THE ISSUE: In the summer, families who rely on public school meals lose access to that food. THE IMPACT: Without free or reduced-price lunches and breakfasts, some are at risk of going hungry. When summer finally rolls around and the temperatures start to rise, many Needham parents begin thinking about what trips they should take their kids on or what kind of camps they should sign them up for.

Take a drive through the heart of Needham and you will see a town full of picturesque homes and well-manicured lawns. A new restaurant seems to open every month and local officials are currently working on numerous multi-million-dollar projects to renovate and improve the town. But, as you drive across Route 128 on Highland Avenue and find yourself in the small section of Needham that remains before the Newton border, that charming scene fades away.

They say it will help keep kids from smoking. He says it may put him out of business. The Needham Board of Health unanimously voted on Jan. 11 to ban the sale of of mint and menthol tobacco products, a decision that will go into effect on July 1. According to the Director of Public Health Timothy McDonald, the board made the decision in order to reduce the risk of youth smoking, as several studies they reviewed indicated that teens are more likely to continue smoking if they start with mint or menthol products.

Does driving in and around Needham give you headaches due to the traffic you run into? Well, according to a state traffic expert, unless some significant changes are implemented, the problem will be getting progressively worse. “As we’re seeing people move out of the inner corridor and go west- because of the housing supply and the cost of housing- this is just going to continue to get worse on a system that is 112 years old,” Tibbitts-Nutt said.

When Temple Beth Shalom’s Managing Director David Kaplan heard the news that 11 people were murdered in a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday--the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history--he was distressed and shocked to know it was somewhere he was familiar with. “Personally, I was a little stunned.

In the middle of June, Miguel Beltran, owner and manager of New Season Cleaners on Chestnut Street, was reading an Ecuadorian newspaper to stay up to date on the news of his home country. He came across a terrible story -- an 11-year-old boy named Jackson Bautista was ganged up on by a group of teenagers, splashed with gasoline and set on fire, severely injuring him and putting him in a coma.

When 11-year-old Lucas Connors heard his friend Brad Seidel - owner of Brad’s Coins, Comics and Cards in Needham - had his shop burglarized a week ago, he couldn’t believe someone would stoop so low. “I don’t know why someone would do that to him, he’s such a nice guy. Why would you even think about doing that?”.

THE ISSUE: When empty nesters downsize, what housing options do they have? THE IMPACT: With limited options, residents looking to downsize may not be able to remain in the community they have long called home. Like many of its surrounding communities, Needham is faced with a challenge - meeting an increasing demand for affordable homes to downsize into, brought on by a growing population of seniors.

When Esther Odiah heard that her longtime employer, Kindred Living in Needham Heights, would be closing its facility in March she was heartbroken and worried about what her future held in store. “I was so depressed,” she said. “This was my first job and I’ve been here for 20 years, so at first I thought they were joking, but when I found out it was real I was devastated.”.

THE ISSUE: As students memorialize the Parkland victims, we look at how what Needham officials are doing to avoid a similar incident. THE IMPACT: What does this mean for the safety of students, teachers and faculty? Over 200 Needham High School students walked out of class for 17 minutes on March 14 to memorialize each of the victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. last month.

Around a hundred residents, veterans and government officials gathered atop the PTC garage in Needham on Tuesday for a ceremony dedicating the Kendrick Street Bridge to the late Needham resident and Marine Corps veteran James Delaney II. The ceremony was organized by Gov. Charlie Baker, state Rep.

These were just a few of the many comments that were made in Needham public schools and subsequently reported to consultant Christine Robinson, she explained to school administrators Tuesday night as part of her equity report. According to superintendent Dan Gutekanst, the school committee hired Robinson last spring to help them understand equity challenges in Needham after parents expressed concern about how students were being assigned to classes, feeling that race was a factor.