Around Town

Watertown Girl Scouts’ Project to Protect the Charles River Earns a Bronze Award

By |

Girl Scout Troop 82131Watertown Girl Scouts from Troop 82131 earned the Bronze Award for their project to protect the Charles River. The following piece was provided by the leaders of Girl Scout Troop 82131:

Earlier this year, Girl Scout Troop 82131, made up of 12 Watertown girls (then fifth graders), teamed up to make a difference in Watertown, learn important leadership skills, and see how their seemingly small actions can make a big difference to their community. All their work together over a period of 18 months helped the girls earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award — the highest award a Junior can achieve. In thinking about what project they wanted to take on to earn their Bronze Award, the girls discovered a shared interest in protection of water resources, and taking care of the Charles River, an important recreation and nature area in our town. The girls started by working with an all-female team of water resources engineers from VHB, a local engineering firm, to learn about water pollution and how difficult it is to “depollute” water. They collected almost 30 pounds of trash along the Charles River, recruiting family and friends to help them in this effort. Next, they worked with the VHB engineers to learn about the science behind water filtration and built their own mini filters at home over zoom using materials provided by VHB. The troop then met with VHB in person to inspect the large-scale water filtration systems in place on the Charles River in Brighton. Finally, they worked with WCA-TV to produce a public service announcement educating the community and their peers about the importance of taking care of our natural water resources in town. 

Girl Scout Troop 82131The local Girl Scouts removed trash from a section of the Charles River.

Electric Buses

LETTER: Watertown Group Pushing for Faster Electrification of MBTA Buses

By |

Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA bus in Watertown. A new report calls on the MBTA to update the overhead wires and busses on Watertown’s 71 and 73 routes to InMotion charging as a first step to expanding this technology to other routes. The report “Bus Electrification Accelerating the Electrification of Bus Service in the Boston Metro Area” MBTAReport_Final2.pdf (sierraclub.org) by the Sierra Club, Transit Matters, and Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) along with 14 partner organizations calls the MBTA’s plans “too little too late.”

The MBTA current plan calls for the continued purchasing of hundreds of polluting diesel hybrid buses while gradually transitioning to overnight charging electric buses over the next two decades with full electrification by 2040. The report argues that depending solely on overnight charging short changes us and identifies two promising technologies — InMotion charging and EnRoute charging that should be part of the mix and an implementation rollout that would achieve full electrification by 2030, avoid hundreds of interim diesel hybrids, reduce emissions earlier, save money, serve environmental justice communities, and improve public health for all. It is convenient to use the upcoming Mt.

Elections

LETTER: Owner of Community Health Center Endorses Candidate for District A Councilor

By |

I have been a Watertown resident since 2005, raising my children while founding an expressive arts community center in Watertown, ARTrelief, with my wife. I’m writing today to enthusiastically endorse Nicole Gardner for District A Town Councilor and I encourage all my East End neighbors to cast their vote for her on election day, November 2nd. I first met Nicole Gardner through the Buy Nothing Watertown Project, which she has grown from a niche interest to a network of 2,500 residents across town. Nicole’s community-building energy, enthusiasm, and initiative helped me connect with my neighbors and get more involved around issues that matter to me, such as the environment and consumerism, as well as raising our children in a safe community where people know and look out for each other. In the time I have known her, Nicole has shown strong leadership abilities, not only in thinking about creating a diverse leadership team for Buy Nothing Watertown but also in her ability to motivate others in working towards a common vision.

Around Town

LETTER: Two Parents Back Candidate for Watertown School Committee

By |

We are supporting Rachel Kay for School Committee. Rachel Kay is a passionate parent and caregiver advocate who wants the best for all Watertown families. We like that Rachel is not running to push the agenda of special interest groups or a political ideology. Instead, she cares about fostering a united Watertown and representing the values and priorities of its collective residents. She has consistently held neighborhood gatherings and listening sessions in the community to find out what matters to other Watertown residents, and she has intentionally sought out the thoughts and opinions of people she has never met or might not otherwise hear from.

Election 2021

UPDATED – OP-ED: Resident Concerned About Council Candidate’s Stance on Cutting Police Budget

By |

EDITOR’S NOTE:

This Op-Ed piece has been removed due to questions over the source of the email referenced in the piece. The author did not want to reveal the source of the email. While the email was a public document, having been sent to the members of the Town Council on their official email addresses, the description of the source of the letter was not clear enough. The editor felt the description would likely lead readers to incorrectly infer the writer got the email from one of the Councilors who, in reality, is not the source, and other descriptions might reveal the source. (Letters to the editors can be sent to watertownmanews@gmail.com)

Entertainment

Comics: Small Saves Faces His Fans, Here’s Trouble Checks Out a Soap Opera

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.”

DeMarco recently added “Here’s Trouble” to his cartooning lineup, inspired by drawings he did in the 1980s when he was in high school

Election 2021

LETTER: Candidate Has Unique Qualifications for School Committee

By |

As a parent of two children in Watertown Public Schools, I write to encourage fellow Watertown residents to support Rachel Kay for School Committee. Among the candidates for the open seats, she is uniquely qualified to represent our concerns and to work to improve our schools. The past year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of making school policy decisions that are informed by science. As a data scientist with a long and distinguished career in education research, Rachel Kay will expand upon this evidence-based approach to running our schools. As Director of Admissions Research and Data Analysis at MIT, with a PhD in Education Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, Rachel brings a unique skill set to the job.

Arsenal Yards

Plenty of Fall Activities and Music at Arsenal Yards in October

By |

The following announcement was provided by Arsenal Yards:

With fall in full swing, Arsenal Yards invites residents, workers, and visitors to (pumpkin) spice up their fall days through a variety of autumnal events happening throughout the vibrant new neighborhood this October. Guests and residents of Arsenal Yards are invited to enjoy outdoor live music performances, pumpkin carving, games and more at Fall Falladays! The festivities will kick off on Thursday, October 14th at Arsenal Yards’ Fall Falladays Festival, a can’t miss event of fall fun including live music, festive games, harvest treats and complimentary professional family photos with a surprise backdrop, sponsored by Blvd & Bond. For those who are 21+, beer and wine will be available for purchase. The festival will offer two sessions; one from 4:00-6:00 p.m. and the second from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person (children ages 5 and under are free) with all proceeds benefitting the Watertown Food Pantry. Tickets must be reserved online in advanced here.