Community Corner

Five Things You Need to Know Today: May 8

An author event, a blood drive, and a forum on kids and technology.

1. Blood drive. The Newton Free Library will host a blood drive today honoring 2-year-old Signe Gaasch, who was diagnosed last summer with brain cancer. Signe is the granddaughter of longtime Newton residents William and Rita Gaasch. Today's blood drive will be held from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

2. Author event. New England Mobile Book Fair will host author Mitchell Zuchoff tonight at 7 p.m. Zuchoff is the author of "Frozen in Time," a "gripping true story of survival, bravery, and honor in the vast Arctic wilderness during World War II." He is also the author of "Lost in Shangri-La."

3. "The Mediatrician" at Newton North. Several Newton PTOs are sponsoring a program tonight titled , a pediatrician and Director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital, Boston. The discussion will include strategies and tips to manage children's use of technology, how to fight the "crowd" mentality and the addictive nature of technology as it relates to children with attention issues. Tonight's free program will be held at 7 p.m. at Newton North.

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4. Subcommittee meetings. The Board of Aldermen's Programs & Services, Public Facilities and Public Safety & Transportation Committees will meet tonight at City Hall. The Programs & Service Committee, which is meeting at 7:45 p.m. in room 222, will continue budget discussions with the Health & Human Services, Senior Services, Solicitor and City Clerk department budgets. In addition, the committee will hold a public hearing on the reorganization involving the merge of the City Clerk and Elections Department. Public Facilities will meet at 7 p.m. in room 209 and Public Safety will meet at 7:45 p.m. in room 202.

5. Film and benefit. The Boston Jewish Film Festival will host a screening of "Paris-Manhattan" tonight at 7 p.m. at the West Newton Cinema. All proceeds from this screening will go to The One Fund Boston to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. 

Find out what's happening in Newtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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