The first-ever voluntary collection of DNA from Massachusetts residents had been scheduled for Saturday morning at Newton City Hall by the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. The event was promoted foremost as a means to solve crimes and identify human remains. In practice, the collected DNA would enable the state to instantly connect residents and their extended relatives to DNA evidence of interest. This could implicate them in crimes, identify them as anonymous whistleblowers by DNA left on a document or envelope, confirm their presence at protest rallies by DNA they leave in the air, or reveal genetic diseases. The event has been postponed.
Posts published by “Jack Prior”
The Public Safety and Transportation sub-committee of the Newton City Council will meet virtually (Zoom link) on Wednesday at 7PM and discuss the security measures and any incidents during the 2023 Boston Marathon as the first item on the agenda. Ward 2 At-Large City Councilor Tarik Lucas, who co-docketed the item,…
Despite the rainy weather, Newton residents descended on Garland Road on Sunday to learn more from their neighbors about sustainability actions they can take to help reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. The road was lined end to end with with tents staffed with residents and volunteer energy coaches…
Rabbi Keith Stern, a Newton resident and Chair of the Human Rights Commission, began the Pride Month flag-raising ceremony at City Hall on Thursday, noting, “There is no such thing as discrimination or prejudice ending up affecting one group only; it spreads like a disease. What we have to do is say no to this kind of discrimination and say yes to gatherings like this.”
[Update: Ding’s Kitchen has reopened] The Newton Health and Human Services Department on Monday revoked the food service permit for Ding’s Kitchen, at 10 Langley Road in Newton Centre, due to “serious and repeated violations” of the state’s sanitary standards for food establishments. The department’s notice, issued on Monday, states…
Which Newton village has the most Japanese restaurants? A month after its launch, the Fig City News app now offers a database of 139 places to eat in Newton. You can filter the list by village, by type of cuisine, and by your tagged favorites. And you can search by…
At 4:30 PM on Wednesday night, Newton resident Nathan Phillips — who has been raising the alarm over what he considers an unsafe degree of leaks from National Grid gas piping in the area — measured an explosive level of methane (6%) in an Eversource electrical manhole on Homer Street…
A manhole explosion at the Walnut Street and Lakewood Road intersection in Newton around 3:30 PM on April 6 has raised safety concerns among local residents. The incident led to a power outage that exceeded two hours and affected around 6,500 residents. On Thursday, Newton resident Nathan Phillips questioned details…
The Fig City News Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Bruce Henderson as the Editor of Fig City News, a free, online community news hub for Newton, Massachusetts. Founded and managed by resident volunteers, Fig City News aims to serve as a knowledgeable, fair, and trusted…
Jack Fleming, the President and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), put out the following statement this afternoon: “We know what the Boston Marathon means to our communities; it is very personal to so many of you. We know that everyone who participates loves to celebrate the excitement of…