West Suburban YMCA gala breaks fundraising record

The West Suburban YMCA recently held its annual fundraiser gala, with more than 200 community members attending, including Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.

With this year’s theme, “Country for a Cause: An Evening of Western Charm,” the event raised a record-breaking $191,500, surpassing the organization’s $160,000 goal. There was also a matching gift that made the event’s Fund-a-Need paddle raise the most successful in gala history.

Cooper Center gets a ribbon-cutting date

After more than a year of construction and several years of planning, the Cooper Center for Active Living is just about ready to open in Newtonville .

Newton Public Buildings Commissioner Josh Morse sent out an email to the Cooper Center construction team announcing that the city will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly constructed facility on Dec. 5.

In his message, Morse wrote that the completion was “bittersweet.”

“There will be plenty to fill my schedule with going forward, but I will miss spending time with so many of you,” he wrote to the team. “Together we pushed and pulled, tweaked and adjusted, and scrutinized every detail of the design along the way. There are so many little things in the design of this building that will go unnoticed by many but subconsciously appreciated by all.”

The Gingersnaps Band, Ivan Danylets and Arjana Vizulis Danylets. Courtesy photo

Newton native to help jazz up Allen Center Nov. 22

The Gingersnap Band—a six-piece ensemble that delivers soulful renditions of jazz classics—is coming from New York City to Newton to perform a jazz concert at The Allen Center on Nov. 22. And one of the band members is from Newton.

Arjana Vizulis Danylets grew up in Newton, attending Lincoln-Eliot Elementary School and Newton North High School, where she sang the national anthem. And her dad, Andris, served on the School Committee in the ’90s.

Get your tree application in

It may not seem like the time of year to think about planting, but it is.

As the mayor recently mentioned in an email to the community, the Newton Tree Conservancy is accepting applications for its 2026 Spring Community Tree Planting program.

The deadline to apply to have a tree planted in your neighborhood is Dec. 6. Trees will be planted in April.

Newton has been proactive with its tree planting initiative in recent years in an attempt to recoup some of the tree canopy lost over the years to development and disease. Trees help prevent flooding and help cool the air around them. Here’s a Newton Beacon article explaining that.