Everybody into the pool
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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
"Car-ter! Car-ter! Car-ter!"
The squeaky choir of children, standing patiently in line beside a diving board, chanted in unison. At the end of the diving board, a toddler stood, weighing his options. To jump or not to jump? That is the question.
"Car-ter! Car-ter! Car-ter!"
Finally, succumbing to either the positive peer...
Needham native going to Pokémon championships
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After three days of head-to-head Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) and video game battles, Aaron Traylor joins an elite group of Pokémon players to earn a top spot at the 2016 Pokémon U.S. National Championships. Held in Columbus, OH, from July 1-3, thousands of supporters and fans were in attendance as the Needham...
Gypsy moth caterpillars ravage Northeast
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By Lisa Moore
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
New England forests are being defoliated at alarming rates this summer, with the damage visible from space. Satellite photos taken of parts of New England taken one month apart in May and June of this year show advancing brown swaths across forested areas of the region. The destruction to...
Nutile Band swings Needham into summer
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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
Needhamites fidgeted in their lawn chairs, making themselves comfortable in the afternoon sun. Meanwhile, the Memorial Park gazebo was bustling with instrument-toting individuals in neat white shirts. It’s a scene that has greeted the town every summer for years.
“The Nutile Band, run either by my father, Roy, or...
Elliot Street Bridge closes for improvements
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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
Construction on the Elliot Street Bridge connecting Central Avenue in Needham and Elliot Street in Newton has moved into a new phase. After an initial stage of pre-construction that involved tree trimming, arch repair and erosion control installation, the Aetna Bridge Construction Company has begun more disruptive work. Reflecting...
Model T dreams come true
This 1914 Ford Model T was restored by Ted Mahoney, Needham High School Class of 1978. He is accompanied by his brother, Steve Mahoney NHS Class of 1980, his cousin Ed Mahoney and Ed's son, Charlie. Ted purchased the Model T from his uncle, Dr. Ed Mahoney, also of Needham, in 2002. He restored...
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Fireworks for the Fourth
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By Cameron Small
Hometown Weekly Intern
People bedecked in various shades of red, white, and blue stand waving their arms over their heads. Others wave one hand overhead and shout into a cell-phone clutched in the other, trying to make themselves stand out from the hundreds of other people doing the exact same thing. Kids...
When you’re a soldier
By Linda Thomas
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
What Bob Larsen remembers is the continuous rumble, almost like a quiet distant thunder.
It was a storm of sorts, but not a natural one. The noises were artillery, firing from four miles away. The descending shells would fly over his position and explode on targets in front of his platoon.
...
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Needham Speech and Debate finishes strong
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The Needham Speech and Debate Team’s 2015-16 season rocketed to a close in Salt Lake City and Sacramento. Needham finished in the top five debate schools out of 517 attending at the Sacramento event. At the two national tournaments, Needham students excelled.
At the Grand National Tournament in Sacramento, Needham juniors Elizabeth Lively...
Wyeth casts shadow on Needham Library
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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
The library, it might seem, would be the last place to embrace individuals in the business of judging books by their covers. Exceptions can be made, of course, for the extraordinary. It so happens that the work of N.C. Wyeth is just that.
Hang a left after going through the...
Pour on the craft
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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
Diane Shetler, Programming Librarian at the Needham Free Public Library, opened the door to the craft room. Outside, a small group of young children gathered as Shetler began explaining the day's agenda.
"My favorite this time is painting with bubbles," she said.
A toddler, her mind thoroughly blown by the concept,...
A more personal history day
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By Cameron Small
Hometown Weekly Intern
National History Day (NHD) is an annual competition in which students from around the world (all fifty of the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, China, Singapore, Korea, and others) compete. This past year, Needham High School sent Sam Wolfield, who did his project on Rosalind...
Rep. Garlick an eye-opener at Pollard
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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
The students of the Pollard Middle School eighth-grade social studies class slumped in their desks, some still wiping the sleep from their eyes. It was a typical scene that plays out daily in every classroom across the country. First period, it seems, is a perpetual battleground between the waking...
Needham takes on Alzheimer’s
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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
The purple signs and stands stood out on the side of the road like crocuses against spring earth. Smiling children carried cups of lemonade to drivers as they got out of their cars. Neighbors chatted cordially and shared stories of their friends and loved ones.
This was The Longest Day,...
Touch-a-truck at Temple Aliyah
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By Cameron Small
Hometown Weekly Intern
It was a typical June morning in Needham. The sun shined, birds chirped. It was not obscenely hot and humid. The last traffic of rush hour was a distant memory. At Temple Aliyah on Central Avenue, however, things weren’t as quiet and peaceful as the rest of the town.
Preschool...
Spring Carnival delights Hillside kids, parents
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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
The American flag flapped in a crisp brisk breeze over Hillside Elementary's full parking lot. In the distance, from the direction of the schoolyard, sounds echoed of children laughing and chattering. Were it not for the intoxicating smell of popcorn that lingered in the air, one might be convinced...
Needham High School holds Class Day
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By Ethan Lee
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
Organized by Senior Class Advisor Mr. Michael Hirsh, Class Day is a day for acknowledging the accomplishments and achievements of NHS seniors, as well as the awarding of numerous scholarships and prizes. Class Day 2016 hosted around 200 seniors in the NHS gym.
After opening remarks by Master...
Needham High class of 2016 graduates
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By Ethan Lee
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
On Monday, June 6, Needham High School graduated over 400 seniors on a gorgeously sunny day.
Opening remarks were made by vice-principal Aaron Sicotte and principal Dr. Joseph Barnes. Both emphasized the significance of the accomplishments of the Class of 2016, as well as the talent and potential gathered...
The beautiful game
