Among the five ballot questions Massachusetts voters will face on Election Day next Tuesday, Ballot Question 2 – Elimination of MCAS As High School Graduation Requirement – has received significant attention within the Newton Public Schools community. MCAS Background The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) – a series of statewide…
Posts published in “News”
In a first for the Newton Zoning Board of Appeals, the City Council filed an appeal to an Inspectional Services Department (ISD) ruling – in this case, a ruling stating that the current developer of the four-unit project at 16-22 Clinton Street was not in violation of the approved Council…
This week Newton celebrates Halloween Window Painting — an event created by Meryl Kessler and Barbara Litwin 25 years ago and now hosted by Newton Cultural Development. Businesses donate window space, and students in Grades 3-8 sign up to create spooky — and sometimes very clever — works of art…
Here at Fig City, we focus on publicizing events occurring within the Newton community, but there’s more to tell about Newton’s impact on the arts. Here’s a quick list of some places where you can see the work of Newton artists outside our city limits in the coming days. Alice…
On October 28, a Middlesex Superior Court judge imposed additional restrictions on a former school van driver indicted on three felony kidnapping charges related to alleged “suspicious activity” transporting Newton Public Schools students last May. The former driver, Justin Vose, 42, of Bedford, must now stay out of Newton unless…
At the October 21 meeting of the City Council, twenty-one Councilors voted to approve a grant of $2 million in Community Preservation Act funding toward the restoration of the bell tower of the First Baptist Church in Newton Centre. In response to concerns raised in an earlier meeting of the City…
In public comments, union demands full-time Kindergarten aides. The October 21 School Committee meeting began with an unusually long (45-minute) public comment period with 14 speakers — the majority of whom were Newton Public Schools (NPS) educators who spoke in favor of the restoration of full-time Kindergarten aides in Newton’s…
Perfect weather. Record crowds. Lots of good food, good music, and good times celebrating the harvest.
Eric M. Turner was inaugurated on October 18 as the tenth president of Lasell University. He has been involved in Lasell’s management for thirty years, serving as provost since 2020. (See Fig City News article on his appointment.) Laura Colarusso will become editor of the Commonwealth Beacon on November 4…
During Tracy Herman’s time in the corporate world, crafting was a way to unwind. “Scrapbooking was my first love,” says Herman. “I was fortunate to have many amazing experiences and got to travel all over the world for work, and it was a wonderful way to preserve those memories.” Over…