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The Wellesley Club gets history lesson at January meeting, readies for Town Affairs Night in March

March 10, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

Don Ryan, Wellesley Club
Author Don Ryan speaking at The Wellesley Club

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Courtesy of Sharon Gray

The Wellesley Club is the town’s oldest civic club, established in 1889 for men from all over the still-new town to gather and discuss issues important to the life of residents. Well over a century later, the Club is still bringing together civic-minded Wellesley residents three times a year, hosting speakers who highlight current events, challenging topics, and fascinating history.

The upcoming 250th birthday of the United States inspired the Club’s most recent meeting on January 22, featuring Don Ryan, author of “Colonel William Prescott: Heroic Commander of the Battle of Bunker Hill.” A former economic analyst and consultant, Ryan began volunteering in 2018 for the National Park Service at Bunker Hill National Monument Park. He quickly became fascinated with the under-reported life of Colonel William Prescott and dived deeply into research, eventually turning his new hobby into a book.

Wellesley Club members always love a tale well told, and were lured in by Ryan’s descriptions of Prescott’s heroics on the battlefield against a far more formidable British military, and his service under George Washington until the British were ultimately driven out of Boston in 1776. Ryan also outlined Prescott’s participation in a series of major events during the Revolutionary Era leading to the establishment of the United States Constitution.

Town issues will be the focus of the next meeting of the Wellesley Club, the annual Town Affairs Night on March 16. This annual tradition will recognize members of Town staff and highlight the work of town boards including the Select Board, School Committee, and Advisory Committee.

Interested in exploring membership in the Wellesley Club? Please email info@wellesleyclub.org for more information.

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Filed Under: Clubs, Community, Government, History

     

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‘How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance’ book debuts at Wellesley College

March 9, 2026 by Iris Zhan Leave a Comment

Petra Rivera-Rideau, left, Vanessa Díaz
Petra Rivera-Rideau, left, and Vanessa Díaz, right (Photo by Iris Zhan)

 

On Monday March 2, Wellesley College Professor Petra Rivera-Rideau and Loyola Marymount University Professor Vanessa Díaz debuted their book P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance in Wellesley College’s Alumnae Ballroom.

The authors developed the first and second courses about Bad Bunny in the United States respectively. In 2023, they created the Bad Bunny syllabus, a website with resources that contextualize Bad Bunny success in relation to Puerto Rican politics. They selected a few chapters from their book to talk about how Puerto Rican resistance has shown up in every stage of Bad Bunny’s career, with each chapter assigned to a Bad Bunny song that represents that theme.

Bad Bunny syllabus
Bad Bunny syllabus (Photo by Iris Zhan)

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They shared a clip of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” where Bad Bunny reacts to himself being a subject of college courses. Professor Díaz shared how one of her student’s connections in LA is how Bad Bunny learned about the courses being taught about him. 

“‘Send me your syllabus right now. I’m about to meet Bad Bunny.’ I was so weirded out, and I was like, ‘Do you mean the website or the PDF, but are you joking?’ I think to myself, it’s April 1, this is an April Fool’s joke. Students are playing a practical joke on me. She wrote back to me ‘No, I’m serious.’ And then the next thing you know, I get a video of her having Bad Bunny scroll through the Bad Bunny syllabus website and going, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’”

Bad Bunny on Tonight Show
(Photo by Iris Zhan)

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Díaz and Rivera-Rideau were inspired to use Bad Bunny as a vehicle for teaching the subject because they believe you can’t understand his evolution as an artist at all if you don’t understand Puerto Rican history. Their book “P FKN R” is a tool to motivate people to learn more about Puerto Rican history, and the role of youth and art in resistance movements on the island.

Chapters in the book
Chapters in the book (Photo by Iris Zhan)

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The first chapter they highlight is called “Soy Peor,” a song from his early career days as a SoundCloud rapper. The authors highlight that while it’s a bitter breakup song, there’s political history behind the rise in Latin trap in 2016. They interviewed De La Ghetto, another Latin trap artist, about the growth of Latin trap in the context of a debt crisis Puerto Rico inherited. 

Chapter two is called “Estamos Bien” and touches on Bad Bunny’s mainstream rise to fame and how it relates to Hurricane Maria. For Bad Bunny’s first time on American TV on Jimmy Fallon, he made an effort to speak English, which he doesn’t do often, and called out Trump for his negligence of Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria, all before performing “Estamos Bien.” The song title roughly means “we will be alright,” focused on community resilience post-Hurricane Maria. The authors elaborated on the significance of this moment at this point in his career.

“He’s not a superstar at this point. The risks he’s willing to take as a new artist really show he is going to be showing up for his homeland,” Rivera-Rideau shared.

Bad Bunny has also made a lot of statements around gender identity and advocating for LGBTQ communities, particularly in Puerto Rico. Following the brutal murder of a Puerto Rican trans woman named Alexa Negron, he shows up on Jimmy Fallon with a T-shirt that says “they killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt,” but in Spanish, cementing his reputation for advocating for LGBTQ communities on the island. 

