Barney Frank, Newton’s Representative in the U.S. Congress from 1981 to 2013, has entered hospice care at his home in Ogunquit, Maine, due to impending congestive heart failure, as reported in Politico. In that article and in other recent interviews, he has expressed concern that progressive Democrats were right to…
Posts published in “People”
Dr. Harold May — physician, veteran, and one of the original Tuskegee Airmen — was honored as a Boston Celtics “Hero Among Us” during the team’s April 21 home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Dr. May was recognized for a lifetime of service, from helping break racial barriers in the…
Armenian residents, civic leaders, and clergy gathered on the front lawn of Newton City Hall on Friday, April 24 to mark the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide with a flag-raising ceremony honoring the lives lost. The genocide began on April 24, 1915, and continued through 1916, when an estimated…
Amid efforts to expand fair housing in the city, the Newton Fair and Affordable Housing Partnership honored Josephine McNeil and Jini Fairley with this year’s Sheila Mondschein Award “for outstanding leadership in promoting fair housing.” Dozens of public officials, civic leaders, family, and friends gathered in War Memorial Hall at…
For the second year in a row, Emily Craven (NNHS ’22) has run the Boston Marathon to raise the funding that makes possible the Fig City News summer internship program, now in its fourth year. And once again, Emily has exceeded her goal. This year she has raised $10,300 —…
Grace Yang has won a Silver National Medal in the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her work, How to Find Belief. A junior at Newton South HS and a former Fig City News intern, Yang was recently named co-Editor-in-Chief of the Newton South HS Lion’s Roar newspaper. Sangeet…
Michael A. “Mike” Malec – devoted husband, father, and friend; gifted professor; humanitarian leader; public servant; Democratic activist, basketball player; lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, and Newton resident for more than 60 years – passed away on March 31 at age 85. A Chicago native, Mike came to Boston College to…
Newton North High School Principal Henry Turner will leave his post after nearly a decade to become superintendent of Reading Public Schools, as he stated in a message he shared with students and families on April 4. Dr. Turner, who has led Newton North since 2016, said his decision comes…
In the children’s room of the Auburndale Community Library on a February afternoon, artist Mia Cross worked on a mural honoring Kirby Green Grochal, a beloved community member, daughter, and mother who died in May 2023. On Sunday, April 12, the community will gather for the grand opening of this…
Gabe Santos (NSHS Ice Hockey) has received the 2026 Merrimack Valley Conference/Dual County League Division 2 league Sportsmanship Award presented by the Boston Bruins and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). A recurrence of cancer prevented him from playing this season, but through all his treatments he attended every practice…
A crowd gathered by the Johnny Kelley statue early on the morning of March 28 for a ceremony both solemn and joyful — part memorial service, part joyful training run for the upcoming Boston Marathon. They gathered to dedicate a bench to the memory of Susan Hurley, founder of CharityTeams,…
On March 11, New York City’s Carnegie Hall announced that Newton South High School junior and clarinetist Leila Mostaghimi has been named to the prestigious National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and will perform this summer along with 96 other student musicians from across the country.…