The Lexington Observer

His studio was modest, with wood-paneled walls, gray carpet and a low plastered ceiling. The drum kits that filled the space were the only exception, their shiny metal and lacquered finishes catching what little light filtered through the room’s single window. Students traveled many miles to this basement, in a quiet house on Winchester Drive in Lexington, for a single drum lesson (one student purportedly flew down from Canada every other week).

This November, buried at the end of a long ballot (past all of the statewide questions), you’ll find a local question about legislative stipends. It’s easy to overlook, even easier to underestimate, but it’s essential not to because it’s one of the most important accountability measures Lexington voters will see this year. Right now, the House Speaker and Senate President control $5.4 million in extra pay, distributing stipends in ways that reward loyalty rather than public service.

Massachusetts voters look like they’ve largely made up their minds on two of the highest-profile questions on the November ballot. They seem on track to retain legalized recreational marijuana and a sweeping new gun law passed in 2024, according to a new poll.

Wednesday September 30 @ 7pm Local News Every Friday Morning We'll deliver a roundup of Lexington's news to your inbox every Friday morning — original reporting, police updates, real estate sales, and more. Lexington Venue 1794 Massachusetts Avenue https://lexingtonvenue.com

In 2016, Mona Roy sat in the back seat with her grieving mother as her husband drove to her father’s cremation. Cars queued behind them as the funeral procession tracked toward Bridgeport, Connecticut, the nearest crematory capable of performing the havan ceremony, a Hindu end-of-life ritual that requires the eldest son of the deceased to light the flame that starts the ceremony. “Grief became logistics,” Roy wrote in a letter this spring.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom has been a big conversation this back-to-school season. How are districts across the country dealing with the increasingly popular and accessible tools? Two of the largest districts, New York City and Los Angeles, have banned the AI in most classrooms. On the other end of the spectrum, the Alpha School, a kindergarten through 12th grade private school that replaces traditional teachers with AI, is rapidly opening campuses across the country.

The Community Preservation Committee is currently accepting applications for Community Preservation Act funding for the 2028 fiscal year.

Join us on Sunday, October 18 from 5-8 p.m. as we gather at Follen Church in Lexington to celebrate community, culture, and compassion at LexRAP’s Annual Fundraiser Dinner! You’ll enjoy a catered feast of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, hear powerful stories of resilience and hope, and share in a collective commitment to making a difference in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in our community. Tickets on sale now through midnight, October 16, and sell out every year.

Local News Every Friday Morning We'll deliver a roundup of Lexington's news to your inbox every Friday morning — original reporting, police updates, real estate sales, and more. Tuesday September 29 @ 6pm Lexington Venue 1794 Massachusetts Avenue lexingtonvenue.com

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