Around Town

Community Spirit Awards Return, Watertown Youth Coalition Holds In-Person Celebration

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Watertown Youth CoalitionThe Watertown Youth Peer Leaders pose with the staff from the Watertown Youth Coalition after the peer leaders received their awards at the 2022 Community Spirit Awards. For the first time since 2019, on June 8, the Watertown Youth Coalition along with Wayside Youth and Family Support Network hosted their yearly Community Spirit Awards ceremony and reception at Arsenal Park in Watertown. The event was put together by Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC) Peer Leadership Advisor, Zhane Goode, and WYC Program coordinator Stephanie Sunderland, who had to miss the ceremony due to unforeseen circumstances. Zhane, who has been working with all of the honored students for a few years, was very happy to finally be able to hold the awards in person and noted that the students were especially excited to get to celebrate together with their friends and family. For Zhane herself, she began her work at the WYC during the pandemic, so she said it was really nice to see everyone all together as a community. 

The event has not been held in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was attended by many members of the community, including the honorees, those who nominated them for spirit awards, and families, friends, and other Watertown citizens who came to celebrate their achievements.

Around Town

Young Basketball Players Return to Summer Camp for First Time in Years

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Charlie BreitroseYoung basketball players attended a camp run by Watertown High School coaches and players this week. School might be out, but the gyms at Watertown High School and Watertown Middle School have been full of youngsters this week. They joined WHS’s basketball coaches for a week-long basketball camp, and there is another program next week. The summer basketball camps have been around for many years, said Watertown boys basketball coach Steve Harrington, who runs it along with Watertown girls basketball coach Pat Ferdinand. The program has been on hiatus for a few years.

Around Town

Cannabis Company with Local Dispensary Settles After AG Finds it Withheld Tips

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Bud’s Goods, which recently opened a location in Watertown, will reimburse employees at other locations after the Attorney General’s office found that the company had withheld more than $30,000 in cash tips. The complaint alleged that the company withheld $33,000 in tips from employees working at its store in Abington and Worcester in 2021. Bud’s Goods opened its Watertown location on May 20, 2022. Some of the money was reportedly used to buy food for employees, or was given to them as up to $60 in store credit. The person who made the complaint said the money was put in a lock box and employees were never told how much in tips went into the box.

Affordable Housing

Community Preservation Project Application Process Open for 2023

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The following information came from the the City of Watertown:

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is accepting project applications for the FY 2023 funding round and will host application workshops on Aug. 3 and Aug. 9, 2022. Visit the CPC webpage for more information including: key dates, links to application instructions and application documents, or read How to Apply. Apply for CPA Funding – FY 2023

Key Dates

Application Workshops (morning and evening options): Aug.

Around Town

New Marker Recalls Former Home of First Jewish Dairy Farmers in Watertown and the State

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Charlie BreitroseHistorical Society of Watertown member Bob Bloomberg glances at the new historic marker near the former location of the Shick House. The marker was dedicated on June 26. A shiny, new blue sign with gold lettering now sits feet away from where a farmhouse stood for about 170 years. The historical marker is the only reminder of the home owned by the family that ran the first Jewish-owned dairy in Massachusetts and of Watertown’s rich agricultural history. The Historical Society of Watertown unveiled the new marker for the Shick House on Sunday afternoon.

Around Town

President of Watertown Company Named to Small Business Leadership Council

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Lyndra TherapeuticsJess Ballinger President and Chief Operations Officer, Lyndra Therapeutics was named to the National Small Business Association Leadership Council. Lyndra Therapeutics, a Watertown-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company working to make daily pills a thing of the past, recently announced that President and Chief Operations Officer Jess Ballinger has been named to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council, joining other advocates from across the country as they work to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.

Lyndra Therapeutics is pioneering long-acting oral therapies based on its proprietary LYNX™ drug delivery platform, which has the potential to transform virtually any oral therapy into weekly or monthly pills. Lyndra is focused on central nervous system (CNS) disorders, especially conditions impacting mental health. The company is also committed to advancing its platform to tackle major public health and global health challenges, including opioid use disorder and malaria. 

“I’m so excited about the progress our team at Lyndra has made to fundamentally change how people take their medicine, but I’m just as proud of the way we’re doing this: as a women-led company that truly embraces and understands the importance of diversity and inclusiveness,” stated Ballinger. “I’m honored to join the NSBA Leadership Council and to be able to bring my passion for science and DE&I to this team of expert small-business leaders.

Around Town

Registration Open for Middlesex Sheriff’s Youth Public Safety Academy

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Children interact with local first responders during the Middlesex Sheriff’s Youth Public Safety Academy. The following information was provided by the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office:

Registration for the 2022 Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Youth Public Safety Academy (YPSA) has opened and a limited number of spots remain available for youngsters between the ages of 8-12. Following two years of virtual sessions, YPSA will return in-person on July 11 and run through the first week of August. Due to continuing COVID-related considerations, restrictions and requirements, this year’s YPSA will contain some changes, including a reduction in the total number of cadets that will be able to attend. The camp has also been shortened from six weeks to four. “We’re excited to welcome cadets, their families and our public safety partners back for another tremendous summer of YPSA,” said Sheriff Koutoujian.