Entertainment

Pianist Performing Benefit Concert for Helen Robinson Wright Charitable Fund

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Pianist John Kramer will perform at Watertown’s First Parish Church on Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will benefit the Helen Robinson Wright Charitable Fund. The concert features music written by Black composers, including Florence Price, William Grant Still, Nathaniel Dett, Margeret Bonds, and Louis Mareau Gottschalk. Kramer is a performer, composer and arranger who has played throughout the United States and in France. He is the music director at Winchester Unitarian Society and is a member of the Berklee College of Music faculty. First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 35 Church St.

Around Town

Registration Available for Recreation Dept.’s Winter II Session

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Sports, robots, adult programs and more are available during the Watertown Recreation Department’s Winter II session. Registration has opened for the session, which runs from Feb. 27 to April 16. Sports for kids include basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, wrestling, whiffleball, and all-sports, which includes several different sports. Science focused activities include Chemical Creations, robots, and Bridges & Buildings.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Man Caught Using Fake ID, 2 Cases of Check Fraud

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest

Feb. 5, 2:28 p.m.: The staff at Ulta Beauty at Arsenal Yards spotted a man using a fake ID to make a purchase. The man had a Maryland driver’s license with a different person’s name on it and asked to use an Ulta credit card with the fake name from the license. Police were alerted and when the investigated they located a vehicle outside the store and found a Dyson hairdryer valued at $600 and two more valued at $430, along with several fragrances.

Around Town

Longtime Former Town Manager Michael Driscoll Passes Away

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The man who led Watertown’s municipal government for nearly three decades, former Town Manager Michael Driscoll, passed away on Saturday. Driscoll worked for the Town, and now City, of Watertown for 45 years, beginning as the manager of the John A. Ryan Arena in 1977, became treasurer collector in 1985 before becoming Town Manager in 1994. He grew up in Woburn and lived in Watertown with his wife, Jane. He has three daughters and one step daughter: Amy, Allison, Aileen, and Sarah. 

The City of Watertown sent out a statement that read, in part: “We are saddened to share the news that former Watertown City Manager Michael Driscoll passed away early on February 11, 2023 after receiving treatment for cancer over the past year. …

Around Town

Local Store Buys Girl Scout Cookies for Troop to Deliver to Food Pantries

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Amy TrapassoMembers of Watertown Brownie Troop 70133 delivered donated Girl Scout cookies to the Watertown Food Pantry. They posed with Food Pantry Coordinator Kathy Cunningham. A Watertown store purchased more than 100 of boxes of Girl Scout cookies from a Watertown Brownie Troop, and the girls recently delivered them to a pair of food pantries in town. A local merchant bought 128 boxes of cookies from Brownie Troop 70133, and asked the girls to donate them, said Amy Trapasso, co-troop leader. “Teresa, one of the new owners of The Meat Spot in Watertown Square, generously purchased more than $600 worth of Girl Scout cookies from Watertown Brownie Troop 70133 and asked that we donate them to the two food pantries in town,” Trapasso said.

Around Town

Watertown Food Pantry Needs a Longterm Temporary Location

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One of the food pantries in town must find a temporary location while their current location is under construction. The Watertown Food Pantry currently operates out of the Belmont-Watertown Methodist Church on Mt. Auburn Street, but the church will be under construction for a year or longer. When the work is completed, the Food Pantry will move back in, but it does not have a home during the interim. In 2022, the Food Pantry assisted over 140 families per week, and served around 13,000 people during the year, according to Watertown Food Pantry Coordinator Kathy Cunningham.

Schools

Watertown Teachers Union Addresses Salaries, Parental Leave and Other Issues in Contract Negotiations

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Watertown teachers rallied in Watertown Square calling for settling their contract. Photo courtesy of Watertown Cable News / Maya Shwayder. Watertown’s teachers spoke out about their desire for a “fair contract” during Monday’s School Committee, and responded to the statement from the School Committee about the negotiations made during the previous meeting. The teachers contract has expired, and the teachers union — the Watertown Educators Association — has met more than a dozen times to discuss the contract with representatives from the Watertown Public Schools. Last week, to demonstrate their frustration with the negotiations teachers went to “work to rule,” where they only work contracted hours and duties, and would not do any volunteer work.