The nonprofit Newton News Foundation is planning to launch a digital news site, the Newton Beacon, next year. This week it announced its application to the City of Newton for ARPA funding:
The Newton News Foundation, Inc. has applied to the City of Newton for start-up ARPA funding for The Newton Beacon in the amount of $100,000.00. The Beacon’s application notes that the COVID 19 pandemic has caused significant stress on social cohesion in communities throughout the United States, and in Newton these stresses have been significantly exacerbated by the loss of the Newton Tab. The Mayor’s office has not announced a date for selection of applicants
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law in March 2021 to respond to the public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Newton was awarded $63 million of these ARPA funds, of which approximately $34 million has been committed.
Newton News Foundation board member Alan Schlesinger said, “We are trying to fill the gap and trying to do it as a community organization.” When asked whether this gap existed prior to COVID, Schlesinger stated, “I think there was but it has been exacerbated. …We are a response to a situation. …Newspapers can be a force in the community.” He alluded to growing up when there were three newspapers and “not having that force is disadvantageous for the whole community.”
Another board member, Matt Hills, added, “By starting this community newspaper for Newton, we are hopeful that our one-time expenses can be partially funded by a very small portion of the more than $60 million in ARPA funds. This community newspaper, like other similar efforts, should help to strengthen the broader Newton community by providing a reliable news source.”
