The great economist John Maynard Keynes wrote: “The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any…
Fig City News
Newton’s municipal election season is underway, with more candidates taking out nomination papers to run for City Council and School Committee. There are now several contested races for seats on the City Council and School Committee. The Newton School Committee, which has had three unclaimed seats for several weeks, now…
Newton’s plans for an new artificial turf field at Albemarle and to replace artificial turf fields at the high schools are incompatible with its “green” reputation. Surprisingly, in spite of expert testimony and scientific evidence that artificial turf causes health and environmental harm, Newton is proposing to spend $6,872,000 (*)…
Josephine McNeil, Co-Founder and Executive Director of CAN-DO has received a 2023 Community Advocacy Award and award grant from the Eastern Bank Foundation for CAN-DO’s effectiveness in helping low and very low income residents of Newton access affordable housing and get access to the services they need to achieve more financial security…
At the most recent Commission on Disability (COD) meeting, members and participants expressed concern about the future of disability inclusion and awareness programming in Newton Public Schools (NPS). During the FY2024 Budget discussions, a decision was made to cut funding for the UOD program line item. The decision was initially…
Highlands Village Day beamed this year, basking in beautiful weather — not too hot, no rain, and no strong winds to disrupt vendors’ booths and wares. If you missed it, here’s what it looked like up and down Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands on Sunday.
As reported in last week’s Fig City News, the Programs and Services Committee held a public hearing on a petition filed by Peter Harrington and more than fifty Newton residents, asking to place a non-binding question on the November ballot dealing with several aspects of Newton’s Village Center Zoning Redesign…
The City’s Sustainability Team recently issued an update on the status of Newton’s Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) in preparation for an upcoming Zoning and Planning Committee meeting. Newton’s Climate Action Plan shows that 66% of the city’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) come from buildings. The Newton Citizens…
Newton Community Farm (NCF) suffered a significant and disturbing theft between 7:30PM last Thursday night and 7AM Friday morning. Many plants were uprooted from the fields, and about ten trays of seedlings were taken from the greenhouse. NCF Executive Director Sue Bottino estimates that the theft involved multiple people with…
A Committee, headed by former Ward 3 Councilor Jim Cote and Newton Highlands Area Council President Jeremy Freudberg, filed papers with Newton City Hall to put an initiative on this November’s ballot to repeal Newton’s seasonal parking ban. The overnight winter parking ban goes into effect on December 1 and…
The Programs and Services Committee will hold a virtual (Zoom link) public hearing Thursday at 7PM (see Agenda) regarding a petition filed by Peter Harrington and other residents calling on the City Council to place a non-binding question on the November 7, 2023 municipal ballot. The proposed ballot question is…
The City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee will hold a public hearing on June 14 regarding a proposed ordinance requiring electrification of all new construction and substantial renovation. Last August, Governor Baker signed into law legislation (H.5060) granting Newton and nine other ten communities (Acton, Aquinnah, Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Concord,…