Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/1818/)
Members of the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet tribes traveled to take part in the celebration fo the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Watertown (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Hundreds packed a theater in Watertown on Saturday to celebrate an event that took place 250 years before. The town was the site of the signing of the United States’ first treaty with a foreign nation — the Treaty of Watertown. Descendants of the signers of the document from the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet tribes emphasized that the agreement that was forged as a wartime alliance also created friendships and provided rights and protections for the signers that are still important in 2026.
A pole struck by a vehicle lies on top of power lines on Main Street. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
A vehicle struck a utility pole on Main Street, snapping it in half and cutting off power for several hundred customers on Monday around noon.
Watertown City and State officials appeared before a joint committee at the State House on Jan. 27, 2026, to discuss the City’s Home Rule Petition. Pictured, from left, Steve Owens, George Proakis, John Lawn, Earl Smith, and Mark Sideris.
The City of Watertown’s effort to prevent a tax hike for residential property owners, which could be as high as 18%, cleared a major hurdle when it was approved the the House of Representatives on Beacon Hill.
Watertown residents will see an increase of 4.5% in both the water and sewer rates for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2026, which is slightly higher than forecasted a year ago. However, the future increase could be significantly higher than projected due in part to an error made calculating future year revenues.
Residents concerned about the pace and size of development in Watertown have requested a building moratorium on Arsenal Street, but a Town Councilor said stopping the projects could impact the town and school budgets.
The first ever WFPL 5K road race drew nearly 200 runners and raised money for the Watertown Free Public Library.
Two weeks after the United Stated declared its independence from the British, the document proclaiming the new nation was read for the first time in Massachusetts in Watertown. The next day the first treaty entered into by the U.S. was signed in town, too.
Watertown’s Rick Keilty recently spent four days venturing through 250 miles of woods in Maine by foot, bicycle and boat.
Mt. Auburn Hospital recently hosted their first ever Corporate Blood Donor Awards breakfast.
The Watertown Rotary Club appointed its new president and board, and gave out awards during the annual installation of officers and board members.
The Town Council voted to have a public hearing to consider how to approach a citizens petition asking for a moratorium on development on Arsenal Street.
Three years ago Meghan Moran decided to open her own business and moved from Newbury Street to Watertown, where she transformed a motorcycle store into a hair salon.