Newton had a busy year. And you noticed.

How does that translate to eyes on headlines? It turns out pop culture, crime and politics are still attention-grabbers. And something you may find surprising? For all the public attention the Adams Street lines saga created, it didn’t make our top 10 stories. The most-read story on that topic came in at number 14.

Here are the top 10 most-read Newton Beacon’s stories of 2025.

1. Juliana Pasquarosa, the first Massachusetts-native winner of ‘The Bachelor,’ opens up about the show, family and her new venture

Newtonian Juliana Pasquarosa went on The Bachelor to find love, and she did. She was the woman who Bachelor Grant Ellis picked to spend the rest if his life with. Our story on her journey was the most-read of the year.

Unfortunately, Juliana and Grant’s love did not stand the test of time. They broke up a few months after the show aired.

2. Former Newton rabbi arrested for soliciting sex with child

In December, a locally loved former rabbi, Eric Gurvis, was arrested along with two other men in a state police undercover operation for allegedly trying to offer money to a minor for sex.

3. Newton Election 2025: Who’s running for what and against whom

In case you missed it, Newton had a local election in 2025. And there was a lot of interest and engagement. So much so that a rundown on returned nomination papers was our third most-read story of the year.

4. A restaurant in Newton Centre has new owners and soon, a new name

Cafe St. Petersburg has been open for 30 years, but the new owners wanted to refresh the feeling and make it more high-end. So the place got a makeover and a new name: Zodiac.

Cafe Zodiac is located at 57 Union St. and is open Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 1 a.m. and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.

5. Newton keeps its winter overnight parking ban

As the City Council President said in his inaugural speech Thursday, it’s hard to believe the most talked about issue during the campaign was what to do with the city’s overnight parking ban.

But it was, and we have the web traffic to prove it.

6. Former Newton teacher suing NPS for racial, gender discrimination

Katani Sumner, a longtime Newton public school teacher, filed a lawsuit against Newton Public Schools for race, color, sex and age discrimination over the fact that they did not hire her for the position of Dean of Cutler House at Newton South High School.

7. Election 2025 ushers in crop of new city councilors

Newton saw several city councilors not seek reelection to their seats and several new city councilors elected to fill those seats.

Cyrus Dahmubed, Brittany Hume Charm, Julie Irish, Lisa Gordon, Sean Roche, Jacob Silber and Brian Golden are new faces on the council for the next term.

8. Newton picks a new School Committee: Here’s who won

Newton saw an even bigger changeover in its School Committee. Arrianna Proia, Linda Swain, Jason Bhardwaj, Ben Schlesinger, Jonathan Greene and Victor Lee were elected to fill seats of those not running again or those who had hit their term limit.

9. Trader Joe’s officially announces second Newton location

New businesses and new chain locations often get a lot of attention, especially when they’re Trader Joe’s, which opened a second store in Newton, in Upper Falls.

10. Newton Centre Plaza to open this weekend

And who can forget the battle over the Newton Centre Plaza? People loved it, people hated it, people came to like it once it was built, and the plaza became popular by the end of the summer. There’s a docket item to have it taken it down in 2026, though.