His music video for his 2018 song “Caro” is one of the reasons Rivera-Rideau made her Bad Bunny class, because about 75% of her students wrote a paper about this music video for her Latin music class. This music video starts with him getting his nails painted, a reference to when he was denied entrance into a nail salon in Spain. He swaps places with a model and the pair appear to be an androgynous couple, and the viewer sometimes can’t tell who’s who, on purpose. Later in the video, he gets kissed by a man and by a woman. For a genre like reggaeton that’s hyper masculine, it was a profound moment. 

These were just some of the fruitful discussions which concluded with a book signing and celebratory cake eating. 

Celebrating with a cake with their book in the frosting
Celebrating with a cake with their book cover in the frosting (Photo by Iris Zhan)
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Filed Under: Books, Music, Wellesley College

Nearby in Natick: 219 apartments pitched next to train station; Veteran Service Officer retiring; Neighbors against car wash

March 9, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

The latest news from Natick, Mass.:
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219 apartments pitched next to West Natick train station

The Natick Planning Board on March 25 is set to hear from a developer seeking to build a five-story mixed-used complex with 219 apartment units (330 bedrooms) next to the West Natick commuter rail station where the Natick Crossings retail strip has largely emptied out in recent years.

Gables-Natick-Crossing-1000x558
Envisioned Gables Natick Crossing

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Veterans Service Officer retiring after 16 years on job

Even as he prepares for retirement in late March, Paul Carew always has a moment for veterans stopping in to say hello, or to get assistance with paperwork.
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Natick residents pour cold water on Rte. 9 car wash proposal

Neighbors of a proposed Rte. 9 west car wash pushed back at a late February Natick Planning Board meeting on a project they worry will make their area noisier and less safe.

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Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Natick Report

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Obituary: Priscilla M. Messing

March 8, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

Priscilla M. (Mullins) Messing Of Wellesley, MA, aged 75 years, passed away this past Monday, March 2, 2026, from late-stage lung cancer.

priscilla messing
Priscilla Messing

Priscilla Messing was born in Germantown, PA to Helen Mullins (née Morley) and James Patrick Mullins. The youngest of four, her family moved around quite a bit when she was young. Her mother was a business owner in Dennisport, MA, running the Priscilla Cottages as a bed and breakfast. Priscilla attended Mount St. Joseph Academy and then Temple University in Philadelphia, making lifelong friends and excelling athletically.

Priscilla enjoyed traveling as a young adult before settling in the Boston area, where she worked as a bar manager and met her future husband. She married Robert “Bob” Messing in May 1979, in Wellesley, MA, later making the town their home.

She had a 25-plus year career as a project manager at Fidelity Investments and later at Blue Cross Blue shield; she enjoyed her work immensely. Over the years, she made time for her two children, Julia and Jim and dedicated endless hours to early morning hockey games, trips to Disneyland, the beaches of Cape Cod, baking and gardening.

She retired in 2017, making time to enjoy other interests: European river cruises, the take and leave area at the Wellesley recycling center, golf, going on walks and staying connected with friends and family.

She is survived by her children, Julia Messing of Boulder, CO and James Messing of South Boston; her grandson, Luca Nummy, also of Boulder, CO; and her brother, Chris Mullins of Philadelphia.

Visitation at George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., Wellesley, on Tuesday, March 10, from 4-7pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Paul’s Church, 502 Washington St., Wellesley, on Wednesday, March 11, at 10am. Reception for friends and family will follow at Babson College, 1 Snyder Dr., in Wellesley.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Newton Wellesley Hospital.

For online guestbook, George F. Doherty & Sons Wellesley 781 235 4100


If you’d like us to run a complete obituary of your loved one on Swellesley, please send to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

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Filed Under: Obituaries & remembrances

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Stating the obvious: Wellesley outdoor ice rink closed for season

March 8, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

With temperatures in the 50s, 60s, and maybe even hitting 70 this week as spring nears, Wellesley’s outdoor ice rink near the high school is closed for the season.

This year marked the return of the free outdoor recreation facility for the first time since 2018, and it got plenty of use over the past month or so thanks to the efforts of town employees, elected officials, and volunteers.

outdoor skating rink
Photo by Emma Mullay
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Filed Under: Outdoors

Wellesley town government meetings for week of March 9, 2026: COA director hiring plans; Condo reviews; Advisory Committee on budgets; PBC on school solar panels

March 7, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

A sampling of Wellesley, Mass., meetings and agenda items for the week of March 9, 2026:

Council on Aging senior services director search subcommittee (March 9, 9am, online)

Executive Session for initial interviews of candidates and to continue to discuss initial candidates and qualifications for the position of Council on Aging Director of Senior Services under M.G.L. C.30A, §21(a)(8) since having the discussion in an open session will be detrimental to the COA’s ability to attract qualified applicants for the position, and that Haley Reddish from the Town of Wellesley Human Resources Department be allowed to participate and the subcommittee will NOT return to open session at the conclusion of the executive session

Board of Public Works (March 9, 5pm, online)

