The LigerBots, Newton’s dual-high-school FIRST Robotics team, won the Greater Boston FIRST Robotics Competition at Revere High School over the March 27-29 weekend, leading a field of 37 teams in a close finish to earn entry to the District Championships, April 15-18. Through the 74-match qualifying round, the LigerBots (team…
Posts published by “Bruce Henderson”
Formosa Bun & Dumpling Factory held its long-awaited grand opening in Newton Centre with a celebratory ribbon cutting on March 28. After many months of preparation and a soft launch in early December, the shop had been able to complete takeout orders while waiting for permits to clear. Back then,…
A crowd gathered by the Johnny Kelley statue early on the morning of March 28 for a ceremony both solemn and joyful — part memorial service, part joyful training run for the upcoming Boston Marathon. They gathered to dedicate a bench to the memory of Susan Hurley, founder of CharityTeams,…
On March 15, Lazer Robotics, an eight‑member high school robotics team from Newton, captured the 2026 Massachusetts FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship. The team went undefeated throughout the playoffs, setting records at both the Massachusetts State and New England levels, in partnership with its alliance partner, Ghost Robotics from Westford, MA. With this victory, Lazer Robotics…
Newton’s Zoning and Planning Committee met on March 9 with Brookline town officials to discuss Brookline’s proposal to rezone a stretch of Route 9 in Chestnut Hill. Committee members wanted to learn more about the proposal and its potential impacts on traffic, planning, and development along the Route 9 corridor. …
A feasibility study commissioned by the Newton Affordable Housing Trust identified three publicly owned sites in Newton that could present opportunities to explore future development of affordable housing: According to the study, these three properties together could potentially yield a net increase of 83 to 163 new housing units. The…
This month, Fig City News profiles two particularly generous members of our community – Josephine McNeil and Lionel Porter – in celebration of Black History Month. Josephine McNeil Josephine McNeil is the founder and executive director of the Citizens for Affordable Housing in Newton Development Organization (CAN-DO), a community-based, nonprofit…
In a press conference in Boston on February 5, Mayor Marc Laredo joined the chief executives of Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Lynn, and Somerville in announcing Executive Orders defining their cities’ policies and actions regarding federal immigration operations. This coordinated response from Greater Boston cities follows fatal shootings of two protesters…
Sixty-eight protesters, organized by the First Unitarian Society in Newton (FUUSN)’s Action for Democracy task force and Indivisible Newton, gathered in 22°F weather in West Newton to participate in the January 20 nationwide Stand Up and Stand Out event in support of democracy. The crowd lined both sides of Washington…
On January 12, Mayor Marc Laredo announced the selection of Braintree Police Chief Timothy Cohoon as Newton’s next Police Chief, succeeding former Police Chief George McMains, who retired on January 8. Chief Cohoon will become Newton’s Chief at the end of February, pending approval by the City Council. He has…
On December 1, the City Council approved three remaining items needed for Mark Development’s project to proceed adjacent to the Riverside MBTA station. The project needed approval of a revised special permit and two zoning changes, and if these were not approved by the end the current City Council’s term…
The City Council voted unanimously on November 17 to award $1.97 million in Community Preservation Act funds to West Newton Cinema Foundation for 50% of the cost of the first of four phases to repair and renovate the historic West Newton Cinema, built in 1937. The Foundation is committed to…