The Charles River Regional Chamber of Commerce concluded Women’s History Month on March 31 with guest speaker Governor Maura Healey, and Congressman Jake Auchincloss was a late addition to the much anticipated program. A lively audience of 259 business leaders and elected officials from Needham, Newton, Watertown, and Wellesley filled the…
Posts published in March 2025
The Newton Public Schools School Committee will experience significant turnover on January 1, 2026, with at least five of its nine members being new. Committee Members Emily Prenner (Ward 5) and Barry Greenstein (Ward 8) have confirmed to Fig City News, after recently sharing the news with colleagues and friends, that…
On Thursday, March 27, Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Anna Nolin and School Committee Chair Chris Brezski (Ward 2) held a Community Budget meeting to explain the district’s $3.7 million budget deficit for the 2025-2026 school year for a packed auditorium at Brown Middle School. The audience included community members,…
At noon on Saturday, March 15, more than 100 people appeared on Newton Centre Green with a variety of homemade signs, protesting the actions of the Trump Administration. The one-hour stand-outs –noon to 1PM — are the collaborative initiative of three Newton activists — Nadine Cohen, Susan Davidoff, and Lynn…
As an Upper Falls resident supporting the Northland development and its recent permitting amendment, I would like to both expose one fallacy in the opponents’ arguments, and offer one proposal for a compromise. The fallacy concerns the alleged higher taxes from offices vs. residences. This might be the case at current…
Tight school budgets, outdated school buildings, and uncontested School Committee elections: When did these issues begin? Fig City News dug into archives and discovered a history of Newton’s schools dating back to the 17th century rife with issues that vex us to this day: funding, teacher pay, curriculum, governance, school…
Wearing shimmering, vibrantly colored outfits and intricate jewelry, young dancers performed complex routines, impressing the large audience at the New Art Center during the nonprofit’s Holi celebration on Sunday. “Holi, widely known as the Hindu festival of colors, is a joyful annual celebration at the advent of spring with cultural…
Dr. Mahdieh Beheshti opened her pediatric dental practice, Bee Happy, in Newton last November. It doesn’t look or sound like a typical dentist’s office. Soft ambient music soothes patients in the waiting room, which is adorned with a mural depicting a woodland scene with a honey-eating bear, buzzing bees, and…
Highlights this week… City Council City Council is not scheduled to meet this week. Land Use Committee will meet on Tuesday to consider Special Permit/Site Plan approvals to: School Committee School Committee will meet on Wednesday for public comment and discussion about the NPS FY 2026 Preliminary Budget Proposal. Community Budget meeting: Superintendent Anna Nolin…
City Council is not scheduled to meet this week. Land Use Committee will meet in person (Council Chamber) and virtually (Zoom link) on Tuesday, April 1 at 7PM. The agenda includes the following requests for Special Permit/Site Plan Approvals to: