Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/cbreitro/page/312/)
The Newton Needham Regional Chamber hosted a “Zoominar” about the latest Small Business Association’s PPP application process. The chamber shared the link to the video in its daily newsletter. See it below. https://www.watertownmanews.com/2021/01/21/banks-now-accepting-applications-for-ppp-loans/
Watertown Fire Chief Bob Quinn gets a COVID-19 vaccination shot during the clinic for police and firefighters run by the Watertown Health Department last week. The light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel can be seen, with the first vaccinations by the Watertown Health Department starting last week, but Health Director Larry Ramdin said people must continue their virus prevention practices even after they get their shots. On Jan. 14 and 15, members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments received their first COVID-19 vaccine shots, Ramdin said. He and Public Health Nurse Wil VanDinter have begun planning for public clinics in Town, but do not know when they will be able to administer the vaccine to the general public, Ramdin said.
A screenshot of the GoFundMe campaign for 1995 Watertown High grad Christine Aragon Lagos. A GoFundMe campaign was started to help a 1995 Watertown High School grad who is undergoing cancer treatments. The campaign for Christine Aragon Lagos, was started by classmate Amanda Holmes, and seeks to raise $10,000. On the campaign page Holmes wrote:
“Christine Aragon Lagos was a classmate of mine at Watertown High School, Class of 1995. Recently, I was informed that Christine has been diagnosed with metastatic cancer (lung, bones, brain).
Check out the open houses in town this weekend. $829,000 – 14-16 Dwight St., Multi-family Home – 2 Family – 2 Units Up/Down 2,320 Living Area Sq. Ft., 2 Units, 11 Total Rooms, 4 Total Bedrooms Open House: Sunday 12-1:30
$439,000 – 290 Pleasant St. Unit 106, Condo – Mid-Rise, 761 Living Area Sq. Ft.
New parking meters, like this one, will be installed in Watertown’s Municipal Parking Lots. They will accept credit cards as well as coins. The new parking meters being installed in Watertown’s will have new payment options, and will have different prices and maximum stays depending on the location. Watertown Senior Transportation Planner Laura Wiener said the new meters — which began being installed this week — accept coins and credit cards, and later this year people will be able to use a pay-by-phone app. The Town will be using the PayByPhone cellphone app, which is used by other area communities, including Waltham, Concord, Wellesley, Arlington, Somerville and MBTA commuter lots, such as at Watertown Yard.
Businesses can now apply for federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Applications can be sent to banks. The loans can be forgiven if 60 percent of the funds are used for payroll. In the first round, the loans could only be used for payroll and rent, but the list has been expanded and now includes employee health benefits, mortgage interest, utilities and expenses that are essential to business operations. Some changes have been made to the program, according to this Forbes magazine story.
A view of the proposed life sciences building at 66 Galen Street viewed from Galen Street. Plans for an a new life science building on Galen Street near Watertown Square got praise from the Planning Board for taking steps to address traffic in the area, improving public transportation and creating green space for public use. The board voted unanimously on Jan. 13 to support Boston Development Group’s project at 66 Galen St., which includes the former Colonial GMC dealership and sits next to the MBTA’s Watertown Yard. On Jan.
The Department of Justice announced the arrest of a Watertown man on charges of acting as an unregistered agent for the Iranian government. Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, 63 of Watertown, allegedly gave propaganda to members of Congress and the media, and has received money from an account linked to Iran’s United Nations mission. The charges were unsealed in a Brooklyn Federal Court, but Afrasiabi was arrested on Monday by the FBI and was due to be arraigned in Boston Federal Court on Tuesday. According to a MassLive.com story, Afrasiabi entered the U.S. in 1973 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1984. He has taught at several universities — including full-time at Tehran University, Boston University and Bentley College, and as a visiting scholar at Harvard and University of California, Berkeley — and graduated from University of Massachusetts for undergrad and got his masters degree and doctorate in political science from Boston University.