Government

Town Holding Meeting to Discuss Hazard Mitigation Plan

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Natural hazards can have serious impacts on the Town of Watertown and its residents and businesses, and town officials are preparing a Hazard Mitigation Plan to help the town reduce its vulnerability to natural hazard events such as flooding, hurricanes, and winter storms.

Please join the Town for a public presentation of the Draft Hazard Mitigation Plan at a meeting of the Town Council. Questions and comments from the public are welcome at the meeting or afterwards until January 18, 2019. Date: Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Richard E. Mastrangelo Council Chamber, Watertown Administration Building, 149 Main Street, Watertown, MA

For more information, please contact Martin Pillsbury at mpillsbury@mapc.org

Around Town

Free Lecture on the Social Life of Black Bears at the Library

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Dr. Ben Kilham will speak about the social life of black bears at the Watertown Library. The following information was provided by the Appalachian Mountain Club:

A free lecture on The Social Life of Black Bears will be presented presented by the Boston Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club at the Watertown Free Public Library on Jan. 5, 2019. Dr. Ben Kilham will present a program on the social life of black bears and what they can teach us about being human. Ben Kilham, Ph.D. is a wildlife biologist based in Lyme, NH.

Entertainment

Watertown Art Association Hosts Demonstration of Traditional Chinese Brush Painting

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Chinese Master Artist Qingxiong Ma will demonstrate Chinese brush painting at Watertown Art Association event. Watertown Art Association presents Orient Expressed: Chinese Brush Painting with Qinxiong Ma on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2-4 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 9 Russell Ave., Watertown. The Watertown Art Association provided the following information:

Chinese Master Artist Qingxiong Ma will be the first demonstrator for Watertown Art Association of 2019 showing his techniques with Chinese Brush Painting. Bring a friend to this entertaining demonstration!  

Mr. Ma was born in Guangdong China.

Around Town

Mall Offering Free Blood Pressure Screenings

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Free Blood Pressure Screening! On the first Friday of every month, the Watertown Mall has a free blood pressure screening, according to an announcement from the mall. Screenings are sponsored by the Watertown Health Department. This month screening takes place Friday, Jan. 4 from 10am to 11am.

Schools

Watertown Senior Named Student of the Term at Minuteman

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Darian Casseus of Watertown, center, was named Student of the Term at Minuteman High School. He is pictured with Principal Jack Dillon, left, and Assistant Principal Brian Tildsley. The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

Minuteman High School has named four outstanding students as Students of the Term for Term 1 of school year 2018-19: freshman Dylan Higgins of Acton, sophomore Angelina Amico of Stow, junior Julia (Jewels) Andersen of Belmont and senior Darian Casseus of Watertown. This honor is awarded to one student from each grade level based upon nominations from teachers and other staff members. The criteria include academic achievement and good citizenship, according to Assistant Principal Brian Tildsley.

Transportation

New Year’s Holiday Travel Info, Including When Free MBTA Service Starts on NYE

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The following release came from the MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is advising the public to plan ahead for the New Year’s holiday, to drive sober and to take note of holiday schedules for the MBTA, use of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on I-93 between Boston and Quincy, and for visiting Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) customer service center locations. MassDOT is taking several steps to ensure safe and reliable travel for all citizens who utilize transportation systems across the Commonwealth and will be shutting down scheduled roadway construction between 5 a.m., Friday, Dec. 28, and the start of business on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, per MassDOT’s long-standing policy of not scheduling work during high volume travel periods. The I-93 HOV lane between Boston-Quincy will operate on an adjusted schedule through Tuesday, Jan.

Aging

Watertown’s Older Population Faring Better Than State, Tufts Health Plan Foundation Study Finds

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Watertown’s older population fared better, or equal to Massachusetts residents 60 years or older, in most categories in a study funded by the Watertown-based Tufts Health Plan Foundation. Some areas where Watertown residents fared better than the state average were mortality, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tobacco disorders, chronic kidney and liver diseases, and rate of people not seeing doctors when needed due to cost. The town fared worse, however, in rates of injuries from a fall, leukemia & lymphoma, and anemia. The study is designed fo provide information to help people age better, according to the report. “The information in the 2018 Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report can serve as a roadmap, helping to identify strengths and needs in communities across the Commonwealth,” the study’s Highlights Report reads.

Around Town

Watertown Resident to Speak at Boston Women’s Conference

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Watertown’s Ellora Sen-Gupta, a photographer, voiceover artist, biomedical engineer, will speak at the AMW Boston Women’s Conference on Jan. 5, 2019. The following information came from the AMW Women’s Conference:

Ellora grew up moving from country to country; born in Australia, she lived there for a while until her family all moved to New Zealand and then to the United States where she attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for both an undergraduate degree in Bioengineering and a master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering. She loves working in the biotechnology and healthcare space using her technical background, but she also continues to cultivate her creative side through her photography and voiceover efforts. Ellora started diving into photography almost five years ago with interests and specialties in travel, wildlife, and portraiture and has since grown her skills by booking, planning, and directing photoshoots as well as learning from the talented people around her.