Five Things You Need to Know This Week: Dec. 17-23

1. School Committee meeting.

The Newton School Committee will hold a special meeting on Monday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Education Center to discuss Superintendent goals as well as budget guidelines. 

2. Board of Aldermen meeting. 

The Newton Board of Aldermen will meet Monday, Dec. 17 at 7:45 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chamber at City Hall. The board will take up a number of items tonight, including a potential vote on the Upper Falls Greenway. The vote would authorize the city to enter into a 99-year lease with the MBTA for roughly a mile of unused rail bed that runs parallel to Needham Street to convert it into a recreational pathway. The full reports docket for Monday night is included in the .pdf section to the right. 

3. Riverside Station public hearing continues.

On Tuesday, Dec. 18, the Board of Aldermen's Land Use Committee will continue its public hearing on the proposed Riverside Station mixed-use development project. During the last meeting, the MBTA offered some details about the garage that will be constructed on the site. Mass Dept. of Transportation representatives are expected to attend Tuesday's hearing, which starts at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Aldermanic Chamber at City Hall. 

4. Free flu clinics.

Both the Newton Dept. of Health & Human Services and the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce will be offering free flu clinics on Tuesday, Dec. 18. The city will hold its clinic at the Newton Free Library from 4:15 p.m. - 6 p.m. and the Chamber will hold a clinic at its Needham Street offices from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Check out this article for more details. 

5. Luke's Lights celebration. 

The "Luke's Lights" organization was born of a wish by Luke Voss-Kernan’s friends and family to keep the memory of Luke alive. Voss-Kernan tragically passed away earlier this year while on a cross-country trip with friends. 

at the Newton Highlands Congregational Church. All proceeds will go toward a project of Unite-to-Light, which brings lights to communities around the globe that otherwise live in darkness. 

Tickets are $20 and the fee goes toward two LED lights that are sent a community in need.