Around Town

Support Group for Family Members of Those with Mental Illness Meeting Virtually

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The following information was provided by NAMI:

The virtual NAMI Family Support Group will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm using zoom.us so the next one will be on Tuesday, April 14.  We will offer this until we are able to meet in person again. This group is for caregivers of persons with mental illness.   See namimass.org for information regarding peer groups for people themselves experiencing a mental illness.    

To get the information to enter this group, we need your email address.  Please email us at info@naminw.org. , and add your phone number in case we need to reach you.

Around Town

Library May be Closed, But There are Plenty of Resources for Kids & Teens, Even if You Don’t Have a Card

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Library:

Watertown Free Public Library

As directed by Town Manager Michael Driscoll, the Watertown Free PublicLibrary will remain closed to the public until Monday, May 4th to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. This extends the Library’s previous closure period by four weeks. Although the doors at 123 Main Street may be closed to the public, that doesn’t mean the Watertown Free Public Library has gone dark. In the past two weeks, the Library has increased digital collections of ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and news sources. Library staff are also creating online classes, demonstrations, and activities for kids to reach residents stuck at home.

Around Town

Gov. Signs Bill Allow Towns to Delay Property Tax Deadlines, Take Out/Delivery Alcohol from Restaurants; Cases Jump 1,400 in Mass.

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Gov. Charlie Baker signed legislation Friday that gives cities and towns the ability to relax property tax deadlines and also allows restaurants to sell beer and wine for take out or delivery. The restaurants must already have a license to sell alcohol to take advantage of this new provision, according to the story on WCVB Channel 5. The person receiving the alcohol must be 21 or older and an alcohol must be part of an order that includes food. The bill also allows municipalities to delay the due date for property tax by one month. The City of Springfield has already delayed its property tax deadline from May 1 to June 1, according to Masslive.com.

Around Town

Friday is First Day Businesses Can Apply for Paycheck Protection Loans, Part of COVID-19 Stimulus

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One of the key form of aid to businesses dealing with the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak begins Friday — the Payroll Protection Program. The program is part of the Federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act, and provides loans not only to businesses, but also non-profits and sole proprietors. The PPP was announced just last week and details are still being ironed out, including where to to to get the loans. Doug Orifice, principal at Arsenal Financial and co-founder of the Watertown Business Coalition, said that he has spent most of the last week pouring over the details of the CARES Act looking for ways it can help small businesses. The PPP may be a big help.

Around Town

Perkins Library Remains Closed, Find Out About Online Services

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The following information was provided by the Perkins School for the Blind Library:

Dear Perkins Library Patrons,

As Coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns continue to evolve, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has extended his March 23rd “Stay at Home” Executive Order requiring all non-essential businesses to close. At this time, the Executive Order will now extend until May 4, 2020. As we had previously communicated, the Perkins Library falls into this category, so no Library mail has been sent out since March 24. Additionally, we ask borrowers to hold all Library materials until you are notified that we are able to receive them by return mail. While we can’t ship physical materials, you can always download from our Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) service.

Around Town

Gov. Baker Gives Estimates for COVID-19 Cases in State, Beach Parking Closing

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Massachusetts will see between 47,000 to 172,000 cases of Coronavirus during the outbreak, according to the latest models. Gov. Charlie Baker discussed the figures during an update on COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon. Those numbers would be 0.7 to 2.5 percent of the state’s population, and the peak is expected to occur between April 10 and 20, according to a WBZ Channel 4 story. As of Thursday, Massachusetts had 8,966 cases and 154 people have died, according to the Mass. Department of Public Health.

Around Town

Watertown Police Reschedule Finish Strong 5K Road Race

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Police Department:

Due to the ongoing and rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, we have rescheduled our annual 5k Finish Strong Road Race to Sunday, September 27, 2020. We are looking forward to once again commemorating the resiliency of the Watertown Community by running, walking, and celebrating together after overcoming yet another challenging situation. Please remember to stay healthy, stay home, and stay tuned to WPD social media for important information and updates.

Around Town

Boston Marathon Organizers Offering Refunds to Entrants

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The organizers of the Boston Marathon announced that refunds will be offered for those who decide not to participate in the rescheduled race in September. The deadline to accept or reject the refund is May 29, 2020. Also, the B.A.A. 5K has been postponed to Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. The following information was provided by the B.A.A.:

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced that participants in the 2020 Boston Marathon, which was originally scheduled for April 20, 2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, may elect to receive a refund for entry fees associated with the Boston Marathon.