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Category Archives: Needham

Lt. Gov. Polito signs Needham Community Compact

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By Stephen Press Hometown Weekly Staff Lt. Governor Karyn Polito stood in Powers Hall, flanked by local and state dignitaries. "Thank you for going through the exercise with your selectmen to figure out what is it in this Community Compact program that Needham wants to focus on," she told the assembled. "It gets your team together...
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Needham’s babysitters in good hands

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter Middle school is already a complicated time made up of navigating a new set of academics, discovering who you are as a person, and cultivating new friendships. It takes a very special middle schooler to go above and beyond and take on an additional class to learn a...
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Youth volunteers celebrated at Farm ceremony

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By Ilene M. Hoffman Hometown Weekly Correspondent On October 13, a number of local officials, students, and Needham Community Farm volunteers gathered to honor seven Needham students for their exceptional service to the Needham Community. Each student received a 2016 Outstanding Youth Volunteer plaque and certificate. Recipients of the award included Pollard Student Alejandro Gabrielle Celado,...
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Meeting addresses firefighter wages, Hillside construction

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By Ethan Lee Hometown Weekly Correspondent Needham Town Meeting members convened on Wednesday, October 5, for a Special Town Meeting at the Town Hall. Over one hundred members gathered and discussed several different issues, including new changes on the town budget, wage plans for Needham firefighters, and information on construction at Hillside Elementary School. In...
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Ann Stimson wows with Halloween concert

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter When Ann Stimson described her concert as a “smorgasbord,” she didn’t lie. Glancing through the program, there were songs from the classical era, from pop culture, from Jewish and Chinese culture, as well as pieces by Scott Joplin. However, the selection appealed to everyone in one way or another,...
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Needham Harvest Fair a hit, despite drizzle

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By Stephen Press Hometown Weekly Staff There are some things that a steady October rain cannot thwart. Tantalizing scents of fresh food wafting through the air, for one. The traffic and buzz of a small town, for another. The most apparent example on Saturday, however: Needhamites themselves. Despite less-than-stellar atmospheric conditions, the town was out...
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Walk for Walker prevails despite weather

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter The people of Needham have always dedicated themselves to service. Their hard work and passion for this was deeply felt on a misty, cold Sunday morning as dozens of community members huddled under the bits of cover they had at DeFazio Field while registering to run or walk for...
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Pedestrian struck on May Street

On September 27 at approximately 6:15 a.m., Needham Police were notified by a 911 caller that a pedestrian had been struck by a motor vehicle at the railroad tracks on May Street in Needham. Responding officers found the pedestrian was semi-conscious with an apparent head injury. Needham Fire Department Paramedics arrived on scene and transported...
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Ellie Bloom Special Olympics coming to CRS

The Charles River Center will host the 28th annual Ellie Bloom Special Olympics on Saturday, October 1 at 10 a.m. at De Fazio Park in Needham. The event welcomes athletes of all ages and abilities to participate in track and field events, including running and wheelchair dashes, tennis/softball throws, ring tosses, relay races, and frisbee...
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Arresting cancer

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By Cameron Small Hometown Weekly Correspondent The women and men in blue keep our streets safe—arresting wrongdoers; teaching young children how to stay out of danger; and, contrary to stereotypes, not drinking copious amounts of coffee or over indulging in doughnuts. Outside their uniform and their duty, though, police officers are people—with hobbies, pastimes, and...
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NJF goes 2-2 in battles against Milton

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The Needham Junior Football teams hosted Milton for six games at Memorial Field. In the competitive brackets, Needham went 2-2 with the sixth and seventh grade teams notching victories, while the fifth and eighth grade squads lost close ones. A Squad (Grade 8) – Milton 20, Needham 16 – The A squad dropped...
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Step into art with Abby Rischin

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By Harry Kane Hometown Weekly Reporter For many, art is an important part of expressing imagination and exhibiting technical skills, but for Abby Rischin, the founder and president of the non-profit, Step Into Art, there are a multitude of reasons why creating and learning about art can encourage students to expand their horizons. That’s why Rischin...
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New home for Temple Beth Shalom

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By Stephen Press Hometown Weekly Staff After a process that lasted over four years, the Temple Beth Shalom community has moved into its new home. The space, dedicated in a ceremony on Saturday evening, is a beautiful result of careful planning, patience and generosity. But the project is not yet over. "We are at long last ready...
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Needham VFW hosts Las Vegas Night

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The Needham Veterans of Foreign Wars, Lt. Manson H. Carter Post 2498, hosted its annual Las Vegas Night for Boston-area Paralyzed Veterans at the post’s building on Junction Street on Tuesday, August 23. Fifteen paralyzed veterans from the Brockton VA hospital, accompanied by nurses and volunteer assistants, arrived at the Post building in special...
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Rt 128 Add-A-Lane project continues

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By Harry Kane Hometown Weekly Correspondent It’s full speed ahead for the Add-A-Lane project on Route 128/I-95, which began back in early 2015 and is slated for completion in 2019. The roadway construction project will add an additional lane to 3.8 miles of highway beginning just north of the Needham Branch RR Bridge and going past...
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Stitching the stories of time

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By Harry Kane Hometown Weekly Correspondent Some people say that quilters are the best storytellers. A group of elderly women gather every Friday morning at the Needham Senior Center to shoot the breeze while quilting. And they tell stories, too. “We just come here and bring our projects,” says Cathy Cummings. “Whoever shows up, shows up....
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Needham welcomes home Olympic hero Raisman

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By Michael Flanagan Hometown Weekly Sports Editor People from all across the Bay State gathered in Needham Center on Saturday morning as the town welcomed home Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman following her incredible success at the 2016 Rio Games. Raisman was given a hero’s welcome by many of her close friends and family, not to mention...
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Boosters announce sticker drive

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The Needham High School Boosters Club's annual Sticker Drive fundraiser begins the weekend of September 17-18. Needham High School student athletes will fan out all over Needham's neighborhoods, knocking on doors and asking residents for a contribution to help support the school's 75 athletic teams and 10 clubs. In return, they will receive...
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Rosemary and time in Needham

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By Stephen Press Hometown Weekly Staff When Rosemary Lake closed in 1969 due to issues with water quality, Needham Park and Recreation determined that a temporary pool was the answer. And so it was that Rosemary Pool was born in 1972. Almost half a century later, the "temporary" Rosemary Pool has finally reached the end of...
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Bruins mascot Blades visits Needham Library

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By James Ensor Hometown Weekly Reporter Decked out in black and gold, Blades the Bear stood at the front of the large community room at the Needham Library in front of a crowd of adoring fans both young and old. Kids answered trivia questions, heard a story of how Blades gained his mascot fame, colored...
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