Despite the rainy and chilly May 19 weather, about eighty people joined in the annual Spring Tree Tour at the Newton Cemetery & Arboretum, hosted by the Friends of Newton Cemetery. One of the oldest “garden cemeteries” in the U.S., established in 1855, the Cemetery was awarded Level 2 Arboretum…
Fig City News
The third annual Lions 5K run at Newton South High School was held on Saturday, May 19, in a cool drizzle. In these three years, it has become a cornerstone event for the community, serving as a vital fundraiser for the school’s athletic programs and drawing significant participation and enthusiasm…
More than fifty people came to the Newton Free Library’s Druker Auditorium on May 15 to hear candidates running for State Representative: three candidates for Rep. Kay Khan’s 11th Middlesex House seat and the three running for Rep. Ruth Balser’s 12th Middlesex seat. Both longtime incumbents announced that they will…
Traffic congestion is getting worse and crippling our communities, said Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Secretary of MassDOT, at a Charles River Regional Chamber forum on May 14. She said that it’s not exactly clear why traffic is getting worse, but her best guess is “people are causing a lot of traffic accidents”…
The Newton Free Library is currently hosting an exhibit of fourteen photographs that Skip Schiel took during 2018-19 of Palestinians and of destruction in the West Bank. The exhibit, which will be on display throughout May, has been a source of controversy since it opened on May 1. The concerns…
You don’t need to travel to Newport, Rhode Island, the Coachella Valley, California, or Austin, Texas, to see a variety of talented musicians perform. All you need to do is be in Newton during May 17-19, and attend Newton Community Pride’s 9th annual Linda Plaut Festival of the Arts. Another…
On the morning of May 13, bike enthusiasts and City employees and officials gathered for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the Two-Way Bike Facility on the Carriage Road paralleling Commonwealth Avenue. As Jane Hanser noted, this achievement is the result of work started in 2011 to improve…
At the May 6 School Committee meeting, Day Middle School principal Jackie Mann, Newton North High School principal Henry Turner, and soon-to-be-departing Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Toby Romer discussed Newton Public School (NPS) policies regarding student cell phones. Prior to the presentation, five different parents gave public comment in…
The John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club of Newton held its 27th Annual Gala on Saturday, May 11, where 250 attendees raised more than $200,000 – including $60,000 specifically to support Youth Mental Health Initiatives over the next two school years and $30,000 for financial aid that makes club membership…
On May 9, Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Dr. Anna Nolin presented her first budget to a joint meeting of the Programs & Services and Finance Committees. Accompanied by School Committee Chair Chris Brezski and Assistant School Superintendent Liam Hurley, Dr. Nolin offered a comprehensive presentation detailing the educational, administrative,…
Approximately 165 people turned out on May 8 for the West Newton Cinema Foundation‘s (WNCF) update on the status of its effort to save the theater from the wrecking ball. The event at the theater included presentations followed by a Q&A session and a reception. Board President Elizabeth Heilig walked the audience…
From whimsical public art to multiple free concerts and beyond, creative programming in the Garden City would not be as varied and widespread as it is today without decades of support by Newton Community Pride. The nonprofit, which is marking its 35th anniversary this year, has championed innovative projects, entertaining…