Government

Watertown Square Plan Documents Released Along with Agenda for Public Meeting

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The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

The Joint Hearing of the City Council and Planning Board to be held on June 13, 2024 at 6:00 PM at Watertown Middle School Auditorium, 68 Waverley Avenue. The Watertown Square Area Plan Document has been posted and you can access the document here (PDF). You can also access an appendix document of the updated MBTA Communities Zoning Summary (PDF). The Plan Document will be discussed at the City Council and Planning Board Joint Hearing on June 13, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Watertown Middle School Auditorium at 68 Waverley Avenue in Watertown. Printed copies of the Plan Document will be made available at the Watertown Free Public Library and at the Watertown Senior Center starting next week.

Sports

Watertown Youth Soccer Registration Starts June 1

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Registration will open for Watertown Youth Soccer’s fall season on Saturday, June 1 and will close on July 1. See more information provided by WYS, below. WATERTOWN YOUTH SOCCER FALL 2024 TRAVEL REGISTRATION

Grades 3-8Opens: June 1, 2024Closes: July 1, 2024*(*This is a very firm deadline.)

Practices are twice a week, times and days determined by volunteer parent coach(es). Games are on Saturdays. BAYS games schedule comes out late August.

Government

Edible Watertown Program Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

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The artwork from Edible Plants 2022, Clockwise from top left: Daylily by Patti Murphy, Bee Balm by Niloufar Keyhani, Elderberry by Marija Draskic
Brancazio, Wintergreen by Kate Martens, Mayapple by Carol Leonesio, Mountain Mint by Cat Bennett, Huckleberry
by Donna Calleja, Red Bud by Debajyoti Biswas, Bearberry by Connie Henry, and Garlic Chives by Jaclyn Kain. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Public Arts & Culture Committee is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000. This grant will support the Edible Watertown: Expert Pairings project. In total, the NEA will award 1,135 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling more than $37 million as part of its second round of fiscal year 2024 grants. “Projects like Edible Watertown exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection, and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD.

Around Town

Author and Globe Columnist Speaking at Watertown Group’s Annual Meeting and Dinner

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Stephen Kinzer

The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment:

Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment will hold their annual meeting this Sunday, followed by a lecture and Q&A featuring prolific author, analyst, and Boston Globe columnist, Stephen Kinzer. On June 2 at 5:30 p.m. at First Parish of Watertown — Unitarian Universalist, 35 Church St., the group will celebrate its 45th year and discuss the year ahead with a community potluck dinner which brings together members from each of the organization’s six working groups (Watertown Faces Climate Change, Refugee Support Group, Friends of Bees and Life Friendly Garden Tour, Pigsgusset Initiative, Peace and Common Security, and Race Reels). At 6:15 the group will hold their meeting, followed by Dr. Kinzer’s address “Peace or Primacy: America’s Choice for the 21st Century.”

Senior Fellow in International & Public Affairs at Brown University’s Watson Institute, Stephen Kinzer spent 20 years as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times and has held the position of bureau chief in Nicaragua, Germany, and Turkey. He’s taught at Northwestern University and Boston University and holds two honorary doctorates. Author of numerous articles and essays, Dr. Kinzer has also authored five books, including his most recent “Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control.”

More information on Stephen Kinser is available at https://StephenKinzer.com and at https://home.watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/senior-fellows/stephen-kinzer. This event is free and open to the public.

Police/Fire

Brookline Man Arrested for Misleading Woman into Taking Medication to End Pregnancy

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The Watertown Police and Middlesex District Attorney’s Office provided the following announcement:

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Watertown Chief of Police Justin Hanrahan have confirmed that Robert Kawada, 43, of Brookline has been charged with poisoning, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on pregnant person and assault and battery on a household or family member in connection with misleading a woman, who was known to him, into taking medication to end her pregnancy. The preliminary investigation suggests that Kawada and the victim were in a dating relationship and that the victim became pregnant. Kawada is alleged to have secretly given the victim medication under the guise that he was giving her iron pills and vitamins. That medication was actually intended to end the pregnancy. After the victim had been given the pills, one of which is believed to be Misoprostol, the victim suffered a miscarriage.

Around Town

Start of Eversource Transmission Line Project to Begin in June

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The following announcement was provided by Eversource:

Starting soon, Eversource’s approved contractor McCourt Construction will begin working in local streets in Waltham, Watertown, and the Allston/Brighton neighborhood of Boston to install a new transmission line by way of reconductoring. Work in local streets will be starting in June instead of late May of this year. 

Reconductoring is minimally invasive, does not require full in-street excavation along the entire route and mainly happens at manhole locations. The entire project is expected to last roughly 24 months and people and businesses near manhole and piper repair locations can expect to see Eversource crews intermittently throughout the life of the project. See more details in the document below:

To learn more about the project, call 1-833-836-0302 or email ProjectInfoMA@eversource.com. You can also sign up to receive routine email updates by visiting https://bit.ly/WW-B.

Entertainment

Best Selling Author to Present a Narrated Slide Show: Exploring the Hidden Charles River

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Michael Tougias

The following information was provided by Michael Tougias:

Michael Tougias, author of Exploring The Hidden Charles, will present a narrated slide presentation about his beloved river. The presentation follows the Charles River on its 80 mile journey from Hopkinton to Boston, and along the way Tougias will share anecdotes, history, wildlife encounters and conservation issues. Suggestions for exploring the river and nearby reservations will also be discussed. After the presentation Tougias will sign copies of his books and answer questions about the river or about the writing and publishing process. Tougias is a New York Times Bestselling author and co-author of 30 books including “Extreme Survival: Lessons From Those Who Have Triumphed Against All Odds.”

Around Town

Watertown’s Oldest House to Open to Public on June 1

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The Browne House, built in 1698, is the oldest standing house in Watertown. The following announcement was provided by Historic New England:

On Saturday, June 1, all 38 Historic New England historic properties are open free to the public, including the Lyman Estate in Waltham and Browne House in Watertown. Join us for a fun day of fantastic storytelling! At the Lyman Estate you’ll see rooms used in the Greta Gerwig’s film adaptation of Little Women and the veranda where Jo and Laurie exuberantly danced during the ball. Also enjoy the grounds of this National Historic Landmark and visit one of the oldest greenhouses in the United States.Hear the story of the Lyman family at the mansion, which is also used today as a venue for weddings and corporate events.