The arrest of David Ettlinger, a second grade teacher at Underwood Elementary School in Newton, is facing charges of possession of child pornography, indecent assault and battery on a child and posing a child in the nude, and this has understandably rocked the Newton community. Here are links to articles:
“Ettlinger is now accused of assaulting three children in all, none of whom were his students. Investigators have now identified two alleged victims in Suffolk County and one in Middlesex County.”
“Sources say the pictures were taken without the kids’ knowledge and they are of various body parts…The D.A. stresses the pictures are not pornographic and that the kids are fully clothed and he could not face criminal charges for them. At this point no student was assaulted.”
“Isabel Stover admits when she hired David Ettlinger to babysit last October, everything seemed perfect. Not only was he a local teacher in town, but her 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son approved.”
Newton Teacher Facing Child Porn Charges Resigns from Newton Patch
Newton teacher joined child porn website in 2009, court documents allege from Boston.com
Once again, small quantities of screened (3/4″ minus) compost are available to Newton residents at Rumford Ave, free of charge. Residents can fill small buckets, containers, etc. for their own use on their own properties for small projects.
No businesses or commercial trucks allowed. Compost will be available on a first come, first serve basis and there may be limited availability depending on the current status of the compost finishing process.
If you are a commercial landscaper or a resident looking to acquire more than 3 cubic yards of compost, please call Customer Service at 617.796.1000. Thank you.
I consider it a public service to find good food and tell everyone about it – even if it impacts me directly, as in I will no longer be able to get in the door at a favorite place. I got a tip from a friend and was delighted to discover Max & Leo’s Artisan Pizza in Newton Corner. Open only three months, the place was hopping on Saturday night with regulars streaming in for take-out or waiting patiently for a seat (it has a nice beer selection). With only 15 seats (two tables, a few seats at the bar and some counter space), it looks like it should expand and fast. You can build your own pizza or order one of their wonderful menu options. We had three pizzas (there were six of us – two adults and four children) and had to take two pieces home. What did we order? Three different pizzas, of course and they were all delicious. Great toppings, wonderful crust and amazing service.
Their coal fired (yes, coal fired) oven runs at 900 degrees and can cook a pizza in two to three minutes. Coal? Really? Go read why here. Started by twin brothers Max and Leo Candidus, the place is obviously a labor of love. They even have a portable oven that travels to cater events. How fun is that? For me, I am happy to have found a great new pizza place to put in our rotation
A toddler gymnastics class was something that all my three kids did. I think I did it to tire them out and for my own sanity because it got us out of the house into the company of adults. Over the years, we’ve been to most of these places either for a class or a birthday party. There are a few requisites that I now have on my list as I select a gymnastics studio:
Good parking.
Safe, clean gymnastics space.
Friendly instructors who can get my kid to come inside.
Adequate space for waiting with younger siblings including seating for me.
Adequate space to store kid’s shoes.
That’s it. I went to high school with a world class gymnast named Rhonda Schwandt. Her dad taught Driver’s Dd at the high school and he actually taught me to drive. She placed 6th in the Pan Am games one year prior to the Olympics. She was slated to go to the Olympics too but that was the year we boycotted because the then Soviet Union was the host country. By her senior year, Rhonda’s knees and one shoulder were shot and she had been through numerous surgeries. I met her on the swim team because she was only allowed to swim as rehab exercise. It turns out that she was a fast sprinter and an amazing diver. Rhonda went on to UCLA on a full ride but I heard that she was never healthy enough to compete again.
That’s my cautionary tale against hard core gymnastics for girls. And here is a list of all the great places for kids to do gymnastics in Newton.
Energy Fitness and Gymnastics, 70 Jaconnet Street (off Needham Street)
We’ve gone here for years. It has all the requirements including great gymnastics classes for toddlers and they don’t have a competitive team. They are very nice too!
Kenneth C. Brennan, president and CEO of The Village Bank, announced today that the Bank’s Auburndale Community Charitable Foundation will award a total of $40,000 in college scholarships to Newton and Wayland residents who are graduating from high school this year and intending to pursue studies at an accredited college or university in the fall.
The Foundation will award 10 one-time $2,000 scholarships and two $10,000 scholarships that will be allocated upon successful completion of the first semester of each of the student’s four academic years.
