No fooling: We’ve launched Natick Report

April 1, 2020 by Bob Brown 14 Comments

Entering Natick, Bob and Deb Sure, there’s plenty in Wellesley to keep you and us busy. Still, we’ve been plotting and scheming for years to expand our publishing empire. Natick is the natural choice.

Why Natick? Because we bought our first house there, a small Cape near the other Roche Bros. Once we checked that box, we had babies and brought them to the Natick Cooperative Playgroup, where we all got properly socialized. Heck, we still have besties in town who we’d lay down in traffic for. So that’s why Natick. We may have lived there for only eleven years, but those were seriously formative years, people. What’s more, our current property spans both Wellesley and a wee bit of Natick, and most of our immediate neighbors live in Natick.

As we do with Swellesley, we’ll strive to make Natick Report a central source of news and information about the town for residents, those who work here, and visitors. With that voice of ours to boot. So of course we’d launch it on April 1 in the midst of a health crisis.

There might even be room for some good old-fashioned Natick-Wellesley rivalry content, not to mention articles of interest to both towns. We’ll definitely be reaching out to our friends in Wellesley, Natick and wherever to help on this venture.

The Swellesley Report started out as a highfalutin hobby. An experiment in civic duty we took on in the spirit of exploring online community journalism, if you will. The hobby then turned into a beast, which we’ve wrestled into a revenue-producing career. Fine, maybe it’s actually online journalism and its 24/7 demands that have wrestled us into submission, but we’re not complaining. In fact, we’re gluttons for punishment.

Natick Report begins…

Wellesley Media seeks board member

January 17, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Media Corp., is looking to fill out its 5-member board of directors with someone who will support the non-profit’s mission of educating Wellesley citizens on civic, cultural, and other community matters.

Wellesley Public Media offers services via live streaming, on-demand video, and cable TV.

The next board member should have experience so they will be able to understand the equipment and infrastructure used by Wellesley
Public Media.

Submit background or resume to Peter Marx at [email protected].

Happy 15th birthday to us: The Year in Swellesley

January 2, 2020 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Nothing ever happens in Wellesley. Except it does.

We’ve enjoyed another full year of sharing your stories, breaking news and watching it go viral, and weaving in our personal adventures.

With the Swellesley Jrs. aging out of the Wellesley Public School system, Mrs. Swellesley turned her attention to The Swellesley Report as her full-time job. Our goal for 2020, our 16th year publishing, is to have Mr. Swellesley do the same.

Thank you to everyone who sent news tips and financial contributions to Swellesley in what has by far been our top year for readership and reader support. And huge thanks to all of our advertisers, who help to make Swellesley possible from a financial standpoint.

Swellesley highlights this year included:

The silly but sensational tale of people swiping the Old Town Road signs in Wellesley, and the town deciding to stop replacing them until singer Lil Nas X fever dies down. Yes, this went viral, with everyone from CNN to the New York Times picking it up from here.
Old Town Road sign (Google Maps)
Answering your questions about stinky streets, harder-to-use mailboxes, EEE mosquito spraying, measles, an abandoned $6.5M home, political signs, and Truly Yogurt’s change in ownership.
The opening of the Boston Sports Institute, which generated one of the year’s feel-good stories–the introduction of sled hockey to town. Plus lots of new or refurbished sports fields in town, big upgrades on the way for the softball fields, and a brand new boardwalk with a vernal pool view.

Wellesley boardwalk — Wellesley Ecocampers make use of the vernal pool overlook.

The ongoing school building plans, town hall renovations, possible Wellesley Square re-imagining, possible changes at Morses Pond, and all those housing developments. Plus the comings and goings of Wellesley town officials, including Wellesley Public Schools’ hiring of its first diversity director. Not to mention, Wellesley now has a Unified Plan.
The Wellesley Veterans’ Parade, fireworks and other Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend activities.
Celebrating residents’ accomplishments in academics, the arts, business and sports. We tracked police and firefighter activity (including a fire at Hunnewell Elementary School). We helped to get the word out about community events and charitable endeavors. We mourned the loss of residents we loved or knew of and respected.
The ins and outs for local businesses, with White’s Bakery, Loyal Companion and The Shade Store among newcomers, and Upper Crust, Village Market and Florijn among those leaving.
More automation coming to town, including at Roche Bros. in the form of self-checkout lanes, and at Wellesley Free Library in the form of an automated book handling system. Town Meeting members even voted electronically the last time around. Based on what we saw at the excellent, every-other-year STEM Expo, more automation is on the way.
Entertainment news, from a Wellesley resident being chosen to appear on “The Bachelor “TV show and to the release of “Knives Out,” a movie shot in part in Wellesley in 2108. And watch out Elton John.

