John Rice will soon close out 20 years as executive director of the Hyde Community Center. In January, he will take on a new role in City Hall as Chief Community Services Officer in Mayor-elect Marc Laredo’s administration. For decades, he’s been known as the unofficial “Mayor of Newton Highlands,”…
Posts published by “Charlie Johnson”
Hilliards Chocolates, the century-old Massachusetts candy company, cut the ribbon on Friday, November 21, on its new West Newton store, turning the former Bank of America building on Chestnut Street into a warm, bright chocolate shop – just in time for the holiday season. Homecoming The opening marked a return…
The First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton (FUUSN) hosted a Transgender Day of Remembrance service Thursday evening, November 20, bringing together members of 14 congregations in a unified gathering at the church to create a broader, united front at a time, faith leaders said, when anti-trans discrimination is rising nationwide. …
Newton’s School Resource Officers see themselves as guardians and mentors woven into the fabric of the City’s public schools. Overseen by Lieutenant Amanda Henrickson of the Newton Police Department’s Community Services Bureau, the four-officer team – two monitoring the high schools and two covering the middle schools, while assisting elementary…
Six-year-old Micah Williams and his three-year-old sister Ana played at Jackson Walnut Park School on Friday morning, performing violin and cello in the school’s String Ensemble for family and members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, at the school’s Grandfriends’ Day Friday Mass and Concert in the gymnasium.…
Friends, family, and City officials filled the hall of the American Legion Nonantum Post 440 on the morning of November 11 to honor Newton’s veterans during the city’s annual Veterans Day ceremony. The ceremony began with the Post’s Honor Guard marching into the hall. Seth Bai, Newton’s director of Veteran…
Hundreds of business owners, civic leaders, and elected officials gathered Friday morning at the Newton Marriott for the Charles River Regional Chamber’s Fall Business Breakfast, celebrating the organization’s 110th anniversary. The event featured remarks from outgoing Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and a conversation with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who…
The West Suburban YMCA’s gala, Country for a Cause — An Evening of Western Charm, drew more than 200 guests to the Wells Avenue YMCA on October 25 and raised $191,500 to support financial aid programs, surpassing its goal by $30,000. Jack Fucci, president and CEO of the West Suburban…
Newton City Hall hosted the state’s first Fair Housing listening session on November 6, moved at the last minute to the City Council Chambers as the building prepared to host former Mayor Setti Warren’s wake later that afternoon. “It’s an unusually strange day in our city,” said Mayor Ruthanne Fuller. …
Federal cutbacks to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have left millions of Americans struggling to put food on the table. In Newton, local organizations are stepping up to fill the gap and ensure residents continue to have access to essential food resources. Putting food on the table Greg Reibman,…
The Newton Food Pantry brought together state officials, local leaders, and community supporters Thursday afternoon to mark construction progress on its future home at 131 Rumford Avenue in Auburndale. The single-story building — scheduled to open in May 2026 — represents a major expansion for the organization, which has operated…
The Newtonville Star Market at 33 Austin Street reopened on Friday, October 31 at 10AM days after an emergency shutdown following a report from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection that demolition work in a stockroom, an area not accessible to the public, released asbestos creating a potential “imminent health…