Local News Day spotlights value of community journalism

Thursday was Local News Day, a time to reflect on the value of local news and the important role it plays in keeping a community connected, informed and engaged.

Local news organizations across the nation celebrated, and in Newton, Mayor Marc Laredo hosted a brief ceremony in his office honoring the city’s local news outlets—The Newton Beacon, Fig City News and NewTV—for year-round coverage of this active city of almost 89,000 people. Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan was there, too.

“I can’t say that any elected official actually loves the newspaper every single day,” Laredo quipped. “But the fact that we have local news covering School Committee meetings, covering City Council meetings, covering what we do at City Hall, is critically important for keeping our residents and businesses informed of what we’re doing. Frankly, you hold our feet to the fire a little bit, and I actually think that is very important. It is the essence of democracy, and I am very grateful for all that you do.”

You can stay in the know by subscribing to The Newton Beacon newsletter, which goes out every Tuesday and Friday morning. And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Boston College scores big in new rankings

U.S. News & World Report has released its rankings of the nation’s best graduate schools. And several of Boston College’s graduate programs made impressive showings on the list.

Boston College ranked number eight nationwide for best social work schools, number 16 nationwide for MBA programs, number 19 for education schools and number 20 for law schools.

You can check out all of the school rankings here.

Newton’s getting poetic

April is National Poetry Month, and the city is in search of a poet laureate, Mayor Laredo announced this week.

“We will be establishing an advisory Poet Laureate Nominating Committee to review applications for the three-year term,” he wrote in a message to the community.

More details are expected over the next few months. You can stay updated with that and more with the Arts and Culture Department’s new monthly newsletter, “Let’s Create Newton.”

LWVN announces $2K scholarship

The League of Women Voters of Newton is offering a $2,000 scholarship to a Newton student graduating in the high school class of 2026.

Eligible candidates must live in Newton or attend a high school in Newton and be set to graduate this year and pursue more education after high school.

Applications can be found online and are due April 30.

You can find more information about the scholarship program here.

Linda Plaut Festival coming soon

Spark Newton’s annual Linda Plaut Festival of the Arts is set to run from May 9 to June 30, featuring more than 20 events in parks throughout the city and at City Hall.

For opening night, the New Philharmonia Orchestra and special guest singers will perform at 6 p.m. at the Newton City Hall War Memorial Auditorium.

The Linda Plaut Festival of the Arts is organized by Spark Newton in collaboration with the City of Newton and sponsored by the Village Bank, the Plaut Mahoney Family and Honda Village.

Tax Day is upon us. Get help.

Wednesday is the deadline to file your taxes.

And Can-Do Newton, a local nonprofit that helps low-income people find housing and other needs, also provides free tax preparation services.

The free service is available to anyone who makes less than $75,000 a year. Tax filing deadline is April 15. And there are several new developments involving child tax credits, overtime pay and more.

You can schedule an appointment online, call 617-906-7293 or email vita@newtoncan-do.org.