Obituaries

OBIT: Andrew Russo, 98, Grew Up in Watertown, Navy Seabee in World War II

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Andrew Russo

Russo, Andrew C. “Andy” of Arlington, died on May 4th at the age of 98. Beloved husband of the late Josephine A. (DiCecca) Russo. Loving father of Rosanne Rogers of Cape Elizabeth, ME, Andrew Russo of Littleton and Karen Moorehead and her husband, Michael of Warwick, RI. Dear grandfather of Justin Rogers, Jesse Moorehead, Brendan Rogers, Shane Moorehead and Kasey Moorehead. Brother of Thomas Russo, Eleanor Kallberg, David Russo and the late Francis Russo.

Schools

Watertown High School Teacher Named Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year

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Watertown High School chemistry teacher Liz Mundy was named Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year. (Contributed Photo)

A Watertown High School science teacher was recently honored as one of the two Massachusetts STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) teacher of the year by the New England Patriots. See the announcement from the Watertown Public Schools, below. The New England Patriots have named Watertown High School chemistry teacher Liz Mundy as one of their two Massachusetts STEM Teachers of the Year. Mundy was selected for her unwavering commitment to her students, her dedication to teaching, and her innovative work with CoLAB, a Watertown nonprofit where local life science professionals and high school educators collaborate to inspire students to pursue STEM careers.

Schools

Dozens of Local Students Earn Honors at Several Colleges & Universities

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Many Watertown students made the honors list at their college or university, another was part of an award winning project and one graduated. Among the colleges were UMass Amherst, Tufts, Emmanuel, Simmons, WPI, Wentworth, Wisconsin, Hamilton, Holy Cross, Minnesota, Salve Regina, William & Mary, Saint Anselm and Miami University. The following announcements were provided by the colleges and universities. UMass Amherst

The following students were named to the Fall 2024 Dean’s List at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  

Students are appointed to the Dean’s List at the end of a semester in which they have completed a minimum of 12 graded credits and have earned a grade point average of 3.500 or better.  Ariana Aufiero Philip Centola Aidan Conneely Lana Curic Carina DeLorio Riley Donlan Ronan Greene Levon Gukasyan Benjamin Heep Jackson Helie Olivia Hoover Deion Howe Alyce Judge Lara Kebabjian Ilana Krebs Liam Lawn Maeve Lawn Robert Martirosyan Veronica Merhy Selina Nebiye Ruari O’Sullivan John Pavlidis Vishakha Rath Henry Sarris Oscar Shepard Adelle Sheynkman Benjamin Surenian Isabella Tancredo Daniel Tattrie Alexandra Thuene Hrachya Tonyan Gregory Venizelos Anna Zarkadas Christina Zouein

WPI

Marley Fortune is a member of one of two undergraduate teams that won first place in the 2024 President’s IQP (Interactive Qualifying Project) Awards at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Entertainment

2025 Herring Festival Will be Held Near Watertown Dam

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The 2025 Herring Festival will take place near the Watertown Dam on Sunday, May 18 beginning at 11 a.m. The event is hosted by the Charles River Watershed Association. See more details in the CRWA’s announcement below. Join Charles River Watershed Association for the 2025 Herring Festival! Come and celebrate the annual migration of Alewife, Blueback Herring, and American Shad from the ocean into the Charles River. This free, family-friendly event will feature food trucks, community art activities, guided tours of the Watertown Dam, a live fishing demonstration and fun activities for all ages.

Around Town

Tree Group Concerned About Proposed Removal of 9 Trees on Mt. Auburn Street

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16″ DBH Honeylocust at 489 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. The following announcement was provided by Trees for Watertown:

TREE HEARING this Wednesday for Nine Shade Trees MassDOT Wants to Remove

The Mass. Department of Transportation (MassDOT) wants to cut down nine shade treesalong Mount Auburn Street in order to make way for roadway modifications. This was unexpected by those of us who believed MassDOT’s assurances months ago that destruction of shade trees as part of the Mount Auburn Street Project would be minimal. If this destruction concerns you, the Public Shade Tree Removal Hearing for these trees is on Zoom at 10 a.m. this Wednesday, May 14.

Around Town

Mt. Auburn St. Project: Installation of Electrical Pipes Continues at 3 Intersections

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The Mt. Auburn Street project will continue during the week of March 12-16, including installation of electrical conduit (underground electrical pipes) at three intersections on Mt. Auburn: Common Street, Irving Street/ Palfrey Street, and between Bates Road and Garfield Street. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Traffic and Sidewalk ImpactsDuring this work, you can expect temporary lane shifts and possibly lane closures, but one travel lane in each direction will remain on Mount Auburn Street.

Around Town

Traffic Advisory for Roads in and Around Watertown, Including North Beacon Street

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Road work on Department of Conservation and Recreation-owned roadways in and around Watertown will lead to lane closures over the coming weeks, beginning on Sunday, May 11. See more details in the announcements from the DCR, below. DCR Traffic Advisory: North Beacon Street in Watertown

WHAT: Beginning on Sunday, May 11, 2025, and continuing through Monday, June 2, 2025, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will close lanes along North Beacon Street from Greenough Boulevard to Charles River Road in the City of Watertown from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. to accommodate milling and paving work. Traffic patterns will be clearly marked, and a police detail will be on site.    

WHERE: North Beacon Street from Greenough Boulevard to Charles River Road in the City of Watertown 

WHEN: Sunday, May 11, 2025 – Monday, June 2, 2025, 7 p.m. – 5 a.m. 

DCR Traffic Advisory: Gerrys Landing Road in Cambridge

WHAT: Beginning on Monday, May 12, 2025, and continuing through Friday, June 13, 2025, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will close lanes along Gerrys Landing Road from Greenough Boulevard to Mt Auburn Street in the City of Cambridge from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. to accommodate milling and paving work. Traffic patterns will be clearly marked, and a police detail will be on site.

Around Town

LETTER: Thoughts on Watertown’s Housing Production Goals

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Dear Editor,

Wednesday evening, May 7th  the Eye on Watertown Podcast had the pleasure to have as our guests Josh Rosmarin and Jacky van Leeuwen, Members of the Steering Committee of Housing For All Watertown. 

Housing for All Watertown’s mission is to build a broad coalition of residents to advance local policies and projects in order to expand housing options. My understanding is their  focus is on finding solutions to current housing challenges for both current and future community members. Advance in the mission statement for Housing for All Watertown is used in the context of pushing forward policies and projects that expand housing options. The group has also been involved in efforts to combat ethnic – and income-based discrimination in Watertown’s housing market. We found that Expanding Affordable Housing has been in the forefront of their efforts and has pushed for more affordable housing units as part of the MBTA Communities Act Plan which aims to increase housing near transit hubs. The Housing for All Watertown’s group and its approach has been deemed by many as one of the most ambitious housing advocates in the state.