Following the unanimous recommendation by Newton’s nine-member Police Selection Committee, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced that George McMains, the Acting Chief of the Newton Police Department (NPD), will succeed John Carmichael as the department’s new chief. Former Chief Carmichael resigned at the end of August, after a three-month personal leave. Acting…
Posts published in “People”
The Newton Fire Department received a Group Citation for Meritorious Conduct at the 35th annual Massachusett Firefighter of the Year Awards ceremony. The award cited Captain Karl “Gus” Svartstrom, Lieutenant Joseph DeLuca, and Firefighters Richard Busa, Ryan Doherty, Michael Pohlman, Lawrence Quinn, Andrew Sbordone, and Joseph Yerardi for their service in an…
Standing proudly in the heart of Newton Highlands, Highland Opticians has been selling eyewear to the Greater Boston community for over forty-five years. The business, founded by Jefferey Mann in 1976, has since been passed down to his daughters, Emilie Brassil and Julie Mann. “[We make] sure that people get…
More than 300 Newton political leaders, veterans, their families and friends came to American Legion Nonantum Post 440 on Veterans Day for the City’s annual ceremony to honor veterans. The federal holiday was originally known as Armistice Day, marking the anniversary of the end of World War I, until Congress…
Grasping two large chunks of charcoal, Marilyn Kalish quickly began to draw black lines bursting with movement on a white surface. Soon, the beginnings of figures emerged, hinting at the subject of the final piece. The longtime working artist recently opened West Newton Gallery at 1286 Washington Street, West Newton…
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…
Newton Centre resident Gary Ruvkun was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize for Medicine on Monday for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. The Nobel Committee honored Ruvkun and Victor Ambros for their discovery of a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated. Ruvkun was…
Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Dr. Anna Nolin met with Fig City News at the start of the school year, as she did last year. This interview transcript has been edited for clarity and length. FCN: What are some different perspectives you have about Newton going into this school year…
David Rockwell has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Volunteers of America of Massachusetts, a nonprofit creating opportunities for over 3,500 individuals through residential and outpatient behavioral health treatment, re-entry services for justice-involved individuals, veteran services, and senior living. Prior to his retirement, Rockwell served for 25 years…
Denise Hayes has been named to the board of directors of the Boston Arts Academy Foundation. An acclaimed educator and community leader, she has championed initiatives for inner-city students and community development in her native Pittsburgh and in Ohio. She moved to Newton with her family a few years ago. Of…