Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/page/781/)
Watertown officials celebrated the new historical marker in honor of General Lafayette. From left, Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli, Council President Mark Sideris, Marilynne Roach of the Historical Society, City Manager George Proakis, Julien Icher of the Lafayette Trail, Joyce Kelly from the Historical Society, and City Councilor Caroline Bays. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
On a drizzly, cool morning, a small crowd of Watertown history buffs came out to celebrate a Frenchman who played an important role in winning the American Revolution. During the ceremony, Watertown’s newest historical marker was unveiled, honoring the Marquis de Lafayette, who served as a general in the American Army.
By Kendra FoleyChair, Watertown School Committee
The Watertown School Committee has been busy over the last two months tackling budget decisions, discussing policy changes, and reviewing educational data that affects our school community.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
The Boston Renegades, who practice in Watertown, got to play at Fenway Park for the first time on April 12. The beep baseball team has members who are visually impaired and others who are not, all of whom wear blindfolds. (Photo by Jim Vershbow)
BOSTON — Bravery. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Among the bravest, in my opinion, are those individuals who are forced to live their lives visually impaired. Sight is a precious thing, and not having it is one of the cruelest things you could inflict on any human being. Yet, over the years so many incredible techniques and equipment have been devised and developed to allow the visually impaired community to do things that those of us with sight take for granted. One of those things is the opportunity to play the great sport of baseball, more commonly known to the visually impaired community as Beep Baseball.
James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal–then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”
The Town Council postponed a vote on a resolution that would declare a climate emergency, instead sending it to a pair of subcommittees to study it more closely and come back with a revised version.
The sun sets as crowds disperse after the two rallies Thursday in front of the Watertown Police Station.
Hundreds of supporters from two groups gathered on either side of Main Street in dueling rallies in front of the Watertown Police Station on Thursday afternoon. The pro-police supporters outnumbered those supporting the teacher who showed the controversial video at Watertown Middle School.
Massachusetts residents can now sign up to get preregistered for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Check out the open houses around town this weekend.
The following piece was provided by the Watertown School Committee:
The Watertown School Committee is committed to becoming an anti-racist school system by acknowledging the structural and institutional racism that is pervasive throughout this nation and its many institutions, and also consistently working to present that reality and incorporate those lessons into the Watertown Public Schools’ curriculum.
Watertown’s Town Hall. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Joint Police Reform Group:
The Joint Police Reform Group encourages community members to attend the upcoming meeting of the Town Council Public Safety Committee this Friday, March 12, from 4-6 pm. The official notice and Zoom link for the meeting are here. The Zoom link is https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/96451613926. Please join the meeting to learn about our 10 proposed initiatives and share their own concerns about Public Safety.
An Open Letter to the Superintendent of Watertown Public Schools, Dr. Galdston,
We are writing to express our strong support for a Watertown Middle School teacher who is under attack. She is a courageous and principled teacher who has sought to constructively challenge herself, her community, her colleagues, and her students to face the realities of race in America. She has done this in part by becoming an advanced Kingian practitioner. Many like to quote the more comfortable sections of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, but King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is often a more relevant touchstone. It is a challenging call to courageous action, and we believe that this teacher epitomizes its spirit.