Schools

Watertown Preschool’s Online Auction Features Local Eateries and Experiences

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Handmade Russell acorn and squirrel ornaments by alumni parent and artist, Kate Martens. The following announcement was provided by Russell Cooperative Preschool:

Bid for your chance to win gift cards and experiences from local Watertown businesses! Every December, Russell Cooperative Preschool hosts its annual online silent auction. Held in conjunction with its Winter Gala, the auction is the preschool’s largest fundraising event of the year. Last year’s event raised over $7,000 for Russell’s hands-on, play-based programs for students ages 2.9 to 5.

Sports

Watertown Boys and Girls Basketball Teams Open League Play Tuesday

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown’s boys basketball team tips off the Middlesex League season against Lexington on Dec. 12. Here, Jeffrey Kerbin shoots against Rockland in the 2023 State Tournament. Watertown High School’s varsity basketball squads open up Middlesex League Play on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 12

The boys open with a pair of home games.

Around Town

Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us (First Part of a Series)

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Food on the shelfs at the Watertown Food Pantry, which has seen an increase in the number of people using its services since the start of the Pandemic. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

For many, Watertown is a destination for food and eating, with dozens of restaurants, markets small and large, and a farmers market through the warmer months. However, a significant number of residents have trouble affording to feed themselves and their families. The hunger problem in Watertown is often not visible, but those who provide assistance and services to people in need have noticed a recent increase in the number of people in town facing food insecurity, spiking during the Pandemic. And, while the COVID cases have dropped, the numbers of people going to Watertown’s two food pantries, or needing help to put enough food on their table has remained at about the same level.

Police/Fire

Police Seeking Identity of Man Who Followed Woman to House & Tried to Break In

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A man tried to break into a Watertown home after following a woman home in the early hours of Sunday morning, Watertown Police announced. At about 3:45 a.m., a woman reported a man follow her home on Laurel Street, hid behind a car in her driveway, and then tried to enter her home, Police said in the announcement. “After the victim entered the home, the suspect attempted to gain entrance to the front and back door of the home. It is important to note that no one was harmed, however, we are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect,” Watertown Police said in a Facebook post (see below). The message also said, “The Watertown Police Department takes the safety and security of our community seriously, we will be adding extra patrols in the area.”

Government

This Week: Council to Consider ARPA Proposals, Cannistraro Project Continued

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The City Council will be considering what to do with Watertown’s $10 million-plus in federal ARPA funds this week, and also, the Planning Board will not be hearing the proposed project on the former Cannistraro site on Pleasant Street until next meeting. The agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting includes vote on the resolution for how to spend Watertown’s appropriation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds. The Council received more than 30 applications for a portion of the money. Applications came from City departments, local non-profits, and even resident groups. A Council committee heard from some of the applicants and produced a list of recommended proposals to fund.

Around Town

Watertown Housing Advocacy Group Receives Award

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Housing for All Watertown members Daniel Pritchard, Rita Colafella, Sam Ghilardi, Amy Plovnick, and Josh Rosmarin, flanked by AHMA staff Kassie Infante and Jesse Kanson-Benanav with the “Rookie of the Year” award. (Photo by Grainy Daze Studios)

The following announcement was provided by Housing for All Watertown:

On Nov. 30, a local housing advocacy group was honored at Abundant Housing Massachusetts’s First Annual Celebration of Abundance. Housing for All Watertown (HAW), a grassroots resident-led group founded in early 2023, received a “Rookie of the Year” award from the Massachusetts pro-housing nonprofit. “There are so many local community groups like ours who are working to create more housing access and address the region’s urgent housing crisis, so it’s an honor to be recognized for our efforts here in Watertown,” said Jacky van Leeuwen, a member of the HAW Steering Committee.