Did you miss the 157th anniversary of The Great International Walking Match? What sets this event apart in literary and local history is the participation of the iconic English novelist, Charles Dickens, while in Newton, Massachusetts! This is the little known story of the brief visit in 1868 of Charles Dickens to the…
Posts published in “News”
Avi Attar, a senior at Princeton, is one of two students receiving this year’s Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize — the University’s highest general distinction for undergraduates, awarded to “the senior who has most clearly manifested excellent scholarship, strength of character and effective leadership.” Rep. John Lawn has been named…
Hummingbird Books and Hadassah Boston will host an author talk — Writing Jewisth Novels — with Tova Mirvis and Elizabeth Graver on May 6 at 7PM at Hummingbird Books at The Street in Chestnut Hill. Doors will open at 6:30PM. Tova Mirvis is the author of We Would Never, and Elizabeth…
The Newton Council on Aging is facilitating transportation for attendance at Older Adult Lobby Day on May 13, 10:30AM-2:30PM. Attendees will visit the State House and meet with legislators regarding funding and support for quality, effective, and cost-efficient home and community-based services. This trip is free. Space is limited, and…
The Charles River Regional Chamber of Commerce concluded Women’s History Month on March 31 with guest speaker Governor Maura Healey, and Congressman Jake Auchincloss was a late addition to the much anticipated program. A lively audience of 259 business leaders and elected officials from Needham, Newton, Watertown, and Wellesley filled the…
The Newton Public Schools School Committee will experience significant turnover on January 1, 2026, with at least five of its nine members being new. Committee Members Emily Prenner (Ward 5) and Barry Greenstein (Ward 8) have confirmed to Fig City News, after recently sharing the news with colleagues and friends, that…
On Thursday, March 27, Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Anna Nolin and School Committee Chair Chris Brezski (Ward 2) held a Community Budget meeting to explain the district’s $3.7 million budget deficit for the 2025-2026 school year for a packed auditorium at Brown Middle School. The audience included community members,…
At noon on Saturday, March 15, more than 100 people appeared on Newton Centre Green with a variety of homemade signs, protesting the actions of the Trump Administration. The one-hour stand-outs –noon to 1PM — are the collaborative initiative of three Newton activists — Nadine Cohen, Susan Davidoff, and Lynn…
Tight school budgets, outdated school buildings, and uncontested School Committee elections: When did these issues begin? Fig City News dug into archives and discovered a history of Newton’s schools dating back to the 17th century rife with issues that vex us to this day: funding, teacher pay, curriculum, governance, school…
Wearing shimmering, vibrantly colored outfits and intricate jewelry, young dancers performed complex routines, impressing the large audience at the New Art Center during the nonprofit’s Holi celebration on Sunday. “Holi, widely known as the Hindu festival of colors, is a joyful annual celebration at the advent of spring with cultural…
Dr. Mahdieh Beheshti opened her pediatric dental practice, Bee Happy, in Newton last November. It doesn’t look or sound like a typical dentist’s office. Soft ambient music soothes patients in the waiting room, which is adorned with a mural depicting a woodland scene with a honey-eating bear, buzzing bees, and…
Njavan Stewart faced a conundrum as the Newton native readied to return to the Assumption University men’s basketball lineup after missing seven games due to injury: retake his spot in the starting lineup back and potentially “ruin some chemistry,” or shove any ego aside and come off the bench. The…