lynne smith elton john — Lynne Smith: Wellesley’s Rocket Woman

Babson College scoring a $50M donation, and moving its giant renovated globe to a new park as part of the school’s centennial celebration. Anita Hill spoke at Wellesley College.
Bowing down to 2019 WHS seniors for pulling off a brilliant year-end prank designed to grab attention but not land anyone in jail or off a college’s acceptance list.

wellesley high senior tailgate — WHS surprise tailgate

We enjoyed the general weirdness and wonderfulness around here, from a reed pump organ being left at the Wellesley dump to the Thanksgiving Day football game skirmish that grabbed more attention than the Raiders’ strong season to a unique buck carving from a diseased tree on a residential lot.

organ wellesley — Estey organ left at Wellesley RDF (photo courtesy of Hilary Prus)

Wood carving, Overbrook Dr., Wellesley

On a more personal note:

Mr. and Mrs. Swellesley followed their true calling as supermodels for a Wellesley Free Library photo exhibit.

Wellesley Wednesdays, Beth Shedd — The Swellesleys made the cut for Beth Shedd’s Wellesley Wednesdays by Beth Shedd

Mr. Swellesley and one of the Swellesley Jrs. educated and entertained throngs of students with their yo-yo spectacular at Wellesley High Seminar Day.
Things got tense after Mr. Swellesley mistakenly brought library books to the dump.
Mrs. Swellesley spoke or held court at locations including the Council on Aging.
We were fortunate to have intern Lara Smith contributing throughout the summer.
Mr. Swellesley showed his artistic side with an exclusive Pollen Art Exhibit.
Mr. and Mrs. Swellesley melded minds with fellow independent online news publishers at a conference in Nashville, where the Grand Ole Opry gave us a shout-out.
Mr. Swellesley survived a flying shovel.
Mrs. Swellesley listened to her inner Marie Kondo, and our kitchen will never be the same (for a few months).
Beyond Wellesley, we took you to Boston Calling, the Woods Hole Film Festival, and more.

We finished the year by ringing the Salvation Army bells in Linden Square to help raise funds for local initiatives. We saw dozens of people we knew during our shift, and thanked many we didn’t know, but they all reminded us of the magical stuff we have here.

elsa in wellesley square

Giving Tuesday: Support The Swellesley Report

December 3, 2019 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Today, Dec. 3, is Giving Tuesday.

Does The Swellesley Report connect you to your community? Keep you informed? Make you laugh every so often? Then don’t hesitate, please give now if you value what we offer.

While not a non-profit, The Swellesley Report is a small business with costs that include website hosting, computer software and hardware, employee expenses, and more. We’d love to offer stipends to interns as well.

The Swellesley Report

P.O. Box 812371

Wellesley MA 02482

Putting a price tag on local news

New PEN report shows local watchdog journalism faces a crisis moment

Local news outlets can fill the media trust gap — but the public needs to pony up

Why American must revive its local newsrooms

The Swellesley Report finds kindred souls at LION Publishers Summit

Library event for teens: Real news (like in the Swellesley Report) vs. Fake news

December 1, 2019 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Life-Ready Basics: Fake News vs Real News (Dec. 9, 4-5pm)

At some point in your life, you’re going to be expected to know how to do things that nobody ever really taught you how to do. When will that be? Nobody can say for sure, but you won’t want to feel unprepared. We’ll teach you life-skills that you’ll need to know to be, like, a real adult.

Find us at the Wellesley Free Library this week learning how to tell the difference between fake, biased, or clickbait-y news with a special guest presenter. Let’s work together to find accurate news that you can use to stay informed.

Ages: 13-17

Registration is required as space is limited. Register online or by calling 781-235-1610 x1107, or in person at the reference desk.

