Around Town

Come Meet the Artists Behind the New Pieces in Watertown’s Sculpture Walk

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Photo by Liz Helfer”All Style, No Substance” by Ken Reker is one of the new additions to the Watertown Community Sculpture Walk. Watertown’s Community Sculpture Walk has four new works of art, and the public is invited to meet the artists and find out about their process and inspiration. The opening reception for the new sculptures will be held on Friday, May 10 from 5-6 p.m. The tour begins at the beginning of the Community Path in Saltonstall Park (behind City Hall). Three of the artists will attend the opening, and one provided some audio of his poems to share at the event, said Liz Helfer, Watertown’s Public Arts & Culture Planner. Also attending the event will be Zachariah Hickman — the Tuba Guy.

Around Town

New Book Looks at Triple Murder in Waltham, and Ties to Marathon Bombing & Watertown

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A triple murder in Waltham in 2011, just half a mile from the Watertown line, has ties to the Boston Marathon Bombing, and to Watertown, author Susan Clare Zalkind discovered. The Newton resident began to follow the investigation, and has produced stories about the murders and the investigation — which remain open to this day — for Boston magazine and NPR’s This American Life, and wrote and produced the 2022 Hulu docuseries The Murders Before the Marathon. She also covered the Boston Marathon Bomber trial for the Daily Beast. In March, her book “The Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth and a National Tragedy” was published by Little A.

Zalkind has a personal connection to one of the victims. She was working for NECN when a story came across the wire about three dead bodies being found in Waltham. She later found out one of those people was her friend, Erik Weissman, who she met when she was 19. “I knew one of the victims, I liked one of the victims, but that’s not why I spent 11 years of my life devoted to this story,” Zalkind told Watertown News.

Government

FY25 City Budget Includes New Police Program, Funds for High School Project & to Meet Climate Goals

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Watertown’s Budget Stable Now, May Not be in Future Years

Watertown City Hall

The City of Watertown’s financial situation looks good for Fiscal Year 2025, which starts July 1, 2024, but the City may face some challenging budgets in the following years, City Manager George told the City Council on Tuesday night. The budget includes funding some ongoing efforts, such as the Watertown Square Area Plan, the Watertown High School project. It also includes funding to implement the City’s Energy and Sustainability Plan, to start the human rights commission, and add new programs, including at the Watertown Police Department. On April 30, Proakis presented his FY25 budget, which will be $203.975 million, which is a 1.96 percent increase from the revised FY24 budget (the current year). The majority of the budget comes from local property taxes, which funds 81 percent, or $165 million in FY25.

Schools

School Officials & Police Believe Bomb Threats on 4 Schools Are Linked to Recent Publicity of Middle School Hit List

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Watertown Middle School

School officials and Police believe the bomb threats on four Watertown schools on Tuesday were the result of recent publicity of an incident at Watertown Middle School in January when a student’s hit list was found. In a statement from the Watertown Schools and WPD, they said the schools are committed to “ensuring the safety and well-being of all of our students,” that “Watertown is a kind and caring community,” and they “stand together against these hateful actions.” The hit list was discovered in January, and Watertown School officials and Watertown Police determined that there was not threat. At the time, some parents expressed concern about their children’s safety and questioned the response by School officials. On Jan.

Schools

Security Measures Increased at Watertown Schools Following Bomb Threat

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Watertown Middle School (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

Superintendent Dede Galdston announced that the Watertown Police and the School personnel increased security measures after an bomb threat was sent by email. Police and school officials do not believe the threat to be credible and the schools will remain open, she added in the statement sent to the community. See the full statement below:

Dear Watertown Public Schools Community, 

This letter is to inform you about a bomb threat that we just received. Our schools are committed to the safety and education of all our students at all times, every day. We also want to clearly communicate with parents about safety issues when they arise. The email with the threat contained erroneous information from an unknown source that led us, in conjunction with the Watertown Police Department, to determine that the threat was not credible. 

With the help of the police department and district personnel, we have added the following layers of safety to our school day:

There will be an increased police presence at schools today and in the coming day

Reviewing information from the email to determine its source

Our schools entrances are controlled, and there is no reason to believe that any device is in our schools

Out of an abundance of caution, we are conducting a perimeter sweep with canine support

The Watertown Police Department has collaborated with other local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to investigate the matter

All entrances and exits to our schools are being redundantly monitored

The police department is actively investigating the threat to determine its origin with the goal of determining the source of the threat.

Around Town

See Photos from the 2024 Dancing With the Watertown Stars

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Photo by Charlie BreitroseJen Nichoslon, who works at the Commander’s Mansion, and Kemar Bennett perform during the 2024 Dancing with the Watertown Stars. People packed the Friday night to see 10 Watertown stars kick up their heels on the Hellenic Cultural Center dance floor during the 2024 Dancing With the Watertown Stars. More than 400 people cheered on teachers, a police officer, an insurance salesman, a photographer, a cable news director, a principal and more during the event hosted by the Rotary Club of Watertown. Photo by Charlie BreitrosePhotographer Vail Fucci and Cameron Gabehart partnered up for Dancing With the Watertown Stars. The Stars for 2024 were: Stephanie Barker, a special educator at Watertown High School; Joel Giacobozzi, WHS Principal; Amy Kirsch, a special educator at Lowell School; Dan Hogan, Watertown Cable Access news director; Jen Nicholson, events coordinator at the Commander’s Mansion; Vail Fucci, photographer; Raul Mendez, Watertown Police Officer; Amy Donohue, School Committee member; Christian Dallas, agent at Dallas Insurance Agency; and Maryann Swift, benefits and payroll at Watertown Savings Bank.