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Watertown Police 5K Honors Fallen Firefighter Joe Toscano

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The Watertown Police Finish Strong 5K Race and Walk started as a way for the community to come together after the lockdown and manhunt for the Boston Marathon Bomber, and this year it came together to honor one of the town’s fallen heroes. 

Watertown Police Chief Michael Lawn said the fourth annual race was dedicated to Watertown Firefighter Joe Toscano, who died fighting a fire just a couple blocks from Tufts Health Plan, where the race started and ended. He told Toscano’s wife, Maureen, that not only are Watertown Firefighters and firefighters around the state behind her family, the entire community supports them. Maureen thanked those who supported Joe, and said he would have enjoyed the celebration. “I know Joe’s looking down, just so impressed by the crowd, by the beautiful day and by the love and support that you all provided for us,” she said. “This is getting harder instead of easier right now, but it’s time like this that we really feel stronger because of you guys.”

This year the race drew 607 registered runners and walkers.

Around Town

Learn About Efforts to Revitalize a Park on the Banks of the Charles River

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Find out about Herter Park, the DCR property across the Charles River from Watertown in Allston, and the efforts to revitalize it during a Meet and Greet on Wednesday night. 

The Friends of Herter Park will host the On Site Meet & Greet Open House on Wednesday, May 3 from 6-7:30 p.m. – drop in anytime. The rain date is May 10 at the same times. Meet at the Herter Park Amphitheater, 1155 Soldier Field Road, Allston (next to the Herter Park Community Gardens and Artisani Park Playground and Wading Pool). Find out about the Friends of Herter Park. Volunteer to join one of the committees: programming, fundraising, site improvement, or communication & outreach.

Around Town

Some Giant Events at the Watertown Senior in May

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May means some big events at the Watertown Senior Center, including its annual Giant Indoor Yard Sale, but there are plenty of other things going on for seniors in Watertown this month. 

The Senior Center sent out the following information:

Some of our MAY 2017 events include:

It’s Yard Sale Time! On Saturday, May 6th, we will be holding our Giant Indoor Yard Sale at the Senior Center. We encourage you to stop by from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM and take a look at the wonderful treasures that have been donated. There will be bargains for everyone and proceeds will benefit the programs and services at the Senior Center. Thank you!

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Watertown Tree Warden Has Trees Available to for Residents

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The Watertown Tree Warden has a variety of species available to plant on street in front of resident’s homes or in parts of the front yard close to the street. If you would like a tree to be planted, contact Tree Warden Chris Hayward at chayward@watertown-ma.gov. He will come out to your site to see if there is a suitable planting location and let you know whether a tree can or cannot be planted. Trees can also be planted on private property within 20-feet of the public right of way. Watertown Spring 2017  Street Tree Availability List
Species (Common), Species (Botanical), Height, Spread

Small and Front Yard trees

Purple leaf plum, Prunus cerasifera, 15′ to 25′,  15′ to 20′

Akebono cherry, Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’, 20′ to 25′, 20′ to 25′

Kwanzan cherry ‘Royal burgandy’, Prunus serrulata, 15′ to 25′, 15′ to 25′

Shantung maple, Acer truncatum “Shantung”, 20′ to 25′, 15′ to 25′

Sugartyme crab, Malus floribunda ‘Sugar tyme’, 20′ to 30′, 15′ to 20′

Japanese Tree Lilac, Syringa reticulata, 20′ to 30′, 10′ to 15′

Medium sized trees

Cleveland select pear, Pyrus calleryana ‘Cleveland select’, 25′ to 35′, 15′ to 20′

Autumnalis cherry, Prunus subhirtilla “Autumnalis”, 20′ to 40′, 15′ to 30′

Sun valley maple, Acer rubrum “Sun Valley”, 20′ to 30′, 20′ to 30′

Large Shade Trees

Pin oak, Quercus palustris, 50′ to 70′, 30′ to 40′

Red oak, Quercus rubra, 75′ to 100′, 60′ to 75′

Elm “Princeton”, Ulmus spp., 50′ to 70′, 30′ to 50′

Ginko, Ginko biloba, 50′ to 80′, 35′ to 45′

Skyline Honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos inerms, 45′ to 60′, 25′ to 35′

October glory red maple, Acer rubrum, 40′ to 50′, 20′ to 35′

Red Sunset maple, Acer rubrum, 40′ to 50′, 20′ to 35′

Autumn blaze red maple, Acer rubrum, 40′ to 50′, 30′ to 40′

Redpointe maple, Acer rubrum “Frank Jr”, 35′ to 45′, 20′ to 30′

Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua, 50′ to 70′, 30′ to 40′

Tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, 60′ to 100′, 30′ to 50′

Black gum, Nyssa sylvatica 40′ to 65′, 30′ to 40

Around Town

Project Literacy Celebrating 30 Years of Teaching English to Immigrants

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Project Literacy, the Watertown group that offers free help to adults seeking to learn to read, write or speak English, will celebrate its 30th anniversary on April 30. Executive Director Philippa Biggers said that the celebration will take place on Sunday, April 30 from 1:30-4 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown

Project Literacy provides free classes taught by professional ESOL teachers, as well as, one-on-one and small group tutoring by trained volunteers, and conversation circles led by native English speakers. To become a student, make an appointment to register. Contact Philippa Biggers at pbiggers@watertown-ma.gov or 617-924-8797 to schedule an appointment. Once registered, students go on a waiting list.

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New Local Cable Show Puts Spotlight on Groups Making a Difference in Watertown

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A new show debuted on Watertown Cable on Thursday called Inside Watertown hosted by longtime local business and community leader Paul Airasian and your’s truly, Charlie Breitrose, editor of Watertown News. Paul and I have worked together a number of times beginning when I was editor of Watertown Patch and he was hosting Watertown Business Report on WCA-TV. That collaboration has continued, most recently when I helped in the offices of the Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce during Paul’s time as executive director. When he moved on from the chamber, we looked around for other ways to work together and he came up with the idea of a local cable show. I had been a guest on Paul’s previous show, but we wanted to look at Watertown from a broader perspective.

Around Town

Fourth Annual Watertown Police Finish Strong 5K Coming Sunday

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The Watertown Police cordially invite you to participate in the 4th annual Watertown Police Finish Strong 5K road race and walk. This event will support the Watertown Police Relief Committee and the Watertown Police Supervisors Association. The Watertown Police Relief Association was organized in 1936 and changed to the Watertown Police Relief Committee in 2008. Our membership is comprised of sworn personnel, regardless of rank, as well as all retired officers. WPRC was established for the purposes of assisting the families of deceased members and protecting and promoting the social and economic welfare of their families and dependents.

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Watertown Boy, Age 2, Needs 24 Hour Nursing Care; Family Struggles to Find Nurses

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At the age of 8 months, a Watertown boy named Lucca needed an emergency tracheotomy and now he requires round-the-clock nursing care. His family has found, however, that there are not enough in-home care nurses available to meet his needs. Lucca must have fluids suctioned every half hour to keep his airways clear. He has been authorized to receive 63 hours of in-home nursing care each week, and his family mostly uses the nurses at night so they can sleep, according to his family. Massachusetts faces a shortage of Continuous Skilled Nursing care, in part because of the low pay rates (often $20 an hour or less) due to the state’s reimbursement rate.