Hello, Lexington!
Good morning and welcome to this week’s LexObserver news roundup.
Surprise…We’re over the MOON to unveil our new website for you after preparing for this transition throughout April.
We were previously on Squarespace; now, we’re hosted by Newspack, a platform designed specially for news organizations. This newsletter is a product of the new platform, which is why it looks somewhat different. We’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter style and the new site, and as always, we welcome your suggestions; we’re especially interested in whether you prefer to have stories as newsletter sections, with all text in the email body, or as separate links, the way they are today. Feel free to share any feedback with sophie@lexobserver.org.
Now, this week’s news.
In this issue:
- Lexington’s state reps express horror, need for further action in response to draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
- Businesses in Lexington Center describe impacts, challenges, opportunities of Center Streetscape construction.
- There’s a new bakery in town – and in its first few days of business on Marrett Rd, Bread Obsession is living up to its name.
- COVID-19 Weekly Update: Cases decrease slightly at Lexington Public Schools.
- Community Announcements: Lexington in The New Yorker; celebrate Earth Day in May next Saturday; AAPI Photography Exhibition at Cary Library through June.
Lexington’s state reps express horror, need for further action in response to draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade
On the local level, Lexington’s staunchly pro-choice State House delegation was appalled by the news and said the state has more work to do to protect the autonomy and healthcare of women in and out of Massachusetts.
Keep reading
Businesses in the Town Center react to Streetscape Construction
How are businesses handling the ongoing project a couple weeks into its latest phase? LexObserver spoke with employees at four local establishments directly abutting current construction.
Keep reading
There’s a new bakery in town – and in its first few days of business, Bread Obsession is living up to its name
This is something of a homecoming for the woman-owned business; the owners are both Lexingtonians, and already had a loaf called the ‘Lexington sourdough.’
Keep readingCOVID-19 Weekly Update
Cases decrease slightly at Lexington Public Schools
- At press time, the Town’s COVID-19 dashboard had not been updated with this week’s numbers. Last week, Lexington had 83 new recorded COVID-19 cases as of April 28, down from 93 the previous week.
- At Lexington Public Schools, cases decreased slightly after last week’s post-spring-break bump. As of Thursday, 85 students or staff were absent who had tested positive, while 3 students were on quarantine; last week, as of April 28, no students were on quarantine, but 90 staff or students were absent who had tested positive.
Community Announcements
- In case you missed it — Lexington in The New Yorker (!): Environmentalist and author Bill McKibben grew up in Lexington and graduated from LHS in 1978. He writes about his memories of the Town in his new memoir, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened, due out May 31. In a New Yorker article drawn from his book, McKibben explores “The Second (and Third) Battle of Lexington.” You’ll have to read the piece to find out what he’s talking about (…hint: think Vietnam War and affordable housing). The article is a gem which puts the Town’s past(s) in conversation with its present; it’s worth reading to the end.
- Celebrate Earth Day in May next Saturday (from Mandy Smith): Earth Day is technically April 22; that’s right after Patriots’ Day in the middle of schools’ spring break, so some community groups are hosting Lexington’s first ‘Earth Day in May’ this year, when the weather is likely to be nicer anyway. A collaboration among several of the Town’s green groups, Earth Day in May was conceived as a way to educate residents about changes they can make in their daily lives that, taken together, can have a significant impact on our planet’s climate and biodiversity crises. About 20 residents will offer tours of their green projects (solar panels, heat pumps, native gardens, etc.), as will organizations like LexFarm and Lexington Living Landscapes, and there will be a central hub at the Visitors Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring Revision Energy’s Tiny Climate Classroom and several other displays and activities. You can learn more here.
- AAPI Photography Exhibition at Cary Library ongoing this month and next month (from Melanie Lin, CAAL Co-President): Lexington promotes and embraces ethnic diversity for a healthy and vibrant community. For years, Lexington Asian citizens have been engaged in the Lexington community in all respects. This exhibition is a collection of photos and student artwork that reflect Asian citizens’ community activities in community building, civic engagement, culture celebration and arts. The exhibit “Asians in Lexington: One Village, One Dream” will be on display through June 30 in multiple library galleries.
That’s a wrap for today. Was this roundup useful to you? What do you want to see in this email next week? Let us know, and please ask your friends to sign up and DONATE too! Reach out to sophie@lexobserver.org with tips and questions anytime. As always, you can also check out and share our website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. Thanks so much for reading and have a great weekend!
With gratitude,
Nicco Mele, Sophie Culpepper and the LexObserver Team
Edited by Craig Sandler
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