Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Partners with Philanthropic Group to Get New Solar Panels

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The Watertown Boys & Girls Club received new Solar panels (not shown) thanks to a partnership with Rise Up Solar and SunBug Solar. The following information was provided by SunBug Solar:

Watertown Boys & Girls Club, a local non-profit, has partnered with Rise Up Solar, a philanthropic solar investment firm, to turn rising energy costsinto an opportunity to go green and save big. After some renovations to the facilities in 2016, the Watertown Boys & Girls Club’s utility bills skyrocketed. Renee Gaudette, Watertown BGC’s executive director, recognized that this extra cost took money away from the kids they serve. The organization had already been investigating a solar solution, but years of searching ended due to difficulty with the roof, somelofty trees, and a steep initial cost to invest.

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See When Watertown’s Snow Emergency Will be Lifted

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A smiley face in the snow. The Town of Watertown announced the end of the Snow Emergency on Thursday night. The Town of Watertown sent out the following announcement

Watertown will be lifting the Snow Emergency and associated Parking Ban at 9PM today, December 17, 2020. Additionally, please remember that trash and recycling will be delayed a day for the remainder of the week.

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Snowshoeing with the Watertown Recreation Department

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The Watertown Recreation Department sent out the following information:

Join us for a fun and active Friday afternoon! Participants will receive a basic snowshoeing lesson. Then, explore our Victory Field Complex through the snow. Please dress warmly in layers with waterproof pants, heavy socks, mittens, waterproof boots, and a hat. Community Snowshoeing – Friday, December 18 – 3:00 to 5:00

Pre-Online Registration is Required – First Come First Serve Basis

Around Town

Watertown Group Making Banners Celebrating Civil Rights for Unity Breakfast

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Members of Sunrise Watertown with one of the banners made for the 2021 Watertown Unity Breakfast. They invite others to make their own banners. The following announcement was provided by Sunrise Watertown:

The past three Sundays, Sunrise Watertown, Uplift Watertown, and the Kingian Response Team partnered to create art for the upcoming Unity Breakfast (January 18, 2021). At the event, they painted banners with quotes from past and present civil rights activists that will be used to decorate the town in January as part of their #readthestreets campaign. 

“The Kingian Response Team was formed to develop a united local response to the murder of George Floyd. Over the past few months, this team has developed and proposed an antiracist Listen-Learn-Grow-Act pledge for both individuals and institutions in our town, in particular for our educational and public safety institutions,” writes Ruth Henry, founder of the Kinging Response Team and teacher at Watertown Middle School.

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Watertown Native Heading Company Delivering COVID-19 Vaccine

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Watertown native Donald Colleran, President and CEO of FedEx, leads the company delivering the COVID-19 vaccine. Shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine began this week, and the company in charge of the deliveries is lead by a Watertown native. A FedEx plane carried the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine from Memphis to Logan Airport on Monday, and was ultimately delivered to Boston Medical Center. Don Colleran, the President and CEO of FedEx, grew up in Watertown. He now is one of the people in charge of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.

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Uplifting Title Chosen for Library’s 2021 One Book, One Watertown

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The Watertown Free Public Library. The following information was provided by the Watertown Library:

Each year the Watertown Free Public Library invites everyone to read the same book during the same period of time and then explore the themes and messages together. After an incredibly trying 2020, with relief just barely in sight, the librarians were in search of a title to lift up spirits and warm the heart. They landed on The Humans by Matt Haig. The Humans tells the story of a reluctant alien who arrives on Earth with the goal of erasing all traces of a monumental scientific discovery.

Around Town

COVID-19 Cases, Deaths Have Risen in Watertown in Recent Weeks

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The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Watertown has increased more than eight-fold over the past two months, with the total numbers of cases during the pandemic increasing by 60 percent during that time. Similar to the statewide trend in Massachusetts, Watertown has seen a steady increase of COVID-19 cases. Along with the increases in cases, Watertown has had four more COVID-19 related deaths over the past few weeks, bringing the total number to 28, according to the Town Manager’s Dec. 11, 2020 Coronavirus Update. The week prior, the Town reported the first two COVID-19 related deaths in Watertown since the Aug.

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Watertown Unity Breakfast Going Virtual in 2021

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The following information was provided by the Unity Breakfast Planning Committee:

Watertown will celebrate its 21st annual Unity Breakfast on January 18, 2021 – Martin Luther King Day. For the past 20 years, the World in Watertown event has brought together hundreds of people at for a hearty breakfast and program that celebrates and honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his commitment to racial justice. This year, however, the Unity Breakfast will be different – it will be a virtual event presented in partnership with Watertown Cable Access Corp (WCA-TV). It will be streamed at 10:00 am on January 18, 2021 (MLK Day), on the 2021 Unity Breakfast website and the WCA-TV FaceBook page, and simultaneously broadcast by WCA-TV on channels 9 (Comcast) and 3 (RCN). The program will be recorded so that it will also be available for subsequent on-demand viewing.