Laredo’s Listening Tour takes off

Mayor Marc Laredo has been on a listening tour across Newton, and on Wednesday night he was at Bigelow Middle School.

The mayor made a few noteworthy remarks, including that his administration would not push for any more pilot programs (such as the Newton Centre Plaza pilot and the Washington Street redesign pilot) unless there are funds available for those pilots.

Laredo also said that Chief Operating Officer Josh Morse is looking at the Ward and Underwood schools to determine the best pathway for them, and he should have a report ready in June.

Laredo noted that if a new school building or new police station is needed, he’ll likely request a tax levy override in the next couple of years to pay for it. This is hypothetical as of now, of course, but Laredo told the crowd he thinks the voters would approve an override for a necessary construction project.

Voters in 2023 approved overrides for two school building projects even as they rejected one for the city’s operating budget.

You can check out the complete list of stops on the Laredo Listening Tour 2026 here.

Arts & Culture gets official

The city has a new page on its website for the new Arts & Culture Department headed by Meryl Kessler.

The page has links to an arts and culture events calendar as well as an interactive map showing the city’s arts and culture organizations, venues and more.

The new page comes as the Laredo administration moves to elevate arts and culture as a vessel for community building and economic development.

Newton Police Department Headquarters. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Police ‘Civil Division’ scam

The Newton Police Department is warning the public about a phone scam in which the scammer claims to be a lieutenant with the department’s “Civil Division.”

The Newton Police Department does not have a Civil Division, as Lt. Amanda Henrickson—a real lieutenant—is making sure the community knows.

“Scammers can ‘spoof’ phone numbers to make calls appear as though they are coming from legitimate agencies—including the Newton Police Department—and may even pretend to be police officers in an attempt to obtain personal information or money,” Henrickson explained.

Police urge people not to share personal or financial information with anyone who claims to be with NPD, as the police will never ask for payment for anything over the phone.

If someone calls and tells you they’re with the NPD, you should ask for a name and ID number and call the department at 617-796-2123 to verify the officer’s identity.

West Suburban YMCA Golf Tournament tickets available

It may seem early to be thinking of golf, but spring is just a few weeks away.

And the West Suburban YMCA has opened ticket sales for its annual golf tournament to benefit the organization’s Annual Fund, which helps provide financial aid to those in need who want to participate in YMCA programs.

The golf rournament will be on May 18 at the Charles River Country Club, with lunch at 11 a.m. and a shotgun tee time of 12:30 p.m.

In addition to lunch, there will be refreshments, dinner, prizes and more. More information and tickets can be found here.