Lisa O'Brien

[Lexington Unified Boosters @LexUnified]

Bigger bench, bigger cheers, bigger impact this year! 🏀💙💛 LHS Unified Basketball opened its roster this fall to every athlete who wanted to play, and Tuesday's opener at Arlington was a win for everyone! Join us at their first home game Mon 9/28, 4pm vs Melrose, LHS Gym!

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

A young woman named MacKenzie Tuttle graduated from Princeton in 1992 with a degree in English. One of her professors was Toni Morrison, who later described her as one of the finest creative writing students she had ever taught.

After graduation, MacKenzie took a job at the New York investment firm D. E. Shaw. There she met a colleague named Jeff Bezos, who had an ambitious idea: selling books on the internet.

She didn’t laugh at the idea.

They married in 1993, and the following year drove across the country to the Seattle area to build what would become Amazon.

In the beginning, there was no global empire.

There was a garage.

MacKenzie handled accounting, wrote business materials, answered customer emails and phone calls, and packed orders alongside Jeff. Like many startups, everyone did whatever needed to be done.

As Amazon grew, MacKenzie stepped away from day-to-day operations to raise their four children while continuing to pursue her own passion for writing.

Her debut novel, The Testing of Luther Albright, won the American Book Award. She later published a second novel and quietly built a respected literary career.

Meanwhile, the story of Amazon became one of the most famous business stories ever told.

Jeff Bezos became one of the world’s most recognizable entrepreneurs.

MacKenzie’s role was rarely part of the public narrative.

She never seemed interested in changing that.

What many people don’t know is that she also knew financial hardship.

Her family filed for bankruptcy while she was still a student, and she has spoken about the kindness of people who helped her through difficult times—acts of generosity she never forgot.

In 2019, after her divorce, MacKenzie Scott received approximately 4% of Amazon’s shares.

Almost immediately, she made a decision that surprised the world.

She signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate the majority of her wealth during her lifetime.

Then she did something even more unusual.

Instead of building a massive public foundation or attaching her name to buildings, she began giving away billions of dollars through large, unrestricted grants.

Universities.

Food banks.

Housing organizations.

Rural communities.

Women’s health initiatives.

Tribal colleges.

Climate organizations.

Small nonprofits that had never imagined receiving gifts of that size.

Many recipients reportedly thought the phone calls were scams.

They weren’t.

Since 2019, MacKenzie Scott has donated tens of billions of dollars to thousands of organizations, making her one of the most significant philanthropists of the modern era.

Despite giving away enormous sums, her fortune has remained substantial because of Amazon’s continued growth.

The woman who once packed Amazon’s first orders is now helping fund opportunities for millions of people she will probably never meet.

She never asked for buildings in her name.

She never demanded headlines.

Sometimes the greatest legacy isn’t the company you help build.

It’s what you choose to do with the success that follows.

[Hoop Herald @TheHoopHerald]

The man who built a Knicks championship

[Dylan Johnson @bydylanjohnson]

Howard Fendrich was a great one among the many in the sports journalism world.

He just got back from covering the Winter Olympics in Milan. Gone too soon. May he rest in peace.

https://t.co/TjsLsNIx8d

[Lisa O'Brien @lmanobrien]

@play_neelite @TheHoopGroup Way to go Lucas!

[Medfield Boys Basketball @CoachMoon22]

Thank you to the MBCA for hosting a great breakfast this morning for all in attendance. Congrats to Thomas Behrmann on being named to the @mbcaorg division 3 all senior team! Just another honor for an incredible player and young man.

@MedfieldAD @coachspolo @TVLSportsMa

[Dylan Johnson @bydylanjohnson]

Yesterday marked my last day at The Philadelphia Inquirer as a sports intern.

I want to thank everyone who read and followed my work there. However nothing changes from me in terms of coverage of Villanova.

Below I’m linking my five favorite stories I did:

[Medfield Boys Basketball @CoachMoon22]

Check out Thomas Behrmann’s highlights from his senior year. Legit 3 level scorer who impacts the game in so many ways. His work ethic is unmatched. Can’t wait to see him grow moving forward.

[Villanova University @VillanovaU]

Congratulations to @NOVA__DANCE for raising $931,080.89 this year! NOVAdance, a year-long fundraising effort that culminates in a 12-hour dance marathon, strives to instill hope in the lives of those affected by childhood cancer.

[Lisa O'Brien @lmanobrien]

@GregPoehler @play_neelite @CharlieOB14 Thank you Greg! Best to your Charlie and NE Elite this season

[Dylan Johnson @bydylanjohnson]

Villanova University's NOVAdance raised $931,080.89 this year to help fight childhood cancer, surpassing the goal of $800,000.

In 2025, NOVAdance raised $$708,269.10.

[Jeff Neiburg @Jeff_Neiburg]

Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun played for Rollie Massimino at Cleveland State and learned a lot about running a program:

[Ben Portnoy @bportnoy15]

Really cool moment tonight postgame after VCU upset UNC. VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. made a point to shoutout the student reporters that made the trip.

Lots of great stuff this time of year, but this was a really awesome, genuine exchange.

[Lisa O'Brien @lmanobrien]

@play_neelite Good luck to all of the NE Elite teams this spring!!

[Lisa O'Brien @lmanobrien]

@LexMediaTV Congratulations Terry!

[LexMedia @LexMediaTV]

LexMedia is pleased to announce that Terry Samaras has been appointed as its new Executive Director. Congrats Terry!

Read more about the leadership change: https://t.co/LkPXJwB7FJ

[Lisa O'Brien @lmanobrien]

@MedwayAthletics Congratulations Tommy!!!

[LexMedia @LexMediaTV]

Join other residents on Tuesday, October 7th to discuss the Center Playground replacement project. This will be an opportunity for community members to learn more about the projects and provide their feedback.

[Dylan Johnson @bydylanjohnson]

Tomorrow is Villanova University’s annual 1842 Day.

The Villanovan has been Villanova’s student-run newspaper since 1916.

We provide Villanova news at no charge to the reader.

Please consider donating tomorrow to help support free student journalism.

[LexMedia @LexMediaTV]

The latest episode of LexLocal was taped live in the Community Center, with Rick Dorrington touching on the LHS Building Project and tax impact calculator, the weekly stand out in front of the Burlington Regional ICE office, an update on the LHS football season and more.