Government

Some Watertown City Facilities to Close Friday for Veterans Day

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With Veterans Day falling on Saturday, the observed holiday for the City of Watertown will be on Friday. The City announced that Watertown City Hall and the Senior Center will be closed on Friday, November 10, 2023 in observance of the Veterans Day holiday. The Watertown Free Public Library will be open on Friday, but will close on Saturday, November 11, 2023. Please be aware that there is NO delay for trash and recycling pickup schedule for the week.

Police/Fire

Three Busted in National Prostitution Ring That Used a High-End Apartment in Watertown

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Three men face charges in a federal bust of a prostitution ring that used an apartment in Watertown and allegedly included politicians, high-tech and pharmaceutical executives, professors, doctors and lawyers. The court filing lists one of the locations used for prostitution was located in the Blvd & Bond apartments located in Arsenal Yards. Other places used by the ring were located in Cambridge, Dedham, Virginia, and California. Han Lee, a/k/a “Hana,” 41, of Cambridge, Mass.; James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif.; and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass., were arrested on charges of conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity, and face sentences of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Watertown Police had no comment about the investigation.

Government

UPDATED: See Who Won the Council President and School Committee Races

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Charlie Breitrose

Watertown voters re-elected two incumbents in contested races on Tuesday, but there will be two new faces in elected positions. In the race for City Council President, incumbent Mark Sideris defeated challenger and former Council President Clyde Younger. The tally, according to precinct results obtained by Watertown Cable Access Television, was 2,602 for Sideris and 871 for Younger. Sideris will be serving his eighth two-year term. Five people were running for three, four-year School Committee seats.

Around Town

Registration Open for Watertown Recreation’s Winter Programs

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The Watertown Recreation Department Winter I Registration for all offerings has begun, and includes sports, crafts, science and more for children as young as 3 to adults. The sports programs include Junior Mighty Mites and Mighty Mites, for pre-schoolers, and Jr. All Sport and All Sports for elementary school students. Three are volleyball, futsal, and wrestling for students, and adult pickleball, basketball, and volleyball. Plus the Wachusett Ski Program is back for middle and high schoolers. Not into sports, there are crafting classes, a non-bake bonanza, and science programs: Outer Space & Physics Fun, Electricity & Magnetmania, and Code & Control Robo Dozer.

Entertainment

Several Hundred Come Out for Watertown Library’s Zine Fest

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Some of the hundreds of attendees of the Watertown Library’s Zine Fest try their hand at making their own zine. (Courtesy of Watertown Library)

The Watertown Free Public Library hosted Zine Fest for the third time on Oct. 14, and people came out in droves to take part. Around 500 people attended the third Zine Fest, according to the Watertown Library. Zines — pronounced “zeens” — are small-batch, hand-made publications that come in all shapes, sizes, and formats.