To be eligible for one of the two $10,000 scholarships, a student must have demonstrated active involvement in local community and/or charitable causes.
“The Village Bank has always had a strong commitment to the community,” said Brennan. “The special $10,000 scholarships give us the opportunity to recognize local students who share that commitment.”
While the $2,000 scholarships also take into account an applicant’s community/charitable experience, it is not a requirement for consideration. The scholarships will be presented upon successful completion of the students’ first semester.
Each of the scholarship awards can be applied toward college tuition, room and board or supplies. Requirement information and application forms are available at local high schools and at The Village Bank branches in Auburndale, Newtonville, Nonantum, Newton Highlands, Waban, West Newton and Wayland, and online by clicking here. Completed applications must be received by the Bank no later than April 13, 2012.
Auburndale Community Charitable Foundation scholarships are funded in part by the Bank’s Annual Golf Classic each fall. The scholarship program began in 1998 with the announcement of five $2,000 scholarships to be awarded to members of that year’s graduating class.
The Foundation’s total investment in education since the program began will total $390,000 with this year’s awards, according to Brennan.
I find that I need a constant reminder of what is allowed in the recycle bin and what is not. The City of Newton sends out a flyer once a year and I save that but it seems to go missing when I have a question. Note that Alkaline batteries have a newish policy: No alkaline batteries made after 1994 need to be recycled in a special way– these do not contain mercury and are safe to dispose of with regular trash.
SCHEDULE AND DIRECTIONS
Rumford Avenue Resource Recovery Center
(Accepted Materials)
OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY FROM 7:30AM-2:30PM*; SATURDAYS FROM 7:30AM – 12:30PM*
CLOSED ON SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS.
Materials
How to Prepare
Not Accepted
Appliances and Freon Items
washers, dryers,water heaters,refrigerators, freezers, A/CsCan also schedule a curbside pick up ($12/stop)
Computers and electronics are ONLY accepted for curbside pick up and on special collection days. Click here for more information
Automotive Fluid
• Accept used motor oil and antifreeze•Also accept used oil filters (transmission and diesel)
Newton residents only; no business or commercial accepted. No five gallon containers accepted
Batteries
•Rechargeable batteries• Button cell batteries (from watches, hearing aids, calculators, etc)•Nickel Cadmium, Lead Acid, and other non-alkaline batteries•Click here for more options
No alkaline batteries made after 1994 – these do not contain mercury and are safe to dispose of with regular trash
Books
ALERT:Temporarily closed will re-open soon.To donate books, visit ourRecyclopedia.
Cardboard
•Corrugated Cardboard Boxes – do not need to be flattened, there is a compactor at the Recycling Depot
•Also accept chargers•Are donated to a charitable organization for recycling or refurbishing•Also accepted at Customer Service Center in City Hall
Clothing
•Clean, useable clothing to be donated to charitable organizations
Computer Monitors and TVs
ALERT:These items are now only accepted curbside.Please click here to schedule a special collection.($12/stop)Also accepted one Saturday a month, click here for dates.
Please click here to schedule a special collection.
Containers
•Glass containers (clear, green, and brown)•All Stiff Plastic Containers (#1-#7)•Metal Cans and Foil (aluminum and steel cans, empty aerosol cans, and aluminum foil and trays)· Please rinse out containers
•No food waste•No Plastic bags•No styrofoam, even if it has a #6
Electronics
ALERT: These items are now only accepted curbside.Please click here to schedule a special collection.Scrap electronics, such as printers, fax machines, toaster ovens, coffee makers, stereos, fans, etc.•Consider donating working electronics, seedonation list.
Please click here to schedule a special collection.Also accepted one Saturday a month, click here for dates.
•If possible, bring in original packaging•Accept all types of fluorescent bulbs
•Do not tape together•Do not crush bulbs
Lawn Mowers
•Remove gas tank
Can also schedule a curbside collection.
Mercury-containing devices
• Thermometers, thermostats, mercury switches, elemental mercury, and flowmeters•Do not throw away with trash, mercury is a hazardous material and must be disposed of properly
Paint
Latex paint is NOT accepted at Hazardous Waste collections.
