Around Town

Tufts Health Plan Vice President Named to Governor’s Latino Advisory Commission

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Juan Lopera, vice president of Business Diversity for Tufts Health Plan, has been appointed to serve on Governor Charlie Baker’s Latino Advisory Commission. The new commission, established by executive order on July 10, will focus on addressing the concerns of the Massachusetts Latino community and promoting economic prosperity and well-being, the company announced. “The members of our Latino Advisory Commission each bring a depth of experience and diversity to the table, and I look forward to their recommendations,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Our administration is committed to creating opportunities all our citizens in every corner of the Commonwealth to drive economic growth and success, and I’m confident this commission will add meaningful value to our goal to make Massachusetts the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

Members of the commission include gubernatorial appointees with varying expertise in business, community outreach, media, law, health care, education and represent a group diverse in gender, race, industry, region, age and education. The Commission will review and assess the priorities of the Latino community on a statewide basis and make recommendations to the Governor and Lt. Governor by identifying up to three priority areas to be addressed by the Commission over the course of the next two years.

Around Town

Hatch Maker Space Moving to New Home, Welcomes New Coordinator

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On Thursday, July 27 Hatch will close its doors at the Arsenal Yards for the last time and prepare to make a move to its new home at The Residence at Watertown Square on 20 Summer St., Watertown Free Public Library officials announced. Located in the Arsenal Yards, Hatch has operated out of a retail space leased to them free of charge for the past three years. Of the time there, Assistant Library Director Caitlin Browne said, “We have been so grateful for the generosity Wilder Properties has extended to us. The fact that we have been able to run Hatch with almost no overhead means that the majority of our resources are going right to the community and we’ve kept Hatch a free space to users with few exceptions. We can’t thank the staff of the Arsenal Yards enough for all of the help they’ve given us over the past three years, especially General Manager Allyson Reed and Facilities Manager Ruben Olivo.”

Similar to the arrangement with the Arsenal Yards, the Residence at Watertown Square will also offer Hatch a retail space rent free.

Around Town

Mosquitos in Towns Near Watertown Have Tested Positive for West Nile Virus

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The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has notified the Watertown Health Department that mosquitoes in our general geographic region have tested positive for West Nile Virus for the last two weeks, thus elevating the risk for human exposure to West Nile Virus. The warm and intermittent wet weather patterns have contributed to conditions that are favorable for the species of mosquitoes responsible for the spread of West Nile Virus. The Watertown Health Department urges that precautions against mosquito exposure need to be taken. Public health surveillance is conducted for mosquito-borne viruses – viruses that are carried and spread by mosquitoes. These viruses include West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

Around Town

Watertown’s Treaty Day Celebration Joined by Descendants of Original Signers

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Descendants of the Native Americans who signed the Treaty of Watertown, the first treaty made by the newly independent United States, took part in the celebration of the signing that took place right here in Watertown 241 years ago. 

Each year the Historical Society of Watertown celebrates Treaty Day, in honor of the treaty signed on July 19, 1776, as well as another date of significance in Massachusetts – the first reading of the Declaration of Independence to Watertown residents on July 18, 1776. The celebration takes place at the building where both events took place, the Edmund Fowle House on Marshall Street, half a off Mt. Auburn Street. On Saturday, local re-enactors were joined by members of the Indian tribes – the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet – which signed the Treaty of Watertown. For the first time in centuries a chief of the Maliseet, who were known then as the St.

Amphitheatre

Free Celebration for Re-Opening of Amphitheatre Along River on Saturday

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The public is invited to the Grand Re-opening kick-off show at the Amphitheatre at Herter Park, across the Charles River from Watertown in Allston. 

The event is free and runs from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 15 at the park, located at 1175 Soldiers Field Road, Boston. The free event includes a ribbon cutting, a sing-along, kids comedy, children’s music, a poetry slam, improv comedy, a percussion performance concert and a live band. Also enjoy something to eat from food trucks. For more information about the restoration of the Amphitheatre and the park go to friendsofherterpark.org.

Around Town

Free Workshop Offered to Residents on Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation

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The Watertown Kingian Nonviolence Coordinating Committee announced a new community training course on “Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation.”

The 16-hour course will be held on two Saturdays, August 19 and 26, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in the Community Room of the Watertown Police Department, 552 Main Street. The course is co-sponsored by World in Watertown with support from the Watertown Police Department, and has been made possible by a significant grant from the Watertown Community Foundation. The Kingian Nonviolence Coordinating Committee is excited to share this fun and interactive curriculum with the community. It was co-authored by Dr. Bernard LaFayette and David Jehnsen to teach how Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy and methodology can be applied to present-day conflicts, both personal and societal. The course will be taught by youth and faculty trainers from the Watertown Public Schools, as well as officers from the Watertown Police Department.

Around Town

Public Invited to Support Group for Family, Caregivers of People with Mental Illness

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Mental Illness support group: NAMI Family Support Group is a free, structured, confidential peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness, organizers announced. A support group will be held on Wednesday, July 19, 7:30 – 9 pm in the Board Room of the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church at 207 Washington Street in Wellesley. This is organized by the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).

Around Town

Linx Office Building Gets Tenant with Biotech Company Relocating from Cambridge

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The office building built on the site of the former Verizon truck yard in the East End of Watertown got its first tenant with a biotech firm relocating to the spot from Kendall Square in Cambridge. According to a Banker & Tradesman report, C4 Therapeutics, which is developing treatments for cancer and other diseases that will not become drug resistant, will lease about a quarter of the 185,000 sq. ft. of office and lab space in Linx Watertown. The property was redeveloped by Boylston Properties, the group behind Arsenal Yards – the redevelopment of the Arsenal Mall – and has built the Residence Inn by Marriott on Arsenal Street.