While some high school students may spend their summer vacations relaxing, a group of Newton teens dedicated eight weeks to engineering custom adaptive devices for people with disabilities through the LigerBots Adaptive Engineering Internship program. The program, now in its third year, pairs teams of students with real clients from…
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On August 21, 2025, the School Committee held its annual summer retreat at the Newton Education Center. All Committee Members — including Mayor Ruthanne Fuller — were present at the meeting, with the exception of Committee Members Rajeev Parlikar (Ward 1) and Barry Greenstein (Ward 8). They were joined by Newton Public…
At 11AM on August 21, the property at 283 Melrose Street in Auburndale — formerly home to the Turtle Lane Playhouse and currently home to a failed real estate development — was slated to be auctioned off live. However, one hour earlier that morning, the property’s current owner — Turtle Lane LLC…
It’s rare for moviegoers to meet-and-greet the director of the film for which they’ve paid admission. In its Director’s Spotlight series, West Newton Cinema offers viewers much more than that. Each Q&A session marks the start of a dynamic conversation between audience and filmmaker. After seeing Justin Schien’s film, Death…
Construction of a much-anticipated traffic calming project at the intersection of Waverley Avenue and Franklin Street is underway. For years, abutters had noticed the high volume of traffic accidents at the intersection and pushed the City to implement a speed-reducing raised table. The project was approved by the City Council…
With the passing of Helen Rittenberg on August 8, Newton lost a warm, welcoming, multidimensional friend who touched people in many ways. She will be remembered as an educator and educational psychologist, the former Principal of Williams Elementary, and a staunch advocate for many progressive causes. Along with her wife…
Since 2011, local nonprofit Newton at Home has been on a mission to help older Newton residents age in place with dignity and independence. The organization, which is built on a membership system and a neighbors-helping-neighbors style of community, connects “members” — older adults looking for support — with a network of…
The mission of the Newton-based Price Center is to “empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, to thrive in living, social, and work communities.” In her first year as CEO, Abigail Parrilla has been instrumental in creating new opportunities, developing existing programs, and setting a path for the…
Jamaree Pope is this year’s Newton recipient of a Charles River Regional Chamber scholarship. Pope graduated this year from Newton South High School, where he was a star athlete and noted by his school counselor as “an enjoyable, easygoing, thoughtful kid …respected by everyone at school.” Pope has been mentoring…
On April 21, Emily Craven (NNHS ‘22) ran the 129th Boston Marathon to raise money for the third annual Fig City News summer internship program. Before the day of the Marathon, she had raised a total of $7530, exceeding her goal of $7500. This included proceeds from the five-kilometer “Shamrock”…
On July 28, Newton high school student and pianist Matthew Ding, accompanied by four friends, stepped out onto the largest stage at 2Life Communities’ Brighton campus, a local senior living center. To much acclaim, they performed Pachelbel’s Canon for the audience in the 255-seat auditorium. This concert, while Ding’s largest…
Alumni of the Newton Public School system may have hazy memories of Newton’s education regarding Native American history — a unit here, a presentation there. Quickly forgotten in the whirlwind of school. Newton native and author Joseph Lee has stepped forward to fill some gaps in common understanding of Massachusetts’…