Newton Fire Chief Greg Gentile announced that Chief Murphy, 86, died at Newton-Wellesley Hospital on December 9. Chief Murphy began his career in the Newton Fire Department in 1961, after serving in the Navy, and rose through department ranks, promoted to Captain, Deputy Chief, Acting Chief, and Chief of the…
Posts published in “People”
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…
Paula Hammond, an MIT Institute Professor and MIT’s executive vice provost, has been named dean of MIT’s School of Engineering, effective January 16. From 2015 to 2023, she was head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and has also served as MIT’s vice provost for faculty. She is a member…
One woman escaped Nazi rule at the age of eight and made it to America where she built a career teaching music and climbed many mountains. Another woman protested dictatorship in Argentina as a child and became a renowned linguistic theorist and teacher. A third escaped Communist rule in Hungary…
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,”…
Although Drew Willison took the helm as Newton’s new City Clerk at a critical time, just ahead of the November 4 election, he’s no stranger to shouldering important responsibilities. Willison “was in the swirl of all of it,” the 60-year-old recalled, when he served as the 39th Sergeant at Arms…
Emily O’Neill is stepping down after almost seven years as Executive Director of The New Art Center. For the remainder of the fiscal year, the nonprofit will be co-led by Jan Tayloras Co-Director, Development, Marketing & Board Management and Holly Johnson as Co-Director, Operations & Programs. “Emily’s energy, dedication, and enthusiasm have…
Marc Laredo, Newton’s incoming Mayor, released the names of his new leadership team, some of whom have held similar positions in Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s office. Three new Laredo appointees have held other positions in the current administration, and two will hold newly created offices. At the top of Mr. Laredo’s…
Hundreds of girls from middle and senior high schools across Middlesex County filled the Newton War Memorial Auditorium on Thursday morning, November 13, for the Empowering Girls Conference produced by Marian Ryan, Middlesex County District Attorney and Massachusetts’ sole woman district attorney, who has produced the conferences since 2015. This…
Richard Fletcher, a lifelong educator, coach, and devoted family man, passed away peacefully on November 14, 2025, at the age of 83. Born in Everett, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1941, to Lilian (née Blake) and John C. Fletcher, Richard embodied the values of hard work, community, and kindness that defined…
Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize winner and 22nd Poet Laureate of the U.S., moved to Newton with her family in 2021 when she joined the faculty at Harvard. In her recent TEDx New England talk and her new book, Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times, she has focused on the…
The results of this municipal election bring several newcomers to office: seven on the City Council and six on the School Committee. Here are links to the Fig City News reports of interviews with each of them, conducted before the election. City Council School Committee