More: The Swellesley Report finds kindred souls at LION Publishers Summit

The Swellesley Report finds kindred souls at LION Publishers Summit

November 17, 2019 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

We like to think The Swellesley Report is one-of-a-kind, but plenty of other communities have local independent online news outfits of their own. We hung with reporters, editors, publishers and other business types from dozens of such sites at the LION Publishers Summit this past month in Nashville, swapping best practices, bonding over financial and editorial challenges, and drawing inspiration from one another.

Having launched in 2005, The Swellesley Report is one of the more established LION members. We’re smaller than most, too. But our entire staff (Mr. & Mrs. Swellesley) attended this event, dividing and conquering for some sessions and workshops, joining forces for others.

lion badges One shared frustration for the media is the decreased access to interview subjects at public and private institutions. Organizations increasingly hide their supposedly trusted employees, the ones they often boast about in their marketing campaigns (“It’s our people who make the difference!”), behind communications departments and lawyers. Frank LoMonte of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida, is on the lookout for test cases where organizations threaten employees’ first amendment rights to speak freely. Such gag orders have never stood up well in court, he says.

Local independent online news organizations come in many varieties, from for-profit to non-profit, from solo to staffed, from blog-style to podcast- and newsletter- and podcast-focused (Santa Cruz Local). Non-profits, especially those serving news deserts from which traditional media outlets have fled or never existed, often seek grants to subsist. In light of the country’s political climate and downward-spiraling mainstream news business, speakers said, more organizations are emerging to offer grants and other support. The Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism will even send its students to help you out via assorted fellowship programs that the school’s Randy Picht describes as the “most flexible in the country.”

This includes Facebook and Google, both of which had reps at the conference—and both of which have reps that make news publishers wary because of their online advertising strength. Joe Hyde of San Angelo Live! in west Texas noted during a session on Ad Tech for Local Newsrooms that his publication no longer posts videos on Facebook, since the social media giant was getting all the ad revenue despite San Angelo getting strong viewership of its videos. “Don’t give up control of your stuff,” he preached.

Community focus

One thing that most of the new breed of publications has in common is a true community focus. Not only do the publications track news and give voice to residents and organizations, but they also get involved, as we’ve done over the years from supporting spelling bee teams to speaking at events to sponsoring events like Wellesley Theatre Project’s Cone Crawl. Some of these publications put on concerts and debates, in part to increase exposure and in part to diversify their revenue streams beyond online ads and sponsored content, subscriptions/memberships, and reader contributions.

The Swellesley Report needs to get better, for example, at asking our 1,500 email subscribers and thousands of other website and social media followers to contribute. We keep hearing rumors that much of our audience is affluent, after all. But it’s tricky since we’ve always offered everything for free.

Because so many of our fellow online news outlets are small and nimble, experimentation comes naturally. Though it was Alexandra March from the New York Times, which aims to be nimble despite its size, who I first heard discussing experimentation at this year’s conference. Newsletters are a great sandbox for trying out new things, as the Times’ opinion

[Read more…]

Business Buzz: Sue Brady Hartigan to chair event; Newton-Wellesley hospital pres to depart; The Cashmere Sale softly slips back to Wellesley; author visits at Wellesley Books

October 15, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley’s Sue Brady Hartigan to co-chair Boston Arts Academy event

Wellesley’s Sue Brady Hartigan

Wellesley resident and radio personality Sue Brady Hartigan has been announced as co-chair of the annual Boston Arts Academy (BAA) Honors celebratory event alongside Lee Michael Kennedy, president and CEO of Lee Kennedy Co., Inc. The event, which supports Boston Arts Academy – Boston’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts – will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2020.

Hartigan is a radio host on 100.7, WZLX, Boston’s Classic Radio. She also co-produces The Public Affairs Show for WBMX-Boston and is a contributor for Boston Common. She is involved with various organizations throughout Boston, including Boston Children’s Hospital, BAA, The Bruins Foundation, Boston Medical Center, Red Sox Foundation, Rosie’s Place, and more. She is a strong advocate for mental illness affecting children, and is the proud daughter of a veteran.

“As a performer myself, I’m proud to be a part of this event that celebrates the amazing Boston Arts Academy students, alumni and faculty,” said Brady Hartigan. “My career in radio started at 15 years old when Boston Radio Legend Sunny Joe White hired me to work for Kiss 108FM, so I am thrilled to support the passion for the arts that is so clearly visible in each and every student at Boston Arts Academy.”

