Newton-Wellesley Hospital named one of state’s best

U.S. News & World Report has released its list of best regional  hospitals, and Newton-Wellesley Hospital came in at number 7 in Massachusetts and number 5 in Greater Boston.

The hospital scored high marks in 14 different specialties, including survival rates, and has a patient recommendation rate of 90 percent.

Check out the full rankings list here.

Laredo firm rebrands post-Laredo

Now that Marc Laredo has begun his mayoral career, he has set aside his law career and stepped down from his role at Laredo, Smith & Kane LLP. And that law firm has now rebranded itself under the name Smith Kane, LLP.

Seeing one’s name removed from a firm he launched nearly 30 years ago may be jarring in most circumstances, but Laredo–who stepped away from the firm on Jan. 1–has a new job to keep him plenty busy.

The firm, which operates out of Boston, has a new website to mark the new era.

So does Marc Laredo.

MLK Day ceremony details

On Monday, Jan. 19, Newton and the Harmony Foundation will have their 58th annual Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Newton, 1326 Washington St., West Newton.

The ceremony will have speeches, music, student voices, children’s programming and more. 

The theme this year is “The Courage to Love Turns the Tide of Hate,” and this year’s main speaker will be Rev. Dr. Eric Jackson, minister of Eliot Church in Newton.

There will also be a food drive in honor of the late Mayor Setti Warren.

Citywide participation is encouraged using the link bit.ly/SDWFOODDRIVE.  

And from Jan. 12 to 16, Village Bank will provide food collection boxes at each of its branches. Boxes will also be at City Hall, Newton Police Headquarters, Newton Free Library and the Scandinavian Living Center.

And speaking of MLK Day…

On Monday, Jan. 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Wells Avenue YMCA will host an event: MLK

Day of Service: Share Joy Through Letters.

Participants will write letters to seniors in local nursing homes to help combat the epidemic of loneliness and help everyone feel connected. If you can’t attend, you can drop letters off at either West Suburban YMCA branch by Friday, Jan. 23.

Christmas tree collection

Christmas is so last month. Make sure to toss that Christmas tree before it becomes a fire hazard. Newton’s curbside Christmas tree collection is going on now and will run through next Friday, Jan. 16.

Trees are collected on regular trash days. All decorations must be removed. If you’d rather drop it off  yourself, you can bring your tree to the Newton Resource Recovery Center, 115 Rumford Ave., Auburndale.