•For Paint Exchange
(2011 dates: May 11th through October 14th; Mon-Fri, 7:30am-2:30pm)•Accept good, reusable latex and oil paint and paint products•Cans must be at least half full, useable, and less than 3 years old
•No paint older than 3 years•Small amounts of paint can be dried out and safely disposed of with trash, please remove lids (can use kitty litter/sand to expedite the process)
Paper
•Clean, white office paper•Mixed Paper – junk mail, newspaper, magazines, computer paper, paperboard (cereal, cracker, and shoe boxes, etc .- remove liners), folders, notebooks, phone books, etc. Plasticwindows, staples, and paper clips are acceptable.•Milk and juice carton and aseptic packaging, please rinse and flatten
•No paper plates, no paper cups, no tissue paper, no wax paper, and no plastic bags•No soiled paper
Printer Cartridges
•Laser and inkjet cartridges•Also accepted at Customer Service Center at City Hall
Propane Tanks
Must be emptied Will also accept EMPTY Helium tanks and fire extinguishers.However, most fire extinguishers can be recharged.
Scrap Metal
Metal desks, file cabinets, wire hangers, bikes, other metal pieces
Can also schedule a curbside collection.
Styrofoam
For a limited time, we will accept clean, white Styrofoam
Sharps Disposal Information for Newton residents: Sharps are needles and lancets used at home to inject medicine into people or pets. Properly disposing of sharps helps keep potentially harmful products out of the waste stream. A new state law takes effect July 1, 2012 that prohibits people from disposing of needles and lancets in the trash.
Household sharps are accepted for disposal at City Hall Customer Service and the Newton Health Department during regular business hours, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays until 8 p.m. Sharps must be in a red medical waste or other sturdy plastic container. See the brochure at www.newtonma.gov on the Health page for more specific information. Questions? Call 617-796-1420.
1294 Center Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459 Directions
Telephone numbers:
Main number (617) 796-1420
Fax (617) 552-7063
Department Head: Dori Zaleznik, MD dzaleznik@newtonma.gov
City Hall Customer Service
Newton City Hall
1000 Commonwealth Ave
Newton Centre, MA 02459
617-796-1000
The City of Newton is highlighting heart health in recognition of February Heart Month. Look for new programs, interactive opportunities, and, most of all, tips on how you can lead a healthier life. “Heart month is a great time to take a step back and think about what we can be doing for ourselves and our families to lead healthier lives year-round,” said Dori Zaleznik, MD, Newton’s Commissioner of Health and Human Services.
The city, in partnership with Cataldo Ambulance Service, will be drawing attention to the Automated External Defibrillator program, offering a CPR/AED training course and sharing healthy tips on the city website at www.newtonma.gov. To kick things off, the American Heart Association (AHA) has simplified heart disease prevention with Life’s Simple 7 and the My Life Check Assessment.
These free online tools can help individuals to evaluate their heart health in the privacy of their own homes, learn more about seven risk factors for heart disease, and take action to make simple changes that can both improve quality of life and save lives.
The 7 steps recommended by the AHA are:
* Get active.
* Control cholesterol.
* Eat better.
* Manage blood pressure.
* Lose weight.
* Reduce blood sugar.
* Stop smoking.
Learn about these 7 risk factors and how to take small steps toward controlling risk at www.mylifecheck.heart.org The American Heart Association also has great tips and resources for families at their Healthier Kids website www.heart.org/healthierkids Fun activities include a Healthy Challenge Scavenger Hunt you can do in the home, and a My Family Health Tree to help guide blood relative family health history research.
I want to take my kids maple sugaring this year so I researched places near Newton. Have you been maple sugaring? What is your favorite place? Please leave a comment.
