Real Estate
One Open House in Watertown This Weekend
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See this week’s open house over the Fourth of July weekend.
Bodywork Businesses Shutdown by City, One Had “Items of Sexual Nature”
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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:
The Watertown Public Health Department, in collaboration with the Watertown Police Department, Zoning & Code Enforcement Team, Inspectional Services Division, and with assistance from the FBI Boston’s Child Exploitation — Human Trafficking Task Force, conducted inspections of bodywork establishments in Watertown on July 22, 2026, resulting in closure of multiple businesses due to violations of the City’s rules and regulations.
TREATY DAY 250: Pact Signed in Watertown in 1776 Remains Alive 250 Years Later
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.
UPDATE: Vehicle Strikes Pole on Main Street, Knocks Out Power in Area – Repairs to Take Until After 9 p.m.
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 Tax Relief Legislation Approved by House, Moves to Senate
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.
More Headlines
Water & Sewer Rates Increasing More Than Expected Due to Error in Calculations
Possible Purchase of Police Drone and Guidelines for Use Discussed by Council Committee
A Pair of World Cup Final Watch Parties in Watertown
Around Town
Gov. Approves Opening of Gyms, Museums, Cinemas & More in Phase 3 of COVID Reopening
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Gov. Charlie Baker, with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito.
Beginning Monday, July 6, gyms, movie theaters and museums will be allowed to reopen as part of Phase 3 of Massachusetts’ COVID-19 reopening plan. Also allowed will be weddings and professional sporting events, but both have significant limitations.
Police/Fire
Coyote Attacks Dog, Takes it From Porch of Watertown Home
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A coyote.
Watertown Police warned residents to watch their pets after a resident reported that her dog had been attacked and taken from her front porch by a coyote. The dog’s body was later found by Police.
Around Town
Library Fines Eliminated in Watertown, Current Fines Removed
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The Watertown Free Public Library will no longer be charging fines for late materials.
The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library:
The Watertown Free Public Library has abolished overdue fines for most materials. At their May 5 Board Meeting, the Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously to recommend Town Manager Michael Driscoll eliminate library fines. As a result, fine elimination was included in the FY21 budget which was approved by Town Council on June 29, 2020.
Fiscal Year 2021
Council Approves Town Budget Which Includes 2nd Mental Health Specialist for the Police
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Funding for a second mental health clinician was added to the Watertown Police Department as part of the $152 million Town Budget approved by the Town Council this week.
Around Town
This Week at the Watertown Library: Online Events, Curbside Pickup Poll & More
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The historic facade of the Watertown Free Public Library.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Library:
This Wednesday at 7 PM, join us in welcoming Erik Edstrom for an author talk and Q&A session via Zoom. Edstrom’s memoir, Un-American: A Soldier’s Reckoning of Our Longest War, tells the story of his military service Afghanistan while probing his eventual disillusionment with the War on Terror.
Letters
LETTER: Why We Need More Trees in Watertown
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The Washington Post yesterday included an article about how climate change is worsening right now during the pandemic. It is not stopping for us to fight the pandemic or for anything else. Despite a temporary clearing of smog, the writer says, “the romantic vision of nature “healing” itself was always an illusion … carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are the highest they’ve been in human history, and possibly higher than in the past 3 million years.
Police/Fire
Lightning Strike Damages Watertown Home, Sets it on Fire
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A lightning strike during the strong storm that hit Watertown Sunday put a hole in the roof of a home near Watertown Square and set the structure on fire.