At the August 8 School Committee meeting, the members discussed with the NPS administration the draft NPS Systemic Goals for the academic year 2022-2023. The Systemic Goals are in three categories: Educational Goals, Family and Community Communication Goals, and Operational Goals. Educational Goals are subdivided into Academic Excellence, Educational Equity, and Social…
Fig City News
Last Sunday, the Love Dogs rock band was the final act in Newton’s series of six summer concerts on Sunday evenings in Newton Centre. An enthusiastic audience of 300 — the largest audience in the series — attended this concert. Paula Gannon, Director of Newton Cultural Affairs, noted that the first four…
The Zoning and Planning (ZAP) Committee voted to set a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance — specifically on whether to allow detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) by-right, and to make changes in allowable setback requirements, in order to encourage more participation to increase housing.…
State Representative Kay Khan began her quest to ban child marriages (i.e., marriages of people under the age of eighteen) nearly six years ago when she learned that children — 89.9% girls, some as young as fourteen — could be married in Massachusetts with only the consent of their parents…
The Woman’s Club of Newton Highlands was formed in 1917, and it’s now the only one remaining among many such charitable and social clubs across the villages of Newton a century ago. Club members still meet (on the first and third Wednesdays of the month) at its Workshop, a one-story…
The Newton Cemetery & Arboretum (NC&A) has written an open letter to the Newton community offering information and context regarding its request for a waiver of a strict application of Newton’s Tree Preservation Ordinance with regard to NC&A’s planned removal of 219 trees in order to develop more burial space.…
As part of its Take a Trip Up the Charles campaign, the Charles River Regional Chamber has created an online travel guide to Newton describing “a dream day in Newton” and listing 130 restaurants, 84 retail shops, and 7 hotels — as well as a link to TripAdvisor’s 15 Best…
The City Council approved virtually all aspects of the NewCAL project — the site plan review, funding, and acquisition of the adjacent two-family house — at its Full Council meeting on Monday, August 8. The site plan, recommended by the Design Review Committee, was reviewed and approved by the Public…
The Charles River Food Co-op has launched its inaugural membership drive, aiming to create a retail grocery in the Newton-Watertown-Waltham area to at least partially fill the void left by the closing of Russo’s. The Co-op will be a hybrid, owned half by consumers and half by workers. A consumer…
High up on a hill overlooking the area where Otis Pettee established the Saco Pettee Machine Shop sits one of the most important properties of Upper Falls history — the Otis Pettee Sunnyside House, at 277 Elliot Street. Now the centerpiece of The Stone Institute, the building will be up…
Newton State Representative Ruth Balser, a longtime “choice” activist, joined Vice President Kamala Harris and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker in a bipartisan meeting to underscore broad bi-partisan support for Massachusetts’ new “Act expanding protection for reproductive and gender affirming care,” which Governor Baker signed into law in July. The new…
The Charles River Regional Chamber has awarded scholarships to four outstanding students in the communities it serves. This year’s recipients are: Chaerin Lee of Needham, Grace Campbell Maillet of Newton, Theresa Cabral of Watertown, and David Fils-Aime of Wellesley. Recipients are chosen based on academic performance and extracurricular activities, as…