Arts

Watertown Gallery Hosting New Show With 3 Artists & a Winter Market

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Room 83 Spring is pleased to present wonder-room with artists Anne Lambert, Dawn Southworth, and Jessica Straus. Plus an artists market with small works and multiples for giving. Lambert, Southworth, and Straus share a penchant for personal archeology and sacred salvage, according to Room 83 Spring. These three artists revel in process, and the synthesis of found and fabricated materials in discovery-driven juxtapositions and associations. Their works of sculpture, assemblage, and collage combine technical craft and insightful wit to deliver wholly original authenticities.

Business

New Director of Resident Engagement Joins The Residence at Watertown Square

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Senior Living, LLC, owner and operator of The Residence at Watertown Square located at 20 Summer Street in Watertown is pleased to announce the selection of Shauna Bennett as the community’s Resident Engagement Director. The community includes Independent, Assisted and Reflections Memory Care options for local seniors. Ms. Bennett received her BA in Psychology at Westfield State College in Westfield. While studying at WSC, she worked as an intern at the Arbor House in Holyoke where she began to plan and implement activity programs.

After graduating, Ms. Bennnett held a position as the Assistant Director of Activities at Blueberry Hill Skilled Nursing and Rehab in Beverly for two years. She then moved to become Activities Director for four years at Sophia Snow Place, an Independent and Supportive Senior Living Community located in West Roxbury, MA.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police, FBI Sweep Massage Parlors Looking for Victims of Human Trafficking

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On November 2, 2016, the Watertown Police Department, in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI), as well as members of the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure Investigations, and the Town of Watertown Inspectional Services Department, conducted unannounced inspections of licensed massage parlors throughout Watertown, the Police Department announced. 

The goal of the operation was to identify establishments that do not comply with local and state regulations, as well as to identify potential minor and adult victims of human trafficking. At the conclusion of the operation, two businesses were closed due to identified violations and approximately $1,500 in fines were issued. According to the National Human Traffic Resource Center, “fake massage businesses operate as commercial front brothels claiming to offer legitimate services such as massage, acupuncture, and other therapeutic, health, and spa services, but in fact offer commercial sex to customers.”

The Center also said: “Women in brothels disguised as massage businesses typically live on-site where they are coerced into providing commercial sex to 6 to 10 men a day, 7 days a week. Fake massage businesses frequently operate in strip malls, office buildings, and sometimes, residential homes, in urban, suburban, and rural areas in across the United States.”

The agencies involved in this operation did identify potentially non-legitimate “massages parlors” in Watertown that are believed to be locations that offer commercial sex to customers. We are continuously working with our local, state and federal partners to keep our community safe. “We will continue to work with the appropriate agencies and conduct enforcement and inspections to make sure that these massage parlors are operating and complying with local and state regulations” said Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Woman Took Advantage of Solar Program, Others Can Too

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Dear Editor and Watertown Neighbors,

I know that many of you have received information about the current Watertown solar initiative called Neighborhood Solar. Two years ago, my husband, David Breakstone, and I decided to explore this option when Neighborhood Solar ran for the first time. We had no idea what to expect. I attended one of the informational meetings and found Ben Mayer of SunBug well-organized, informative, and willing to answer all questions. The program and the process made sense, so David and I asked SunBug Solar, Neighborhood Solar’s installer, to do a site visit and give us a proposal.

Business

Chamber, ArcPoint Host Workshop on Publicizing Your Business

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The Watertown Belmont Chamber of Commerce and ArcPoint Strategic Communications announced they will team up for an interactive workshop on how to get the message about your business out to the public. ArcPoint released the following information:

Fall is upon us and it is time to think strategically about your business and how to reach your goals heading into 2017. Christine Dunn, Founder and President of ArcPoint Strategic Communications, leads Pitch Perfect, an interactive workshop focused on the importance of aligning communications with overall business goals to achieve success. Learn why creating a compelling story is important to gain customers and grab the attention of the community, media, and investors. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a sales and marketing professional, or a member of the management team, how you tell your story can make or break whether or not you get the attention you deserve.

Around Town

Free Family Support Group for Those with Loved Ones Living with Mental Illness

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Watertown residents are invited to take part in a support group for family and caregivers of people with mental illness. NAMI Family Support Group is a free, structured, confidential peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness. The next one will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 7:30-9 p.m. in the Board Room of the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church at 207 Washington Street in Wellesley, organized by the National Alliance for MentalIllness (NAMI).

Around Town

Alzheimer’s Association Hosting Workshop on Communication Strategies for Caregivers

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The Alzheimer’s Association announced it will be presenting a workshop on communication strategies for dementia caregivers Tuesday, Nov. 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the Alzheimer Association, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown. The workshop is free and open to the public. Effective Communication Strategies explores how communication takes place when someone has dementia, teaches strategies to decode verbal and behavioral messages and will help caregivers connect and communicate through all stages of the disease. To register or for more information call 800-272-3900 or visit alz.org/MANH. 

The Alzheimer’s Association, with headquarters in Watertown, has regional offices in Springfield, Raynham, and Worcester, Mass., and Bedford, N.H. The Alzheimer Association provides services and programs for those with Alzheimer’s, family and professional caregivers in the form of support groups, a 24/7 Helpline, care consultation, advocacy efforts, research funding and education programs. For more information about Alzheimer programs, visit alz.org/MANH or call 800-272-3900.

Obituaries

OBIT: Eileen Brescia, 91, Beloved Grandmother Who Loved Cooking, Baking

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A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in the Church of St. Patrick, Watertown on Wednesday, Nov, 9, 2016 for Eileen M. (Glennon) Brescia at 9 a.m.

Mrs. Brescia, a daughter of the late William and Madeline (Loewen) Glennon passed away in the Katherine Daniels Nursing Facility in Framingham on Wednesday morning. She was 91. Born in Boston, she grew up in Jamaica Plain, graduating from high school in Boston. She married Len in 1948, moved to Watertown and was married for 58 years.