Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Awards Health Grants

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) is pleased to announce the grantees of this year’s Healthy Watertown Grants. The Healthy Watertown Grant Program provides financial support to organizations that work to create new or existing programs to keep our community healthy.   As the result of an anonymous gift, WCF is pleased to announce the total amount awarded this year has grown from $10,000 to $15,000. “In the past few years, we have seen an increase in basic needs, especially around food security. This year the trend continues. Of the grants awarded, most are food related.”

Around Town

Watertown Yard Waste Collection May be Delayed

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The Watertown Department of Public Works announced that yard waste collection may be delayed. The DPW sent out the following announcement:

Dear Watertown residents,

Please be patient with yard waste collection for the next few weeks. Republic is working to collect the drastic increase in bags and containers of yard waste and may be delayed a day or two. Please leave your bags and bins out if they are not collected on your normal day. Republic will be by later in the week.

Around Town

Snow Shovelers Celebrated by Recreation Dept., Spots Available for This Winter

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Watertown Recreation DepartmentWatertown students who participated in the 2021-22 senior snow shoveling program were honored by the Recreation Department. The following information came from the Watertown Recreation Department:

On Thursday, Nov. 10, the Department of Recreation and Senior Center hosted our Snow Shoveling Pizza Party at the Senior Center to thank those middle and high school students who participated in our snow shoveling program last year. 

Each participant enjoyed pizza and refreshments while receiving a specially designed water bottle, a $25 target gift card, a warm and cozy recreation stocking hat and community service.  Four of the students who were in attendance, also won a raffle for Bruins tickets for Sunday night’s Bruin’s game. 

We were delighted to have in attendance our special guest Carol Katz, of the Marshall Home Fund. The Marshall Home Fund has made this all possible by providing a grant to support this program. Special thanks to her and the Marshall Home Fund for supporting this great program and Patrick George and the Senior Center Staff for assisting with this program.  Yes, our favorite “Face of the Recreation Department, Ernie Thebado was there and helpful as usual. We will again be offering this Snow Shoveling Program this year and are hopeful more middle school and high school students will participate. This year, thanks to generous support from the Marshall Home Fund, students will have an opportunity to earn a stipend, along with Community Service and a gift by assisting with snow shoveling in their neighborhood.

Around Town

Monthly Meeting of Watertown Citizens Focused on Palestinians in Israel

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

Watertown Citizens’ November Monthly Meeting is being organized by that Peace and Common Security Working Group. The title of the program is — “Why Supporting Palestinian Rights and Opposing Israeli Apartheid is Not Anti-Semitic”

Wednesday, November 16, from 6:45 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Our guest panelists will be Eve Spangler and Elsa Auerbach, who were among the co-authors of an article entitled “The Safety of Others.” They are Boston-area Jewish women who strongly reject the idea that opposing Israeli government oppression of Palestinians and supporting their rights constitutes anti-Semitism. Elsa Auerbach, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of English at the University of Massachusetts. Eve Spangler is an associate professor of sociology at Boston College.  

You can read the article at https://www.wrmea.org/2022-june/july/the-safety-of-others.html. This is a zoom meeting. The link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83458650306?pwd=b1BKVmRaR09BSHJOeVVWRlBHRHlhQT09

Around Town

MBTA Holding Meeting on Bus Network Redesign, Breakout for Watertown Area

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA 71 bus. The following information was provided by the MBTA:

Due to overwhelming interest in the November 2 Bus Network Redesign meeting, we will be holding a subsequent meeting to accommodate those who were not able to attend. The additional public meeting will be Monday, November 14 at 6:00 PM. 

We encourage attendees to view the November 2 recordings in advance of the meeting as the breakout room presentations will be shortened to allow for more time for questions. You can view the main presentation here. Breakout room recordings are also available for the following regions:

Breakout 1: Beverly, Chelsea, Danvers, East Boston, Everett, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Marblehead, Melrose, Nahant, Peabody, Reading, Revere, Salem, Saugus, Stoneham, Swampscott, Wakefield, Winthrop

Breakout 2: Arlington, Bedford, Burlington, Cambridge, Lexington, Medford, Somerville, Winchester, Woburn

Breakout 3: Boston, Brookline

Breakout 4: Belmont, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown

Breakout 5: Avon, Braintree, Brockton, Canton, Dedham, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Milton, Norwood, Quincy, Randolph, Walpole, Westwood, Weymouth

The meeting will be held online, via Zoom.

Entertainment

New Set of Clothes for Small Saves in This Week’s Cartoon

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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.”

Police/Fire

Watertown Man Arrested for Fraud Related to African Sports Ventures

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The following announcement came from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston:

A Watertown man was arrested today for allegedly defrauding investors who believed they were financing lucrative short-term sports ventures in Africa. Adrian Kawuba, 33, was charged with one count of wire fraud. Kawuba will appear in federal court in Boston at 2:30 p.m. today before United States Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. According to the charging documents, Kawuba told his investors that he would invest their money in short-term financing of sports ventures in Africa and elsewhere overseas and that he would personally guarantee their investments. It is alleged however, that Kawuba did not invest any of the funds he received from victim investors.

Entertainment

Tickets on Sale for Mount Auburn Cemetery’s Winter Lights Show

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A screenshot from a video showing the lights show at Mount Auburn Cemetery in 2021. The following announcement was provided by the Mount Auburn Cemetery:

Mount Auburn Cemetery announced today that tickets are now on sale for this year’s SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light event, created by MASARY Studios. The annual event at the active cemetery and historic urban green space takes guests on an outdoor journey through large-scale light and sound artworks and an indoor experience with live music and candle lighting. The event starts on December 10 and will run through December 21, 2022, at Mount Auburn Cemetery. Designed to evoke awe and contemplation, the exhibit invites guests to walk through the light-filled landscape and chapels, explore the winter solstice atmosphere, and reflect on moments of change as the year ends and a new cycle begins.