A Resident’s Letter about the Leafblower Ordinance
This letter, written by Newton resident Al Leisinger, was presented to the City Council at the recent meeting of the Council’s Committee on Program and Services. It expresses widespread sentiment that the city ordinance governing the use of leafblowers has in...Biden Defeats Trump
Shortly after 11 AM this morning, the Associated Press and most major networks, including Fox News, declared Joseph Biden, the former Vice President, the victor over incumbent Donald Trump in this fall’s presidential election. It happened when Biden’s lead...Thoughts on Two Wheels
After Friday’s heavy snow, I waited patiently until this morning to get on my bike and pedal through the roads of Newton. The Upper Falls Greenway, soft and icy, was out- OK for walking but not for biking. I knew that that chief danger for me lay in passing over...
A Sukkah for the era of the Pandemic
As you walk, bike,or drive through the Garden City in the early fall, you may observe a temporary hut alongside some of the houses. Called a sukkah, this structure plays a central role in the Jewish festival of Sukkot. The Bible states that the Israelites employed...
Newton Cycling Explicated
Just as not everyone is the same, not every cyclist on the streets of Newton fits a specific type. We might, however, conveniently divide most cyclists into three general categories: Spandex cyclists: You have seen them, singly or in packs, dashing down Beacon Street...Jake Auchincloss in the Lead/Markey Wins
As of 10 AM today, Jake Auchincloss had a lead of more than a thousand votes over Jesse Mermell in the race for Congress in the Fourth District (thank you, Boston Globe). With almost 95% of votes counted, he had 32,640 votes to Mermell’s 31,488. As most of the...
Caring for Cold Spring Park
Life can be tough for citizens’ groups and nonprofits in the Era of the Coronavirus. It’s gotten harder to procure needed funding, and many projects have been put on hold. One local nonprofit, however, has recently celebrated many small victories....
More From the Vineyard
My wife and I made a decision in 1985 that continues to confer blessings to this day. After renting houses on Martha’s Vineyard for brief summer vacations, we decided to purchase a modest summer cottage (for a song!) outside Edgartown on a quiet road near...The Coronavirus and Bicycles
Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York recently declared that though his state’s rates of Covid infections and deaths have fallen precipitously, he expects them to rise again. So many parts of the country are spiking that he views an increase as inevitable. I fear the...Teaching Reading and Writing
During my long career teaching English at Newton South, I had a reputation for assigning lots of reading and writing. No accident: it always seemed to me that whatever else I might do, students should read lots of books and write lots of papers. What better publicity...
On Tour
Lots of thoughts pass through my mind as I wend my way this morning on bike through the streets of the Garden City doing errands. As usual, my thoughts wander to things local, national, and even personal. In my life, this stretch of time is filled with contradictions...
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like