We shouldn’t take any of them for granted
We shouldn’t take any of them for granted
Good morning,
Less than four years ago, our communities and many of our neighbors, faced a crisis that, at the time, did not seem recoverable.
That’s when media giant Gannett abruptly stopped printing newspapers that for generations documented and kept a watchful eye on Newton, Needham, Watertown and communities nationwide.
Gone was The Watertown TAB & Press, whose origins extended back to 1870. Gone was the Needham Times, dating back to 1932. And gone was The Newton TAB, founded in 1979.
Only The Wellesley Townsman continued, as it had since 1906, albeit without reporters or local content, making it essentially nonexistent, too.
Losing local news coverage and local reporters is devastating to a community. It strips away its essence, its history. It leaves no one watching, questioning or helping us understand what’s happening or why.
Fortunately – at least in our chamber communities and some lucky others -- we’ve been blessed (yes, blessed) with alternatives.
Both Watertown News and Swellesley Report are privately owned, passionate small businesses, written and run by Charlie Breitrose and Bob and Deb Brown respectively.
The news void in Newton and Needham has been filled by four uniquely different nonprofit models: Fig City News, Newton Beacon, Needham Observer and Needham Local.
Each and every one of these web-only publications makes our communities smarter, more accountable and stronger. Each represents a labor of love. Each is also under-resourced. Each would tell you they could do more with more.
We shouldn’t take any of them for granted. This holiday season, as you plan your year end giving, I hope you’ll include our hyper-local news organizations in your philanthropy. Here are their donation pages:
Note: Only Needham Local, a service of the Needham Channel, does not appear to solicit contributions.
Needham may decline fed Great Plain Ave. grant
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Needham’s Select Board could vote tonight (Tuesday) on whether to formally decline a federal grant tied to the redesign of Great Plain Avenue.
The Envision Needham project launched more than a year ago with a $320,000 Safe Streets for All grant to fund a corridor redesign pilot that was required to include bike lanes.
After significant pushback from merchants and residents, the town paused the pilot while keeping the grant available in case the design options changed based on further community input.
Town Manager Katie King is now recommending that the board officially decline the funds after federal transportation officials said they would not support any pilot that reduces vehicle capacity.
That restriction leaves only a four-lane alternative eligible for funding. But because the four-lane option closely mirrors existing conditions, King said in a memo that a pilot would provide little value and the grant is no longer useful.
Wellesley could authorize MassBay housing fight tonight
The Wellesley Select Board appears poised to authorize litigation tonight against the state over a plan to sell a municipal parking lot and potentially a portion of adjacent woods to a housing developer, according to the Swellesley Report.
The board is scheduled to consider a motion to hire the law firm Phillips & Angley as special legal counsel, along with a request for Town Meeting to allocate funds to cover unspecified legal costs.
The grounds for a legal challenge are not yet public.
The MassBay site is among multiple state-owned surplus properties identified for development to address the housing crisis, a problem Wellesley has been slower than many communities to embrace.
The Mews in Watertown has a new owner
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Chicago-based Mesirow Financial has paid $107.3 million to acquire The Mews, an 11-year-old, 206-unit multifamily complex just off Pleasant Street, reports Steve Adams at Banker & Tradesman.
The property includes two four-story buildings with garage parking, a gym, media room, outdoor pool and shuttle service to Watertown Square and Harvard Square.
The sale price works out to nearly $521,000 per unit.
Tuesday grab bag
- Last night Newton City Council President-elect John Oliver announced the all-important committee assignments for the new term which begins in January.
- The women’s wage gap is getting shrinking but only because the average pay for men is also shrinking. The Boston Women’s Workforce Council found that men’s salaries decreased 16% between 2023 and 2025. Women’s salaries were significantly lower, but only decreased 2%. (BBJ)
- Amarin of Thailand, which recently closed in Wellesley, is relocating to the former LeDu Thai Eatery location in Newtonville. (All Over Newton)
- The shelter-in-place order that affected Brown's campus over the weekend brought back memories of what Greater Boston went through after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing – only that time the killer was found cowering in a boat in Watertown. This time the murderer remains at large. (Axios)
- Although the Newton Traffic Council unanimously voted to extend the Newton Centre Plaza pilot through the fall 2026, outgoing City Councilor Alan Lobovits has filed an appeal, requiring that next year’s council reconsider the decision.
- Sembol, a new Turkish-Mediterranean restaurant offering authentic döner, kebabs, house-made mezze and more at Mediterranean is coming to 171 Watertown Street in Watertown. (What Now Boston)
- GBH has a nice story about a Wellesley College student bringing Black dolls to area children.
- Jill Mercurio, director of the Newton Free Library, has been selected to head Brookline’s library. (Brookline News).
- Truly’s in Wellesley Square has opened a 35-seat event space adjacent to its ice cream that is available to rent. (Swellesley Report)
- Jim Fadule, of Wellesley, known as “The Godfather of 529 College Savings Plans,” has died. He was 63. (Swellesley Report)
- Brookline is in process of drafting a BERDO ordinance. (Brookline News)
- Interested in news about Watertown’s biotech scene? Sign up for the free Watertown Bio newsletter.
- If you appreciate our advocacy and events, we’d appreciate it if you’d take two minutes to post a Google Review for the Charles River Chamber here. Thanks.
Maybe they subscribe to different Farmers' Almanacs?
Newton’s winter overnight winter parking ban began Dec. 1 and lasts through March 31. Watertown’s overnight ban runs Jan. 1 to March 1.
It’s going to be almost 60 degrees on Friday — in both places.
Campbell: This threatens our state’s economy
Finally today, a coalition of 19 states — led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and California’s attorney general — is suing the Trump Administration over a proposed $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions, which allow employers to hire skilled foreign workers.
The H-1B program helps employers temporarily fill specialty roles—like physicians, researchers, and nurses—addressing nationwide labor shortages.
“The Trump Administration’s unlawful fee on H-1B visas will exacerbate staffing shortages in critical fields across the Commonwealth, depriving our universities of world-class faculty and researchers and leaving our K-12 classrooms overcrowded and understaffed,” Campbell said.
The University of Massachusetts alone sponsors more than 340 H-1B faculty, staff and researchers.
Hospitals and health care centers also rely on the program to hire physicians, surgeons and nurses, especially in low-income and working-class communities. Without foreign-trained doctors, the U.S. is projected to face a shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to Campbell’s office.
This is at least the third lawsuit challenging the fee announced in September, but the first brought by states. The U.S. Chamber, a global nurse-staffing agency and several unions filed separate suits in October, which remain ongoing, , according to Bloomberg.
And that’s what you need to know for today — the 252nd anniversary of the Boston Tea Party — unless you need to know that not all fish dig the same kind of music.
Thanks for keeping your holiday shopping local.
President & CEO
Charles River Regional Chamber
617.244.1688
I value your feedback
Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.