Letters

LETTER: Are There Plans for Helping Russo’s Employees After Store Closes?

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Editor

Like so many I am disappointed that Russo’s is disappearing next month. I have shopped there since it was a vegetable stand and I presumed that its current version with 250 employees would be around for the rest of my life. Since this is not the case, I am wondering about the fate of all of its employees? Is Russo, like so many companies, providing outplacement services and some months of pay to assist the employees they are letting go land on their feet? If anyone knows, I would be interested to hear.

Entertainment

Local Artisans Selling Crafts at Gore Place’s 5th Annual Handmade for the Holidays

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The following announcement came from Gore Place:

Gore Place welcomes all to our 5th Annual Handmade for the Holidays, a celebration of New England handcrafts! Early fall is a wonderful time to enjoy shopping among local artisans. Browse and shop outdoors among the fiber artists’ and handcrafters’ booths, enjoy a picnic on a blanket, or stroll across our lawns to view our heritage sheep. For more information, call Gore Place’s main office at 781-894-2798 during regular business hours. Date and Time: Saturday, September 18, 2021 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (rain date is Sunday, September 19)

Location: Outdoors at Gore Place, 52 Gore Street, Waltham, MA

Admission: Free for shoppers with ample free parking on our South Lawn

COVID-19 safety precautions will be in place.

Entertainment

Classes at Hatch Include Intro to Sewing, Beginner Programming and Find Out About Laser Cutting

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Watertown’s Hatch Makerspace has a variety of workshops in September. See more information in the information provided by the Watertown Library below:

September Hours:Tuesday – Friday from 1-9 pmSaturday-Sunday 1-7 pm

Masks are required. Hatch will continue to follow all library closures. Curbside pickup is still available for 3D prints. Intro to the Sewing Machine with CherylMonday, September 13, 6 pmLearn how to use a sewing machine.

Around Town

See Gardens in Watertown That Support Bees & Other Pollinators During Tour on Sept. 12

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The Watertown Life-Friendly Garden Tour will take place on Sept. 12, 2021. Pictured is a bicolored striped sweat bee on aster. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Friends of the Bees:

You’ve probably heard the phrase “save the bees,” but the bees who need the most help may not be the bees you think of first. In addition to the fuzzy bumblebees we know and love, and the honeybees that give us honey there are many types of native bees you may not have noticed.

Government

Candidate for District D Council Hosting Listening Session for Residents

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown residents cast their ballots at Watertown Town Hall in 2020. The following announcement was provided by the Committee to Elect Connie Henry:

Are you a District D resident? Join your neighbors for an outdoor listening session on Sunday, September 12 from 3-4:30pm hosted by the Committee to Elect Connie Henry. The event will use a “World Cafe” model that encourages conversation among neighbors. There will be four stations focused on the following important topics: Development and Traffic; Green Spaces and the Environment; Education and Public Safety; and Communication, Equity, and Inclusion.

Extreme Weather

Watertown Receives Grant to Prepare for Impacts of Extreme Weather

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The Charles River in Waterotwn Square.Watertown DPW

The Town of Watertown has been awarded an MVP Action Grant for a new Equity-Based Community Greening Program. The Town will use the money to work to identify climate-vulnerable areas of town and design green interventions to add trees and stormwater management. “We have seen numerous heat waves this summer, and they will only become more frequent,” said Watertown Senior Environmental Planner Laurel Schwab. “This $94,240 MVP grant will help us use trees and green infrastructure to cool off our hottest neighborhoods and help protect our most vulnerable residents.” Learn more about the MVP Grants in the announcement provided by the Mystic River Watershed Association:

Following the release of $20 million in state FY2022 MVP Grants, The Mystic River Watershed Association announced that Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC) cities and towns had secured a total of $2.6 million in state funding to help prepare for extreme weather.

Entertainment

Check Out This Week’s Small Saves and Here’s Trouble Comic Strips

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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.”

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

Around Town

LETTER: Watertown Teachers Union Responds to Calls for Vaccination

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To the Members of the Watertown School Community,

School Committee Candidate Rachel Kay’s recent letter to the Watertown MA News regarding a requirement for Watertown teachers to be vaccinated was not surprising given the level of political discourse that has recently besieged our country. In the letter, Ms. Kay is dismayed that there is not a vaccine mandate in place for teachers in the Watertown Public Schools. Her letter implies that the Watertown Educators Association and Watertown Public School District are opposed to a vaccine mandate. Ms.Kay appears to be uninformed regarding this matter. Had she inquired about a vaccine mandate by asking WEA leaders, School Committee members, or Superintendent Galdston, she would have learned that this matter is currently in negotiations.