A landscaper using a gas-powered leaf blower
According to Lexington Police Chief Michael McLean, since May 31 of this year, “the Dispatch Center has received 22 complaints of landscapers violating the seasonal ban on gas powered leaf blowers” as of Aug. 31. (Sophie Culpepper / LexObserver)

Hello, Lexington!

Good morning and welcome to LexObserver’s first weekly news roundup of this fall!

As mentioned in last week’s final summer newsletter, our weekly roundups now go out on Friday mornings. In most roundups, we’ll aim to cover one to three stories per week, as well as the latest community announcements and letters to the editor (when we have submissions). This edition has four stories, since it’s our first week back and there’s a lot to cover…but one to three will be the norm in future weeks! And, we still plan to share a feature exploring an important topic in Lexington every four to six weeks along the lines of our summer reporting.

Happy Friday, and here’s this week’s news.

In this issue:


Following July departure of Lexington’s inaugural Chief Equity Officer, Town continues its search for a replacement

Former Chief Equity Officer Martha Duffield stepped down from the position after working for the Town for about a year; Lexington is “in the process of recruiting” for her replacement

After serving as Lexington’s first-ever Chief Equity Officer for about a year, Martha Duffield announced that she would leave the position at a July 11 Select Board meeting. Her last day was July 20, and the Town is still in the process of recruiting for her replacement.

Keep reading

In first summer of Lexington’s gas-powered leaf blower seasonal restrictions, compliance remains uneven

Lexington Police Department has received 22 officially documented complaints of violations through Dispatch Center as of Aug. 31, additional complaints through other channels; lack of bylaw awareness continues to pose challenges

On a sweltering afternoon in late August, many a Lexington street is quiet and still – the picture of idyllic suburban summer. But wandering among the carefully tended lawns north of the Battle Green, an unmistakable drone punctuates that quiet.

Keep reading

In Tuesday’s state primary, contested down-ballot races took center stage for some Lexingtonians

Final certified results show a 29% turnout among registered Lexington voters; local results diverged from statewide outcomes for Democratic District 3 Governor’s Council, state auditor nominations and Republican governor, lieutenant governor nominations

Though a dreary Tuesday brought much-needed rain to Massachusetts, fewer than one in three Lexingtonians turned out to vote in a state primary full of down-ballot surprises and close calls.

Keep reading

Community Submissions

We accept announcements and press releases from community members and organizations for publication on our Community Submissions page. These should be brief (under 200 words) and up to two photos may be submitted. Examples might include upcoming fundraisers for non-profits, cultural celebrations, lectures, or event announcements. Ads or direct appeals for donations will not be accepted. We reserve the right to determine which submissions are appropriate for publication on this page.

COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS ARE SEPARATE FROM AND DO NOT REFLECT OUR NEWS REPORTING.

To submit a community announcement, please contact community@lexobserver.org. Thank you!

(And if you’d like to submit a letter to the editor, learn how to do that here!)


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 websiteTwitterInstagram and Facebook pages. Thanks so much for reading and have a great weekend!

With gratitude,
Nicco Mele, Sophie Culpepper, Erin Sandler-Rathe and the LexObserver Team

Edited by Erin Sandler-Rathe

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The Lexington Observer is a hyperlocal, digital-first news nonprofit. Our mission is to increase understanding and participation in Lexington, Massachusetts through community journalism about our town. Want to support that mission? You can donate below.

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