Small structures of sweetness

While things may occasionally turn bitter at City Hall, the air in there smells quite sweet right now. That’s because the entries for this year’s Gingerbread House Contest are on display in the second floor hallway near the mayor’s office and City Council chamber.

There are a bunch of creations—houses, landscapes and even a little replica of Crystal Lake bathhouse—that will be exhibited there until Dec. 16.

The level of detail on some of them is amazing. If you’re tempted to break off a piece, don’t. There are cameras.

Adult daycares are now part of zoning

The City Council recently approved a change to the city’s residential zoning code to include adult daycares. Under the new zoning rule, adult daycares are now under public use, which means they can be built in residential areas in Newton and subject to local and state regulations.

It’s just one of many moves the city has made in recent years to evolve with its aging population.

Parking ticket push

The City Council recently approved $8,000 for the Disability Commission to monitor parking enforcement for handicap-accessible spots, now through Dec. 26.

It’s objectively wrong to park in those spaces if you don’t qualify. It can bring you fines and even an expensive tow, and it’s just a very bad look. Always remember what happened to George Costanza in 1993.

Green Lady to host women entrepreneur pop-up this weekend

The Green Lady, a company that operates a cannabis dispensary in Newton Centre, has organized a Female-Led Holiday Pop-Up Weekend, with two days of spotlighting two small businesses run by women in Newton.

On Friday, Dec. 12, Shara Ertel, owner of Fulfilled Goods (an eco-friendly sustainable home and lifestyle shop) in Newton Centre and Newtonville, will have “sustainable stocking stuffers” for holiday gifts. If you spend $75 or more at The Green Lady that day, you’ll get $5 off any Fulfilled Goods item you buy, too.

On Saturday, Dec. 13, Chef Krysia Villon of Chiqui’s Kitchen—a female, minority and queer-owned Newton Centre business—will have several varieties of their famous Peruvian empanadas. Each empanada will be $5. If you spend $75 or more at The Green Lady while you’re there, you get a free empanada.

Both events are at The Green Lady, 740 Beacon St.

Auchincloss files bill targeting apps used by children

U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Newton, has teamed up with Republican U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana to introduce the Parents Over Platforms Act aimed at putting more responsibility on app stores and more control in parents’ hands.

The bill, if it becomes law, would make app stores provide user age ranges and also provide parents with a toolkit to manage their child’s activities. It would also ban the use of children’s data for targeted advertising.

“The most powerful architects of the content youth see online are Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and the Chinese Communist Party. They treat our children like products. Parents need strong, simple tools to take back control in this overly online age,” Auchincloss said in a statement announcing the bill.