Recognition and Correspondence • Encroachment Policy Support • Drought Status Update • Contract Award: Automatic Gate Controller • Contract Award: Warren Park Playground Installation • FY27 Budget – Water & Sewer V5 • FY27 Enterprise Rate Recommendations • FY27 Enterprise Fund Financials – December • Town Meeting Preparation • DPW Monthly Report – February

Planning Board (March 9, 6:30pm, online)

Review and Approve Written Decision for 592 Washington Street Wellesley Square Commercial District Special Permit; Project of Significant Impact (PSI) a. PSI-25-04 – 592 Washington Street – Continued From 2/23/26 b. PSI-26-01 – 26 Washington Street

School Committee (March 10, 6:30pm, online)

Discussion: METCO Job Description; Discussion: AI Advisory Steering Committee & Working Group Update; Discussion: Facilities: Air Conditioning, Hardy & Hunnewell Solar, Facilities Master Plan Task Force; Discussion: Policy JECA – Middle School Pathway Exploration Amendment; Discussion: Policy Subcommittee Policies: JBB – Educational Equity; Discussion/Vote: Updated School Committee Roles: Vice Chair, Policy Subcommittee Member, Climate Action Committee Member, Mobility Liaison, Student Nutrition Advisory Committee (SNAC) Liaison, AI Steering Committee Member

Select Board (March 10, 6:30pm)

Discuss and Vote Traffic Recommendation for PSI-26-01 at 26 Washington Street (First Citizens Bank project); Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Preparation; Executive Session (not public):  M.G.L c. 30A §21(a)(3) to conduct strategy with respect to negotiations with the Wellesley Firefighters, IAFF, Local 179

Advisory Committee (March 11, 6:30pm, Town Hall)

Discuss and Vote ATM Warrant Articles* • Article 2 – Town Wide Financial Plan & Five-Year Capital Budget Program • Article 3 – Consent Agenda • Article 7, Motion 1 – Snow Supplemental • Article 8, Motion 1 – MLP Contribution • Article 8, Motion 2 – FY27 Municipal Operations Budget • Article 8, Motion 3 – FY27 School Budget • Article 8, Motion 4 – Free Cash to balance the FY27 Budget • Article 21 – Comprehensive Plan • Article 32 – Amend the Residential Incentive Overlay (RIO) District *Note: Articles may be discussed and voted out of listed order.

Council on Aging Board (March 11, 4pm, online)

Funding for consultant to assist with search for Director, Senior Services (Vote)

Natural Resources Commission (March 12, 7pm, Town Hall)

Recap FY26 Annual Goals and Initiatives ▪ Town Meeting Preparation ▪ Arts and Craft Swap Sponsorship; Project Updates: Pond Dredging Update, Land Conservation Plan, Miyawaki Forest, Ouellet Field

Permanent Building Committee (March 12, 7:30pm, online)

Warren Building HVAC Project Update; Department of Public Works Recycling & Disposal Facility Administration Building Project Update; Morses Pond Beach and Bathhouse Project Update; School Solar Panel update and discussion

Recreation Commission (March 13, 8am, online)

Morses Pond Operations 2026; Summer Camp 2026 update; WellesleyVeterans Parade: Commission representation; Trail conditions and potential recreation programming support

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Filed Under: Government

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World of Wellesley Community Book Read, “Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen”

March 7, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

Community Book Read, WellesleyEVENT: Community Book Read, sponsored by World of Wellesley
DATE: Thursday, March 26, 2026
TIME: 6:30-7pm, refreshments and connectio; 7pm-9pm, discussion
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, Wakelin Room, 530 Washington Street
COST: Registration is free. Register here
BOOK available with a $15 donation to WOW

DESCRIPTION: Join the World of Wellesley for its annual 2026 Community Book Read, featuring Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas.

Jose Antonio Vargas was sent as a child from the Philippines to his grandparents in the US, only to discover when he applied for a learner’s permit as a teen, that he had come with false documents. In his memoir, Vargas describes his experience of living as an undocumented teen and adult in America, working to get an education and to become a journalist, and then having the courage to share his story publicly and advocate for millions of undocumented people.

The community discussion will explore themes of identity, belonging, courage, and what it truly means to be an American. The evening will include excerpts from Vargas’ podcast, What It Means to Be an American, helping to spark a thoughtful, timely, and engaging conversation.

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Filed Under: Books, Embracing diversity

Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, 2026

Wellesley: A timely reminder to spring ahead this weekend

March 7, 2026 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Daylight Saving Time kicks off this weekend, so don’t forget to “spring ahead” by an hour any clocks that don’t automatically reset on Saturday night heading into Sunday, March 8.

This is also a good time to check your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. Replace smoke alarms after 10 years, and CO alarms based on the manufacturer’s recommendation (typically 5, 7, or 10 years). Always check the manufactured date on the back of the unit. Replace alkaline batteries in alarms that require them.

Wellesley Clock Tower, Spring

 

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Filed Under: Safety

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Mar 10
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Fierce Females: Women in Art

Mar 10
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Mar 13
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Office hours with Wellesley Select Board member Kenny Largess

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Wellesley High School Dramatic Arts Company presents “Fire in the Hole”

Mar 14
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