From Mass Audubon Society:
The Art of Nature: Sugaring Off, Ipswich River – 2/18/12
February Vacation Adventure Days, Ipswich River – 2/21/12
Winter Vacation: New England Winter, Age 4-K (AM), Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12
Winter Vacation: New England Winter, Age 4-K (PM), Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12
Winter Vacation: Winter Explorers, Gr. 2-3, Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12
Winter Vacation: Winter Naturalists, Gr. 4-6, Drumlin Farm – 2/21/12
February Flapjack Fling & Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 2/25/12
Sip Some Sap, Drumlin Farm – 2/29/12
Maple Magic, Drumlin Farm – 3/2/12
Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/3/12
Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/4/12
Sweet and Sappy – Maple Sugaring, Boston Nature Center – 3/4/12
Maple Sugar Days, Blue Hills Trailside Museum – 3/10/12
Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/10/12
Maple Sugaring Hike, Boston Nature Center – 3/10/12
Maple Sugaring Tours, Ipswich River – 3/11/12
Maple Sugaring Festival 1., Moose Hill – 3/11/12
The Secret Life of Maple Syrup, Habitat – 3/13/12
Tree to Table 1, Moose Hill – 3/14/12
Tree to Table 2, Moose Hill – 3/14/12
From Sap to Sweet—The Art of Maple Sugaring (from Mass Audubon): Historical Roots
Native Americans were perhaps the first to discover that sap from maple trees could be processed into maple syrup. One popular oral legend is that a Native American chief hit a sugar maple tree with his tomahawk and the sap began to flow. The clear liquid that dripped from the split in the tree collected in a container on the ground. His wife used the liquid to cook venison and discovered that the meat and the sweet liquid that remained were delicious. Another theory: the Native people observed squirrels, sapsuckers, spring moths, and butterflies drinking from open wounds in trees.
From Sap to Tap
A spout placed inside a tap hole
where the sap will flow
New England maple syrup is produced during a short four- to six-week sugar window typically from early February into April. Conditions are optimum when the temperature rises above freezing during the day and then drops below freezing at night. This fluctuation in air temperature is vital, causing pressure to develop in the tree, which allows the sap to flow. As the maple sap flows up from the roots of the tree during the day, the maple syrup producer, or “sugarmaker,” taps the tree. Tapping involves boring a hole into the tree and placing a spout inside the tap hole. The sap runs out of the tree and lands in a bucket connected to the spout. Does this process harm the tree? When guidelines are followed and only healthy trees are tapped, no damage to the trees results. It’s estimated that tapping removes only 10 percent of a tree’s sugar—an amount too small to harm a healthy tree under normal conditions.
Maple Syrup in the Making
Traditional maple syrup buckets or a complex piping system can deliver up to hundreds of gallons of fresh sap to a large gathering tank. From the gathering tank, the sap flows into a sugarhouse through a filter to an evaporator, where it is boiled, removing water from the sap.
As the sap continues to boil the liquid becomes sweeter, i.e. it’s sugaring content increases and changes to an amber color. Before the sap starts to evaporate, it has about 2 to 2 1/2 percent sugar content. (The sugar content in trees changes as the season progresses; sugar maple trees have the highest concentration of sugar).
After the boiling process, the sugar content is about 66 percent. Next the maple syrup is put through another filter to remove “sugar sand,” which develops during the boiling and evaporation process. The maple syrup is then stored in stainless-steel drums for hot packaging into retail containers.
Where Else to Go
North Hadley Sugar Shack: open Wednesday through Sunday from Feb. 17th – April 18th for their pancake breakfast and sugaring tours.
South Face Farm, Ashfield, MA: Come visit us during maple sugaring season in March and early April. Our sugarhouse is always open for visitors, and on weekends our sugarhouse restaurant serves homemade pancakes, waffles, corn fritters, and many other special maple goodies. Try a stack of French Toast made with fresh homemade bread, topped with justmade maple syrup. Because maple sap flow depends on just the right weather conditions, you may want to call ahead and see if we are boiling when you plan to visit.
Harwick Sugar Shack: Join us for an Open house at Hardwick Sugar Shack every Sunday in March from 11-4 pm. Follow the process of making maple syrup from tree to tasting. During the open house you can sample the finished product, visit the horses, see the old-fashioned way of making syrup and enjoy hot mulled maple cider.
The Warren Farm, North Brookfield, MA: Open for guided sugaring tours Sat. & Sun. February 26th through March 27th, 2011, 11:30 and 2:00
The whole family will enjoy this fascinating visit to a New England sugaring operation.
We’ll share stories about the Native Americans’ role in the early history of sugaring, then continue by demonstrating colonial methods and tools for collecting and boiling. During a quick trip to our woods you’ll explore two different systems used today, and will have an opportunity to see new technology. Aspects of nature, science, meteorology, and math will be woven into the presentation. The tour heads to the sugarhouse, where a large evaporator stands ready to receive sap from collection tanks outside. Here, everyone will learn how sap is boiled into syrup, and see the equipment and gauges needed for this process. We’ll end back at the picnic table area for more stories and sampling. Boiling is weather dependent, so the tours are not based on our ability to boil. This is certainly a tradition that has something of interest for all ages!
