Around Town

LETTER: Petitioner to Change Watertown Zoning Urges People to Speak Up

By |

Hi Guys,

We’ve got to stop meeting like this! With every Watertown development meeting, every Affordable Housing Trust meeting, and on and on, there we sit. We’re quite a bit smaller in number at actual meetings, but we’ve proven that we have at least 600 Watertown residents that share our point of view. I know for a fact, from conversations with residents who didn’t get a chance to sign the petitions, that there are many more of us! As Watertown residents band together to say, “Save Our Community!” we’ve seen comments that imply that we’re old fashioned, elitist, anti-change or all of the above, trying to portray our concerns as insignificant.

Around Town

State Rep. Owens Nominates Former Community Foundation Director as a Commonwealth Heroine

By |

Former Watertown Community Foundation Executive Director Jan Singer was nominated to be a Commonwealth Heroine by State Rep. Steve Owens. (Photo courtesy of State Rep. Owens’ Office)

The following information was provided by State Rep. Steve Owens’ Office:

In collaboration with the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW), State Representative Steve Owens honored Jan Singer as his nominee for the 2023 Class of Commonwealth Heroines. Singer joins hundreds of women across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who are recognized each year for their hard work and dedication to their community. Last Friday, Representative Owens and the MCSW celebrate women like Singer, who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, at the Massachusetts State House. “Jan has worked tirelessly to support the Watertown community,” said Rep. Owens.

Schools

7 Students Awarded Scholarship at 55th Event in Honor of Lt. Paul Sullivan

By |

The scholarship winners at the 2023 Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Ceremony, from left: Eliabeth McGrath, William, Curley, Alessia Visocchi, James O’Connor lll, Maggie Driscoll, (not pictured Maeve Lawn) and Ciaran Flanagan. The following information was provided by the Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship Committee:

Congratulations to the 55th Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship recipients. A total of 7 awards were presented on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at the Sons of Italy Hall. Paul was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Watertown and a graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Waltham in 1961 and a 1965 graduate of Boston College. During those years he participated on many area athletic teams, most notably in the areas of basketball and baseball. He worked for the Watertown Recreation Department as a park instructor. After his college graduation, Paul taught at the West Jr. High School in Watertown and coached at Sacred Heart High School in Newton and St.

Around Town

Watertown Student Makes President’s List at College of Charleston

By |

The following information came from the College of Charleston:

The following students at the College of Charleston were named to the President’s List for the spring 2023 semester. Requirements for the President’s List are as follows:

Student was enrolled in and completed at least 14 semester hours and earned a GPA of 3.800 or higher

A student may not have an “I” (Incomplete) or a grade lower than “C” to qualify. No president’s list is released for courses taken during the summer terms. This honor will be noted on the transcript as “Highly Distinguished.”

Madison Cummings, Freshman, Major: Forensic Psychology

See the entire list by clicking here. About the College of Charleston

Located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina, the College of Charleston is a nationally recognized, public liberal arts and sciences university. Founded in 1770, the College is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability.

Around Town

Grace Chapel Watertown Hosting Kidsweek 2023 in July

By |

The following information was provided by Grace Chapel Watertown:

Kids will enjoy 3 fun-filled hours each morning playing games; interacting with music, drama & STEAM experiments, all while making friends and having a blast as they discover the incredible truth about God and His amazing plan for them. We will conclude the week with a fun event for the whole family. Come join us for this special Kids Week Family Celebration on Friday, July 18, 9-12 p.m.

Cost for the KidsWeek program is $30 per child, $60 max. per family. Program is free for volunteers’ children and new Grace Chapel attendees.

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Charged in Deadly Crash on New Year’s Eve 2022

By |

A 25-year-old Watertown man faces multiple felony charges stemming from a deadly crash in Rhode Island on New Year’s Eve 2022. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s office said that he was drivng while intoxicated. The following announcement was provided by the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office:

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Massachusetts man has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with multiple felony counts stemming from his role in a driving under the influence crash that killed a 22-year-old passenger and left another seriously injured on Route 146 on New Years Eve 2022. On June 5, 2023, the Office of the Attorney General charged Christopher Vincent (age 25), of Watertown, Mass., by way of criminal information, with one count of DUI resulting in death, one count of DUI resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of driving to endanger resulting in death, one count of driving to endanger resulting in serious bodily injury, and one count of possession of a controlled substance (10 grams or less). As alleged in the criminal information, at approximately 2:29 a.m. on December 31, 2022, members of the Rhode Island State Police (RISP) responded to a motor vehicle crash on Route 146 North at the intersection of Route 116 in Lincoln.

Around Town

Our History: The Vote for Women’s Suffrage in Watertown

By |

Headline from Sept 10, 1920 Watertown Free Press (Photo courtesy of Joyce Kelly)

The following story is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. It was written by David J. Russo, for the October 2012 Historical Society newsletter, “The Town Crier.” At the time, David was a volunteer for the Historical Society of Watertown and Chair of the Watertown Historical Commission. How often do we take the right to vote for granted? How many elections have we not bothered to vote in because we’re busy or don’t feel we have the time? There was a time, not long ago, when a whole segment of the population was denied the vote simply on the basis of gender.

Entertainment

Small Saves Does Some Grocery Shopping in This Week’s Cartoon

By |

James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”