Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/guest-writer/page/311/)
Raymond P. McNamara, 79 of Watertown and formerly Newton, died on Jan. 11, 2022. He was a lieutenant in the Newton Fire Department and was injured in a chemical explosion in a building in Newton in 1993. He was burned on over 90 percent of his body and lost is sight, but remained active in the community. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. A Fitting Tribute To A Local Superstar
After 27 years, Leone Cole, Our Library Director is Retiring, Here’s An Idea to Thank Her for Her Service to Watertown
Dear Watertown,
Under Leone’s innovative and forward-thinking leadership, our library has become the heart of our community – welcoming, serving, and educating people of all ages and from all walks of life, through even the most challenging of times. Our library has had such a positive influence − in ways we can only begin to imagine − on the lives of so many who have entered that building on 123 Main Street. Book groups, films, music, our History Room, research assistance, the Hatch Makerspace, storytelling, community talks/events, Project Literacy, the Library of Things, courses in finance, exercise, citizenship, and more have brought our community together. As many residents of Newton, Belmont, and Waltham will tell you, our library is their library of choice.
The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:
WFPL invites you to participate in One Book, One Watertown 2022! This year’s book selection challenges us to question how we engage with the natural world around us. Braiding Sweetgrass, by botanist and Citizen Potawatomi Nation member Robin Wall Kimmerer, is a “hymn of love to the world” that gifts insight about scientific knowledge, Indigenous wisdom, and the teachings of plants. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise.” Kimmerer shows how other living beings — asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass — offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices.
This year, we encourage readers to go slowly and savor this beautiful book — either all at once, or in bits and pieces.
Watertown DPW
The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:
City Manager Michael J. Driscoll is seeking six (6) Watertown citizens interested in serving onthe Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee. The Honorable City Council adopted Resolution 2022-01, a Resolution to Establish a Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee at their January 11, 2022 meeting. The City of Watertown has established a Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee in response to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s aggressive goals of the Commonwealth’s Solid Waste Master Plan to reduce disposal statewide by 30 percent from 2020 to 2030, and sets a long-term goal of achieving a 90 percent reduction in disposal statewide by 2050. The Committee’s responsibilities are defined as follows:
a. Research and make recommendations relating to recycling and reduction of solid wasteso that Watertown can meet the Commonwealth’s Solid Waste Master Plan milestones. b. Develop and engage in communication, education, and community outreach to increasepublic awareness for recycling and reduction of solid waste, including Watertown PublicSchools, the Farmers Market, Faire in the Square, and other venues.
With the retirement of Michael Driscoll this month, Watertown will be hiring a new City Manager for the first time in nearly 30 years and residents can be part of the process. Two residents will be included in the committee that will screen the candidates for the position. On Tuesday night, Council President Mark Sideris announced that the Screening Committee would have seven members. Along with the two residents, there will be three City Councilors — Sideris as chair, Vice President Vincent Piccirilli and Caroline Bays, who chairs the Personnel and Town Organization Committee. There will also be two members of the City Administration or City employees, who have not yet been named.
The following announcement was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts:
Recently reopened after a major renovation of the lobby and gallery spaces, the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown has announced a winter season of performances, exhibitions, and classes for diverse art enthusiasts and creators of every age and type. “After waiting over eighteen months to reopen,” said Executive Director Darren Farrington, “we’re thrilled offer so much to do, see, learn, and create at Mosesian Arts this winter. While COVID has delayed the start of some January programming, we’re taking precautions seriously and we’re hopeful that audiences and students will see us as a safe and welcoming destination for the arts.”
Performances
The Dark House, a world premiere play by Rachel Maddox, explores technology, influencers, and popularity gone wrong in a contemporary thriller that reflects on the power of social media and how much control it has in our lives. The play features actors in grades 6 through 8 in the Watertown Children’s Theatre program. January 28-30. Clue: On Stage is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery based on the iconic movie and classic board game.
March of the Living participants pray at entrance to Auschwitz concentration camp. The following information was provided by New England Friends of the March of the Living:
Genocide education will be compulsory in all Massachusetts middle and high schools under a bill Gov. Charlie Baker recently signed into law. The new bill underscores the serious knowledge gap among young Americans that is growing – and becoming more frightening! Examples from recent surveys:
A high school student asks ‘What’s Auschwitz?’
Two-thirds of millennials admit not knowing what Auschwitz was.
41% of adults don’t know what the Nazi concentration camp was known for. Half of millennials and Gen Z’ers have seen Holocaust denial posts online.
22% think the Holocaust was associated with World War I. 10% weren’t sure, 5% said the Civil War, and 3% said the Vietnam War.
The following announcement was provided by Gore Place:
On Saturday, February 12 at 8:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, join Gore Place for a virtual wine tasting with the Urban Grape of Boston’s South End. During this special event, you’ll enjoy three wines selected by the Urban Grape’s expert wine educators and learn about wine history. Participants must be age 21 or older. Advance tickets are required. Register by Monday, January 24 at 12 p.m. ET.