Around Town

Lane Shifts & Parking Restrictions on Parts of Mt. Auburn St. This Week

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The Mt. Auburn Street Project includes line striping and tree removal from Dec. 9-12 and there will be lane shifts for motorists and parking restrictions in the areas of the work. See details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Temporary Traffic Line Striping

Crews will be working overnight on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, beginning at 7:00 PM to adjust and complete the temporary traffic line striping on Mount Auburn Street between the Cambridge line and Arlington Street.

Around Town

Local Podcast Features Jon Hecht, Head of the Mosesian Center, a Documentary Filmmaker, Restaurant Owner & an Author

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The Little Local Conversations podcast focuses on people, places, stories of Watertown, and recently host Matt Hanna sat down with former State Rep. and political activist Jon Hecht, the Mosesian Center for the Arts’ new executive director, and a filmmaker who calls Watertown home. In addition, he spoke with the owner and chef of Ritcey East; and a first time author and long time a community volunteer. He also got the latest local government update. Episode 68: Jon Hecht (Political Activist / Former Town Councilor and State Representative)

Jon Hecht

Meet Jon Hecht! He’s a longtime contributor to the Watertown community from being a town councilor, a state representative for the area, the first president of the Watertown Community Foundation and many other involvements.

Around Town

WBC & Rotary Club Hosting Holiday Mixer & Toy Drive for Whooley Foundation

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The Rotary Club and the Watertown Business Coalition will host the fourth annual Holiday Mixer and Toy Drive on Dec. 9. See details provided by the WBC, below. The Watertown Business Coalition is excited to continue our holiday tradition with our 4th Annual Holiday Mixer & Toy Drive in partnership with the Watertown Rotary Club at the Mosesian Center for the Arts on Tuesday, Dec. 9th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. to support the Whooley Foundation!

Around Town

See and Hear Highlights of SOLSTICE Light & Audio Show at Mount Auburn Cemetery

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A new light show is featured on Bigelow Chapel for SOLSTICE in 2025. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

SOLSTICE returns to Mount Auburn Cemetery beginning Friday, Dec. 5 with some new features and a different theme in 2025. Watertown News got an early peak at SOLSTICE during Wednesday’s Friends and Family night, while Matt Hanna, host of Little Local Conversations, spoke with two of the people behind SOLSTICE 2025. Trees at Mount Auburn Cemetery alight along the lantern-lit pathway during SOLSTICE.

Around Town

Aggressive Raccoon Reported in Watertown, Latched onto Person’s Leg

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Raccoon

A resident reported being attacked by a raccoon on Arsenal Street, Watertown Animal Control warns. See more information, below. There is a raccoon in the area of 140 Arsenal Street that is acting aggressively. This raccoon lunged at and bit the pants of a Watertown resident. The resident kicked the raccoon off her leg and it ran away and could not be located.

Around Town

Items Being Dumped at Watertown Boy & Girls Club Costing Hundreds to Remove

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Items recently dumped in the parking lot of the Watertown Boys & Girls Cluh. Recently, the Watertown Boys & Girls Club has been receiving some unwanted drop-offs in the form of furniture, mattresses, and other items being left in or around the club’s dumpster. The club serves about 150 school-age children each day in its afterschool and aquatics programs. Usually, the items are dropped off at night, and they are costing the Club money, said Executive Director Gary Beatty. “I can’t say for certain if it’s people being vindictive, or if it’s like simply miseducation,” Beatty said. “I get the sense that some people see a dumpster in our parking lot, and assume that it’s just a place that’s available for the public to come and dump their unwanted belongings.”

Around Town

Watertown Holding Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony

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Watertowns veterans will remember Pearl Harbor with a ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 6. See more information in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Please join us on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at 9 a.m. for our Pearl Harbor Ceremony on the Watertown Dock in Watertown Square, behind the Hood Rubber monument along the river.

Around Town

See How to Give to Watertown Organizations on Giving Tuesday

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Watertown has many worthy organizations to support on Giving Tuesday, whether it is supporting children, the arts, troops overseas, history, and more. Watertown Community Foundation

Watertown families are under pressure. Benefits for food, housing and health support are in peril, as the overall cost of living continues to rise. When you donate to the Fund for the Most Vulnerable, you help support Essential Needs Grants. You designate your gift for programs to address food insecurity, housing assistance, emergency assistance, mental health, health and wellness for Watertown’s most vulnerable residents.