New this year! You may also choose to just come and walk around the farm on your own at no charge and without reservations. The Sweet Traditionsmovie will be playing throughout the day in the greenhouse, and you can poke around the tour areas when groups are not using them. $5 Admission for ages 4 and up.
Some picture books to get the kids excited. Click on image to read reviews at Amazon.
If you are thinking of DIY, these books might be helpful!
And a maple sugar memoir with instructions!
Once you load up on maple sugar, purchased or homemade, here’s what to do with it!
Starting a business with a friend can be tricky endeavor, but it’s working for Celeste Woodside and Laura Viale of Well Within on Washington Street (between Cabots and Whole Foods). As business owners, they each balance the other’s strengths and weaknesses. In fact, it’s this collaborative culture that infuses Well Within with an integrative approach.
Not only do they offer multiple modalities that includes massage (many, many types!), yoga, accupuncture, mat pilates, guided meditation, Reiki and holistic health coaching for nutrition, but they will actually refer clients to outside wellness practitioners if they feel that is best for the client!
Let’s meet them!
1. When did you decide to work together? Celeste Woodside
Celeste: “We have worked together in the integrative health community for 8 years and have developed a wonderful friendship during that time. We both shared office space in Newton for about 5 years before coming together in October of 2010 to form Well Within.”
2. Tell me about your families. How many kids and what ages?
Laura Viale
Laura: “I remember the day we were running around Newton Town Hall with kids in tow and thinking, “What are we getting ourselves into??” I had my 2 year old daughter, and Celeste had her 4 year old daughter and her 6 month old son. We had just made the decision to create Well Within and had to file the proper documents with the town. Since we were in a time crunch, we had to get many things done without childcare – it was a bit interesting, but we pushed through and made it happen. Celeste and I are blessed with supportive, loving husbands, and our joyful children.
Celeste has two beautiful children: her super smart, energetic 5 year old daughter, who is an avid gymnast and clearly has her parents’ gifts of creativity; and her adorable son, who will be 2 in a couple weeks and just idolizes his big sister. My happy 3 year old daughter keeps us entertained with endless “dance recitals” in every room of our house. Our extended families have also been incredibly supportive of us in every way allowing us extra time to do what it takes run a proper business.”
3. What is the most challenging aspect of juggling your own business with parenting and taking care of yourself?
Celeste: “Time. More specifically, not having enough. We are definitely learning (on the job training) the delicate and unique art of how a work-from-home-and-also-in-the-office-stay-at-home(ish)-PTO-Mom gets the job(s) done. The gas in the tank comes, not-surprisingly, from practicing what we preach … eating well, moving our bodies, being mindful, getting good sleep (when children allow) and making time for relaxation. With this fuel, we are more grounded and energized and can use our time more thoughtfully. We’ve learned that turning off all devices, getting down on the floor and building a block tower for 20 minutes or so, followed by a good snuggle is a really effective way to get a toddler to understand that sometimes you have to answer emails.”
4. What made you decide to take an integrative approach to health?
Laura: “One of the reasons our private practices were quite successful was because we actively sought out opportunities to work in combination with other health care practitioners to improve the results of our clients’ treatments. The dramatic improvements our clients experienced when integrating treatments really inspired us to create a place where our clients could come and utilize both massage and acupuncture, for example, to relieve their symptoms. The team approach of our staff and the variety of services available, gives us a great opportunity to really make a difference in the health and wellness of our clients.”
5. You also have a blog? Tell me more! What do you write about?
Celeste: “In our blog we talk about all things integrative health. We share articles we love, have guest posts by other local wellness professionals (and authors!) and sometimes we even talk about our kids!”
Well Within is going to host a FREE event in March for cancer patients and their caregivers. They will enjoy a day of pampering and treatments and go home with a goody bag. More on that later…
The arrest of David Ettlinger, a second grade teacher at Underwood Elementary School in Newton, is facing charges of possession of child pornography, indecent assault and battery on a child and posing a child in the nude, and this has understandably rocked the Newton community. Here are links to articles:
