When the Programs and Services Committee decided last week to study the fields at Newton South before discussing solutions, we rolled our eyes. Conversations about artificial turf at the high school have been flowing for more than three years. The Community Preservation Committee has studied and approved the original proposal supported by Mayor David Cohen. Turf advocates and critics have left no rubber pellets unturned in their analysis of information. There’s barely a question that hasn’t been asked or an answer that hasn’t been provided.

One of the things I hate about living in Newton is that when I go to sports tryouts, camps or other events outside of Newton, people make fun of me.

Over the summer, it was the group of people from the South Shore who didn’t understand why we had to “study” putting in NewTurf at Newton South, and why we didn’t have booster clubs to raise the funds the way they did in their communities.

On Sept. 21, the Board of Aldermen began the process to approve the CPA recommendation to purchase the property on Wabasso Road. They will set in motion the final stage of the Flowed Meadow project.

Newton has at least a few dirty little secrets. First among them is our dependence on supplemental help to teach our kids things they should have learned in school. These days, more school children seek outside help than ever before. I have difficulty finding kids in the school who don’t have at least one tutor.

Should dogs ever be allowed off-leash in public in Newton? This has been a hot topic for many years. Passions have run high on both sides.

Newton has become a haven for victims and Alderman at-Large Ted Hess-Mahan, a class-action attorney who has represented victims, loves to impose victimhood on everyone in Newton.

For years, a sign hung in the window of the Executive Office at City Hall proudly broadcasting one of the priorities of Mayor David Cohen’s administration: Newton is a place where respect for individual and group differences is actively encouraged, and where there is “No Place for Hate.”

Newton is a vital and vibrant community that is home to more than 83,800 residents, a city that by so many measures “works.” But communities are dynamic. Newton faces demographic, economic and social challenges that must be met thoughtfully. How can we ensure that Newton thrives tomorrow as well as it does today?

Michael Stanley Dukakis. The man who would be president. The governor who shaped our state for nearly two decades. The politician who came out of nowhere to defeat the Brahmin lineage of governors and redefine the art of state politics.

As a bookseller, I see a good number of books come and go in blinding fashion. It seems that a book has to make a splash with the reading public immediately or risk permanent residency on the remaindered stack, sold at half-price or worse by publishers under increasing pressure to show a profit, just trying to recoup costs.

What has happened to your two paid columnists? Have they been swept under the rug or on a secret mission to uncover more damaging evidence on our city leaders and school superintendent?

All five candidates running for alderman at-large from Ward 1 deserve our thanks. Newton lawmakers will be faced with defining decisions in the coming years, and we appreciate the dedication and passion of anyone willing to donate his or her time to such time-consuming public service

Welcome, my friend, to the show that never ends. It’s election season, and whether you’re a wide-eyed neophyte, a grizzled veteran campaigner or a battle-worn incumbent, you are about to spend the coming weeks consumed by your campaign.

September is the time to ring in the New Year. Well, that is if you’re a teacher, student or parent. Being a teacher myself, each fall I set some goals I’d like to attain for my new school year, and I encourage my students to do the same.

Newton’s schools, fire stations and other public buildings are in varying states of disrepair, and yet we have reduced the percentage of the city budget being spent on maintenance, repair and renovation of our public facilities in recent years.

On Aug. 14, Watertown severed ties with No Place for Hate and its sponsor, the Anti-Defamation League.

In the aftermath, the ADL has waged a relentless and disingenuous damage control campaign.

It is the time of year when area high school students report to the playing field to try out for a coveted spot on a school team. At schools with highly competitive sports programs, many competent athletes will be cut from those teams and never given the chance to play again in high school.

Anatol’s urban renewal plans are not disturbing. They are most reasonable. Newtonville Centre looks like a village from the 1950s. Yes many people would like to see it remain just as it is. Newton Centre faces the same dilemma.

Thumbs up

To David Boyajian for demonstrating that one person really can make a difference. The Newton resident sent a letter to the editor of the TAB’s sister publication, the Watertown TAB and Press, berating the Anti-Defamation League for failing to recognize the Armenian Genocide of the early 20th century. Boyajian’s letter caught the attention of many in the Armenian-rich community who, in turn, called upon the ADL to change its position, which it has done to some extent. As long as the ADL’s national office does not also support congressional legislation that would officially recognize the genocide, the issue remains unresolved. But with just 215 words, Boyajian set into motion a chain of events that has had positive national, if not international, impact.