This past Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, the grounds of the Devotion School played host to both the 33rd Annual Coolidge Corner Arts Festival and the 4th Annual Brookline Food Festival.  The weather was perfect and it seemed most of Brookline was in attendance.

The Japanese Disaster Relief Fund continues its work to support those struggling to recover from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan this past March.   As a clearer picture of the needs of survivors emerge, efforts continue locally to provide greatly-needed relief.

Life just got a little easier for anyone needing to park in Brookline. Thanks to the cooperative effort between the Brookline Transportation Department and PXT Payments, issues that have plagued the multi-space smart meters have been fixed.

In a state where 50 percent of children needing mental health services do not receive this care, the Brookline Community Mental Health Center provides life-changing services. Services Executive Director Dr. Cinthia Price is happy to provide, treating children of all ages and adults alike, with issues ranging from divorce and bullying to domestic violence and homelessness. The Center provides mental health services for low income people, helping roughly four-thousand over the course of a year. Clients are charged on a sliding scale tailored to their income and ability to pay.

Parking in Brookline is about to undergo some alterations - in some places. Meter time limits remain unchanged, but as of May 1st, specific areas of Brookline will have extended meter hours.

Brookline's crime statistics are in, and so far for 2011, the numbers look good. The area has seen a significant decline in the rate of crime in almost every category so far this year. The overall decrease in crime is 25%. Compared to the the 2010 statistics, assault is down 8%, burglary is down 16% and larceny is down 32% for 2011. The most surprising statistic is the rate of motor vehicle theft, which is down a whopping 38% for the year.

Brookline Police are searching for a young man in connection with a theft that occurred yesterday at Eureka! on 1349 Beacon St.  Images of the suspect were caught by the store's surveillance cameras and have been provided to the authorities as well as other businesses in Coolidge Corner.

Breast cancer; a disease that in the past was synonymous with fear has finally met its match. Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer, a yearly event created by the Eva Brownman Foundation 11 years ago kicks off May 2nd, 2011 and closes on one of the most important days in many women's lives - May 8th, Mother's Day.  The dessert centric event  "feature[s] the food of the greatest Chef’s, Pastry Chef’s and culinary artists in the Commonwealth".  It comes as no small surprise that Brookline is well represented.

A new collaboration between roughly twenty local and regional groups resulted in the creation of a series of Walking Tours in and close to Brookline, the first of which is scheduled for Saturday, March 26.   The partnership behind the "Tour Brookline" series also resulted in creation of an online resource that provides information for residents and visitors alike about upcoming tours.

In 2005, Paul and Saskia Epstein saw an unmet need and began exploring the idea of creating a Teen Center in Brookline. Last night, during a meeting at the Pierce School Library, the community was formally introduced to the Brookline Teen Center and some of the people behind its creation.