Food insecurity rate continues to rise

One of the longest-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is widespread food insecurity.

A new report from the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham shows that 40 percent of Massachusetts households were affected by food insecurity in 2025, more than double the percentage seen in 2019.

And post-pandemic inflation has driven food prices up by about 30 percent since 2020, exacerbating an already troubling trend.

This report comes amidst an ongoing battle in Washington, D.C., over SNAP funding, which already isn’t enough to keep many families fed.

Read the complete report here.

LWVN releases budget explainer videos

In Newton, budget season is messy. The League of Women Voters wants to help clear things up for us. The League has released two new online resources for those who want to learn more about the city’s budget process:

“The League Presents: Understanding Municipal Finance Part II, The School Budget” features Superintendent Anna Nolin and Assistant Superintendent Liam Hurley talking about the school budget process with League board member Alex Jablon.

“The League Presents: Understanding Municipal Finance Part II, The City Budget” features Newton Mayor, Marc Laredo and Newton Chief Financial Officer Maureen Lemieux talking to Jablon about the city budget process.

These videos are the latest in a string of materials created by the League in the past several months. Released materials are available on LWVN’s website.

Chris Markiewicz elected CWRA board treasurer

Former Newton City Councilor Chris Markiewicz has been elected treasurer of the Charles River Watershed Association’s Board of Directors.

A CPA professionally, Markiewicz served as a Newton City Councilor representing Ward 4 from 2018 through 2023 and served on the Land Use, Public Safety and Transportation and Audit committees.

Markiewicz worked for Deloitte before taking a job as vice president at Fidelity Investments. He also serves as a trustee of the All Newton Music School.

Haiku contest winners announced

It’s National Poetry Month, and Spark Newton has named 22 winners of its fifth annual Haiku Newton contest, consisting of 10 adults, four students and eight poets from nearby towns:

• Jody Callahan
• Christine Carvajal
• Hugh Dun Rappaport
• Julia Dun Rappaport
• Eliot Fumante
• Margaret Geller
• Marilyn Halpern
• Ruth Hoberman
•  Lyn Jekowsky
• Debbie Knapp
• Jim Krosschell
• Julie Leavitt
• Heona Liu
• Robin Mayer Stein
• Roxanna Myhrum
• Grace Neilan
• Susan Nisenbaum Becker
• Ezra Robison
• Annette Seaward
• Clara Silverstein
• Claudia Springer
• Richard Waring

“Spark Newton is thrilled to sponsor this exciting project to make poetry publicly accessible in public spaces that are engaging and approachable where you least expect it,” said Gloria Gavris, Board Chair of Spark Newton. 

The winners’ poems will be printed on signs and posted in front of various venues throughout Newton through July. 

“We were thrilled to receive 190 submissions from 115 poets,” said Grey Held, Spark Newton board member and co-director of Haiku Newton, along with Elizabeth Lund and Greg Fulchino. “When we began this project five years ago, we wanted to bring poetry out of books and into public spaces. We hear such positive responses from residents who look forward each spring to reading haiku at various locations throughout Newton.”

A celebratory reading, featuring many of this year’s winners, will be held at the Newton Free Library, June 9 at 7 p.m. All are invited.

Real estate professional Mike Spurr leads a seminar on real estate policy on April 8, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Seminar looks at impacts of state real estate policy

A few dozen property owners and real estate professionals recently gathered at the American Legion Post 440 in Nonantum for a Real Estate Trade Show and Seminar hosted by real estate professional Mike Spurr.

Speakers talked about a rent control measure—most in the room were against it—set to appear on November’s ballot, the new ADU policies enacted into state law, the controversy over broker fees and more.

These topics are likely to come to the forefront as housing becomes more expensive and inflation makes it worse.

Scandinavian summer theatre camp announced

The Scandinavian Cultural Center is inviting young performers to try out Norwegian folklore theatre this summer.

The three-week Summer Theater Workshop runs from July 13 to 31, ending with a production of “Peer Gynt,” a 19th century fantasy play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.

“Our goal is to create a space where young people can explore creativity while connecting to the richness of Nordic culture,” said Marketing Director Caroline Doyle. “Peer Gynt is a perfect entry point—it’s imaginative, theatrical, and full of adventure.”

The workshop, designed for children ages 8 to 12, will meet on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.