friends Jai Patel– a junior at Framingham High School – and Benjamin Gershenovich – a junior at Newton North High School – have invented RapidRoutines AI to make fitness more accessible. RapidRoutines AI, released to the public on April 21, is an app that aims…












