Police/Fire
Learn About Being a Watertown Police Officer at Information Session
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Find out what it is like to be a Watertown Police officer at an informal meeting hosted by Police Chief Justin Hanrahan.
Several Owls Visit Mount Auburn Cemetery During Long-Running Program Hosted by Owl Enthusiasts & Rescuers
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Marcia Wilson holds a Eurasian Eagle Owl during the Eyes on Owls event at Mount Auburn Cemetery. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Mount Auburn Cemetery recently welcomed a couple who have devoted their lives to observing and caring for owls. They have traveled around New England in search of the raptors, from Crane Beach in Ipswich to Rye, New Hampshire, to Nantucket, and have ventured as far as Alaska, Serbia and Nunavut in the north of Canada to catch a glimpse of owls.
School Committee Votes on Watertown Middle School Start Time for 2026-27
Watertown Middle School (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)
The debate over when to start the day for middle school students returned to the Watertown School Committee this week, focusing on what time the school day should begin for the 2026-27 school year. The discussion has been complicated by impact on after-school sports and the shortage of fields in town.
Boston Bruins Player Gets an Education About a Sport for the Blind at Perkins School
Boston Bruin Alex Steeves learns about goalball from two members of Perkins School for the Blind Towerhawks. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Boston Bruins center Alex Steeves has played in some tough environments — Montreal, Toronto, Madison Square Garden — but on Monday he entered the Perkins School for the Blind’s gym to try his hand at a new sport: one which requires him to play blindfolded.
WHS Sports: Wrestler Reaches 100 Wins; Girls Basketball & Boys Hockey in Tourney Play
Watertown senior Jimmy Strestha claimed his 100th career win at the All-State Meet in Springfield. (Courtesy of Watertown Athletics)
A pair of Watertown wrestlers faced the Bay State’s best in the All-State Meet in Springfield on Sunday, and one picked up a milestone win.
More Headlines
New Signage for Paintings in City Hall Provides a Historical Perspective
Police Log: Man Arrested for Causing Disturbance at Restaurant, Police Locate Man Wanted on 3 Warrants
City Relaxing Sidewalk Shoveling Rules After Blizzard, Keeping Parking Ban in Place
Around Town
Recycle Electronics at Mount Auburn Cemetery Event
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Mount Auburn Cemetery will host an electronics recycling event on Saturday, Jan. 6. See the announcement below.
Police/Fire
Watertown Police Running Women’s Self-Defense Course
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The Watertown Police Department is running a self-defense class for women in January on the Perkins School for the Blind. It is open to residents and Perkins employees.
Around Town
Hunger in Watertown: Task Force Tackles Social Needs, Tries to Fills Gaps Left by State, Local Programs
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Jan Singer, left, the former Executive Director of the Watertown Community Foundation, discussed how the Foundation responded to food insecurity during the Pandemic with journalists Maya Shwayder and Charlie Breitrose. (Photo by Dan Hogan / WCA-TV)
As the numbers of people facing a scarcity of food, worried about losing their home, or paying for utilities rose at the start of the Pandemic, a group of people in Watertown was gathered to bring together their knowledge of how to serve those in need.
Around Town
LETTER: Finding a Temporary, Permanent Home for Watertown Main Street Post Office Should be a Priority
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Greetings:
I extend Happy New Year wishes for good health, peace and prosperity for one and all.
Almost ten years ago; 02/03/2014, to be exact; Charlie Breitrose launched Watertown News. Watertown’s: “independent, locally owned news website” became a reality. Thank you, Charlie, for your many years of unbiased news coverage and open venue for citizen thought provoking interactions. Congratulations – Happy Tenth Anniversary!!!
Only three years prior to Watertown News, two of Watertown’s Post Offices were being evaluated for closure. How many residents recall the 2011-2012 turmoil created by the proposed closing of the East Watertown (589 Mount Auburn St.) and New Town (123 Galen St.) Post Offices by the United States Postal Service (USPS)?
Schools
High School Demolition Going Slower Than Anticipated, Work Continues This Week
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The remaining part of the old Watertown High School Building. (Courtesy of Vertex)
The following information was provided by project management firm Vertex:
The Watertown High School project team continues to be hard at work progressing the demolition of the existing high school and installing new foundations in preparation for our first steel deliveries in January.
Entertainment
Gore Place Hosting Virtual Visit with Edgar Allan Poe
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Literary historian Rob Velella will portray Edgar Allan Poe.
Edgar Allan Poe rises for this special virtual event just in time for his birthday! The author was born in Boston in 1809, the same year that Christopher Gore was serving as governor of Massachusetts. Poe himself (portrayed by literary historian Rob Velella) returns from beyond the grave to read several of his works, both well-known and forgotten.
Around Town
Watertown’s Unity Breakfast to be Broadcast Live on MLK Day
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The following information was provided by the Unity Breakfast organizers:
Each year, the residents of Watertown come together to celebrate civil rights and to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders by recommitting to foundational principles of racial, social and economic justice.