The Newton Election Commission, responsible for administering and enforcing election laws, has four members: two each from the Democratic and Republican parties, to promote bipartisanship. Current Commission members include Democrats Marjorie Ann Butler (Chair) and Nancy M. Levine, and Republicans Jan Huffman and John P. McDermott. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has…
Posts published in “News”
After the sudden deaths of an entire local family due to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning at their vacation home in New Hampshire on Christmas, the Newton Theatre Company has announced it will honor their memories with a special Monologue Project this spring. The Goldstein family — Matthew, 52; his wife…
On December 30, Newton native Caleb Gannon, charged with assault and battery, appeared before Newton District Court Judge Mary Beth Heffernan. Walking with the aid of a cane and accompanied by his parents, Rhonda and Joseph Gannon, he entered a plea of “not guilty.” Unlike the earlier hearings on this…
Marian Knapp understands a lot about aging – and she writes to help others connect with the process. “People tell me how helpful it is that I’m writing in a way that people are actually experiencing life, and in particular, getting older,” She said. “I want to let people know…
Fig City News will host our first-ever Open House on Saturday, January 11, 4PM-6PM. Meet readers and writers of our local news service. RSVP here. We’ll provide the location to those who RSVP Yes. We’re looking forward to seeing you in person! Ed. Note: We had earlier set the time…
Here’s a quick year-end review highlighting some of the 436 news articles Fig City News published in 2024. Newton’s local news gained national prominence… Local leadership changes included… Civic discussion – and some discord – included… Newton Public Schools addressed other issues, including… Progress and concerns continued on infrastructure projects……
Fig City News provides local news, community announcements, and information to Newton – weekly since June 2022. Next year, we want to expand our reporting significantly, and we want to provide more information services to more readers across Newton. All of this requires funding. This is where you come in. We rely on your donations – not on…
On Monday, December 16, the City Council passed the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) in a near unanimous vote (23 Yea, and Councilor Micley absent). Two friendly amendments were approved: One by Councilor Gentile calls for the BERDO Administrator and Advisory Commission to meet with the Council 90…
Multilevel Classes are addressed again during public comment. The December 16 School Committee meeting was split into two sessions: a one-hour special meeting to receive feedback from community focus groups on the new Newton Public Schools (NPS) Strategic Planning Committee, followed by the regularly scheduled meeting’s agenda. The special meeting…
In the Massachusetts House session on Monday, December 16, State Representative Kay Khan and State Representative Ruth Balser bade farewell to their colleagues. They have been among the longest-serving members of the Massachusetts House and have represented almost all of Newton. They joined fourteen of their retiring colleagues in delivering…
Sharon Stout was one of the eleven electors of Massachusetts who convened at the State House on Tuesday, December 17, to cast ballots for President and Vice President of the U.S. in the 2024 election. That day, she was elected president of Electoral College and presided over the event, in…
Last week, Fig City News presented interviews with the four Ward Councilors newly elected a year ago, to learn about their first years on the Council. This week, Fig City News is checking in with two more first-year City Councilors, the two new Councilors-at-Large: Rena Getz in Ward 5 and Alan…