Business

Rep. John Lawn Working to Make Pleasant Street Part of New District

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The west end of Watertown has undergone a building boom, but lacks some services, so State Rep. John Lawn is working to bring that part of Watertown together with nearby areas of Newton and Waltham to create the Charles River Mill District. 
Lawn spoke about the effort during the Watertown Belmont Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Towns Breakfast on April 2. His district includes precincts in all three communities, and Lawn has met with leaders in each one. Lawn has been in discussions with Watertown Town Council President Mark Sideris, Newton Mayor Setti Warren and Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy about the new district. The area would include the Pleasant Street Corridor in Watertown, the Chapel Street are of Newton and River Street to Moody Street in Waltham, Lawn said. “We want to promote the area for business and create a stronger voice for state assistance for maintenance and MBTA services,” Lawn said.

Letters

LETTER: Parenting in the Age of Texts, Tweets and Skype

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{This is the second in a series of three articles about the Watertown Lecture Series on children and technology.}

Welcome to the digital age! Teens and tweens have unprecedented access to Instagram Tumblr, SnapChat, Secret, Slingshot, Whisper, Ask.fm, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Pinterest, Skype, FaceTime, Omegle and other new apps developed daily.Cell phone ownership among kids is widespread and on the rise. Across Massachusetts, in 2011, 20 percent of third graders, 25 percent of fourth graders, 40 percent of fifth graders and 85 percent of 6-12 graders reported having their own phone. Of these, more than 90 percent could use their phone to go online and text. As a result, the average teenager sends more than 3,000 texts per month or more than six texts per waking hour. Kristin Noto, a Middlesex District Attorney from the Partnership for Youth spoke at the Watertown Speaker Series on Wednesday, April 1.

Around Town

Watertown Group Bringing Anti-Nuclear Power Speakers to Town

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A Watertown group will host a community forum on ending use of nuclear power on April 12. 

Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment sent out the following announcement:
Please join Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment (watertowncitizens.org) for a very special community forum, “Working for Nuclear Free World: From Plymouth to Planet Earth” on Sunday, April 12 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Grace Vision Church, 80 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown (#71 Bus from Harvard Square). The program will feature, Diane Turco from Cape Downwinders and Dr. Joseph Gerson, from Peace and Planet Mobilization for a Nuclear-Free, Peaceful, Just and Environmentally Sustainable World. Ms. Turco will discuss the dangers posed by the Pilgrim nuclear power plant. Pilgrim is the same failed GE Mark I design as the 4 reactors destroyed at Fukushima.

Charity

Watertown Hibernians Ladies Hosting Fashion Show

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Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 14 will host a fashion show to benefit local charities. BonWorth, Fashion worth your lifestyle, will be held on Sunday, April 12 from 2-6 p.m. at the Hibernian Hall, 151 Watertown St., Watertown. Admission ins $10, and light refreshments will be served. Proceeds will benefit the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians’ local charities. For tickets, please contact Mary Ryan at 617-851-1836, Maureen Foley at 617-967-1195 of Sue McCallum 781-899-9423.

Real Estate

Two Watertown Home Sold this Week – See Where Here!

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See the sales price and more information about the two homes that sold in Watertown this week. $510,000 – 33 Hunt St., 2 unit, 9 total room, 3 total bedroom, 2 Family multi-family home

Sponsored by:

$850,000 – 42 Knowles Road, 9 room, 5 bedroom, 3 full & 1 half bathroom, Colonial single-family home

Around Town

Sign Up Now for Watertown Helps Out – Dozens of Projects Planned

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Watertown Helps Out is a day of community service organized by Watertown Community Foundation. You can sign up for a one-time volunteer activity in your local community that you can do with your family, friends, or on your own. The Watertown Community Foundation’s (WCF) Watertown Helps Out – annual day of volunteering is taking place again this year on Saturday, May 2 at over 20 Watertown nonprofits. The day begins with a 8:30am Kick-off Breakfast and Sign-in. Roberta Miller, co-chair of WCF’s organizing committee, stated, “Last year’s WHO event saw over 150 volunteers help local nonprofits by gardening, painting, building fences, cleaning up the riverfront, assisting seniors with household tasks, and sprucing up a children’s play area – just to mention a few of the activities. This year we have openings for more than twice as many volunteers, and we expect well over 300 to help out around town.”

Many of the activities are kid-friendly, and there are over two dozen to choose from! Before volunteering, join us for a kickoff breakfast at the Arsenal Project and pick up your free T-shirt.

Entertainment

Singers Can Try Out for Christmas Revels Performance

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Do you like to sing?  Revels seeks a diverse and talented Volunteer Chorus of Adults and Children to join us onstage this winter for 17 performances of The Christmas Revels  at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre in Cambridge. Directed by Patrick Swanson with music direction by George Emlen, The Christmas Revelswill be set in Wales and will feature music, dance, carols and other traditional material from the region.  Performances run Dec. 11-27, 2015.  Tuesday rehearsals begin Sept. 29.

Police/Fire

Police Log: String of Tire Slashings, Teen Busted for Drugs

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
March 25, 5:58 p.m.: Police went to Best Buy where two teens were stopped for shoplifting. A customer told security he overheard the two in the bathroom talking about taping merchandise to their chests. When police were there one of the teens kept reaching into his pocket when he was told not to and when they searched him they found a bag full of 12 individually packaged baggies filled with a green substance believed to be marijuana. The 18-year-old Brighton man was arrested on a charge of possession of a Class D drug with intent to distribute.