Graduatin’ in the rain
By Frederica Saylor Lalonde
Despite a very wet Monday night, the Needham High School hill was packed as the graduating class of 2023, abuzz with anticipation, filed onto Memorial Field. After the opening ceremonies, Esha Kelkar, the first student speaker, approached the podium. In lieu of a valedictorian or salutatorian, Needham offers students the opportunity to submit a speech […]
Wingate to increase independent living options for seniors
By Peter O’Neil
The Needham Planning Board voted unanimously last month to approve the construction of 72 independent living apartments and the addition of a third floor to the Wingate Residences facility at 589 Highland Ave. The units will be built at the site that formerly was home to a 142-bed skilled nursing facility that closed in April […]
Police add full-time clinician due to surge in mental health calls
By Daniel Barbarisi
Like everything else, policing changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The types of calls and issues local law enforcement is dealing with have shifted, with Needham seeing far more mental health-related calls than before — to the extent that Needham police are changing their staffing and how they do business. “That was something that we were […]
Castle Farm purchase lingers in limbo
By Peter O’Neil
Needham’s plans to coordinate with a Concord real estate developer to purchase and develop the Castle Farm property off Charles River Street as a combined open space and townhouse development remain stalled. Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly last October to authorize $2.5 million in debt to purchase a significant portion of the 64-acre property and preserve […]
Carmen Fields notes her father’s place in jazz history
By Jeanne Hopkins
He led one of the most successful Black “territory” bands of the early Jazz and Swing eras. His friends included Count Basie and Duke Ellington. His orchestra topped the Billboard chart in the 1950s with a Gold Record. His name was Ernie Fields, and his daughter, Needham resident Carmen Fields, shares his story in her […]
Needham scores Ryan Madden as new Athletic Director
By Frederica Saylor Lalonde
Taking over one of the largest athletic programs in the state could be daunting, but Ryan Madden is excited for the challenge. This winter when Dan Lee, six-year athletic director of the Needham Public Schools, announced he was leaving to take a job at his alma mater in the Lincoln-Sudbury school district, Madden knew he […]
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