NEWTON CITY COUNCILORS signed off on the wealthy Boston suburb’s first substantial zoning overhaul in more than 35 years, approving a plan on Monday night that aims to bring more housing to region in desperate need of new units, but they balked at going beyond the mandates of a new state law after proponents of […]
Newton
Posted inTransportation
In Newton, a super Tuesday for pro-growth side
ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL, and for some residents in Newton that meant yesterday’s Super Tuesday vote in the presidential primary took a backseat to a question of what would happen in their backyard. The affluent Boston suburb of 88,000 residents has been riven for months by a proposal for a massive mixed-use development project in the […]
Posted inThe Download
In Newton, a super Tuesday for pro-growth side
All politics is local, and for some residents in Newton that meant yesterday’s Super Tuesday vote in the presidential primary took a backseat to a question of what would happen in their backyard. The affluent Boston suburb of 88,000 residents has been riven for months by a proposal for a massive mixed-use development project in […]
Posted inEducation
In Newton, the everyday version of “Varsity Blues” scandal
NEVER MIND BRIBING the college tennis coach and all its potential downsides — like a felony conviction and jail time. It turns out going to Newton North High School also sets up students for an extra edge in the college admission race, with the added bonus of being perfectly legal. There were plenty of jaw-dropping […]
Posted inThe Download
In Newton, the everyday version of “Varsity Blues” scandal
Never mind bribing the college tennis coach and all its potential downsides — like a felony conviction and jail time. It turns out going to Newton North High School also sets up students for an extra edge in the college admission race, with the added bonus of being perfectly legal. There were plenty of jaw-dropping […]
Posted inEducation
Suburbs and the charter school question
HINGHAM DOES NOT look much like the sort of place where a charter school is likely to pop up. While charters schools in Massachusetts are concentrated in lower-income urban communities with struggling district schools and large minority populations, the wealthy South Shore suburb has a median home price of nearly $800,000 and a highly-regarded district school system, with a student population that is 92 percent […]