Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/cbreitro/page/240/)
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest
Dec. 26, 6:50 p.m.: Security at Target spotted a shoplifter. He was seen taking six bottles of wine valued at $420. Police responded and found the man outside the entrance.
Classes will return in-person after winter break, and students will be tested for COVID-19 on the first day back. Superintendent Dede Galdston sent out a letter announcing the return. Cases of COVID-19 have been on the rise in Watertown and Massachusetts in recent weeks, including some confirmed cases among the Watertown School community. The district will hold a vaccination clinic on Jan. 11 from 3:30-7:00 p.m. at the Watertown Middle School.
Charlie BreitroseWatertown sophomore Lily Lambo brings the ball up court. She and her sister Taylor made the Boston Herald’s list of players to watch. Four Watertown basketball players made the Boston Herald’s preseason Players to Watch lists, two from the boys team and a couple members of the girls team. A pair of sister made the list for the Div. 3 girls basketball 2021-22 season: senior Taylor and sophomore Lily Lambo.
Watertown residents can dispose of their Christmas trees through the month of January, the Department of Public Works announced. Trees will be collected on normal trash days through the end of January. The DPW said that all lights and ornaments should be removed, and they should not be put in a bag. “The city will only collect the tree itself,” the DPW announcement said. “Please be patient about the timing of when your tree is picked up.
Several cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Watertown Public Schools community, and Superintendent Dede Galdston said officials are planning how to handle the return from winter vacation. Details of what the plan is for the return to school have not been announced, but part of the Watertown School’s response will be a vaccination clinic in early January, according to a letter sent out by Galdston and Director of Student Services Kathleen Desmarais on Dec. 29. “We believe that there is community transmission at this time, so we are currently considering options to maximize testing and safety upon our return after the break,” the letter reads. Statewide, the Mass.
The retirement party planned for City Manager Michael Driscoll has been postponed due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. Driscoll announced his retirement in June, and will complete nearly 30 years as Town and City Manager of Watertown. He was first hired by Watertown in 1977. The City sent out the following announcement:
Given the current COVID-19 situation, City Council President Mark S. Sideris announced today that the planned January 29, 2022 Event honoring Michael J. Driscoll upon his retirement the end of January after serving our community for 45 years, with the last 29 years as Watertown’s City Manager, has been postponed. We will be sure to let you know the revised date of the Event honoring Mr. Driscoll once it has been determined.
The hours at some of the City of Watertown’s buildings will be impacted by the New Year’s holiday. Watertown City Hall, the Department of Public Works, and the Senior Center will close at noon on Thursday, Dec. 30, and will be closed Friday, Dec. 31. However, the Recycling Center will be open on Friday, Dec.
Watertown City Hall
The Watertown inauguration ceremony has been cancelled due to increasing cases of COVID-19, but the newly-elected officials will still be sworn-in on Jan. 3. City Council President Mark Sideris announced the cancellation on Tuesday. “It is with great regret and with an abundance of caution that we will be cancelling the inauguration that was scheduled for Jan. 3rd,” Sideris said in a statement.