Scamming targets Historic Commission applicants

Mayor Fuller is warning residents of a new scam involving fake Historic Commission notices.

When someone submits an application to the city for something, that’s public information. That includes Historic Commission matters (such as renovations, restorations or demolitions of historic homes). Scammers, Fuller explained, use that public information to craft official-looking emails saying the applicant must pay a fee of more than $4,600 before their appearance before the Historic Commission and requesting it be paid immediately online.

“The emailed letter from the scammer includes a correct application number and the correct property address in Newton,” Fuller wrote. “It threatens that failing to pay within three business days could result in ‘deferral of your application to a later meeting.’ The correspondence specifies that the payment must be made through a wire transfer.”

Newton doesn’t charge fees for applications related to the Historic Commission.

Newton’s annual Bakery Crawl is coming up. Public domain photo

Get baked this weekend

With cooler weather here, it may be time for carbs and sweets. And ALL Over Newton has you covered.

On Sept. 26 and 27, a bunch of Newton’s bakeries will participate in ALL Over Newton’s fourth annual Newton Bakery Crawl.

“It’s a fun fall activity for families, friends, and fans of baked goods,” Lauren Berman of ALL Over Newton, organizer of Newton’s Bakery Crawl, said. “Map out a bike route, stop at a bakery between soccer games or errands, try something new, or stock up on favorites. And you can feel great knowing that every dollar you spend supports one of Newton’s local small businesses.”

There’s no charge to participate, and it’s a DIY tour so you can pick and choose which bakeries to visit. The complete list can be found here.

Dine out and help raise a barn next weekend

On Saturday, Oct. 4, Johnny’s Luncheonette and Cabot’s Ice Cream are dedicating 10 percent of their sales to a fundraising effort aimed at rebuilding the barn at Red Fire Farm in Granby, which was destroyed in a fire last year.

Karen Masterson, who owns Cabot’s and Johnny’s said she hopes the fundraiser will get a conversation started about the vital need local farms fill and the many problems they face, from fires to bad weather ruining crops.

“There are hashtags about eating locally but not much in terms of what it takes to farm in New England and the challenges that face our local growers,” she said. “It is a truly heroic endeavor to bring food to our tables and yet mostly we talk about weather in terms of getting to the beach.”

Newton North High School Robotics Club students created a machine that throws a ball at a lever to operate a guillotine, displayed at Newton’s Pumpkin Smash 2024 on Saturday, Nov. 2. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Newton robotics teams to party in Boston

Like robots? Like parties? Head to Boston this weekend and bring your local pride.

Newton’s Ligerbots and Lazer robotics teams will showcase their robots on Saturday at the RoboBoston Robot Block Party,  one of the largest celebration of robotics.

Admission is free and open to the public. The event, held at 88 Seaport Boulevard in Boston, will feature more than 50 companies, universities and student teams and their robots.

Here’s the schedule of events:

• 10:45 a.m. Robot Parade
• 11:00 a.m. Ribbon Cutting
• 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Robot Block Party

You can get free tickets here.

Wells Ave. YMCA closes temporarily for ‘medical situation’

The Wells Avenue YMCA sent out a cryptic alert to its email subscribers on Thursday afternoon just before 3 p.m.

“The Wells Ave Y is closed until further notice,” the message read, directing members to go to the Church Street YMCA instead.

Then, at just after 6 p.m., another message followed, correcting the first.

“We are pleased to share that the Wells Ave YMCA will reopen tomorrow morning, Friday, September 26, with regular business hours,” the second, less cryptic message said

“We sincerely apologize for the unexpected closure and appreciate your patience and understanding. The closure was due to a medical situation, and we are grateful for the quick response and care of all involved.”