Newton-Wellesley hospital President leaving for Boston Scientific

Dr. Michael R. Jaff, President of Newton-Wellesley Hospital since 2016, announced that he is departing Newton-Wellesley to pursue a new role with Boston Scientific to continue his career-long focus on improving the health of patients with vascular diseases. A letter from Dr. Jaff to his colleagues reads in part:

It is with a true sense of emotion that I share with you that I am leaving Newton-Wellesley Hospital. I will be joining Boston Scientific as Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Innovation and Technology, Peripheral Interventions. On many levels, this was a difficult decision to make. I have a deep connection to you and Newton-Wellesley. Yet I feel that now is the time for me to leave the organization and pursue this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. My new role at Boston Scientific will allow me to refocus on
my roots as a vascular physician and to have an even greater impact on patients with vascular diseases around the world—whose health I have been committed to improving for several decades.

I recognize my decision may come as a shock. Of course, no time is the right time to step away, but I leave with the confidence that you are well on your way to achieving the collective vision we have been working toward together.

Got other Wellesley business tips on openings, closings or whatever, feel free to email us here: [email protected]

You can also email us if you’re interested in underwriting our weekly Wellesley Business Buzz roundup.

The Cashmere Sale to re-warm up to Wellesley

After taking a year off from Wellesley, The Cashmere Sale is cozying back into town at 25 Central Street (the former LF location, next to Winston Flowers) starting Thursday, October 17.

The pop-up is know for its cashmere sweaters, wraps and accessories that run in the $50 – $250 range.

The Cashmere Sale is one of 25 across the country in areas where the populace understands the need for the kind of warmth that can only be sourced from the goats of the Gobi Desert.

The shop will be keeping things soft, warm, and cozy in Wellesley through December 16, Monday – Saturdays 10am – 6pm and Sundays noon – 5pm.

Author visits at Wellesley Books

Here are the upcoming November author events at Wellesley Books. Please note that some events are free, some are free and require an RSVP, and some are ticketed.

11/5 Ann Cleeves, The Long Call [TICKETED]
11/7 Joanne Chang, Pastry Love: A Baker’s Journal of Favorite Recipes [TICKETED]
11/12 George Howe Colt, The Game: Harvard, Yale, and America in 1968 [FREE]
11/14 Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush, Sisters First (picture book) [TICKETED]
11/18 Adrienne Brodeur, Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me [RSVP/FREE]

Wait, has the Swellesley Report been losing out on millions in donations?

September 3, 2019 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Dear Swellesley Report readers:

More subtly than we probably should, we ask for donations to support our independent journalism venture.

To be clear, we’re a small business, not a non-profit. But we’re no media behemoth. Donations help to cover the cost of everything from web hosting to our newsletter distribution system ($26 per month) to our media insurance (more than $1K per year) to our calendaring software ($200 a year).

Down the road, we’d love to also offer stipends to budding journalists interested in contributing if donors would like to support that specifically. We were lucky to have an intern this summer who sought college credit for her work.

But we’ve heard from a couple of readers lately (and more in the past), that they’ve had trouble donating via the PayPal link we provide. We’d hate to think that people intend to donate, then get stymied by a tech issue on our end.

If you do run into issues, please let us know and describe what happened, and we’ll try to resolve this issue. We’ve created a fresh link and tested it out ourselves this past week and donated to ourselves. That was unsatisfying in the short term, but we hope it will pay off in the long run…

Regards,

Bob & Deborah

New “Social Media Etiquette” program at Wellesley Library to teach practical skills to teens

August 29, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Library, Summer 2016 The Wellesley Free Library has put together a new class, “Life-Ready Basics for Teens.” Here’s the description of the sensible, skills-based program we think every teen could benefit from:

At some point in your life, you’re going to be expected to know how to do things that nobody ever really taught you how to do. Nobody can say for sure when that will be, but you don’t want to feel unprepared. Check out a new series of practical skills sessions this fall for teens aged 13 – 17. The first session, “Social Media Etiquette,” will take place after school on Monday, September 23, 3:30pm – 4:30pm in the Arnold Room (second floor) of the main library. Learn some insider tips about privacy online, know how your information on social media can be used, and discuss what you should and probably shouldn’t post to your accounts. Bring you own phones, laptops, or devices to learn hands-on how to adjust your privacy settings. Sign up required. For more information, email the library.