Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/70/)
Watertown DPWWatertown trash and recycling and compost bins.
The two sides met Friday to discuss the trash strike impacting more than a dozen other communities, including Watertown, but left without coming to an agreement.
Overflowing trash and recycling bins on Main Street during the trash strike. (Photo by Dean Martino)
Watertown will not be joining the six communities seeking legal action against Republic Services for costs incurred from the trash strike. However, City Manger George Proakis sent a letter to Republic and Teamsters Local 25 urging them to get back to the bargaining table and reach a contract agreement.
State Rep. John Lawn
Watertown’s John Lawn, State Representative for the westside of Watertown, said “I am deeply sorry,” in a statement following his arrest on Wednesday for driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of property damage.
Trash bins in Watertown. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
City Manager George Proakis spent more of his vacation than expected talking about trash, the strike, and how to deal with collection while Republic Services and Teamsters Local 25 negotiate a contract.
After a cold start to the weekend, temperatures will gradually climb as we head into early next week. Friday will bring gusty northwest winds as a coastal low passes southeast of New England. Expect dry conditions through Monday with a steady uptick in temperatures. However, uncertainty remains for mid-week as another coastal low could bring rain or snow to the region. Stay tuned for updates as we track this potential storm.
A drawing of the shuttle boat being designed for Wada Hoppah to take people from Watertown to Boston. (Courtesy of Wada Hoppah)
A small version of the Wada Hoppah electric water shuttle may be carrying passengers from Watertown to Boston and back this spring, and the man behind the effort has plans to create a whole e-boat building industry in the Boston area.
Last week, the WestMetro HOME Consortium, a partnership of 13 regional communities of which Watertown is a member, released the results of a fair housing audit study that it conducted from March 2023 to January 2025. The Consortium worked with Suffolk Law’s Housing Discrimination Testing Program to test the prevalence of illegal race- and income-based discrimination in the housing market, pairing an applicant with a white alias with another with a “racially identifiable” Black, Hispanic, or Asian alias, or an applicant who posed as someone offering to pay market rate with one who posed as a housing voucher recipient.
Senior Caroline Andrade led the Raiders in scoring against Arlington Catholic. Here she plays against Old Rochester in the 2024 State Tourney. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Watertown Girls Basketball went into Saturday’s matinee with Arlington Catholic (AC) feeling pretty good about itself. Coach Mike Tempesta’s squad had won seven of nine, including two of the the last three on the road, and that included a convincing wire-to-wire win over the team ahead of Watertown in the Middlesex Freedom, Wakefield, on Tuesday, Feb.11.
For the 26th year, Watertown Savings Bank invites customers to support their favorite local non-profit in the Customer Choice Awards. See the announcement from WSB below.
By Shaunna Harrington
President Trump is gunning to weaken our K-12 public schools, and that should outrage all of us in the Commonwealth. Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Education announced all education institutions must eliminate DEI programs in 14 days to maintain federal funding.
Watertown’s Fahad Khan, left, won the MIAA Div. 3 North 106 Pound title in Gloucester. Here is is pictured in a dual meet against Keefe Tech. (Screenshot of Watertown Cable video).
Watertown High School’s wrestlings enjoyed success at the MIAA Div. 3 North Sectional meet on Saturday, where one Raider won his bracket, and two more placed third. Watertown finished in seventh place at the meet in Gloucester.
Watertown City Hall
The Watertown City Council voted on using Community Preservation Act funds on two projects, naming an intersection for an Armenian immigrant and artist, and discussed creating a Memorialization Committee. See more in the City Council Newsletter provided by the City of Watertown.