Around Town

Watertown News Poll: Traffic, Once Again, Tops the List of Concerns for Watertown Residents

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A poll of  Faire on the Square attendees found that traffic/transportation came top among concerns about Watertown, followed by development. People who stopped by the Watertown News table could participate in the poll, in which they were asked “What concerns you most in Watertown Today,” and participants could check one or more of these five issues, and could write in their own issue:

Schools
Development
Traffic/transportation
Heroin/opioids
Property Taxes
Or, add their own write-in issue

This year 30 people took the poll, and some checked more than one issue. Traffic/transportation received 21 votes, followed by 15 for development. Close behind was heroin/opioids, which got 12 votes. The schools got 10 votes and property taxes got six.

Around Town

People Flock to Watertown for the 2018 Faire on the Square, See Photos of the Fun

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A mix of new attractions, old favorites and pleasant weather made for a grand celebration during the 2018 Faire on the Square on Saturday. 

Thousands of people came out to Watertown’s Saltonstall Park to check out all the action. Organizers brought in new rides for kids, moved the music stage to the middle of the action, added new food offerings and introduced a beer and wine area. Visitors also had the chance to visit dozens of booths to find out more about local organizations, businesses and Town Departments. A second performance area featured dance groups and other entertainers. For the politically inclined, the local Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians had their own booths, and Republican Congressional candidate John Hugo stopped by to meet voters.

Around Town

Crowd Funding Campaign Raising Money for Watertown Couple Who Lost Infant

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A crowd funding campaign has been set up to help the Watertown couple who recently lost their infant daughter. 

The page on GoFundMe.com is for Maile and Dan Madigan, who lost their 4-month-old daughter Lia earlier this month. “She went down for a nap while at daycare and never woke up. Lia graced this earth with her big smile, even bigger cheeks, and sweet giggle for just under 5 months. Maile, Dan, and Lia’s big brother Carter are heartbroken and devastated by this unfathomable loss,” the GoFundMe page reads. According to the page, the money raised is meant to be “support for them in the coming months as they begin to navigate their grief as a family and work to rebuild a life forever changed.”

Around Town

Watertown Doctor Honored for Work with Watertown Opioid Task Force

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Watertown’s Laura Kehoe received an award from the Harvard Medical School for her work to fight the opioid epidemic in town. 

Kehoe, a physician and assistant professor of medicine at Mass. General Hospital, received the Dean’s Community Service Award for her work with W.A.T.E.R.town – Watertown Access To Education Resources and Treatment. The medical school also presented $1,000 to the organization. W.A.T.E.R.town uses local and regional data to develop a wide range of initiatives aimed at prevention, education, treatment, and support for anyone in the community affected by substance use. The award was established in 1999 by theHarvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine to recognize individuals whose dedication and commitment to community service have made a positive impact on the local, national, or international community.

Around Town

Watertown Man to be Honored as One of the 25 Most Influential Millennials of Color

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The following information was provided by Get Konnected!:

Get Konnected! will unveil its list of the 25 Most Influential Millennials of Color in Greater Boston, plus three founder’s choices, during the GK25: Who is Who event on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at WeWork Cambridge (625 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge) from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Among the honorees will include Rick Fredkin, president and founder of Watertown-based education and technology company Eduporium. Eduporium, whose mission is “empowering the future with technology,” brings the Watertown community together by offering STEM/STEAM technology to individuals of all ages from Kindergarten to higher education. Fredkin has over 20 years of experience in the technology field and is actively involved in the community with advisory panels that promote education, workforce readiness and diversity in the technology sector.

Around Town

Find Out About the State of Watertown’s Street Trees at Trees for Watertown Meeting

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The following announcement was provided by Trees for Watertown:

Please come join us on Saturday, September 29 at 1:30 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library for (first) a brief public meeting to vote in Trees For Watertown’s new slate of officers and board members, and then a slide show presentation by the 2018 Teens for Trees participants and Program Director David Meshoulam.  

They’ll be talking about what they learned and experienced this summer, and will present some first graphical results from the 2018 Watertown Tree Inventory. https://www.watertownmanews.com/2018/08/17/teens-track-the-street-trees-around-watertown-during-summer-program/

Here’s the URL for the TFW Teens for Trees webpage:  tfwteensfortrees.org
Here’s the URL for Watertown’s tree inventory:  opentreemap.org/watertownma/map/

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Kicks off 15th Anniversary Celebration at Faire on the Square

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For 15 years the Watertown Community Foundation has given money and organized volunteer events to help the community, and Saturday the group will hold a celebration at the Town’s biggest gathering of the year — the Faire on the Square. As in the past, the Foundation will have a booth at the Faire, but this year there will be even more activities, and prizes for lucky raffle winners, said WCF Executive Director Jan Singer. She hopes to see some familiar faces, and hopefully some new ones. “We’ve been around for 15 years and for some we are still a well kept secret. We don’t want to be,” Singer said.

Around Town

Watertown Families Together Hosts Back to School Bonanza at Mall

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Mall:

The Watertown Mall, located at 550 Arsenal Street, Watertown, will be hosting Watertown Families Together for their “Back to School Bonanza” event on Thursday, Sept. 20, starting at 10:00 a.m.

Visit the Watertown Mall for their “Back to School Bonanza” event, sponsored by Watertown Families Together. The event will be taking place on Sept. 20, 2018 starting at 10:00 a.m. A great program for families! This teaches children to learn healthy eating habits, social skills this event has a very special guest.