Around Town

See This Week’s Virtual Programs at the Watertown Library

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Watertown Free Public Library

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department:

The Watertown Free Public Library’s new curbside book pickup service has been a big hit with Watertown residents. “Talking to patrons and hearing how thrilled they are to have books again is truly the highlight of my day” says WFPL director Leone Cole. 

While curbside orders pick up, WFPL continues to offer virtual programs. This week via Zoom, find peace during Community Yoga, learn to knit, or make homemade mac & cheese during Cook the Books: Pantry Edition. For tweens in grades 5-7, the Library is starting First Chapter Fridays (via Facebook Live) to spotlight some fantastic books available online via the Library apps Hoopla and Overdrive. Here’s a full list of virtual offerings for the week of May 25 – 31:

FOR CHILDREN

Springo!May 1 – 30 | Can you get bingo on our spring-themed outdoor scavenger hunt? Post your bingo board on social media and be sure to tag WFPL! Download the Springo bingo board here: bit.ly/SpringoWFPL

Story Time (via Facebook Live)Tuesday at 10:30 am with Emily | Thursday at 11 am with Kazia | facebook.com/watertownfpl

Lunch Bunch Book Group (via Facebook Live)Mondays and Thursdays | 12 PM | Children’s Librarians will read aloud from The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. This title is available without waiting via Hoopla.

Around Town

Senior Center Offers Programs Online, Answering Phone Calls

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Watertown Senior Center

The following announcement came from the Watertown Senior Center:

Good afternoon,

We hope you are doing well! As you know, the Senior Center remains closed, but the Council on Aging continues to operate with staff on hand to answer your calls and emails. We are always happy to hear from you. We have moved many of our programs to an online format using Zoom. Please call us at (617) 972-6490 to register for a program and to receive Zoom access information.

Entertainment

Small Saves is Missing the Ice Rink in This Week’s Cartoon

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Cartoon by James Demarco

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 Savesemerged 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.”

Transportation

MBTA Closing Green Line from Lechmere for One Year, Replacing with Buses

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The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:

Today the MBTA reminded customers that Green Line service between Lechmere and North Stations is replaced with shuttle buses every day beginning at the start of service on Sunday, May 24, for approximately one year to accomplish work as part of the Green Line Extension project (GLX) and the Green Line Transformation Program (GLT): the closure, relocation, and complete replacement of Lechmere Station and work to demolish, relocate, and reconstruct sections of the Lechmere Viaduct. During the Green Line diversion, GLX crews will remove the existing Lechmere Station, reconstructing a brand new Lechmere in a new location in Cambridge. The GLX team has also closely collaborated with the GLT team to close and replace the existing Lechmere Viaduct, which carries Green Line trains from Lechmere across the Charles River and into Downtown Boston. When complete, upgrades made to the Lechmere Viaduct will allow more trains to pass over the bridge, serving the new Lechmere Station and six new Green Line stations in Somerville and Medford constructed as part of GLX. Starting May 24, shuttle bus service will replace Green Line trains between Lechmere and North Stations every day, including weekdays and weekends.

Around Town

LETTER: Local Peace Activists Protest Raytheon’s Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

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Peace activists from Watertown joined a protest against Raytheon for selling arms to Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, May 16, Peace Activists from Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment joined others from Massachusetts Peace Action and from Veterans for Peace to protest local company Raytheon’s continuing partnership with Saudi Arabia in the destruction of Yemen, even in the midst of a global pandemic. The people of Yemen have been enduring famine and war for over 5 years. Now they face the threat of COVID-19 with a public health system that has been horribly damaged by war. Local Activists stood along the sidewalk of Route 2 at Fresh Pond Shopping Center early Saturday afternoon.

Around Town

CatholicTV Celebrating Mass in Honor of Those Lost to COVID-19

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown-based CatholicTV:

On May 29, the Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter, Bishop Robert Reed will celebrate a memorial Mass at the CatholicTV Network’s Chapel of the Holy Cross for those who have died of COVID-19. If you would like to submit the name of a loved one to be placed on the altar during Mass, please visit www.CatholicTV.org/memorial. Bishop Reed is an auxiliary bishop of Boston and president of The CatholicTV Network. Friday’s Mass with Bishop Reed will be broadcast on CatholicTV live at 9:30am ET and again at 12:30pm, 7pm, and 11:30pm. The Mass will also be available on CatholicTV.org/masses and WatchtheMass.com.

Business

Watertown Will Begin Issuing Building Permits This Week

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Building Inspector:

Governor Baker has allowed construction to re-open in Phase I of the four-phase Re-opening Plan, provided that all safety guidelines are followed and each contractor signs an agreement to follow these guidelines. Watertown Town Hall continues to be closed however, building permits will begin to be issued during the week of May 19, 2020. If the work is small in nature, an email will be sent out with directions on how the permit can be printed. If the permit has multiple pages of architectural drawings, the town is developing a pickup procedure to begin during the week of May 19, 2020. Please keep in mind, you will be notified when your permit is issued and is ready to be picked up.

Around Town

Watertown Group Discussing “Biodiversity for a Livable Climate” at Monthly Meeting

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

Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment will hold our May Monthly Meeting via Zoom on Thursday, May 21, at 7 PM. All are welcome. Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is the topic of our meeting.  Our speakers will be:

Adam Sacks, Executive Director, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. He will discuss the importance of biodiversity and the power of eco-restoration in different habitats and the challenges of thinking differently in a world that is increasingly unfamiliar. He will also cover the need to shift from a carbon-centered to a biodiversity-centered perspective, the building of a global movement called “Blessed Unrest,” and Adam’s experiences as an activist in eco-restoration and climate over the past 20 years.