Meryl Kessler is stepping into her new role as director of Newton’s new Arts and Culture Department with a focus on strengthening connections across the city’s arts community. The department – and her position leading it – received final approval in the January 20, 2026 City Council meeting. Kessler told…
Posts published by “Charlie Johnson”
In a room where the audience sits just feet from the actors, Newton Theatre Company’s winter production of the classic American play Our Town asks viewers to slow down and consider the routines and relationships that quietly shape a life. This production, playing through January 31, is dedicated to the…
A large crowd of Newton residents gathered on the Newton Centre Green on Saturday, January 10, to protest recent actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including a fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. The victim, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was shot and…
The Ward Councilor for Ward 2, David Micley, and his wife plan to move from Ward 2 to Ward 6 in mid-January to accommodate their growing family. Under the Newton City Charter, Micley is allowed to remain in office for his elected term (through 2027), and he says he intends…
Newton officially entered a new chapter in City government on January 1 as a packed City Hall gallery gathered for the inauguration of the City’s new administration. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey attended the event to help usher in the new Mayor, City Councilors, and School Committee members. Healey noted that…
On her second-to-last day in office, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller reflected on her eight years leading Newton through a global pandemic, political polarization across the country, and ongoing development in the city, ahead of Marc Laredo taking office Thursday. In an interview with Fig City News, when asked what advice she…
As confirmed in the December 16 Zoom meeting of the Board of License Commissioners, several Newton establishments will lose their licenses to serve alcohol at the end of December because they failed to apply for renewals on time or satisfactorily complete their applications. As a result, their licenses will expire…
At the final City Council meeting of the year and the term, six Newton City Councilors – Alan Lobovits, Bill Humphrey, Andreae Downs, Vicki Danberg, Rick Lipof, and Mayor-elect Marc Laredo – reflected on their time in office. Councilor Lenny Gentile, who was not in attendance, will also retire after…
Moviegoers packed West Newton Cinema to watch Hamnet, a reimagining of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they confront the love and loss that inspired Hamlet. Shakespeare scholar Michelle Ephraim sat down with historian, writer, and Newton native Stephen Greenblatt to unpack the film and its place within modern…
The members-elect of the new City Council met in a caucus on December 4 and elected Ward 1 Councilor John Oliver as its next president in a 13–11 vote over Ward 8 Councilor At-Large David Kalis. Before the vote a debate included calls for unity amid revived tensions from the…